Chasing Cars

I went on an adventure the other day. After a few days of being lazy and mostly napping, I decided that it was time to leave the confines of my apartment and venture out in search of something, anything.

I went to the public library.

I read an article recently in the Globe & Mail about how more people are using services like public libraries now that there is a recession. This is partially because most public libraries offer resume and cover letter workshops but also probably because it is a cheap method of amusement.

I haven't had a whole lot of time to read for leisure since last summer, but reading has always been a favourite way of passing the time for me unless said reading was for a class. That kind of took the enjoyment out of it for me.

My own collection of books isn't especially expansive and I tend to stick to the same kinds of books lately. I think I need to break out a bit and try some new books, which is another reason I have found myself at the library.

This is how I see it: Our tax dollars fund public libraries so why not take advantage of the seemingly free service? The other good thing about using these services is that it allows me to go for a nice walk instead of being pasty white in my house.

So let's review, shall we? Exercise, human interaction, fresh air, and free amusement. What else could one ask for?

Plus, I spend most of my "leisure reading time" consuming news. I think everyone should know what's going on in the world and they should see things from more than one perspective. But I don't think it's necessarily haelthy for me to just read news. I think I need to escape more through literature and real news doesn't always let me do that as much as I enjoy reading it.

And I think sometimes I let news overwhelm me, which doesn't usually happen when I read literature. I'm pretty good at detaching myself from certain stories emotionally and I think that's something I need to do if I want to be a journalist, but some things occasionally get me down if I feel powerless about them.

I wrote a blog post not too long ago about how people are becoming too disconnected. This idea was first planted into my head by an essay that I read in my Canadian Government class last semester by Robert Putnam called "Civic Disengagement in Contemporary America". Putnam talks about how people are not participating in social events and thus, interacting and developing social capital, with other human beings due to a growth in technology and a growing selfishness.

A growing use of public libraries, a service offered in the public sphere to everyone regardless of their income, is something that can help solve this problem maybe. When you take advantage of the public sphere, you instantly feel more connected to those using the service and providing the service. Occasionally you even communicate with those people (although less so with the library because it's a quiet environment!)

It's a small start but if more people are using these services that they are already paying for, it might increase the feeling of connectedness that we so lack today. We would be a happier society and maybe more democratically engaged, too.

My main point is that public libraries are awesome and I will be spending some time there this summer. I think everyone else should pay a visit to their local library too; you might just be surprised at what you'll find.

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Aside

I'm back in Saint John for four months. It hasn't stopped raining since I've been back, until a couple of hours ago. I will definitely miss Freddy weather but seeing fog again is nice too (at least for the first couple of days).

I still haven't unpacked my life. Most of my clothes are still in bags...I really should get to that. I've been cleaning my closet out since I've realized that I'm a terrible packrat.

It's odd, because I'm throwing out and donating these things that have childhood memories attached to them (except for the game of Perfection, that thing scared the 5 year old hell out of me), and I'm thinking of the possibility of where I will be in third year, maybe I will be living in an apartment? The idea of an apartment has terrified the hell out of me, to be honest. Frankly, I'm wholeheartedly, completely and utterly frightened of growing up, and I equate an apartment, a fixed address, with growing up.

Despite the mixed feelings I had at first about everything, about leaving home, about growing up, about not going where I had expected for school and thus violating my master life plan, Fredericton has really grown on me.

I'm 19, so what if I'm not established in a career by 22? There is so much I don't know, so much I haven't experienced. I don't need to have it all figured out yet. That was the best thing I learned from being in Freddy. I just want to enjoy these next 3 years, learn more about journalism and meet some really neat people. In some ways, I even feel like I am gaining some of the things I missed out on high school, except everyone is much more mature (well, most people).

I've realized that I don't really know anything for sure anymore about the world. And that's a good thing. I am a lot more open-minded now. I am just excited to learn.

"I'm breathing deep before, I spread those maps out on my bedroom floor. And I'm leaning, on this broken fence, between past and present tense." - Aside, The Weakerthans.

Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect

I'm actually starting to get pretty excited to go back to Saint John for the summer, even though I will miss Fredericton a lot and as I mentioned in my post below, Saint John gets frustrating after a while. But I think the whole idea of it being summer soon (and thus, the weather is getting nicer), and exams are nearing the end (and thus, my stress level is getting lower), I'm starting to look forward to a "vacation" (sort of).

I realized that it's impossible to list everything I want to do this summer, and kind of limiting to do so. I'll just take whatever comes at me and I look forward to it all.

I just want to enjoy my surroundings.

Here I Dreamt I was an Architect - The Decemberists

One Great City!

I'm back in Saint John for 4 months on the 21st. This is good, in that it's a change for a bit. I miss the fog, the lights and the uptown. I miss the comfort of living at home, my family, friends and familiar faces.

I miss the irony in living here. I live in a city where one company owns nearly the entire city, where a city council spent (and continues to spend) millions of dollars building a huge red sidewalk, where we dump our sewage into our harbour and then comment on how nice of a view we have.

And somehow, we're okay with all of this.

