Dear Editor,
Have you had enough yet? Prentice said he would not raise taxes, so instead he will cut back provincial employee wages, double the cost of essential services while shutting down education and healthcare. Remember this province already collects the highest taxes of these services in Canada, while the healthcare system receives far less than many other provinces, now. This activity is worse than a tax hike and will set our services back years.
The PC’s make wage contracts and then renege on them; where is the promised 2.5 per cent increase for the lower healthcare workers from two years ago. Back in the day when they were roaming around the world on your dime or building grandiose movie theatres they can hardly pay for, they should have honored their negotiated cost of living supplement, instead they spoke clearly, the lower workers do not count, but their own arrogance showed through, they gave themselves a 35 per cent increase. Maybe he is feeling guilty because Mr. Prentice gave back 5 per cent.
This uplifting of their wages was deemed necessary to display to the world the great wealth of the Alberta economy. So where is that economy now? Please stop the excuses for corporate protective umbrellas. You have sold the farm too many times before. We are told there will be no bonuses in the oil patch this year, but what happened to the billions of dollars in profit those corporations took out of Alberta, while stranding workers in the bush.
Are you starting to see a pattern here? It’s starting to feel like a third world country under a dictatorship. Give tax concession to the wealthy corporations, while essential services are cut.
Instead of building a technology based infrastructure that would have weaned them off the oil patch revenue, they drained the pot dry.
You, the taxpayer must feel these activities are ethical and virtuous because you accept the status quo, get you heads out of the sand, because if this is allowed to continue then you are to blame. Kick the bums out, give the opposition four years to secure their platform and tell the corporations if you want to do business in this Alberta economy, then you must pay your fair share or get out.
International companies do not invest in local economies. Now that the economy is busted just watch those friends of the government pull out. Wonder how many government officials have secured favourable jobs with those friends they cuddled up to.
The status quo is broken and it’s coming out of your pocket. Seems like the only ones voting are those receiving the gratuity. Take back your power.
W. Krechuniak
