Net loser and winners in Confederation

[HOZ]

Stats Canada

Take a close look at the "Direct taxes from Persons" and "Corporations" break down on the second graph!!!

Let loose the Dogs of whine!

Boy gotta love living in the Maritimes!

[HOZ]

Here is an article on the subject

[Devils'Advocate]

Actually, no.. most people DON'T enjoy living in the Maritimes, which is why Nova Scotia's biggest export is educated children. I'm one of them; there was little in the way of lucrative work so I left Halifax shortly after getting my computing science degree.

I'm tired of Albertans calling my family lazy. My uncle works part-time as a maintenance man at an old-age residence and takes every odd job that he can find; zamboni driver, makes Christmas wreaths in his basement, and when his hands were good he was doing welding jobs on the side. Another is school bus driver who works every evening doing small plumbing repairs. My mother works as a manager of a call center, working from 6am to 6pm 6 days a week (most of which is off-the-clock to avoid labour law issues). None of them have a gross income over $30,000. Which is why they don't pay as much into taxes. My family work far, far, far, far harder for their money than I do working a 9 to 5er managing a team of coders and soon to be making six figures.

It's a bad dynamic. All of my friends that I went to university with; they have almost all moved off to various corners of the planet looking for greener pastures. I've lost contact with most of them, but some I see at Christmas when a number of us go back to visit our parents. Those that didn't make it through university are pretty much the only ones that stayed. The government there keeps saying they want to build a "Knowledge Based Economy" but that is impossible when all the knowledge gets up and leaves as soon as they get their degree. But we really have no choice. If you have ever been to Nova Scotia you'd see that people wouldn't want to leave this place unless they really had to. You have to work your tail off to make even half of what you can make in Ontario or Alberta.

So this constant insinuation that my parents and friends who have stayed there are sitting back in their Lazyboys with their feet up waiting for hard-working Albertans to send them a cheque is just insulting.

[TimSJ]

Great post DA

Most of us down here work our asses off. sure there are some that don't and living off of the gov't but you get that all over the country.

Also it only stands to reason that there are more taxes from corporations in other parts of the country. NB has a population of 700,000 people. stands to reason that we likly don't have that many large corporations paying big taxes.

I was born and raised here. Left to go toschool and came back. I work my tail off and have a great lifestyle. For the 90k that i made last year in NB. If i lived in Toronto or Calgary i doubt that i would be able to own the house where i do. Have a boat and a cottage and be a member at a private golf coutry club. I would bust my ass just to make my mortgage payments.

My question would be? Where would Alberta be if you took all of that lovely oil out of the ground. Likely not so high and mighty as you sound now.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I really hate the stereotype that Maritimers are lazy. In particular there's a stereotype that Cape Bretoners are lazy because the people are always wanting "handouts" (which for the record are the same thing as "subsidies" for famers). The reason they wanted "handouts" was so they could continue to mine goal a mile under the ocean bed, or continue to make steel, or get up at 4:00am every morning to fish for 12 hours a day out in the middle of the Atlantic.

I don't really associate any of those jobs as being "lazy". I sure as hell don't want to do them. Now that those people can't work in the prestated industries, those who aren't retired are working on the oil rigs in Alberta.

DA raises a good point about Nova Scotia's greatest export being the youth and knowledge. I know the only reason I'm still here is that I want to be by family, in fact I'm moving back to Sydney for family reasons, and will be trying to find something here. I'm well educated and have some good experiance behind me, I know I'd make more living in a Calgary, Toronto or Ottawa, but am opting to be here based on personal rather than professional reasons.

The top performers here are only here for the personal reasons unfortunately. I'd love to see the economy turn around (and it's starting to, I don't see us being an Alberta, Ontario, or BC any time soon) but hopefully we can find a nice little niche here.

It would be great to have the negative stereotypes stop though. As that's all they are, stereotypes.

Remeber in 1867 who built the country

[Resolute 14]

Who said Maritimers were lazy?

