My letter to the editors:
The 2012 federal budget is a travesty, as it will boost the profits for the one percent and the big resource industries, while it is a disaster for the rest of us. It is an attack on the environment despite the fact that in the long term a healthy economy depends on a healthy environment.
It will make life more difficult for the poor and does little to create jobs. It proposes to streamline the Gateway pipeline review likely because the Harper government wants it approved before what may soon-to-be a B.C. NDP government rejects this ill-conceived scheme as the risks far outweigh any benefits. The Harper government created the deficit by cutting taxes so they can now cut those programs that protect the environment and matter most to Canadians like the CBC and Katimavik. Instead of making post-secondary education more affordable as is the case in many other countries, our tax dollars provide massive subsidies to the already wealthy oil industry. There is no need to raise the retirement age, which will result in fewer jobs available for the underemployed younger generation, especially when money could be saved by simply cutting benefits for those seniors that do not need the money. And what is most problematic is that the mainstream media is mostly giving the budget a glowing review without providing well-deserved criticism. Unless the public is aware of these problems, political apathy will continue.
