Growing Old in Canada: 2035

January 30th, 2012 Thomasso

Although at first when I was bombarded by the media of what the Harper Government was hinting at for the future generation of Canadians and their retirement benefits this week, I was angered, and despised every word that came from every Conservative M.P.’s mouth. But, after some cooling off time, and a full day’s worth of work, keeping my mind off it, I revisited the retirement issue and came to a different understanding of what is in store for myself, and other Canadians, when it is our turn to retire. My change in attitude also made me reflect on what the Harper Government is saying about the need to restructure the government on the huge shift in Canadian demographics that is ready to hit the country, like an avalanche of snow traveling down a very narrow valley. No doubt change is needed, and fast, as supporting so many Generation Xers with so little Y’s and Z’s, is a sure thing for disaster waiting in the wind to happen.

Like taxes and death, Ben Franklin also needed to include growing old, and becoming dependent once again in the cycle of life. It is going to happen to all of us who live a full and natural life. In Canada, before these social programs, like the Canadian Pension Plan, (C.P.P.) and Old Age Security, (O.A.S.), families had to shoulder the burden of looking after their elderly parents, as many did not have the luxury of saving up enough money to support themselves in retirement. These social programs were set up to help people with their retirement, while reducing the burden on their children to support them in this time of retirement.

But what do you do when the next generation of tax payers will be reduced to two-thirds of what the tax base is today?

I have to hand it to the Conservatives in their method of presenting their future legislative initiative of retirement onto Canadians like this. With a majority government, and stacked Senate, they fear nothing as they are only less than a year into their four year term of rule until the next election. It is no secrete that the Babyboomers voted towards the right, while a very large group of the population never bothered to vote at all. So keeping the largest demographic of the Canadian population “happy,” is good business. The Conservatives played this hand very smart. As the media will turn its sights on other issues, this issue of retirement will fade away, and Canadians will forget and worry about the here and now as retirement will just be part of the background noise amongst the bombardment of our daily does of information.

What I see when I look into my crystal ball?

I see a lot, and it is not pretty. I see more Canadians voting Right wing in the Future. I see Country music being the dominant music, defining our Canadian identity. And it gets worse.

The money that I am paying right now into the C.P.P. and O.A.S. is me supporting a broken system that when comes my turn to benefit from, the money jar will be empty, and I can put the label, “sucker” on my forehead afterwards. To add insult to further injury, the expectation of Canadians living in a devolving society means that the children beyond Generation Z will be far worse off than anyone could ever imagine, when they are expected to fully shoulder the burden of supporting their parents just like Canadians did back before these social programs were first implemented. The realization that all retirees will be working well pass the age of retirement, and the extension of the age of retirement from 65 to age 67 means a very crowded labour force for the Generation Z’s and beyond.

At this point I turn off my crystal ball becuase I want to throw it across the room, and crystal balls are not cheap now days.

Am I disgusted at this whole situation–of course I am–growing old scares the living bejesus out of me! However, can we blame it on any one person, or thing? No, no we cannot! All we can do is try and mitigate the problems the best we can. There are several solutions to this problem, we just need to have the guts to implement them, whether through immigration, or just leave it and let the total collapse of these social programs happen; it is up to us to change and adapt to this new environment.

Posted in Diatribe, General, Humour, Social economics | No Comments »

Tax Time: Feels like Punitive Punishment to me.

January 28th, 2012 Thomasso

Yes sir, it is that time of year again, when my frustration from doing my annual income tax return comes out from the usually four hours of pen, paper and calculator, game I have to play. This year was not that bad compared to “tax pain sessions” in the past, but the feeling of just how much I got “raked over the coals,” from paying the MAN, really sinks in when you are grinding away at these tax forms.

There is one great feeling I have this year, and that is my income was lower this year compared to the last five, and this means that I paid less to the Man than I normally would have. The silver lining is that I contributed less to a government that I have ethical reservations with. Sadly, my thinking is flawed because governments in general, and this one in particular, can create deficits and debts, that they can pass on to our children long term. So the pain of a bad government can have future repercussions far into the future. However, this year, they had less of my money to play around with, so I see that as a good thing from my perspective.

