Does Western Alienation exist, and how can we fix it?

[misher]

Originally Posted by Loco101

So many people working in natural resources sectors can't understand that their types of jobs aren't stable and they have this mindset that their income will remain high for a long time. I see it all the time with many working in mining in Timmins and it obviously exists in the oil and gas sector.

More than half of Canadians have less than two weeks in the bank so this is something that’s across Canada not just in certain sectors. I still see people complaining about not being able to own a home after just maxing their credit card to take a vacation.

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by misher

More than half of Canadians have less than two weeks in the bank so this is something that’s across Canada not just in certain sectors. I still see people complaining about not being able to own a home after just maxing their credit card to take a vacation.

Financial literacy is a really big problem. Especially among the poor. The kind of people who will go to the housing board and moan about how they didn't pay their rent because they can't afford it when they spent the equivalent of rent on booze and cigarettes.

I really think social assistance/welfare programs should come with mandatory financial literacy courses/counselling.

[lio45]

I'm probably biased but I see no downsides to the following change to how welfare works: the share of the amount that's the recipient's monthly rent would go straight from the govt to the welfare recipient's landlord, and they'd get their welfare check for the rest. Then that (reduced) amount can still be blown on booze and cigarettes the very first day of the month.

Win-win-win, even for them (their lungs and livers will be grateful :p)

Evictions would be greatly reduced, and the general desirability of welfare recipients as tenants would be markedly increased (they'd now come with reliably guaranteed rent).

[kwoldtimer]

https://www.citylab.com/life/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/6716/

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/arc...eople-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/

[misher]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Financial literacy is a really big problem. Especially among the poor. The kind of people who will go to the housing board and moan about how they didn't pay their rent because they can't afford it when they spent the equivalent of rent on booze and cigarettes.

I really think social assistance/welfare programs should come with mandatory financial literacy courses/counselling.

I’d support a stress test or minimum bank balance requirement to get a credit card. Also I think there should be a life class in high schools that teaches useful knowledge like financial planning, tax law, basic criminal laws, etc.

[NetMapel]

Originally Posted by misher

More than half of Canadians have less than two weeks in the bank so this is something that’s across Canada not just in certain sectors. I still see people complaining about not being able to own a home after just maxing their credit card to take a vacation.

Quite true but I also just want to say that there’s a difference between living pay cheque to pay cheque with a $50k salary versus $100k salary. Hence why I am far more sympathetic to your local Albertan teachers, bus drivers... etc than the high salary oil and gas workers. I believe their harsh working conditions earn themselves a high salary, but they should take personal financial responsibility. They wanted low government taxes which hinders the ability of their provincial government to have money to help their citizens in bad time like other places with higher taxes and better social systems. That should in turn make it an even bigger priority to save because you elected a government with that philosophy. Funny how. “financial conservatism” gets thrown out of the window on a personal level when that’s what conservatives want on a government level.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by misher

I’d support a stress test or minimum bank balance requirement to get a credit card. Also I think there should be a life class in high schools that teaches useful knowledge like financial planning, tax law, basic criminal laws, etc.

Back when I went to high school in Richmond, B.C., there was a course called Senior Planning (Grade 11)... I guess we were simply too young to take it seriously.

[Rollerstud98]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Back when I went to high school in Richmond, B.C., there was a course called Senior Planning (Grade 11)... I guess we were simply too young to take it seriously.

We had CALM, career and life management, same thing never took it seriously. Just a stupid required 2 credit course was how it was thought of.

[vid]

Financial literacy is absolutely useless to Walmart as an employer. Get your heads out of the sand. The responsibility of the education system is to produce workers, not people, and if you're concerned that they're spending money on alcohol, Capitalism™ has the solution for you!

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by misher

More than half of Canadians have less than two weeks in the bank so this is something that’s across Canada not just in certain sectors. I still see people complaining about not being able to own a home after just maxing their credit card to take a vacation.

Originally Posted by CityTech

Financial literacy is a really big problem. Especially among the poor. The kind of people who will go to the housing board and moan about how they didn't pay their rent because they can't afford it when they spent the equivalent of rent on booze and cigarettes.

I really think social assistance/welfare programs should come with mandatory financial literacy courses/counselling.

