...It will leave a bad impression on her mind.
See, that's the sort of thing you have to put up with in a Scots household - a combination of corniness and violence that are supposed to combine for sheer hilarity. Those and Hitler jokes and you have 83% of Scottish humour. But no one is laughing about this immigrant grannie pension idea. Or are they?
Under her proposal, Ms. Dhalla said, immigrant seniors who have lived in the country for three years would qualify only for partial OAS benefits of $38.77 a month -- nowhere near the maximum payment of $516.96 a month collected by native or foreign-born residents who have lived here for 40 years. Still, Conservatives are quietly rubbing their hands in glee over what they think is a proposal that hurts the entire Liberal party.
Maybe its because I am the kid of immigrants but there is a whole lot of "what do I care" in this phony debate. If you are going to give Old Aged Security to someone who never contributes to the plan as we do now, including them in any way is arbitrary. And of all the arbitrary uses of nationalized pension funding out there, well, $38.77 a month for immigrant grannies is hardly the most wicked.
Why? First, it's pure market boost. Tea sales go through the roof. Second, it's no different from the Tory beer and popcorn money that goes to those who have yet to pay one penny of tax - babies. Third, it is taking it off the tax base as right now Ryvita and Red Rose are propped up by the welfare system that is on the Provincial tax base rather than the Federal one meaning, under the proposal, that the wealthy of the nation buy tea for poor grannies no matter their local economic circumstances.
Are you so mean as to take the tea from the tea cups of immigrant grannies? Would you rub your hands with glee, too?
Comments
seanie - October 1, 2009 3:49 PM
Hrmm. Have to side with the Conservatives in this one. If you don't contribute, you should not receive a payment. We have other programs to assist low income seniors and social assistance is also available. $38 bucks a month is a pittance, sure, but its the principle of the thing so to speak.
I say, a more logical use of public funding would be granting a $50 credit per month to seniors if they buy a monthly bus pass. It would save on emissions and get some of the old coots off the street.
Ben (The Tiger) - October 1, 2009 4:26 PM
It's one of those things that's initially tough -- "What, you won't give Grannie $38.77?"
But it seems to me it's not unlike that EI after 9 weeks thing -- a bridge too far, even in a welfare state.
Wouldn't rub my hands in glee over it, though. That just looks weird. I don't rub my hands in glee over much in public policy, except possibly more and cooler military spending or the prospect of an election, which I enjoy in the sports fanatic sense.
PofK - October 2, 2009 9:18 AM
$38 to the new grannies or billions to GM Chrysler? I think I know where I would like my contribution to economic stimulus to flow through.