I should strongly point out that I have no objections to paying taxes, as I understand full well the necessary function that this money goes towards. My objections go towards governments that squander this money on frivolous things and functions that do more harm than good. Corporate welfare is just one of my pet peeves when it comes to seeing how my tax money is spent. Then there is this whole equality thing that I see so wrongly laid out to the different income classes.

Anyway, I have done my rough work. Most of my calculations are done, and it all looks good in terms of completeness and accurateness. Tomorrow when I am not so frustrated, I will transfer my calculations of the final draft, and go over them one last time. Monday I will snail-mail my paperwork off to the boys over at the tax department. I am expecting a refund this year, so I will see how well my calculations stack up to the Revenue Agency’s final tally on me goes.

Posted in Diatribe, Events, General, Social economics, Social Justice | No Comments »

Stupid Says, “I’m Stuck.”

January 15th, 2012 Thomasso

Here we are in mid January, living in South Western Canada, at a time of year when snow sometimes falls, and stays on the ground, and creates these winter like environments that are talked about during Climate Change conferences. Although, over the last few years, snow has become a foreign concept to most, snow does fall, and blankets the ground every once in while. We are living in one such moment in time when snow has invaded our land, and it appears that it will stay for at least the next few days to come.

Even though we do not get snow often, we are responsible for keeping ourselves prepared for it.

We cannot depend on our governments to keep the roads the clear, as they themselves are mired in debt, resources shortages, and in some cases, exercising austerity measures through limited snow clearing operations, or just to clearing the main roads only. So it is up to each and everyone of us to have proper snow/winter equipment, and to be able to deal with these types of weather on our own. Hey, we all voted for this, so now we must deal with it.

It never ceases to amaze me at just how forgetful some people can be when dealing with snow. Take for example, my neighbour who drives a Honda Accord. He drives with summer tires on his vehicle all year round. He is currently stuck, in his own driveway. He is angry, upset, blaming everyone and anything at his own stupidity. He will only be satisfied when the snow melts and he can drive once again with his Honda Accord bearing summer tires.

Posted in Around Town, Bitching about weather, Events, General, Humour, Social economics, Social Justice | 2 Comments »

It was One Year Ago – The Loss of the IGA Store

January 5th, 2012 Thomasso

It was in the early morning hours of January 4th, 2011 when the IGA store burnt down in Fort Langley. Looking back on that day, I still get a little upset as the loss of that that store has made life a little more inconvenient for myself, and for most other residence who I have spoken to in this small community.

According to the “The Fort” Winter 2011/12 issue, the fire was caused by a “botched burglary.”

Construction of the new store on the same property started around November 2011, but the store itself will be built on the parking lot at the corner of Mavis and Church Street instead of Glover Road and Mavis. We are waiting with anticipation.

The image above (taken with a point-and-shoot Kodak M1063 camera) is the newly laid foundation of the IGA over top of the former parking lot (Mavis and Church Street).

I know for myself, seeing progress on the site is welcomed news, and I just hope that I am still living here when the store finally opens.

If you want to view some of the photos that I took of the IGA Fire back on January 4th, 2011, please click here for my photo gallery.

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OK 2012 – 1st Day, So Far So Good

January 1st, 2012 Thomasso

It is almost nineteen hours into 2012 and so far the new year is going great for me. I spent a lot of time today cleaning, catching up with friends by email and working on some projects that I am getting into over the next few weeks. I want this year to be a productive one, but the productivity part I want to keep under control, as oppose to everything controlling me such as time management. I also know that this year may mark a possible move for myself as somewhere in the next fourteen months I have to move.  I expect that 2012 will be busy one towards the end in the last few months, but I am hoping that nothing freaky happens like unexpected unemployment or  something alone those lines does not happen.

