Raise the Hammer

A Smith: Did not the Harper government set in motion the policy of the $100.00 per month child care cost, instead of a national day care system? Would this be your increase?

Now let's look at the new Ontario Child Benefit, of which I have gone to a couple public forums. With this new child benefit, they will be receiving less in a month, then the old system. So for a single parent, they will see about $6.00 decrease on the OW cheque, and has lost the winter clothing allowance and back to school allowance. The system is telling these people they need to learn how to budget, when in reality you are living on a subsistant amount and a system that does not really help the individual. Look at it this way, for that same single parent, who picks up a minimum wage, parttime job, the worker is penalized by Ontario Works, 100% of earnings for the first three months, after three months it is 50% penalty.

Sure public sector has grown but I think if you really looked at that, you would find that job creation has been more on the top levels. Many of the menial jobs have been outsourced to the not for profits, which surprise, surprise, most of them are covered under union contract. The system has layers and layers, that you do not know about, unless you go through the system.

Today,we see in the spec, that HHS is going to lay off 500 people, of course, it is the frontline workers that lose and not the deadweight at the top.

Education: Yes, well this is an issue isn't it. I think that they are many good people in this field but between the confines of management and union, well, what can one say. I went to a poverty forum where an educator was giving a lecture. This person gave a very good lecture on the perspective of poverty within the education system. I think this perspective goes beyond that but if a child comes from a poor neighbourhood, the current system or attitude is one that well they will not excel, so the curriculum is set to one that does not expect high results. When asked how to change this, the speaker had no answer. Well I think this person knew the answer but the hierarchical system does not allow for freedom of though or expression to make things better. Should education only be based on ensuring that those that will rise to the top or does it ahve a greater social side to teach other skills, more basic, old skills, as well. Lets be realistic, not everyone is meant for higher education, acadenmia.

While technology is good in one sense, I wonder, is not food a number one priority for survival?

I think that you are calling for more privatization of services, yet a lot of the issues are around the lack of accountability to the people. I think some things should not be left in the hands of private markets. From a grassroots perspective, we should be challenging everything right now.