Interesting you brng up the seasonal employment issue. I had the (mis)fortune of losing my previous job during a corporate takeover (actually I hated it, so no harm really) and had to temporarily go on EI. The ladies at the desk were astonished to see me … because they’d never seen me before. Most of the other EI recipients they knew on a first name basis. Assistance is a passively-embraced way of life for many workers. However it doesn’t end there - one qualification is that the EI recipient has to take some training, and so the taxpayer pays for extra training that in all likelyhood will never be used.

It’s truly a waste of money. Harper should worry about this right after he makes the tax cut.

As for the Ireland example, it is encouraging as presented. However I want to do some more research before giving it the complete green light. As your article noted, American business interests play a heavy role in local policy, which may or may not be to the benefit of the locals. Of course AmCham will put a positive spin on this “cooperation”; let’s see that other Irish people have to say. That said, the Ireland model seems to be more prosperous on its face than say the France model.

It has been pointed out repeatedly by those that know about such things that there is a fixed amount of money available to be taxed. No matter how many levels of government want to dip their greasy fingers into it that supply never changes. Said “money pool” comes from a variety of sources — companies and people who work for a living to name two.

It has also been pointed out that lowering taxation levels generates new money as companies expand their operations and hire more workers (reducing the unemployed). This in turn reduces the demand for taxation to support families and expands the available pool of money subject to taxation.

In the end lower taxation generates a net profit for the government.

Regarding workplace stress — you have to be working in order to experience it. For many families that is not the case and a very important point which should be considered is the situation where families are only employed part of the year (seasonal workers).

We now have three generations that have lived their entire lives that way. They are temporary employees, unable to pay into a proper pension plan and they pay a huge price for acquiesing to the latest socialist bullshit which looks after them in the “here and now” but not later when they truly need help. At the end of their working life the only pension they get to take home is the one the government provides.

Now that’s stress!

I don’t know whether this makes sense to you and your readers but to me lowering taxes is a “win, win” situation and your entry is entirely correct in that regard.

The most important part of the picture is the potential for people to build decent pensions because they hold full-time jobs and do not have to rely on the meagre handout the government currently provides (I get $700.00 a month after paying into their plan for over 40 years).

I hold out Ireland as a classic example of how fast a country can turn itself around and I recommend you and your readers check out the “Irish Model” which is (if I understand properly) nothing more at it’s heart than a reduction in taxation. The following link will give you a starting point.

http://www.amcham.hu/BusinessHUngary/16-07/articles/16-06_18.asp

I also understand that Harper is “aware of” and favors the idea. I believe he would consider implementing the “Irish game plan” in this country in the event he wins a majority government. I’m behind him if indeed that’s what he has in mind but “first things first” — he must first gain control.

That means beating up on a lot of socialists (I really like that idea) as he continues to work his way to a majority government.

Good one — you have people thinking.

I’ll link tomorrow.