Canada is a great place to live. I think so, at least. According to Jack Layton, Harper does not like it and wants it gone. Or at least any vestige of the Canada we know. Harper’s idea is to grant more power to the provinces and restrict the federal government’s control. That is what the Bloc wants too. But the Bloc wants it more for itself than the rest of Canada. Harper, in my opinion, wants it more for Alberta.
The Canada I love tries to take care of its own people: Through health care, social security and the whole social safety net. The safety net is something provided by the government for the people. The reason for the government’s very existence is for the people. Not the people for the government. Conservatives would argue that by paying taxes the people become the reason for the existence of government. That is not so. The government exists to help people. In order for government to function we must pay taxes. Harper would argue that the private sector would best meet our needs. Competition and so on. But where would the military get money except from taxes.
If the private sector is better at meeting our health care needs, why not have private firms provide defense? Because then we would be paying protection money to gangster corporations and payed assassins. And our enemies could outbid us. The loyalty would be to those who pay the most. But when it is the health of the people it appears that we are supposed to suspend disbelief and accept that a private firm would treat us right no matter how much or how little we can pay or afford.
In Canada, even though taxes are higher, we pay less than Americans on health care (as a percentage). But not all Americans receive the benefit of all that money spent. In the Canada I love you do not need money to actually receive the care that you require. I personally feel better knowing that if I lose my job and get real sick I can still get medical attention.
Jack Layton also is proposing help for Canadians to receive the medication they require. I know a number of people with different ailments that need to budget for their medication. One person in particular, someone I care very much about, has ailments that require a number of medications that are rather expensive. And her ailments have nothing to do with anything she has done. She is one of a handful in the world with a particular ailment. Is it right for her to suffer and potential die for something that is not her fault?
Most importantly, in this election it is NOT a choice between Harper or Martin. The choice is between a Canada that cares or a Canada that does not. Harper’s Canada cares not about health care but the military. Martin’s Canada cares not about regular Canadians but his elite social circle. Jack Layton not only is the only candidate left that can make a noticeable difference, his party is the only one that fights for Canadians every time, all the time.
The Canada I believe in includes my mom, dad and brothers. It also includes the squeegee kids and the vagrants. It includes Harper and Martin on the same level as my co-workers, friends, family and the guy I sat next to on the bus. By including these people as being real people, my Canada demands that they all be cared for properly first. Defending a country against “terrorists” who supposedly hate us is as ridiculous as preparing to fight aliens or robots. We would better be preparing for the inevitable Loch Ness, Big Foot and Yeti team up (under the direction of Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa) when they try to take on the world. Or is it David Koresh, Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden that we are worried about? I can’t keep track.
I figure if the government should not be running health care then it should not be running anything. Let private firms take care of immigration, the military, border patrolling, military training and fighting, policing, foreign affairs, the Senate, trade deals and, most importantly, hiring the firms that do these things. And then let people pay these firms themselves or let corporations pay them. If we get invaded and you did not pay your protection money. Tough luck. Or if you get mugged and cannot show your monthly protection pass to the police in time then you get stabbed and you will have no money to pay the hospital (you just got mugged dude).
