Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Torture

I don't remember CALM teaching anything about stocks, RRSP, RESPs, or mutual funds.

My CALM classes never did either. Sure would have been nice if they did.

[Julio]

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business...dling-returns/

Quote from the premier:“Aimco should be focused on getting the very best returns for pensioners, but doing so in a way that is conservative,” Smith said in an interview Friday.

How do you get the 'very best returns' and be convervative at the same time?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Julio

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business...dling-returns/

Quote from the premier:“Aimco should be focused on getting the very best returns for pensioners, but doing so in a way that is conservative,” Smith said in an interview Friday.

How do you get the 'very best returns' and be convervative at the same time?

The 'conservative' part is completely irrelevant too. If that is a dog whistle for 'only oil and gas' or 'no progressive companies', that's a terrible investment strategy if it's sacrificing better returns elsewhere as a result.

[FlameOn]

UCP lifts auto insurance price caps on the province that already pays the highest premiums in the country. We're gonna get poorer again next year

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...ault-1.7386459

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Interesting. In my class The Wealthy Barber was required reading and we spent several classes on it.

Other thing I recall from that class was learning about doubling up mortgage payments. My teacher suggested getting roommates when you buy your first house and doubling up payments with revenue from the tenants. I did that for about four years, too, which really chewed down my mortgage early on.

The financial stuff was my biggest takeaway. I remember some talk about drugs or something, but I was pretty checked out of 'just say no' by that point.

I think Slava went to my high school a year ahead of me. Mr. K was my teacher for CALM.

Yep, definitely didn't do any of that. I think we did some sort of personality assessment and looked at jobs that 'were a good fit' based on that. Don't really remember. *shrug*

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Julio

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business...dling-returns/

Quote from the premier:“Aimco should be focused on getting the very best returns for pensioners, but doing so in a way that is conservative,” Smith said in an interview Friday.

How do you get the 'very best returns' and be convervative at the same time?

Government interference in pensions - that's what we want!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by belsarius

I am definitely not accepting that raise that puts me in the next tax bracket!

You jest, but yeah, I've heard that one a lot.

[Fuzz]

Reviewing assisted suicide policies in Alberta

https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?x...0F1A7F46D8D27B

Well, I guess the UCP already has their conclusions on this one. It's called MAID, you can shove your dog whistle up your ass. Guess this will be another thing the government knows what is best to do with our own bodies. Freedom, they call it.

In addition to the online survey, Alberta’s government will also be engaging directly with academics, medical associations, public bodies, religious organizations, regulatory bodies, advocacy groups and others that have an interest in and/or working relationship to the MAID process, health care, disabilities and mental health care.

Why are religious organizations being consulted? Why do they have a say over my medical choices? What standing do they have?

It's a good thing they are doing consultations that they won't share the results of because they will disagree with their ready made conclusions. Why bother? Just ####ing get it over with.

[Fuzz]

Jeezus christ, from the survey:

Family members should be able to access health care records relating to MAID for the purposes of challenging MAID decisions.

For adults? Why? No! I thought these ####faces were Libertarians?

[getbak]

This seems perfectly reasonable and beneficial to the kids: https://livewirecalgary.com/2024/11/...ary-professor/

I've been saying for a long time that CALM should be expanded beyond just a half course in Grade 11 (which, as has already been mentioned, a lot of kids bang off in a couple of weeks online).

Now, we'll see what stupid #### the UCP can do to ruin it.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by belsarius

I am definitely not accepting that raise that puts me in the next tax bracket!

Another one I get a lot is:

"Theres no point in working overtime, the Government just taxes it and you get no benefit!"

I just worry that 'teaching financial literacy' might turn into what I call..."A&W Breakfast advice."

Essentially where people start to believe what they hear from people who dont know what they're talking about.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Locke

Another one I get a lot is:



"Theres no point in working overtime, the Government just taxes it and you get no benefit!"



I just worry that 'teaching financial literacy' might turn into what I call..."A&W Breakfast advice."



Essentially where people start to believe what they hear from people who dont know what they're talking about.

I don't worry about making or spending because I can just write things off which I'm told means they don't cost anything

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

I don't worry about making or spending because I can just write things off which I'm told means they don't cost anything

Did I ever tell you the story of my client who got his CERB clawed back?

"Why did you apply for CERB??"

- Well all the guys at breakfast did it!