Today, I went shopping down a Walmart in Langley City first thing. Yes, they were open, right a 7:00am. With most of the city sleeping in from last night’s festivities, the roads we perfect for driving this morning, and finding parking, well, I thought I was dreaming. Within forty minutes, I had completed the round trip and was back home unpacking all of my groceries.

I emailed about twenty friends also today. This was more or less a means of keeping in touch with everyone. Most of the contacts I made were friends from university, and some colleagues, and some were old work buddies from years ago. I doubt that I will get replies from some, as I am sure their email accounts hove long since went delinquent, so this will be test to purge them from my address book. There are also some family members that I seem to have lost contact with too–hopefully I was hear back from them?

I have an agenda for my volunteering efforts too this year. I am hoping to get that under way very soon. I want to do more time with some programs that are with Corrections Canada. Also, I want to do some time with my alumni friends. I really want to keep in touch with my old school, so helping out, I feel is the best way to do that.

I know this year is going to be one of endurance and harsh times as the world economies try and sort their messes out and hopefully do not take me down with them. I am very thankful that I do not have any debt towards anyone while all of this is going on. I have so many friends that are slowly being swallowed up by debt that I worry about them. It is a given (and so obvious)  that costs are going up, and that I will have to adapt to the changing economy – buying less with the income that I have with be the challenge for 2012. So, hopefully I will still keep my current job and not have to look for another one, (know on wood) as the Canadian job market is looking really bleak right now. Yes, I worry about that becuase I know how “on the edge” everyone is living these days.

So, here is to a good year, and one that I hope we will all get through without too many battle scares.

Cheers and Happy New Years!

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Looking Forward for Next Year: Higher Costs and Austerity

December 31st, 2011 Thomasso

The writing is as a plain as day on the wall, and it says that the new year is shaping up to be the “year of inflation” from my perspective, a lone soul living in a small village on the outskirts of Vancouver, BC. We all knew that government was going raise the income tax and implement other payroll punitive measures on us working class types eventually, and that most services too are mandating increases in costs as well. But, the triple whammy is fossil fuels, electricity and food. Adding it all up, I estimate that my cost of living is going to jump up by 11 percent for 2012!

I have been planning for this for the last year. I can pass most of these costs back to the consumers and other sources of income that I generate. I have no morals about increasing my costs as well, in the business sense, as long as I know that the government is dishing out the same punitive measure to the rest of the country equally. I am also in a great position where I have no ties to any financial institution bearing any encumbrances, all thanks to my “Cut Out the Middle Man and Parasite” initiatives back in 2004. Lastly, no dependants, or payouts in terms of creating my Sue-ability Scale to the lowest point possible.

I am ready for the 11.2 percent jump by ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia) and the $20.00 per month increase in MSP (Medical Insurance Premiums) as stated by CBC News Dec 30th, 2011 in their story called, “2012 to be More Expensive for BC Residence.” I am also ready for the ever growing food and fuel costs as well as I have changed my buying patterns to reflect the souring economy. For my vehicle needs, driving that extra few kilometres to fill up with lower taxed gasoline is paying off in the long run. Also, buying from local farmers and markets has also started to pay off, although it is hard to avoid shopping at the big-box retailers for the savings.

The message for 2012 that I am giving is one of money restraint, and fiscal caution. Do not make that large money purchase of which you will have to finance from a money lender, if you saved the money then fly at it. Save what you can, be it pennies, twonies or fifty bucks here and there, but have that liquid pool of cash close at hand, and spend it when absolutely necessary, unless you have lots and see the sliver lining in the clouds. The “Cash is King” economy is flourishing at my work as I am starting to see a mild upswing in cash transactions. This is a sign that I see as people are starting to, either bypassing their debts with their financial institutions, or they are finally working in a cash economy, but cash seems to be back in style again. However, I still see credit card buying as the number one method of buying, which is more than likely fuelling personal debt like we have never seen before becuase I highly doubt that most Canadians are using these credit devices as they were meant to be used. Also in my message, I encourage people to shop on-line becuase the deals that are available from down South in the U.S. are incredible. “Shop and Save and only buy what you need,” is the message that I am sending out for 2012.

