Change is never easy. We resist change because it is unpredictable. Often times we continue with the status quo because we know what to expect even when we are on a path of self-destruction. Perhaps, we are psychologically programmed to support certainty more than the uncertainty that is a result of change. Canada is in a precarious position because we have reached a point in our history where we must grow up. The period of adolescence is over. It has been over for a long time. We need to define who we are in the world. We have much to be proud of but where we are lacking is our national identity.
What do we need to do? First, we must address the issue of climate change not tomorrow but today. It is time for Canadians to take a stand despite the lack of environmental legislation that is adopted by our neighbours. Yes, we know that we share the atmosphere but that does not exempt of us from being responsible. Scientists have provided us with the research and data - they have done their job - now it is up to us to ensure that aggressive environmental legislation becomes constitutional. The reason environmental policy must be constitutional is to avoid deviations from the long-term strategies and objectives when political party leadership changes. Environmental legislation must be founded on the same principles as human rights.
We must find new forms of energy.
Second, we need to address the matter of our national debt. Clearly, we are spending beyond our means which is why our debt is $565 billion. The question is this: how do we ensure that we live within our means without implementing any changes to the system? The answer is: we change the system.
I have wracked my brain for months over the issue of fiscal responsibility. I simply do not understand how we managed to build this country long before the days of income tax yet now we cannot balance the budget? The first task is balancing the budget with no exceptions. The second task is developing a payment schedule to eliminate the debt. Currently, we are paying $84 million a day in interest which is a waste of taxpayers money. This number is staggering: $588 million a week, $2,352,000,000 billion a month and $30,576,000,000 billion annually. If the interest rates were to rise even marginally the cost to service the debt could potentially double which would increase the cost to $60 billion. Canada's GDP is approximately $1.4 trillion. So what do we do? The Liberal government reduced the national debt by $100 billion. If the policies implemented by the Liberal government were followed the debt would have been eliminated in 20 years but instead in 5 years Stephen Harper has reversed the process and our debt is once again on the rise: $566 billion to date. So how do we implement a strategy of debt reduction without cutting essential services? First, we implement efficiencies by reducing the number of public servants. The federal government employs $390,000 public servants, 190,000 work for the Canada Revenue Agency which is roughly 600,000 employees considering that retired government employees return to work as contract workers to avoid payroll budgetary restraints. These numbers do not include the military or the police. We as Canadians did not get ourselves into this situation. We have the government to thank for the mess we are in! To clean it up we must accept change!
Just imagine how rich this country would be if we eliminated the debt?
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