To the Editor,
I was talking with a lady a little while ago and she stated something I found concerning. Not sure how our conversation moved to the food banks, but we did. She mentioned she did not agree with the food banks.
Being a person who tries to listen to both sides of any discussion (not always as good at this as I wish I was), I had to ask why she held this opinion, considering we were sitting at a charity event. She had a very simple answer. Food banks were supposed to be a short-term solution, just like the soup kitchens from the Great Depression. They were not supposed to stay around, let alone grow.
I read in The Spectator on Saturday that one in every four Canadians have used one or more forms of charity last year. That is 25% of the population who are so desperate they ask for help. And you know this does not count the people no one knows about but are just as desperate, just too embarrassed to step up and say anything.
So how, in my opinion, did this happen? For an old-timer like me I remember back to the years after the Second World War – from 1950 to 1980ish. The middle class was truly the majority of the community in Canada. Corporations and the rich actually paid their fair share of taxes. Most people did not need any form of charity. We did not have to fundraise for, say hospital equipment at (insert your charity here). When there was a problem in the community that required the government to step up and help, the government had the funds to do so.
However, the governments of the late 70s introduced what was called trickle down economics. Trickle down economics is the government giving big tax relief to corporations and the rich. They were supposed to make sure that the workers would receive a true living wage with benefits and pensions. By making this happen, it was the expectation that the middle class would be able to not only look after themselves but pay enough taxes to make sure the government had enough money to pay for healthcare and other services as required. Of course, the corporations and rich just kept the money and gave their thanks to the governments for the extra money that they could put into offshore accounts. Or just buy up more of the world. At present the top 1% of the world’s richest own 60% of the planet.
So now the middle class is almost gone. The number of people needing charity is growing and growing. The next time you reach into your wallets to help your favourite charity, just remember at one time the government paid that directly with your income taxes. And of course, you are now also paying this hidden tax to help your fellow person try to do what they can do to survive. And if we do not hold our politicians accountable by electing the same people over and over again, this will never change. So please in the next elections find the best candidate that will represent the community’s needs – not your favourite party.
Let’s start to reclaim our democratic system from the rich and make the politicians accountable to the community instead. Let’s help our fellow person.
Patrick Cook,
Hagersville
