Federal Government & Politics II

[Acajack]

In my totally legit above-board life I only run into a small handful of businesses that don't accept cash. (Though admittedly their numbers are growing slowly but surely.)

I could easily avoid them and live pretty much the exact same life that I do at the moment.

I know that most hotels require a credit card for check-in though I assume that cheaper not-so-nice motels allow you to pay cash, and don't ask too many questions. There are lots of those too.

Not to mention that many ethnic communities have their own internal networks for almost anything you'd need.

I'm sure that within those it's easy to see a doctor and pay cash, for most treatments you would need.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

As already discussed though. If they simply wanted to cross into the US illegally or simply work illegally in Canada, that can come here on visit visas and do that. They isn't a large surge of people doing that. They mostly try really hard to get PR. They want real legal status and they want to get on the immigrant ladder. They don't want a lifetime as dishwashers getting paid under the table.

I think we have skewed sense of who these people are. Because we think of illegals in the US. For most of these students, if they weren't taking their shot with Canadian PR, they'd be working in the Gulf to save/make money.

I think this is more a reflection of the fact that people will do anything to get in and increase their chances of staying here.

The bogus student thing is at least semi-legit, is (was) easily available to them and offered the pretty decent hope that it would work. Illegally crossing some border is a much less attractive proposition.

I don't think there is much more to read into it than that, and I also don't think that we should overestimate the regulatory conformism and respect of these guys too much.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Of course....

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/poli...ncouver-south/

The saddest thing is that the implication is that he may have "re-allocated" spots that had been reserved for Canadians and Afghans linked to Canada for only about $4000!! How desperate can you be!!!

Directors of a charitable foundation that struck a deal with Ottawa to sponsor the immigration of Afghan Sikhs to Canada made political donations to then-defence minister Harjit Sajjan’s Vancouver South Liberal riding association around the same time as Canadian special forces soldiers were instructed to rescue and airlift the group from Kabul.
...
that three military sources say took resources away from getting Canadian citizens and Afghans linked to Canada on final evacuation flights.

But of course Sajjin didn't order anything ... or did he

...General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff, told The Canadian Press that the military was following “legal orders” from Mr. Sajjan when it made an effort to specifically help the group of Afghan Sikhs.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In my totally legit above-board life I only run into a small handful of businesses that don't accept cash. (Though admittedly their numbers are growing slowly but surely.)

I could easily avoid them and live pretty much the exact same life that I do at the moment.

I know that most hotels require a credit card for check-in though I assume that cheaper not-so-nice motels allow you to pay cash, and don't ask too many questions. There are lots of those too.

Not to mention that many ethnic communities have their own internal networks for almost anything you'd need.

I'm sure that within those it's easy to see a doctor and pay cash, for most treatments you would need.

I lived cash-only for about a year, the biggest annoyances were 1) whenever needing to order shit online (rare but happened a couple times), and 2) refueling the tiny part of my real estate that’s still oil-heated (that was very annoying, actually; I always had to manage to pre-pay).

I’m back to having a credit card now, it’s better of course, but not THAT life-changing

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Free ride home? Sure. Paying off debts? No way.

First off, these are debts they weren't supposed to have to begin with. They lied about their financial resources to get into Canada.

Next, a lot of those debts are incurred informally through various family and social connections. Not the kind of lending that can properly be documented. So you have no real idea who owes what. So ultimately, you're just going to have offer a fixed amount to everybody to leave. The ones who are really desperate won't take it. The ones who aren't probably didn't need that money anyway.

I'm okay offering a free ticket and basically a guarantee that they won't be banned from applying in the future or visiting if they voluntarily leave.

I hate to be Machiavellian. But knowing that there are ppeople who weren't able to pay back borrowed money will help deter fake applicants in the future, and even those who would lend to them.

This is a good point. It seems harsh to throw people out with debts they were tricked into taking on but there isn't much of a choice.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

It was never sustainable to have Harper era tax rates and Trudeau era spending.