At the same time, I don't miss being frustrated, because ultimately that's what being in Saint John for too long makes me. The fog is nice, until you don't have a sunny day for 2 weeks. The people are good, until you have to fight to keep up acquaintances with people, merely out of habit.

I don't miss feeling creatively shut down.

To explain that a bit further, even though I had a really hard time adjusting to Fredericton, something about being in Fredericton makes me so much more motivated. It makes me appreciate things from home more and it charges me to make a difference. It makes me think more, visualize, debate, write, be creative, read, just be an independent human where no one expects anything specific. It's a new start, a new place. It's different in Saint John. I am not as creative or as independant at home, but maybe I need to find a place, a state, where I can be how I am here there.

I love my neighbourhood, and I appreciate it a lot more than when I have to see it everyday. Seeing it everyday and knowing that maybe I can't contribute anything to change it is frustrating. My hope is that I can contribute somehow, but sometimes I let myself get discouraged. This is the wrong thing to do. It's a great place, but when I look at the negative things, the good things go by the wayside.

Instead of turning the negative into something great, I let it consume me.

I love coming here, and at the same time, I know I couldn't live here forever. Maybe it's because of me, and it's not the city at all. I know I'm not the only one with this love/hate complex for my hometown. It's why so many of my friends have moved on, why Saint John has trouble attracting young people.

There's just so much to see, learn, understand, so many people to meet, so many places to explore, staying constant in one place with the same people in the same neighbourhood in the same apartment for 18+ years just seems smothering.

But I guess I still kind of love it sometimes. With that said, I'm making the best of it this summer, or I'll regret it.

"I'm back with scars to show. Back with the streets I know, will never take me anywhere but here." - Left and Leaving, The Weakerthans.

A Moth is not a Butterfly

Budget Tax Cuts -- The End of Equal Opportunity?
Link to published article -- http://thebruns.ca/content/2009-04/budget-tax-cuts-end-equal-opportunity

The term “equal opportunity” became popular in New Brunswick when Louis J. Robichaud’s Liberal government was in power from 1960 until 1970. Recognizing that there was a substantial amount of income inequality in the province, Robichaud set out to create “equal opportunity” for all by pouring funding into social programs, like education and health care.

It has been over 40 years since Robichaud set out to create “equal opportunity” in New Brunswick. Does it still exist in the province today, or are people being left behind?

The 2009-10 budget released this past month by Liberal Finance Minister Victor Boudreau contained many changes to the way that individuals, small businesses and corporations are taxed in the province.

Normally, the government has four different personal income tax rates for different tax brackets. This budget created a new system where there are two rates as opposed to four. The rates for the new system should be reduced to 9% and 12% by 2012, respectively.

The aim of cutting personal income tax rates, according to “The Plan for Lower Taxes in New Brunswick” released by the Department of Finance in March, is to “leave more money in the pockets of New Brunswickers”.

The hope of the government is that people spend this money locally and thus, stimulate the economy.

While this sounds like a measure that would benefit everyone, some economic experts would argue otherwise.

Dr. Rob Moir, a Professor in Economics at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, says that how these tax cuts may affect future generations has him worried.

“It’s not just about what they’re doing right now, it’s what will be coming down in the future,” says Moir, who ran in the 2008 federal election under the NDP banner in the riding of Fundy-Royal.

“It doesn’t matter what colour government we inherit in the future, it’s not going to matter – we’re going to have major deficit on our hands.”

The deficit is predicted to be a whopping $800 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year. That number is much higher than this year’s deficit, which comes in at $285 million, and even more of a shift from 2007-08’s $86 million surplus.

St. Thomas University Economics Professor and Department Chair Dr. Andrew Secord says that it will likely be future generations or the low income that will suffer from these tax cuts.

“With the deficit, there’s two things. One, you can have somebody pay it back in the future to pay for tax reductions for the affluent today, or you can slash public programs, which is what they’re trying to do,” says Secord, who notes that the government is predicting $323 million in lost revenue by 2012 due to personal income tax cuts alone.

“Who mostly loses from the slashing of these public programs? Lower income individuals.”

Citizens in the province will not only lose government offered services due to these tax cuts, but many will also not actually benefit from the tax cuts at all.

According to information released in “The Plan for Lower Taxes in New Brunswick”, those who make under $15,000 a year, for example, will receive no monetary tax cut at all. Those making between $15,000 and $20,000 a year will have only $65 extra in their pockets thanks to the tax cut. This contrasts greatly with the benefit reaped by those who make $150,000 or more a year; they will save roughly $5,922.

“The more money you make, the more you benefit from this budget,” he explains.

Moir agrees, saying that the services most likely to be cut will hurt certain people, using the controversial ambulance fees that were re-introduced in the 2009-10 budget as an example.

“Impoverishment breeds illness. You’re going to see more people on fixed incomes who will need ambulances but now have to pay more for them. It’s a disproportionate burden.”

Corporate rates will also be cut down 1% each year from now until 2012, bringing the rate from 12% to 8%. It will be one of the lowest rates in the country. It is estimated that the government will lose $44 million in revenue between now and 2012 due to the slashed taxes.

