Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
But it’s a problem that’s getting worse. Countries vary in how much economic mobility they have. Canada and Germany have more than the UK and U.S. But mobility is decreasing here. We’re becoming more like the U.S., and can expect to see the social ills that afflict the U.S. - crime, division, distrust - increase.
One school used to be much like another on Canada, and students across all economic classes would attend them together. Now professional-class parents send their kids to private and charter schools. When I was a kid, the children of affluent families in Pump Hill, Bayview, and Palliser all went to John Ware. Now the students who attend John Ware all come from Braeside, Cedarbrae, and Woodlands because the affluent families now send their kids to Westmount Charter and Webber Academy.
We know that the amount of money first-time homeowners get from parents has soared into the 100k+ range. That was not the case 30 years ago. And it will only widen the divide between the professional classes and the rest.
The trends are all pointing towards Canada becoming more like the U.S. - more stratified, more divided. The fact it’s caused by smart parents doing what’s best for their children doesn’t change that.
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I'm not saying there's no issue though. What I'm asking is whether an estate tax is the best way to address that? I don't think it is.
And have you been in John Ware lately? It's probably unchanged from what it was 30 years ago...there's not even a computer lab in there! It's no wonder that parents want to send their kids elsewhere. I'm a graduate of the public system with the unwashed masses, and kind of think that it was good enough for me, so it's good enough for my kids. But when you see things like that, it does boggle the mind on how kids will compete going forward.