Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
The thing is, I'm not some libertarian anti-tax crusader. I think strong public services are essential to the well-being of Canadians. But the biggest threat I see to strong public health care, emergency services, and education in the coming decades is overreach and unsustainable spending. The relentess increases to the compensation of teachers, police, nurses, and firefighters, and their defined benefit pensions, are not sustainable. The math simply doesn't work. Not in an economy that is growing at a much lower rate than the economy (and tax base) grew in the 50s to 90s.
Whose job is it to make the tough choices to safeguard public services in the long-term? Politicians? They do what have to do to get elected. Voters? They only care about low taxes and access to school and health care right now. Unions? They're run by baby boomers who are frantically padding their nests for retirement. Civil servants? They might be our best bet. But they're hardly a disinterested party.
BOOM, BUST AND ECONOMIC HEADACHES
The dramatic greying of Canada’s population will reshape the economy, stifle growth and force governments to provide for a growing number of seniors with a shrinking pool of taxpayers |
I don't think anyone is arguing that some of these things need to be put in check. My comments were based on the idea that we should pay some teachers less because essentially "they're not as important", while giving the others raises.
Public Sector unions are causing a problem (I work in the public sector - not health or education, not Federal, not Provincial and not unionized) and I think everyone agrees that health has become a beast that needs slaying at the management level. Health is even bigger than most realize as many municipal dollars also get put into it for things like attracting doctors, medical first response/EMS firefighters and the power doctors have been given to make some choices that aren't in the best interests of the public.
I would agree that the ATA is likely going to chase the wrong thing (salaries instead of class sizes) and that it's too difficult to remove bad teachers. The current governments' (Provincial and Federal) trying to appease the masses by placing additional burden on high earners is also not going to help that crisis.