Really, the only thing this study proves is that Alberta, then Ontario, puts a hell of a lot more into this country than either gets back. Huzzah to the welfare state.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Who said Maritimers were lazy?

"Boy gotta love living in the Maritimes!"

What was that SUPPOSED to insinuate?

Really, the only thing this study proves is that Alberta, then Ontario, puts a hell of a lot more into this country than either gets back. Huzzah to the welfare state.

Government services, including education funding and health care funding are supposed to be equal to each and every Canadian regardless of the taxes paid by the people in each province. I take it you have a problem with this. It is your firm belief that Nova Scotians should not have decent schools.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

"Boy gotta love living in the Maritimes!"

What was that SUPPOSED to insinuate?



Government services, including education funding and health care funding are supposed to be equal to each and every Canadian regardless of the taxes paid by the people in each province. I take it you have a problem with this. It is your firm belief that Nova Scotians should not have decent schools.

fortunately Nova Scotia does have good schools, and plenty of good hospitals too...now if only Calgary would catch up

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

"Boy gotta love living in the Maritimes!"

What was that SUPPOSED to insinuate?

That the Maritimes get a hell of a lot of money from the government.

Government services, including education funding and health care funding are supposed to be equal to each and every Canadian regardless of the taxes paid by the people in each province. I take it you have a problem with this.

I have a problem with perpetual welfare, which is what the equalization plan is. It is one thing to give an individual/group/province a hand up. It is another to do it forever. The system is flawed, but given the majority of the provinces benifits from it, it is unlikely to change.

It is your firm belief that Nova Scotians should not have decent schools.

I made no such statement. You may apologize to me for stating such a lie, and I will thank you for not attempting to speak for me in the future.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Actually, no.. most people DON'T enjoy living in the Maritimes, which is why Nova Scotia's biggest export is educated children. I'm one of them; there was little in the way of lucrative work so I left Halifax shortly after getting my computing science degree.

I'm tired of Albertans calling my family lazy. My uncle works part-time as a maintenance man at an old-age residence and takes every odd job that he can find; zamboni driver, makes Christmas wreaths in his basement, and when his hands were good he was doing welding jobs on the side. Another is school bus driver who works every evening doing small plumbing repairs. My mother works as a manager of a call center, working from 6am to 6pm 6 days a week (most of which is off-the-clock to avoid labour law issues). None of them have a gross income over $30,000. Which is why they don't pay as much into taxes. My family work far, far, far, far harder for their money than I do working a 9 to 5er managing a team of coders and soon to be making six figures.

It's a bad dynamic. All of my friends that I went to university with; they have almost all moved off to various corners of the planet looking for greener pastures. I've lost contact with most of them, but some I see at Christmas when a number of us go back to visit our parents. Those that didn't make it through university are pretty much the only ones that stayed. The government there keeps saying they want to build a "Knowledge Based Economy" but that is impossible when all the knowledge gets up and leaves as soon as they get their degree. But we really have no choice. If you have ever been to Nova Scotia you'd see that people wouldn't want to leave this place unless they really had to. You have to work your tail off to make even half of what you can make in Ontario or Alberta.

So this constant insinuation that my parents and friends who have stayed there are sitting back in their Lazyboys with their feet up waiting for hard-working Albertans to send them a cheque is just insulting.

Maybe I missed something in the article, but who calls them lazy? People pointing out that Atlantic canada is the net benefit of transfers or do not contribute in federal taxes per capita vs most other provinces, aren't calling them lazy, they are simply stating facts.

The FACT is maritimers get a free ride. Not to say they are lazy, just that their lifestyle is subsidized.

To me, the moral of the story is that Canada has an internal policy of artificially propping up certian Canadians. They may like that ... or not, and may want to work hard, or not, but regardless its just true.

[Sparks]

We're like a guy who won the lottery, complaining about having to give a portion away to his (not well-off) family members. "Oh, to be them!" "Oh, they're lazy." "But, it's my money!"

[CrusaderPi]

Let's talk about probability.

