In 2004, Tommy Douglas was voted the Greatest Canadian ever. What a crock in my books. I didn't vote for him for that honor. I never would have either. I think he did terrible things for our country.
For those of you who don't know who he is, let me tell you. He was a politician with the NDP party in Saskatchewan. He was also premier from 1944-1961. He brought about radical changes, such as introducing many of the crown corporations. He is also, and probably, best known as the father of universal healthcare (basically free).
If it wasn't for him, we could probably afford healthcare in this country. As it stands today, healthcare in our country eats up a majority of the budget. We pump billions of dollars into healthcare every year. The government has had to cut back on other services to pay for healthcare. Pretty soon, our whole budget will go to healthcare.
I think that free healthcare is a terrible idea. I would rather pay a nominal fee and lower taxes, than to try to afford free healthcare. The government can't make any money off of free. At least Alberta has been doing it right by charging a monthly fee. The Province of Saskatchewan wonders why we can't keep doctors here. How are you going to pay them the obscene amounts of money they make when you don't charge for the service you are providing. I'll tell you how - with double-taxing other services. For example, the government charges tax on tax for fuel. They also charge PST on used goods, even automobiles, after the PST was paid on it when it was new.
He also brought in legislation to bring about the unionization of the public service, whose employees make ludicrous amounts of money. The unions cause inflation to increase.
So, after all is said and done, I think Tommy Douglas was one of the worst Canadians ever.
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3 comments:
You would rather pay a nominal fee and lower taxes than try to afford free healthcare? That's like taking money from your left pocket, putting it in the right pocket and saying you have more. Either way you're still paying.
When it comes to double taxing other services you've got it all wrong. First of all your examples are of the 'goods' variety, not services. Second, everything is double taxed. Raw materials are taxed before they make it into a product. The product is then taxed as well. If I buy a table there will be tax on all the original materials (wood, screws, paint) and again on the final table. Check your facts too. PST is no longer payable on most used automobiles in Saskatchewan for which it was already paid. It's been like that since the government changed.
Tommy Douglas may not be the greatest Canadian ever, but he certainly isn't the worst. Especially when you compare his legacy to that of the following people:
1. Pierre Trudeau
2. Chris Hannah
3. Henry Morgentaler
4. Brian Mulroney
5. Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka
6. Stephen Harper
7. Céline Dion
8. Jean Chrétien
9. Clifford Olson
10. Conrad Black
Yes, I would rather pay a fee and to know that we will keep doctor's and specialists here, than to pay nothing and lose them because we can't afford to pay them properly. If I paid a fee, then maybe I wouldn't have had to wait for 2 1/2 years for an x-ray before my surgery.
I also don't have a problem with a two-tier healthcare system. For example, if those who can afford to pay for their tests, exams, procedures, etc. could do so, then it would relieve the rest of the system and reduce waiting times. If those who can afford to can get done what they need, then those who can't afford to would in theory have to wait less because many of the people of the waiting lists will have had their procedures taken care of.
That way, we could also afford to pay for more equipment, such as CT scanners, MRI, etc. and maybe keep more hospitals and emergency rooms open.
Goods and services are both taxed. And yes, while PST is no longer paid on used light vehicles, it is still paid on anything over one ton; heavy vehicles, buses, trailers, motor homes, as well as motorcycles, mopeds and leisure vehicles such as ATV's, snowmobiles and boats.
And even though he may not be the worst, he is not the greatest or even close to it. Yeah, sure there are a lot of others who people may view as worse, such as Conrad Black as you say, but he hasn't done anything that affects everyone in the country.
I forgot too, that Status Indians don't pay tax on reserve either, which isn't fair to the rest of us.
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