Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
I must be getting old, and before I explain why, let me say that I'm entirely in favour of social programs, the social safety net and all that sort of thing. But the sheer entitlement of people not much younger than I am is just shocking.
I follow someone on twitter (whose account I will not be linking as they evidently get off on the interaction), and they're trying to garner support for subsidized childcare. She makes 6 figures, and somehow thinks that it's cool for taxpayers to foot the bill for childcare because it will make life easier for her (essentially), and she'll have more money. It's one thing to suggest that an income tested version of childcare is beneficial and that there's a public good as a result, but subsidized childcare for people who could otherwise afford it but would rather not spend the money is just mind-numbing.
Who are these people who just think that the government, (or other taxpayers), should subsidize their choices? The government we have in power at this point can't pay for their operations without borrowing money as it is, never mind them subsidizing childcare for people who have incomes that are above the median! I probably should have posted this in the gear grinder thread, because I don't know if it's really related to the election, but the attitude is just frustrating.
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For what it's worth I recently reached out to our local (NDP) MLA about the campaign pitch of universal childcare. He admitted that when the $25/day childcare was rolled out there was very little notice given to the daycares and it was a bit of a mess for months sorting out who got a spot, given that essentially all parents wanted one and the $25/day childcare only covered about 10% of total daycare spots. I asked why the program wasn't linked to family income (didn't get a response).
Going forward I asked how this would be rolled out to all daycares; there would be specific documents and approvals that each daycare would need in order to be approved for the $25/day program. I asked which specific documents, what the timeline is and how exactly this would be rolled out in a timely/reasonable manner. I got a somewhat vague response - there is no timeline and not sure what approvals are needed.
As you mentioned above having children is a choice, and I don't think the government should subsidize that choice especially when it's not tied to income.
TLDR - $25/day childcare sounds like a great idea in theory but the reality is anyone who would be interested in taking advantage of it might have to wait years, making it irrelevant for most who could use it. Based on my chat with the MLA the government doesn't really have a specific plan and isn't sure how long it would take to implement.