I consider myself a low income earner. I do not claim to be that all knowing economist and prognosticator of Doomsday Sayers. I only know where I stand, and based on this, I can say with certainty that many who are in my income bracket are feeling the same way too.

Moreover, there is one pressing issues that I hate above all else, and that are parasites, be it government, Banks or commerce. I really see the need to think in ways that means changing my lifestyle and critically thinking my way through long term money planning to avoid, or rid myself of those parasites. They make me itch and scratch too.

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No Grumpy People Here Please

December 26th, 2011 Thomasso

Oh yes, ’tis the season of anger and unpleasantries, and with all those who focus on the martial rather than the seasonal time off to spend with friends and family I say to you, “go get a life, and spoil someone else’s good time.”  I am referring to the unruly shoppers, and consumers who want to be first in the line-ups; those who demand that they be given first priority when seeking customer services; those who push and shove other people on the sidewalls as they walk through. I am shacking my head at just but a few who cast a shadow of darkness on festive environment. But my list goes on.

To add to the horror show of the Canadian Christmas Season, I witnessed in the Langley City in Walmart the pathetic stench of selfishness and snobbery – in Walmart of all places. I seen a lady, who was no Goddess of goodness her self, cursing at another patron regarding her two year old child who was crying becuase she was not happy standing in a line up. Yes, the young woman lost it, and would not you if a 150 kilogram woman told you to shut your two year old up because she was trying to talk on her cell phone while waiting in the line-up?

A man at the Esso gas station in Fort Langley freaking out becuase another person parked in the stall that he wanted. Rather than waiting, the man decided to run over to the lady in the small car and tell her that she was a “stupid @#!* blond Bimbo who can’t drive.” She won the spot fare and square. A real man would be more than happy to allow the lady to have her fill of gasoline, but not today (Dec. 23), it is “me first,” and “look after number one” rules of social conduct. Intimidation are the tactics of some consumers now days that I see. Thankfully not all are like this.

Perhaps it is my age, and I have reached a point in my life when I see beyond the child-like rose coloured glasses that I once wore, and I see the real images around me now. Maybe I am more sensitive to the chaos that erupts around the down town core this time of year when shoppers scramble into their buying frenzy this time of year?

In hindsight, I make it a point to stay away from the crowds and the chaos we call the Christmas Holiday Season. Even though I do not celebrate it myself, Christmas is the dominant religion in Canada, and our culture is based on this, so this locus of buying takes precedence and all follow it as our economic lives depend upon it. The best part about all of this is that by tomorrow everything will be back to normal. My commute to work will be the same, the down town core will be the same, and people in general will be the same. Was it all worth it?

Posted in Around Town, Diatribe, Events, General, Social economics, Social Justice, Story Telling | 1 Comment »

The Crow and My Nissan Pathfinder

December 25th, 2011 Thomasso

While I was doing my morning chores, I heard the familiar sounds of the gang of Crows perched on the trees cawing away. As usual, they were making their morning racket of noise. This means that they are anticipating food, or one of my deviant neighbours had just fed them peanuts. Either way we go to great lengths to scare them away becuase they cause havoc for the rest of us – the Crows leave their droppings on everything.

Sadly the authorities cannot do anything about the offending people who feed them, so some have devised other means of keeping them away without harming them (the neighbour), and the Crows.

By the way, this post was not suppose to be about issues of bird droppings, but I guess it turned out this way. And, I also do not endorse the harming of any living thing, even Crows – they were here long before we humans were.

So here are some shots of the Crows, doing what Crows do best:

The above image is the Crow that left his gift on my Nissan Pathfinder after I took this photograph. He landed right on the Pathfinder and did his business.

Side note: One of our older neighbours invented a “Sonic Cannon.” He got the idea from the RCMP, who had something similar used for the 2010 Winter Olympics to use on protesters. The device sends out a powerful, yet very narrow, sonic wave that is so loud that your ears ring afterwards. You cannot hear it unless it is aimed right at you. Only a 2 sec long, 120 decibel treatment, is enough to send the birds on their way. They only need one session with it, and after that they only need to see it and they fly away – classical conditioning!

