by ki11ercane » Sat 09 May 2009, 15:01:53
Universal Healthcare is great, but it's expensive. Even the lowest taxed citizen in Canada is taxed 15% federally and 10% provincially minimum. Coupled with a federal sales tax (5%) and all but one province having provincial sales tax (Alberta) and again on top of fuel tax, school tax, property tax, and probably twelve other taxes I can't recall, most Canadian citizens that work for a living give back almost 42% of their paychecks to the local, provincial, or federal government, or combined. Tax free day in Canada is May 31st. (yes, five months into the year)
If the law was changed to make work weeks 32 hours rather than 40, that cuts the government's income by 20%. That means taxes could go from 42% to 52%. They will have to make up the difference somewhere!
Socialism in some regards does work, but for Americans who are very pro-capitalist/pro-democratic this is a tough thing to accept. I have a friend that lives in California and year over year he keeps 15% more money than he did living here in Canada, and is happy for it. He health insurance is through his work, and he works in the trucking industry (Volvo as a Journeyman Heavy Mechanic). If he lost his job there goes his health insurance.
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What I'm in favor of is European-style socialism. That's right. I'm talking universal healthcare, four day workweeks, and at least four weeks annual paid vacation for every worker. And all the other goodies they get too. Reducing our workweek would also alleviate our massive unemployment. In these modern times of technological efficency / globalism, we simply do not have enough jobs to go around for every adult to work 40 - 60 hours per week.
Two thumbs on that, good guy.
That's exactly what we need in the USA - especially the part about 4-day work weeks and long vacations. Also, health care should be a right, not a privilege...perhaps it's time for a new Amendment or two to the US Constitution .
It's very, very true that there aren't enough jobs to go around for everybody...unless we find a way to cut the number of hours worked, we're
always going to have an unemployment / underemployment problem.
If income taxes really are too much a burden, why not slap some hefty tariffs on imports like they used to in the old days? It's how they funded the entire federal government back in the days before they had an income tax. In any case, we're going to have to start making most of what we consume here in the USA - anyone that suggests otherwise is headed down a fool's road.
