Crime, Crumbs and Contempt
By now you're being besieged by all parties regarding their respective stands on the budget. It all reminds me of Gore Vidal's sage observation:
"As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: Words are used to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests."
My four years in Ottawa have convinced me as to Vidal's reasoning. Somehow through all of the rhetoric the average Canadian has to seek clarity and make a choice, if indeed they do vote. Propaganda is at its most effective when it can provide for short-term gain while putting off necessary action. Following months of listening to the cacophony of sounds emanating from Parliament, I've come to a better understanding, for me at least, of what all this budget bluster is about.Crime - the government never did fully cost out its crime agenda, even though the full bill will set Canadians back to the tune of billions of dollars. This is part of the reasoning for their present Parliamentary contempt charge. We'll be getting super prisons at a time when we can't find affordable housing for a significant percentage of our seniors. But here's where Vidal's observation on propaganda is illustrative. Crime has been declining for almost 20 years. But you fear crime in all its forms and so this kind of initiative might seem timely. Yet with less criminals than ever and more students unable to afford university or an increase in the number of Canadians who don't possess adequate pensions, the government is attempting to get Canadians to vote against their best interests.Crumbs - Conservatives have been crowing in the media that this budget has something in it for everyone. Sadly, it fails to deal with some of this country's most critical challenges. We are told that a tax credit for volunteer firefighters will assist these brave men and women, but we aren't informed that it's only 40% of volunteers that are covered. If you are a firefighter whose day job pays you $22,000 per year or more, then you get the credit. But in more rural areas than we can count, the majority of volunteers live on less than that and can't therefore receive the benefit. The Liberal platform extends the credit to all volunteer firefighters, but that distinction has been drowned out in all the budget hype. Seniors are told that the budget provides them a big boost for their retirement income supplement, but as some economists reminded us yesterday, that's $1.65 per day if you're a single senior, and only slightly over one dollar if you have a partner. At present, far too many seniors on low-income are spending their days in shopping malls because, as they've told numerous committees, they can't afford to pay for the heat in their apartment. How will $1.65 solve their problem? The budget is full of such goodies, but they are paltry and leave unchanged and unchallenged the great troubles of our age, such as the environment, homelessness, the coming health crisis, pensions or post-secondary education. That's not a progressive budget. As Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe and Mail concluded in his column yesterday: "All of this country's really big decisions ... were touched on only lightly or skirted entirely."Contempt - this is a biggie. Repeatedly in this past year the Harper government has been found in violation of parliamentary principles. And then Speaker Peter Milliken stepped in, hoping to save the Parliament of Canada from its ultimate decline. The ethical and illegal breaches of the government in these past few months has staggered all of us. But then yesterday, following Question Period, a number of Conservative MPs took on the Speaker, using belittling language and, again, showing contempt of the institution. We watched on in shock. Up until this moment, Milliken has been respected by all members, but now that the budget gloves have come off, they are taking out their anger on the Speaker's attempts to hold them to account. To be found in contempt is one of the most serious things that can happen in any Parliament, but when you show contempt for the Speaker you reveal the barrenness of your decency and respectfulness.Tomorrow I'll give some of my own personal reasons for rejecting this budget. All parties will be attempting to gain your attention in these next five weeks. To keep themselves from voting against their own best interests, Canadians have to pay attention. But in many ways it's simpler than that. This budget is counting on your being unable to concentrate on the need to seriously deal with those issues which, if left unattended, will leave a poorer life for our children. It's hoping to dazzle you with a couple of chocolate bars in when there's barely enough food to put on the table. The result of this upcoming election, and your future, will depend on your ability to get past the glitz and see your grandchildren and the struggles they will face because we failed to commit to their sustainable future. That's the worst contempt of all and budget 2011 just moved us a long way down that road.