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To Wreck a View

December 21st, 2011 Thomasso

As the population of humans grows ever more uncontrolled, our encroachment on the habitable land becomes ever more dense. The housing boom here in the Lower Mainland, also known as the Metro Vancouver Area, and Fraser Valley, has not really shown any signs of slowing, even with the global melt-down around us. In my little town, nestled along the banks of the Fraser River, practically in the heart of the Fraser Valley, construction is going at full speed, comparing it to the pre-meltdown of 2007.

Some call this gentrification, while others call it progress, but the one common dominator as I see it is change. In the shimmering backdrop of my front yard I once had the greenery of trees and the mountains. Then as progress crept in, I had a waterfront view of the Fraser River when the brush was cleared for development, and an entire forest and more mountains were revealed. Today, I have a view of a few dozen living room windows facing me, and people creeping me out with their binoculars from within them, on top of this, more low-rise building under construction that are even closer. The result is that ever changing view from nature to human habitation, from space and openness to walls and concrete, it is all artificial now.

Two things are for certain, besides my death, and taxes, that is my inevitable move from Fort Langley, and the peace and enjoyment that I once had here. Both seem to complement each other while offering the final solution to my relationship to Fort Langley in the future. In a matter of months I will no longer have the title as the Fort Langley Blogger.

So for now, I have the ability to capture my views, from the bushes to river water, and to the rooftops of today, I can see them all on digital film. Not as great as the real thing, but I can sit back and reminisce on the once enjoyable views from once upon a time on my porch.

The image is of a worker smearing roofing tar on one of the latest condo buildings in the Bedford Landing development, along with the Golden Ears Mountain in the background, looking Northward from my place.

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Why I Think Canadian Retailers Are Losing Out On On-Line Sales

December 19th, 2011 Thomasso

Last week, I really wanted to buy some accessories for my new camera. As usual, I scoured the net to see what my options were; you know, doing some research for what is out there, and where I could get it.  As a rule, I hit my local retailers’ websites first to see what they have in their stock. If I do not see it there locally, then I expand my search and widen the net to include nondomestic sources such as the U.S. and the Asian markets. Sadly, as in this case, I finally bought my accessory from a company down in California, for what was a really great price.

The next day while I was shopping for food, I decided to stop in at one of the electronic stores in Langley City to brows around. To my surprise, I seen the exact item that I had just purchased from off of the internet, sitting there right in the (local) store.  Although I had paid slightly less for it from the California retailer, I was shocked nonetheless to see it sitting there on the store shelf in Langley City (close to where I live).

I asked the salesperson why they did not list this on their website. His reply made about as much sense as Federal Civil Servant justifying spending on why HB pencils are used instead of H2 pencils – it stunned me!

“It’s our policy. We only post certain items, stock items that are on sale, or items that we want to compete with from the other retailers…, we post those on line. And super sale items are also not listed” The sales person said.

I told him that I just bought this particular item from a store in California because I could not find anywhere else.

The salesperson’s reply: “Well, you should have gone down here and looked first. We have carried this item for a very long time. Everyone should know that we do not post all of our stock on line – we just cannot do it.”

I replied, “That is too bad. It is more convenient for me to do online shopping than it is driving around wasting gas and time, plus fighting traffic down town. I guess your company will suffer. It is a shame; you are missing out on a lot of sales. The Internet is just so convenient”

To which the salesperson shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

I guess it is that kind of attitude among local business here in British Columbia that will cause them to suffer further economic losses in the long term. I, as a consumer, will take full advantage of using the net for my shopping needs, and if local retailers are not going to cater to me, then they will lose out on my sales as I seek them further abroad.

I heard on CBC news this morning that Canadians have spent over 30 billion dollars on online shopping this year alone. This must be sending a message out to all local retailers here in Canada if we are buying that much volume? If not, will feel bad for them? No, probably not because they know.

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