Yet we have governments who either cut or spend but they do not show the financial repercussions.

Pick a platform. There is stuff in there, yet no plan of how to pay for it.

My favourites are the conservatives that want to cut taxes and increase spending. It does not make mathematical sense. The problem is, their base is so financial illiterate that it does even matter. They hear tax cut and vote for them.

Maybe what is needed to fix western alienation is financial literacy in the general public.

[vid]

UCP is now trying to take 10% of Alberta's pension fund to fund its government programming. Since your pension is literally your wages, stashed away for use as income after you've worked, they're basically instituting a 10% tax increase on deferred wages.

Conservatives love the idea!

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by vid

UCP is now trying to take 10% of Alberta's pension fund to fund its government programming. Since your pension is literally your wages, stashed away for use as income after you've worked, they're basically instituting a 10% tax increase on deferred wages.

Conservatives love the idea!

Source? I mean, I wouldn't put it past them, but this is not something I have seen evidence is happening.

[misher]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Back when I went to high school in Richmond, B.C., there was a course called Senior Planning (Grade 11)... I guess we were simply too young to take it seriously.

I remember planning 10. In the end it wasn’t very good though. I definitely didn’t learn about tax brackets or criminal laws. I still remember an officer approaching me and a girl drinking on the beach and I had no idea it was illegal.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Source? I mean, I wouldn't put it past them, but this is not something I have seen evidence is happening.

I made it up in order to take a shot at the UCP.

[vid]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Source? I mean, I wouldn't put it past them, but this is not something I have seen evidence is happening.

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_fi...ature_30/session_1/20190521_bill-022.pdf

Bill 22 amends several acts related to pensions, inserting the following into 5 of them:

(5) The President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance may by order authorize the Board to exclude from an investment management agreement under subsection (2), for a fixed or an indefinite period of time, specific investments or classes of investments of funds arising under this Act or underthe Board’s control but such investments must not make up more than 10% of the total value of the Board’s investments at the time the order is made, excluding investments made under subsection (4).

Which apparently gives the government the ability to access those 10% funds for general revenue? Public sector employees seem very upset about this. A pension is just your own wages, deferred in trust until retirement. All the more reason to abolish pensions and have everyone just chance it with the stock market, I suppose?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by vid

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_fi...ature_30/session_1/20190521_bill-022.pdf

Bill 22 amends several acts related to pensions, inserting the following into 5 of them:



Which apparently gives the government the ability to access those 10% funds for general revenue? Public sector employees seem very upset about this. A pension is just your own wages, deferred in trust until retirement. All the more reason to abolish pensions and have everyone just chance it with the stock market, I suppose?

That's quite the leap you're making. I take it you got this from a union site?

[vid]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

That's quite the leap you're making. I take it you got this from a union site?

Alberta NDP.

So, yes.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

That's quite the leap you're making. I take it you got this from a union site?

What is the reason or justification for that section of the Bill?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What is the reason or justification for that section of the Bill?

I'm pretty sure it's not to use pension funds as a general revenue. More than likely it's so the government can control how up to 10% of the investments are invested. In other words, politically-motivated investments. If this going to be a repeat of the 1980s there will be a lot of push back. I follow a number of what I would consider very strong UCP supporters on Twitter. I would say most of them now are very disappointed in a lot of what the UCP has done or plans on doing. If they start fucking with people's pensions they'll pretty well guarantee that they'll be the second government in the province's history to be a one-term wonder.

[misher]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

I'm pretty sure it's not to use pension funds as a general revenue. More than likely it's so the government can control how up to 10% of the investments are invested. In other words, politically-motivated investments. If this going to be a repeat of the 1980s there will be a lot of push back. I follow a number of what I would consider very strong UCP supporters on Twitter. I would say most of them now are very disappointed in a lot of what the UCP has done or plans on doing. If they start fucking with people's pensions they'll pretty well guarantee that they'll be the second government in the province's history to be a one-term wonder.

You mean there copying Quebec?
I see the UCP as doing some smart moves. Desperately trying to keep companies from leaving by lowering taxes. Reducing pension payments made by Albertans. Definitely don’t agree with getting rid of the elections commissioner but we do have police to do that too so there is an overlap.