To the editor,
Our recently elected government has found it necessary to increase the dreaded HST by two per cent. According to them, this is due to the huge provincial debt. Fair enough as far as it goes, However, I’m a bit confused on a few points.
Now let me see if I’ve got this right, Richard Hurlburt got caught with his hands in the till (for which the average person would be charged under the criminal code), so what does he do? He resigns! Now here is the confusing part. Not only does he quit his job, under a cloud of suspicion, he gets $26,000 severence pay (call it what you will) and a $42.000.00 per annum pension!
I’ve done a bit of research on Mr.Hurlburt and have found that he was an MLA from 1999 to 2010. A total of 11 years! As far as I can find out, MLAs make no contributions to this pension fund, they just get it!
Myself, I’ve been working for the past 30 plus years, faithfully making my contributions to whatever small pension I may have, and will be lucky to retire (if I’m ever able to) with $15,000 per annum! I work two jobs, pay my contributions, and never misappropriate any funds! I might add that a lot of my hard earned money goes towards the MLAs pension. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
If you check The News, April 8th edition, page 8, you will find an article headlined, “Taxpayers boosted MP gold-plated pension fund,” while at the same time, the average taxpayer (you and me) lost 21 per cent. To quote Bill Robson (president of the C.D.Howe Institute), “The rulers have a very generous pension compared to what they allow the ruled to have.” “That’s monumentally unfair. I can’t think of any justification for it.”
Now this applies to both provincal and federal politicians. (Take heed Peter MacKay.) So I have a question for the general public: Can anyone think of a job where you pay them to tell you what to do? Apart from the policing service (which is justified) I can’t think of a single one.
Almost every week we hear how we should be making better plans for our retirement. How about making elected officials march to the same system WE do? Not only would this decrease taxpayers debt, but would also show just how altrustic some of them are.
Am I the only one who is angry that I have to slave away, 365 days a year, so politicians can laugh all the way to the bank? (Or Florida, as the case may be.)
One final note, I am a rural mail deliverer for Canada Post, and the maximum, non-taxible, mileage allowance has not increased in 15 years! Can anyone remember the price of gas 15 years ago? (Take heed also, Revenue Canada.)
Enough is enough! It’s time we pulled the pigs from the trough, and put our tax money where it will do some good!
Roy Munro,
Union Centre
