- National Post editorial board: A sweet deal for grandpa
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We're generally reluctant to take New Democratic policy proposals seriously. But we'll carve out an exception for Jack Layton's newly announced plans for pension reform. Public retirement-savings schemes are, by definition, socialist exercises in intergenerational wealth redistribution -- a field in which the NDP has some claim to expertise.
What we want, in this policy field, is well-run socialism. Unfortunately, it turns out that what Mr. Layton is offering are merely goodies for the oldies.
He proposes to double CPP/ QPP benefits and to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) so that it is technically impossible for seniors, even those who have no contribution-based entitlement to CPP/ QPP money or private savings whatsoever, to lie below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off line. The NDP wants to weave an ultra-fine-mesh social safety net, in other words -- but only, arbitrarily, for old people.
An Internet Fisherman who uses barbless hooks and this one dimensional world as a way of releasing the frustrations of daily life. This is my pond. You are welcome only if you are civil and contribute something to the ambiance. I reserve the right to ignore/publish/reject anon comments.
socialism, sometimes has it's uses no?
ReplyDeleteAh hypocrisy, at it's finest.