Did you choose your parents?
Dear Editor:
Did you choose your parents? If I did have a choice in the matter, I don’t remember it. I’m not complaining, I hit the jackpot, with diligent educated parents, neither the pressures of abject poverty, nor excessive wealth. We never went hungry except by choice, and we had little concern of being robbed of our accumulated riches. A thief at our house could have walked away with a set of encyclopedias, any of 65 weekly newspapers and five dailies, homemade toys and several bicycles. I’m the third of six boys, and the small town of Calhoun, Kentucky was our oyster. To top it off, I was born a male with light-coloured skin, part of the most numerous and privileged generation of humans in the recent history of North America. I feel for those who missed that boat, and entered the world through another portal.
For example, our newly elected king, Charles. One year younger than I, same language, skin tone and gender. He has never had the freedom to roam at will around a small town and the surrounding countryside, just gawking at all the things there are to see in the world. Wait, he wasn’t elected? Well, how did it come to this? Oh, his Mom, Elizabeth, was elected, and he just took over when she passed on. No? What kind of system of government is that? Surely, he must have chosen his parentage, and opted in to the high-roller clan, who own millions of acres of valuable real estate, where they raise cattle and sheep, farm vegetables and maybe cut a bit of firewood to heat their immense houses. No? Well, I could guess all day long, and still not come any closer to understanding how this system works. Frankly, I think we as a nation could grow up and de-energize the system whereby one family commands extreme wealth, while others are hindered by lack of land, housing, food or clean water.
Robert Wills
Thorne and Shawville, Que.
Interest on debt
Dear Editor:
This is a subject which is deeply disturbing to me and which should also resonate with every Canadian taxpayer.
When Chrystia Freeland testified at the Commons Finance Committee on the budget bill she stated “our debt service charges are absolutely handleable”. Let me clarify the amount of money we are talking about. Debt interest charges alone in the years 2023 will be $43.9 billion; 2024 – $45 billion; 2025 $46.5 billion, and will be $50.3 billion by 2027. In comparison, funding in Canada Health Transfer will cost $49.4 billion (2023). Taxpayers in Canada, yes, you, are spending almost as much servicing the debt as on healthcare. To be blunt, those billions of dollars from 2023 – 2027 must be paid and it is you, your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who have to pay them back. These staggering amounts are our responsibility simply because of the government we elected, that has shown zero respect for Canadian taxpayers, who bear all of this burden now and for innumerable years to come. Not a rosy picture we hand on to those who follow us. Some legacy. No accountability from government. Sadder than sad.
Thanks for listening.
Sandra D Barber
Luskville, Quebec.
