Mythos & Marginalia

life notes; flaws and all

j.g. lewis

original content and images ©j.g. lewis

a daily breath...

A thought du jour, my daily breath includes collected and conceived observations, questions of life, fortune cookie philosophies, reminders, messages of peace and simplicity, unsolicited advice, inspirations, quotes and words that got me thinking. They may get you thinking too . . .

Mondays are just young Fridays

What are a few days between seasons? As if a shadow could tell of the time and temperature range from hour to day, today or tomorrow, or last season.
   Summer to fall. Now is not a fixed period, as was yesterday or last week. Those periods of time are fluid, ever changing, but still somewhat definite in our minds for the time being representing the periods or eras of our presence here on earth.
   How we measure our time, any time, always includes a proviso. The conditions we set will influence what is to come, as much as what has happened.
   How can you explain yourself when a short-term view overrides the obvious long-term accumulation of thought and experience.
   This time is yours; how you chose to share it will differ from day to day.

09/25/2023                                                                                                j.g.l.

unclear

 

You wander.
We all do.

Uncertainty can often
blur your surroundings.

Unclear.

The map is always there,
the lines signify the path
you need to follow.

You simply have to find
the direction.

It is all in your hands.

© 2017 j.g. lewis

 

gr@ffiti

               Anguish or confusion, 
        sometimes it is the way. 
      Anxiety takes over. 
        What else can you say  
     as you try to put aside all 
     the feelings that dog you 
   anyway.    No pain today.  
           Try as you might to
    see your way through. 
       No pain.    Not today. 

09/14/2023                                                               j.g.l.

I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.

j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.

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Managing Our Money

Posted on September 15, 2021 by j.g.lewis Leave a comment

We are living lives of debt and deficit in a global economy that has been devastated by an insidious disease, civil unrest, and political turmoil.

The cost of COVID-19, both in terms of dollars and souls, has yet to be realized, and in the midst of this pandemic we are having a federal election in Canada. The estimated cost of next Monday’s election is $610 million; that’s $108 million more than the election we had two years ago and surely (like most government expenditures) that estimate could rise.

After almost 20 months of pandemic spending, we have become accustomed to the high costs of running this country (it is expected of us) but we truly have to ask ourselves where they money is coming from.

As we know, increased government spending was necessary to keep this country’s economy moving. I have no problem whatsoever with the programs that were created as we initially moved into lockdown; in fact I applaud the current Liberal government for quickly loosening the purse strings and supporting this population (on so many levels). The pandemic spending was proposed, and carried, by a minority government supported by opposing parties

This election is untimely, the fourth federal election in 10 years, especially since Canada is well into the fourth wave of COVID and cases are once again climbing. It’s not really a good time, especially as government initiatives were largely moving ahead of, or moving past, partisan politics.

So now we have to choose, again, which party to support and live with the greatest likelihood of another minority government. Our next government will have its hands held to the fire as we, presumably, at some point, will enter a period of COVID recovery.

It will cost a lot more money to get our heads above water, particularly as Canada’s net debt as of last April went over $1 trillion for the first time ever. The deficit announced for 2020-21 was $354.2 billion. The largest deficit Canada has ever posted was $55 billion in 2009 (and don’t we all remember the 2008 financial crisis?) The projected deficit for the current fiscal year is $154.7 and, as I said a few paragraphs up, ‘most government expenditures” could surely swell up.

So we know the taxpayer in on the hook, but how will this be managed? More importantly, which political party will manage it best?

Aside from the left or right wing ideologies, some parties are abhorrently opposed to running deficits (but still do), while others are more tax-and-spend. Then there are those who will cut spending for the sake of cutting.

Cutting spending is not the answer. Given the platforms of the major parties, it is acknowledged that any government will have to spend its way out of this pandemic and do what it can to stimulate growth and encourage consumer spending and, hopefully, job recovery.

To continue to fund its efforts, governments will have to go easy on the low and middle-class (which, it seems, proportionately becomes the greatest tax base). It is time to tax both high-earning Canadians, the ultra-rich, and big corporations to ensure they pay what is now deemed as fair.

This is not the time for austerity. Tax those who are able to pay because a lot of us, quite simply, are not.

 

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