Secord understands the rationing behind the corporate tax cuts more than that of the personal income tax cuts, but still argues there is a sense of unfairness.

“They’ve said that they think this will attract more business to New Brunswick if the corporate income tax rate is lower. How important the income tax is on corporate location is an area of significant debate because there are many other factors involved.”

“Whether it’s worth $44 million to take a gamble on that area is for debate.”

Moir believes that smaller businesses rather than large corporations need to be targeted by these tax cuts.

“The Irvings aren’t leaving – why would you give them the tax break? You are essentially taxing monopoly profits.”

He also adds that attracting businesses to “invest capital”, such as buildings, and not just money into the province would be ideal to maximize gains.

“If they do decide to leave, oh well, we still have the building, we have something from it.”

While economists like Moir and Secord and certain groups like women and labour unions have been very vocal about the negative effects of these tax reductions, criticism has been relatively low from regular citizens.

Secord attributes this lack of criticism to a failure in the public process, which includes public input. But Secord says that it is obvious that the committee did not listen to any public input.

“The people on the committee didn’t really look at the criticisms being raised. They didn’t address them, they just avoided them.”

“That committee failed in my view, as a critical committee that would seriously evaluate these proposals,” Secord admits.

“It raises the question of the extent to which the government was actually listening to people through this whole process.”

Women are one group that have been vocal about how these tax changes will negatively affect them. The Coalition for Pay Equity is one such group that made a presentation during the public input period to government on the tax systems.

In their presentation, titled “What about women’s share in NB’s tax system?” the Coalition claims that the government does not take into account wage gaps between men and women in the positive numbers they have released supporting tax cuts, nor do they address wage gaps at all in the budget.

“It seems particularly unfair to us that government is proposing regressive taxation measures that will place a greater tax burden on the least wealthy among our citizens, including women, while still failing to legislate on pay equity,” the Coalition said in a brief of their presentation to the Select Committee on Tax Review.

The Coalition emphasizes that the services that will be cut as a result of lost revenue from tax cuts will negatively affect women especially, because women are often called upon to provide services in the family unit that the public sector cannot.

“If government cuts into these services, it will increase women’s traditional work at home and significantly deprive them of jobs and income,” says the Coalition.

The removal of social workers from the family courts in the province is an example of one recent service cut by the province that will greatly affect women.

“The court social workers offer a specialized service that is very valuable, especially to mothers facing separation,” says Elsie Hambrook, Chairperson of the Advisory Council for the Status of Women, in a press release.

Unless more interest groups in the province and regular citizens become critical about the harms of these wide-reaching tax cuts, there will be a hefty price for the vulnerable to pay now and for everyone to pay in the future.

The ideals of fairness and equality embodied by Louis J. Robichaud during his time in power appear to be eroding with the idea of services being cut for the benefit of the affluent. Secord says this budget is proof of it.

“It seems like the provincial government has adopted these neoliberal policies which have much in common with Ronald Reagan and little in common with Louis J. Robichaud, or any Liberal government in a post-war era,” says Secord.

“People should understand that equal opportunity is dead in this province with this budget.”

Blog title - A Moth is not a Butterfly - Hawksley Workman

Grapevine Fires

Kelly Lamrock, the Minister of Education for the province of New Brunswick, recently announced that two schools in Saint John would remain open despite a recommendation to close them by the District Education Council.

The reasons given for closing the schools were primarily centred around the fact that both have declining populations and the upkeep of the schools are too expensive. My friend Paul has followed the issue more extensively than I have on his blog, which can be found here.

The biggest reason why I am glad to see that the schools are staying open is because the schools were designated by the province as "community schools" not long ago. Essentially, Hazen White-St. Francis and Lorne Middle School are located in the North End, another one of Saint John's vulnerable neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood concentrated poverty is a huge issue in Saint John, as I've said numerous time on this blog, and these schools are the backbone of the community.

St. John the Baptist-King Edward performs a similar role in the South End community. When I think of how different it would be to not have that building in the community, I can't help but think that there would be something missing. The community centre is there, and the province recently announced plans to run a centre for young children out of the basement of the school that would hopefully improve literacy rates, allow professionals to prepare more students for a smooth transition into school and give parents another valuable resource in the community.

Really, the school is invaluable to the community. Not only that, but there would be a lot of parents that would not be involved as much in the school community if it didn't exist. Most of the people in the South End, and the North End where the proposed changes were to be made regarding the closed schools, are on limited budgets. In other words, most people do not have cars. My Mom is one of these people, and it would have been a lot harder for her to have been involved and as proactive in my education had the school been so physically inaccesible.

The decision to not shutter the doors to these crucial community schools gets a thumbs up for me. It seems like the Graham government finally listened to what people wanted, and delivered on it.

Schools are so essential to these communities; close them and you'll find that there will be a lot more issues than there already are. And the first step to reducing poverty or at least turning these places into better and safer neighbourhoods involves creating some form of community.

Grapevine Fires - Death Cab for Cutie