Comment 56547

By A Smith (anonymous) | Posted January 16, 2011 at 15:07:22

goin'downtown >> I'm quite certain that Stat Can doesn't include benefits in their income figures

If you take a look around Hamilton you will realize that the people of Hamilton are not rich, in fact, they are poor by Canadian standards. If they made 106K in income and benefits, would our lower city look the way it does. If you are referring to free medical care and free education, keep in mind city employees get those as well and those aren't even included in their pay from the city. As for the time factor, GDP in Ontario has increased by less than 4% from 2006-09, which would increase median wages to $27.5K from $26.4.

So the difference between the average city employee and the median person (with income) is still $106.1K-$27.5K = $78.6K

Do you think the company paying the guy $12 an hour in cash also gives that person $39 in non cash benefits? Not likely?

I will be generous and assume that non cash benefits are equal to cash. This still puts median income/benefits at $55 a year vs $106k for the average city worker employed. How is it fair that city employees make this much more than the people who pay their bills, especially when they have far greater job security than the average private sector worker?

Seriously dude, other than Ancaster, most parts of Hamilton are poor by GTA standards. People don't make anywhere close to $106K in cash/benefits and yet there is a class of workers who do, they are called government employees. They prosper while the poor people downtown are lucky to have a new pair of shoes. Seems really fair.

realfreeenterpriser >> his predictable conclusion that if we just didn't have to pay taxes everything would be fine.

I never said that, but feel free to make things up if it makes your argument better.

>> Alberta DOESN'T have the lowest spending whether in total or per capita.

Poor choice of words, what I meant to say was Alberta has the lowest public spending as a percent of their economy.

Ontario 2009... $146.3B in public spending / $578.2B GDP = 25.3%
Alberta 2009...$49.2B in public spending / $247.2B GDP = 19.9%

Alberta's personal consumption per capita (3.7M people) in 2009 was $30K. Ontario's was $26.5K (13.2M people). Government spending per person was $11.1K per person, while in Alberta it was $13.3K per person.

So, yes you are correct, Alberta does spend more per person on government services than Ontario. But guess what? They can afford to because they have a more productive and more fully employed economy. They have this better economy because more of the investment decisions are made by people trying to save money (consumers, business owners), rather than government leaders who don't mind wasting money.

If you people think wasting money is good for Hamilton's economy your f-ing stupid. Look around this city and tell me that we have surplus cash to spend money on things like a $130M LRT, that by the way, will only reduce the trip from Eastage to McMaster from 32 minutes to 31 minutes. If that isn't the stupidest idea that has ever come out of this city in recent history I don't know what is.

Then people wonder why we have high taxes, job losses and high poverty, hmm, I wonder? It must be because we need more central planning from the government and less free market competition.

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