Do we simply expect too much?
I've been pondering that question a lot lately as it seems every time I turn around there's another news report about how some country is on the brink or how the economy has suffered another setback.
I'm far from an economist, but I do receive a fair bit of input from people who gripe about paying too much tax, but at the same time also complain about how government services aren't meeting expectations.
We've all done it: We've lamented the rise in the annual utility bill, but complained we can't even water our lawns in the evening. We've been critical of the size of the income tax cheque mailed to Ottawa each spring, but have decried the changes to Old Age Security.
It strikes me that we can complain about one or the other, but not both. Yet we do, prompting politicians with a view to the next election, not the next generation, to react, which often means a trip down a slippery slope covered in red ink.
I should point out that Delta can't run a deficit, but both the provincial and federal governments can, and regularly do in order to come somewhere close to satisfying our collective appetite for services.
Huge chunks of the budget already go to health and education, and given we're of the mind that wait lists are too long and schools are underfunded, it doesn't seem like we're able to cut back in those areas. I'm not suggesting we do, but I do know something has to give.
We feel we're taxed too much, but what we pay isn't enough to sustain the services we receive. It doesn't add up and it's getting worse with every passing day.
Yes, there can be greater efficiencies in government, but I'm not sure that alone is enough to bridge the gap society has created.
At some point we're either going to have to pay a lot more, and push Tax Freedom Day from mid-June all the way into late summer, or we're going to have to lower our expectations.
I believe the latter is the more likely of the two scenarios, but any type of austerity program is a bitter pill to swallow.
Canada isn't in bad shape compared to many other countries around the world, but at the same time we're still on a path that isn't sustainable.
I think our political leaders are willing to take the steps necessary to put us on the right track, but the continual push back they receive from a service-hungry electorate makes them reluctant to venture too far along that road.
It's time we made it easier for them to do so.