"You're collecting a pension...from AGT! You've been retired since the turn of the millennium! You don't qualify for CERB!!! Pay it back."

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Jeezus christ, from the survey:



For adults? Why? No! I thought these ####faces were Libertarians?

Assistant dying can get into murky waters when inheritances and declining capacity (ie dementia) are involved. Sibling A is living with an aged parent with diminished capacity and stands to inherit a home when the senior does. I can see why sibling B has a legitimate interest in accessing the parent’s health records.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Because you have a teacher teaching it, who is an expert at teaching kids at that level of learning.

Experts in the field can be great for specialized, high level theory and practice courses at the post-secondary level. They aren’t always the best teachers, but post secondary is more self directed learning where the responsibility ultimately falls on the student.

Where experts on the topic would be beneficial is shaping the curriculum. And then leaving it to teachers, who are experts in their field, to teach it.

A teacher who knows how to budget is going to be better at teaching kids how to budget than a financial advisor who doesn’t know how to teach.

Well...how about this? How about we split the difference?

Let the teachers teach the material and then get professionals in to answer questions. Mind you, I'd accept that this might be too much for Jr. High.

For about 10 years I did seminars with a local Family Services organization where I'd come in for a few hours and answer questions for low-income families, at-risk youth and immigrants.

And I did those for free. Because I hate seeing people get taken advantage of on the back of bad advice.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Locke

Well...how about this? How about we split the difference?

Let the teachers teach the material and then get professionals in to answer questions. Mind you, I'd accept that this might be too much for Jr. High.

For about 10 years I did seminars with a local Family Services organization where I'd come in for a few hours and answer questions for low-income families, at-risk youth and immigrants.

And I did those for free. Because I hate seeing people get taken advantage of on the back of bad advice.

In an ideal world, sure, it’d be great to have a professional come in to do a little talk and answer a few questions. They have different professionals in that do just that. You could probably even volunteer and see if there are any such opportunities.

But when it comes to teaching, maybe let teachers do the teaching. And maybe we shouldn’t be so quickly to mock gym teachers who, amazingly, actually have (at minimum) degrees in education, if not a masters, and can probably figure out how to teach the incredibly complex concept of things like “budgeting.”

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Locke

Well...how about this? How about we split the difference?

Let the teachers teach the material and then get professionals in to answer questions. Mind you, I'd accept that this might be too much for Jr. High.

For about 10 years I did seminars with a local Family Services organization where I'd come in for a few hours and answer questions for low-income families, at-risk youth and immigrants.

And I did those for free. Because I hate seeing people get taken advantage of on the back of bad advice.

What concept do you think needs to be taught that can’t be understood by a teacher in a curriculum suitable for grades 7-12.

[Raekwon]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

UCP lifts auto insurance price caps on the province that already pays the highest premiums in the country. We're gonna get poorer again next year

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...ault-1.7386459

I completely understand the hate for insurance but keep in mind its highly regulated. The majority of an insurance companies profit comes from investments and the goal for the policy side is to run at a break even. They can't take from the investment money as that is premiums held to cover losses so when running at a negative rates have to go up. Once the rates go up now and the reforms take place the yearly losses will go down significantly and the company will run in a positive ratio.

Now the fear is why would companies lower rates at this point and that is where competitive pricing comes back into play. When company A lowers rates like they should and Company B doesn't where is everyone going to go? Now company A can make way more money on their safe investments. Now we are back in a consumers market.

[belsarius]

Originally Posted by Locke

You jest, but yeah, I've heard that one a lot.

The saddest part is I actually believed it until I was like 22 or 23 and took a tax course at university. And yes, I also had taken CALM but all I really remember of it was looking through Journal ads for jobs and determining that owning a bike and living close to work was the only way to financially make it, in the 90s. I have no idea how kids do it at all these days.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by belsarius

The saddest part is I actually believed it until I was like 22 or 23 and took a tax course at university. And yes, I also had taken CALM but all I really remember of it was looking through Journal ads for jobs and determining that owning a bike and living close to work was the only way to financially make it, in the 90s. I have no idea how kids do it at all these days.

That's the part of this kind of grates me. We're telling kids that if their finances are crap it's their own fault when we've rigged our society to benefit billionaires at the expense of everyone else.

The best thing you can do for your personal finances is eat the rich, but I bet they won't teach that in school.