Quote:
Originally Posted by BoLevi
Equalality is always available to every citizen. They just have to move to the location with the more productive economy.
It's never a good idea to transfer wealth from more productive jurisdictions to less productive jurisdictions. It just reduces labour mobility.
Equalization would be more justifiable if we didn't have freedom of movement. Anyone can move to Alberta.
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I used to think that too. But the figures on how strongly happiness and health correlate to the strength of your social support network changed my mind.
25 year olds picking up stakes and moving across the country to improve their income from $60k to $80k has economic value. But it if means abandoning their social network, it may have negative consequences that go beyond the economic calculus.
There’s a civic good in people living around friends and family - especially parents raising children. If viable schools and hospitals in Brandon and Saint John help keep young adults in a community where they have the support of parents and friends, which in turn help sustain marriages, families, and mental health, then that’s good value for public investment.