Parents on government subsidy

[Judy Trickett]

This is a good debate to have, so I hope everyone understands that I am not attacking Judy (I respect and agree with much of what she posts about daycare and her considerable experience), but simply want to bring this discussion up so we can all have our say. So, to respond, if you believe that we should get rid of publicly funded health care, then I guess that if one of your children is diagnosed with cancer for example, you would not mind paying the thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands to pay for treatment and then if you ended up losing everything (your home, savings, etc) because of these massive bills, you would also not mind that there is no social assistance available to help you out because we have scrapped that as well. I do know that people abuse the system...some people will abuse any system. However, there are many more people who genuinely need help so that they don't end up on the streets raising there kids in a way that will almost certainly lead to crime...which you will no dount later complain about. Then we will need lareger prisons to lock them all up...and you won't mind paying for that because it's better than paying for welfare, health care...or heaven forbid, daycare! I don't agree that most people work because they want more things....I believe most parents work because they have to in order to support their families as the cost of living is high and the cost of raising children is high...much higher than in our grandparents' generation. Yes, we are a society of consumers and it has gotten out of hand, but in order to put a roof over your kids' heads and provide food and post-secondary education etc, most families need to have two parents working and not all moms are cut-out for being daycare providers nor have the set-up for it as we on this forum do. And it's a good thing they don't because we'd all be out of work as well! Also, if, as you suggest, one parent stays home to raise the kids (I do think this is good for the kids if a family can manage it, don't get me wrong) that cuts out almost half of our labour force. We are already facing a labour shortage...so if half of parents stay home and furthermore, many people do not have children at all because of a lack of government support, we are going to be in serious trouble!

I lived in the United States for a LONG time. So, unlike most Canadians who think NON-Universal health care is a bad thing I actually have FIRST hand experience with it.

I have been on both side of the fence and I would take the U.S. way in a heartbeat.

You know, in the U.S. they give you very little welfare and most of it is paid DIRECTLY to your housing corporation. Wanna buy groceries....fine... .you get a debit card type thing. Wanna buy milk and eggs...fine...it goes through the scanner at the cash register. BUT, when you buy chips and pop the cashiers system flags it and you have to PAY for it with CASH instead of your food stamps card. It is VERY difficult to abuse the welfare system in the states. And, as a result people actually WORK for a living.

I worked with MANY Mexicans who didn't have a single dime when they moved to that country and because they were HARD workers they managed to feed and house their families with NO government assistance - NONE! So, yes, it CAN be done.

Non-Universal health care?? Here's the thing - if you have a JOB then you 99% of the time will have HEALTH care because of that job. No job - no health care. And this is why more people actually KEEP their jobs. It's win-win for everyone.

I just don't believe that those who sit on welfare or use the system at LENGTH (as in year after year or, in many cases, generations) really WANT to work. You know, when I lived in the states I had a very high management job. EVERY day, when I went to lunch and stopped at a traffic light some vagrant would approach my car for change. And EVERY single day I gave at least ONE person my business card and told them, "You come see me - I WILL give you a job". And do you wanna know how many people after years and years and YEARS of me giving out those cards ever came to see me about a job???? NOT ONE!

My opinions are not just born from ignorance; they are born of experience.

I also had the unfortunate situation of a loved one falling VERY ill (spent 7 days in ICU) while living there. And you know what?? The REASON he literally nearly lost his LIFE was because OUR system, here in Canada, is so screwed up that he was on a waiting list. Yes, he came to visit us and nearly DIED from the same damn ailment that we Canadians did NOT have enough in our Health (sick) care coffers to take care of! And you know what?? Within TWENTY-FOUR hours of his arrival to the ER in the states he got a CAT scan, and MRI, and a surgery where they flew in the BEST surgeon in that field from Massachusettes. He lived BECAUSE of the way they handle medical care in the United States, not despite it. If that had happened to him while in Canada I have NO doubt he would have died.

I've BTDT. I KNOW how both systems work. And I will take the U.S. system of every man for himself any day of the week.