Anglo-Canada is like Southern Europe, constantly struggling to deal with a mismatch between what the public wants in public spending and what the public expects to pay in taxes.

One of the many reasons why the social democratic model in the Nordic countries works (so any progressives that wax about Sweden, Denmark, etc. better take note...) is that these countries are generally quite committed to fiscal balance and aiming to have enough revenue to pay for their program expenses. Debt-to-GDP ratios are quite low in that region.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

I'm poor and I'm better off because of the new social programs available

If we may ask, what job do you do, that you haven’t yet been replaced by a desperate FNS willing to work much harder than you and for less?

[lio45]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Anglo-Canada is like Southern Europe, constantly struggling to deal with a mismatch between what the public wants in public spending and what the public expects to pay in taxes.

One of the many reasons why the social democratic model in the Nordic countries works (so any progressives that wax about Sweden, Denmark, etc. better take note...) is that these countries are generally quite committed to fiscal balance and aiming to have enough revenue to pay for their program expenses. Debt-to-GDP ratios are quite low in that region.

Main reason these countries can afford to be high-tax/high-services is that there isn’t a massive brain drain to a culturally-identical, Swedish-speaking Sweden-Next-Door that offers higher incomes and lower taxes. They are their own little bubbles in a way that nowhere in the Anglosphere is.

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by lio45

If we may ask, what job do you do, that you haven’t yet been replaced by a desperate FNS willing to work much harder than you and for less?

I'm a cook in a bar

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by shreddog

The saddest thing is that the implication is that he may have "re-allocated" spots that had been reserved for Canadians and Afghans linked to Canada for only about $4000!! How desperate can you be!!!

But of course Sajjin didn't order anything ... or did he

Pathetic. He would resign immediately of he had any sense of shame.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Pathetic. He would resign immediately of he had any sense of shame.

He is a Liberal, therefore entitled to his entitlement. And Yours.

[Build.It]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

I'm a cook in a bar

In what ways specifically has your life gotten better?

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by Build.It

In what ways specifically has your life gotten better?

Wages up thanks to higher min wage, carbon tax rebates = free money since I don't drive. Mind you most improvements have been provincial.

[Build.It]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

Wages up thanks to higher min wage, carbon tax rebates = free money since I don't drive. Mind you most improvements have been provincial.

Does it make up for the inflation? Are you able to save more than if we didn't have these social programs and also didn't have the inflation of the last few years?

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by Build.It

Does it make up for the inflation? Are you able to save more than if we didn't have these social programs and also didn't have the inflation of the last few years?

Inflation hasn't even been high, It peaked at 8% for ONE YEAR
no one born after like 1970 has any real experience with high inflation.

[Build.It]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

Inflation hasn't even been high, It peaked at 8% for ONE YEAR
no one born after like 1970 has any real experience with high inflation.

Is that what your personal inflation rate has been? Just 8%? Have you compared receipts from this year with the same items from 2020 to confirm?

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by Build.It

Is that what your personal inflation rate has been? Just 8%? Have you compared receipts from this year with the same items from 2020 to confirm?

Thats what the CPI has been, why? do you doubt the actual government stats?
I can still feed myself for $300 a month, and thats just food.
Many other goods are actually cheaper. MY cell plan is a 3rd of the cost of 4 years ago with 5x the usable data

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Of course....



https://www.theglobeandmail.com/poli...ncouver-south/

Sajjan's demotion in Cabinet explained? (I wonder how long the Government has known about this?)

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Lack of effort or lack of resources?

Lack of resources resulting in lack of effort.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Build.It

Is that what your personal inflation rate has been? Just 8%? Have you compared receipts from this year with the same items from 2020 to confirm?

It's like 18% since 2019. My personal inflation is much lower to be honest.

Originally Posted by Build.It

Does it make up for the inflation? Are you able to save more than if we didn't have these social programs and also didn't have the inflation of the last few years?

You think without social spending we don't have inflation ?