I don't think anyone has ever said that every Maritimer is a lazy sponge. Just that it probable that if a lazy sponge in living in Canada he's probably located somewhere in the Atlantic region.

I know some of you successful east coasters may not like this, but the truth hurts. Don't blame me for saying it.

[Hakan]

Originally Posted by Sparks

We're like a guy who won the lottery, complaining about having to give a portion away to his (not well-off) family members. "Oh, to be them!" "Oh, they're lazy." "But, it's my money!"

Perfectly stated.

[Hakan]

I have a problem with perpetual welfare, which is what the equalization plan is. It is one thing to give an individual/group/province a hand up. It is another to do it forever. The system is flawed, but given the majority of the provinces benifits from it, it is unlikely to change.

Evidently you have a problem with understanding what the equalization system is.

[CrusaderPi]

Nobody won the lottery. Albertans, for three generations, have worked their collective asses off to earn this wealth. Now contrast that to provinces that are net sponges in confederation who have sat on their collective asses for three generations, yet still receive wealth.

You think the oil stops at the border? Maybe that's how they decided to partition Alberta and Saskatchewan. Speaking of oil in places not named Alberta, hows that offshore oil industry doing out east?

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

Let's talk about probability.

I don't think anyone has ever said that every Maritimer is a lazy sponge. Just that it probable that if a lazy sponge in living in Canada he's probably located somewhere in the Atlantic region.

I know some of you successful east coasters may not like this, but the truth hurts. Don't blame me for saying it.

Sorry, I don't get it?

So, me, the "lazy grad student with funding", and my wife "the lazy person with a grad degree working in the hospital here" moved here to be lazy sponges ?

I know thats not exactly what you are saying, but I find it a bit silly.

An unfortunate reality for the maritimes is that a large portion of their revenue/budget depends upon that $$. You may claim dependency, just cut back on your expenses etc...but the scary part is if they did, there would be even less services here and/or they would be more expensive. For e.g., nova scotia has one of the highest (I think top 2 or 3) tuition in the country. Also, the prov gov't here has stated that they may have to cut back a lot if they get less transfer etc payments. You may say fine, so be it, cut back on expenses and unnecessary things. The thing is, though, that a lot of these things - hospital funding etc - are necessary.

Not saying that there is not lazy people out here, but there are also lazy people in Alberta as well. I'm originally from Alberta, and have lived down here for the past year or 2.

[Jagger]

From personal experience I find that the Maritimers that have worked for me and my company are, pretty much, the hardest workers we employ. (Not that I believe that anybody directly stated that Maritimers are lazy anyway).

[Hakan]

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

Nobody won the lottery. Albertans, for three generations, have worked their collective asses off to earn this wealth. Now contrast that to provinces that are net sponges in confederation who have sat on their collective asses for three generations, yet still receive wealth.

You think the oil stops at the border? Maybe that's how they decided to partition Alberta and Saskatchewan. Speaking of oil in places not named Alberta, hows that offshore oil industry doing out east?

So Alberta didn't win the lottery by having a virtual goldmine in their backyard?

And Albertans should be applauded for working hard and harvesting that gold mine? All's fair I guess. But I mean, those potato farmers out in PEI work just as hard as oil patch workers only they can't sell their potatoes for $50 a kilo.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

Nobody won the lottery. Albertans, for three generations, have worked their collective asses off to earn this wealth. Now contrast that to provinces that are net sponges in confederation who have sat on their collective asses for three generations, yet still receive wealth.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cd...alization.html

Alberta and Ontario, being the current "have" provinces, don't benefit from equalization. This has not always been the case.

Alberta received equalization payments from 1957 to 1964. Ontario came close in the late 1970s and early 1980s


Look, I'm not saying everything is perfect or anything of the sort. But still. What do you honestly think people do down in the Maritimes?

[Resolute 14]

As he mentioned, Oil exists in provinces other than Alberta as well.

As far as the potato farmer goes, if farming potatoes doesnt earn enough money to live on, maybe it is time to look at diversifying.