Dear Editor,
James Carville once said “It’s the economy, (stupid)!” when strategizing for Democrats for the 1992 presidential election.
As someone who studied economics for four years, I know it’s the area that affects us all and to the greatest degree. And you don’t need a degree to understand it. It’s common sense.
With all the talk on Parliament Hill about Canada’s extension of military intervention in Syria, where has the Conservative Party of Canada been on the economy?
Remember the Economic Action Plan? Well, I hope you do because Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have spent over $500 million since 2009 on simply promoting the plan.
Here in Richmond, we’ve seen major retailer after major retailer close up shop. Some of you might be affected. Whether it’s your shopping or it’s your job, there’s a void.
These retailers were given millions and billions in endless corporate tax cuts from Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. How did those tax cuts work out for us? Well those tax cuts led to cuts in services in other areas. The economy is struggling. Badly.
When I ask Conservatives I know about the economy and what Stephen Harper’s plan is, they respond saying that a government can’t control an economy. That could very well be true, but it’s not what we’ve been led to believe.
The Conservatives have lauded themselves over the last nine years for being strong on the economy and great at managing money.
Yet, they’ve run eight straight deficits while increasing the national debt and cutting billions of dollars in services to families across the country.
Stephen Harper and the Conservatives say you can claim up to $2,000 per year with their income splitting scheme.
But they won’t tell you that you have to earn at least $221,000 per year to make that claim. A young person coming out of university and into the workplace with a $30,000-43,000 a year salary — what can they get? $74 a year. That’s it. But by definition, to take advantage of income splitting, you need to be married. So that removes a lot of people from eligibility.
If you’re looking for more on how Stephen Harper and the Conservatives will help the struggling Canadian economy they’ve overseen, well, that’s about it.
It’s not much of a plan and we all deserve better. So make a choice come the federal election this fall.
Ramesh Ranjan
Richmond
