Think Tank Says Alberta Pays So Have-not Provinces Get Better Healthcare, Etc.

[Markham]

Hey guys

In case you're wondering, I am starting to be more involved in this forum and participate in posts...just in case you were wondering, as a couple of posters were yesterday...:0)

http://www.calgarybeacon.com/2010/02/think-tank-says-alberta-pays-so-have-not-provinces-get-better-healthcare-etc/

Markham

[Toma]

Originally posted by Markham
Hey guys

In case you're wondering, I am starting to be more involved in this forum and participate in posts...just in case you were wondering, as a couple of posters were yesterday...:0)

http://www.calgarybeacon.com/2010/02/think-tank-says-alberta-pays-so-have-not-provinces-get-better-healthcare-etc/

Markham
That is nothing but mismanagement by the province.

We pay FEDERAL income tax as everyone else in the country does. How the FEDERAL government distributes it to have not provinces is their business, and how the provinces USE this money is largely they business.

We live in probably the richest province on the fucking planet, yet our corrupt government is making our healthcare system look as bad as possible to convince dumb ass Albertan's that private it the way to go.

End of story.

Alberta=Corrupt.

Do something about THAT instead of whining about paying income tax.

[ZenOps]

IMO, the other provinces need it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascariasis

Many areas of the maritimes are just about 25% incidence for intestinal roundworm, which is actually the world average (after including third world countries)

In Alberta - the biggest problem we get around here are respiratory problems due to carbon and sulphur (of which Weibo alledgedly just bombed another plant which they will put out the fire next week maybe.) Saskatchewaners are near glow in the dark because of their uranium and radon exposure. Neither of which are really preventable.

"The #2 cause of lung cancer - Radon (radioactive) gas."

[Supa Dexta]

Originally posted by ZenOps
Many areas of the maritimes are just about 25% incidence for intestinal roundworm, which is actually the world average (after including third world countries)

Source nut job.

[ZenOps]

Source for worms? Just google Nova Scotia Ascariasis.

They had actually quite a large outbreak in the 1980's. Mostly not in the cities (but then again, a lot of the maritimes aren't considered cities anyhow)

There is still a very large segment of the population that have the worm - its just that they eat more than enough to compensate for having them...

If you could convince the population that Japanese horseradish (wasabi) is tasty - then the worm would all but disappear, much like it has nearly disappeared in Japan.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by Toma

That is nothing but mismanagement by the province.

We pay FEDERAL income tax as everyone else in the country does. How the FEDERAL government distributes it to have not provinces is their business, and how the provinces USE this money is largely they business.

We live in probably the richest province on the fucking planet, yet our corrupt government is making our healthcare system look as bad as possible to convince dumb ass Albertan's that private it the way to go.

End of story.

Alberta=Corrupt.

Do something about THAT instead of whining about paying income tax.

The fact we pay more in order to support the 'have-nots' is not a new issue.

I think it's more of a matter of making the wrong priorities for our province.

During the Klein days, he was so hellbent on becoming debt free that a lot of services and other provincial expenditures saw massive cuts in order to support his goal. Being in school at the time, we suddenly saw bigger classrooms, less teachers, and less resources as education budgets kept getting reduced. Health care saw major cutbacks which resulted (I believe this was the main reason) in the closing of the General and Holy Cross hospitals. There were no major road projects at the time either, which left us with the hackjob road system we see now that is still trying to catch up (though not without some self-sabotage by our own planners).

[Toma]

Originally posted by sexualbanana


The fact we pay more in order to support the 'have-nots' is not a new issue.

I think it's more of a matter of making the wrong priorities for our province.

During the Klein days, he was so hellbent on becoming debt free that a lot of services and other provincial expenditures saw massive cuts in order to support his goal. Being in school at the time, we suddenly saw bigger classrooms, less teachers, and less resources as education budgets kept getting reduced. Health care saw major cutbacks which resulted (I believe this was the main reason) in the closing of the General and Holy Cross hospitals. There were no major road projects at the time either, which left us with the hackjob road system we see now that is still trying to catch up (though not without some self-sabotage by our own planners).

Ok, but WE DO NOT PAY MORE!!!!

The province does not pay, these transfer payments that everyone is complaining about are derived from FEDERAL income tax, which in Canada, everyone pays the same.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Toma


Ok, but WE DO NOT PAY MORE!!!!

The province does not pay, these transfer payments that everyone is complaining about are derived from FEDERAL income tax, which in Canada, everyone pays the same.

