“It seems the party of the people and the unthinking tree-hugging environmentalists won’t be happy until they see these people (the less well-off) living a real life version of Soylent Green.”
[Click here to see movie poster in context.]
Soylent Green? Read the book.
[The site from which I copied the above poster said: The novel was a serious examination of life in an over-populated future, while the film instead predicated itself upon a high concept gimmick as nonsensical as The Matrix's people-as-batteries.]
Though Ken uses some of his own high concept gimmicks in his aforementioned statement i.e. fabrication, exaggeration, painting Liberals and environmentalists with the same brush, I sense he does so because he’s worried about future inequalities in a so-called revenue neutral carbon tax.
He wrote:
“For the better-off the tax may be revenue neutral, but certainly not for the less well-off since they will be spending far more on carbon taxes than they will ever get back in lower income taxes.”
Where he gets his information I’m not sure.
Now, he’s right when he states the people with the most and biggest toys create “the biggest carbon footprint” (when compared with humans and not businesses) but again I question his sources when he says “they’re the ones who will receive the most compensation, if there is any.”
I can live with his exaggeration, however, because he feels “the less well-off will just see life getting even harder.”
When I finished reading his letter I felt that everyone deserves complete and truthful information about the Liberal carbon tax proposal ASAP.
Even though it's only a proposal and the Grits aren't in the driver's seat at this time and all unthinking tree-hugging environmentalists are therefore without the means to make Mr. Ray's life really miserable - now is the time for clarity.
Whether it’s in the form of a newspaper article or pamphlet delivered in the mail or TV debate I don't care.
But it should be clear and concise and tell Canadians how a carbon tax will actually affect many everyday and significant purchases.
E.g. will a carbon tax affect the price of bread, milk, eggs and cheese?
What happens if I buy a new toaster, TV, CD, pair of jeans, shoes, underwear, t-shirt and new socks? (Okay, I'll look and smell better, but what else?)
What about something bigger - like a new car, a vacation, home renovations e.g. more insulation for this old house of mine?
And how will it affect income taxes for someone making less that $25,000 or $25,001 - 39,999 or more than $40,000 and so on?
Come on, Liberals. At least hand out a detailed brochure.
And Conservatives. Maybe you could then go through it line by line and tell us how your unsustainable economic and environmental policies are even better for the less well-off and anybody else for that matter - instead of spending more time on small-minded attack ads.
(We get it. You think poorly of everyone but your own prickly party.)
As you can see it's just not the Ken Rays of the world who are feeling the need for good information and policy.
Please click here to read another Letter to the Editor
And please visit my ongoing collection of Monday Memoirs. I admit it. I am a small town boy.
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