I spoke about this a bit before
but right now at tax time
I'm seeing it so much it's making me puke.
The reason for tax returns is that the poor need to get back a bit each year
But all over our system in the last 10 years
the Clawbacks are devouring these needed boosts
The system has been amended over the last 10 years
so that the most vulnerable of Canadians
Those who really need a little boost
are just driven into the ground even more
So someone on welfare or EI gets a return
they've been living on nothing
scraping by
they get this bit of cash
and they have things they need
like some clothes, paying some bills
a much needed little trip to see a film
some dentistry
whatever
Welfare in BC, and soon EI as well
deducts their tax return, dollar for dollar
So people with already terrible money skills
who haven't had any money for a while
are expected to keep, in their hand
their rent and food for 2 months.
So what ends up happening?
right after tax time
a month or two later
we have a surge of people
who can't pay their rent and spent their food money
I'm having a hard time, and I don't have half the bad money skills
of other people I see here.
Hungry, depressed, beaten down, poverty stricken people
are "expected" to hold on to that other $600 in their pocket
for a month or more
insanity
it truly is insanity
the "claims assistant agent"
stoic and stonefaced
doesn't care
"you should have saved your money"
she admonishes
chuckling inside
at the misery of people
foolish enough to be poor amidst plenty
It makes no sense
EI is supposed to keep people from losing all their savings when they lose their job
But now you have to use all your savings to get EI thanks to Harper
just like welfare's been doing for years
while the EI surplus builds up
and every 10 years they have a "crisis"
so they can scoop it up
to dish out to fat cat friends
while those who paid in
who need services to help them through
Get turned away
watching hungrily
as pigs in the trough feed
If someone on welfare works for a day
They get the Clawback
they can't keep a cent
all of it gets deducted
from their next check
So again, they use energy to work
to try to get something
and it ends up costing them grief
for nothing
The government of Canada
has gradually and consistently
been driving everyone who is below the poverty line
further and further
with clawbacks, lack of services, fraudulent support contractors, rules and blocks
turning them away
disqualifying them
barriers, over and over and over
barriers and hoops to jump through
more ways than ever
to disqualify
Welfare is the BOTTOM
there should be no way
that someone can be disqualified
from the bare minimum
Let's repeat that:
there should be no way that someone can be disqualified from the bare minimum
Just like there should be NO WAY that people can have nowhere to sleep safely
out of the rain
If they get a tax return
that should be solid
protected
let them have their little bonus
they're at the fucking bottom
and next month
don't try to starve them
because they got their little bonus
let them work a day, or two
and let them keep 50%
like you used to
and then they will