"WE" as in you and me, or "WE" as a province? Would it make you feel better if it was worded "Albertan's pay more in transfer payments than they get back?" And that this has been the case since the initiation of transfer payements? Or that the total amount of money that has been paid into transfer payments exceeds $147Billion dollars since the programs inception? Compared to BC, which has paid $10Billion over the same timeframe?

Sure would be nice to have been able to put that money into our own healthcare, or schools, or infrastructure.

This is a pretty interesting site.. good for a chuckle at least..
http://www.freealberta.com/debt_taxes.html

[atgilchrist]

^Albertan's pay the same income tax on $100,000/yr as a person in Quebec does, just more people here make $100k. Do you think our tax rate should be lowered because our economy is stronger?

[atgilchrist]

Originally posted by codetrap


This is a pretty interesting site.. good for a chuckle at least..
http://www.freealberta.com/debt_taxes.html

Those guys are :nut: !

[codetrap]

Originally posted by atgilchrist
^Albertan's pay the same income tax on $100,000/yr as a person in Quebec does, just more people here make $100k. Do you think our tax rate should be lowered because our economy is stronger?

Do you really need me to answer this? I have absolutely no issue with paying taxes for responsible government. I think it's our duty in fact. It's the cost of the rights and privileges we enjoy. They key there is responsible.

When I see numbers like $137B taken out of our economy, and used to pay for mismanagement in another province, it does bother me. It doesn't seem like a very good investment of my federal income tax to me. For every dollar I pay in federal income tax, some guy in Nova Scotia gets 3 dollars back in spending. Great deal for him.

[atgilchrist]

Sorry, I may have sounded a bit snarky. I'm used to people somehow thinking that equalization payments are taken straight from the provincial coffers. I do agree that the system is not perfect though.

[Toma]

Originally posted by codetrap


Would it make you feel better if it was worded "Albertan's pay more in transfer payments than they get back?[/url]

Nope, that is still not meaningful.

The only accurate statement is "Alberta receives less transfer payments than other provinces".

Most of the country pays more into federal income tax than they receive back in equalization payments... that's a no brainer.

Alberta generats massive revenue that they piss away.

Alberta=Corrupt.

Our Healthcare sucks BECAUSE of our CORRUPT provincial government.

[Toma]

Originally posted by atgilchrist
Sorry, I may have sounded a bit snarky. I'm used to people somehow thinking that equalization payments are taken straight from the provincial coffers. I do agree that the system is not perfect though.
Everybody thinks this. And "they" purposely make it sound like this for the sensationalism, and to piss off already stupid redneck Albertan's.

That's what pisses me off. Even this "think tank"... what a bunch of idiots with an agenda.

We live in a Country called CANADA. We just happen to by LUCKY to have one of the biggest reserves of oil on our land out of most of the world.

We aren't better, we aren't smarter... we are just lucky. Yet, our Healthcare is second to many other provinces, and even to many backwards ass countries....

Sad.

[ipeefreely]

Originally posted by Toma

Everybody thinks this. And "they" purposely make it sound like this for the sensationalism, and to piss off already stupid redneck Albertan's.

That's what pisses me off. Even this "think tank"... what a bunch of idiots with an agenda.

We live in a Country called CANADA. We just happen to by LUCKY to have one of the biggest reserves of oil on our land out of most of the world.

We aren't better, we aren't smarter... we are just lucky. Yet, our Healthcare is second to many other provinces, and even to many backwards ass countries....

Sad.

Thanks Toma! :thumbsup:


People just read the headline with out thinking! :nut:

[Ruggzy_McTuggz]

Originally posted by Toma

Everybody thinks this. And "they" purposely make it sound like this for the sensationalism, and to piss off already stupid redneck Albertan's.

That's what pisses me off. Even this "think tank"... what a bunch of idiots with an agenda.

We live in a Country called CANADA. We just happen to by LUCKY to have one of the biggest reserves of oil on our land out of most of the world.

We aren't better, we aren't smarter... we are just lucky. Yet, our Healthcare is second to many other provinces, and even to many backwards ass countries....

Sad.

I am probably just uneducated, but out of curiosity what is so bad about our healthcare?

I have not had much exposure... few doctor visits when sick, one surgery (uteroscopic kidney stone removal... FUN STUFF lol) and the odd broken bone... never have I had to pay a dime out of pocket....

Is it the wait time thing?

Again, sorry if I am missing something glaringly obvious, but I have had nothing but good experiences with healthcare.