Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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Poverty carries a significant price tag
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014
… poverty costs the Saskatchewan economy $3.8 billion per year. Of this cost, about two-thirds is made up of lost opportunity such as decreased economic productivity and tax income, and the balance consists of poverty-fueled use of social services, the judicial system and health services… “additional costs because we’re not being successful in dealing with poverty”… The reason for… ‘Poverty Costs’ — is that people take into account both the human… [and] economic costs.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Massive Ontario pension scheme at decision point
Sunday, February 2nd, 2014
The debate pits pension certainty against political calculations. The plan must be actuarially sound but politically saleable. Wynne is musing, publicly and privately, about an “opt-out clause so people actually will have a choice.” But individual choice comes at an economic price: If pension plans are made voluntary, they risk attrition over time. Uncertainty over withdrawals inhibits pension fund managers from taking the long view to maximize investment returns.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Co-operation and creativity needed for pensions and job training
Friday, January 24th, 2014
At the heart of the disagreement are different visions of the role of the state and the role of federalism. The federal Conservatives and some provinces such as Alberta hold that citizens should be provided with options but not be forced by the state to behave in a particular way… However, expecting most low- and middle-income Canadians to voluntarily set aside more money for retirement is not realistic… Canadian workers have nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars of unused RRSP contribution room.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, standard of living
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50 Years Later: The War on Poverty Needs an Update
Sunday, January 12th, 2014
The trouble is that we still tend to view poverty through a strictly financial lens… Currently, a single person with annual income below $11,490 is considered to be in poverty… There is no law that says someone is “poor” because they are illiterate or homeless, no regulation that says someone is “poor” because they are discriminated against or denied opportunity. But surely it is the hardship that people face that we really care about, not just a measure of income.
Tags: featured, homelessness, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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What America Won in the ‘War on Poverty’
Sunday, January 12th, 2014
State and local governments have been laboratories of new initiatives—from work and training programs, to partnerships between local businesses and community colleges, to food banks… Government programs defined not by ideology but by flexibility and the ability to help private and local institutions act—not by giving them grants as the War on Poverty did, but via tax incentives that help run programs—that would be welcome innovation, and the best way to continue the legacy of the War on Poverty.
Tags: ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
As the Working Poor Become More Common in Britain, So Does Hunger
Monday, January 6th, 2014
The working poor, long a part of the social landscape in the United States, are becoming more common on this side of the Atlantic. As their numbers grow, so too does hunger… not pain as such, more an obsession that consumes all your thoughts and energy… Average hourly earnings have risen a mere 7 percent while the cost of living has gone up by almost 20 percent, leaving at least 500,000 people here reliant on food aid, three times as many as a year ago
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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The issue is not poor children but family poverty
Saturday, January 4th, 2014
UNICEF points out that those nations with the lowest child and family poverty rates are, not surprisingly, those nations with the smallest proportion of low-paid workers. Low-paid workers are much more common in nations where the labour sector is weak, government does little to manage the economy in the service of all, and public participation is less than the case in other countries. They are also the nations with a system of proportional representation that allows greater citizen input into the election process.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
An aging population: our senior moment
Monday, December 30th, 2013
… social and economic shifts have broken the link between age and dependency… In recent decades, as the old-age dependency ratio has risen in advanced countries, the real elderly dependency ratio has declined. It has, however, stabilized and is likely to increase gradually over the next couple of decades… Preparing for and coping with changing demographics requires a more nuanced understanding of what population aging really means.
Tags: disabilities, economy, globalization, Health, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Think outside box on CPP
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
… the financial and political pooh-bahs are wagging their fingers at the population to save more for their so-called “golden years.” These pooh-bahs are the same ones who assured us that signing a string of free-trade agreements would bring a rising tide that would lift all boats… / It is rather unfortunate that the individuals who make all the decisions regarding CPP, pooled pensions, etc., are those who are not relying on these kinds of programs to fund their retirements.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
All roads lead to increased pension savings
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
By better preparing Canadians for retirement – be it through an enlarged CPP, a proposed pooling of voluntary savings or some combination of the two – the government cannot avoid one obvious truth. Saving more for tomorrow will mean a leaner economy today… But ultimately, if we don’t want to be eating tins of cat food when we retire, we need to save more today. Full stop.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living, tax
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