If you are anything like me you are young and broke with more debt then you’d like to acknowledge.
I’m in my late 20’s, I went to university and have been working in finance for the past 7 years or so. Finance is can be a very complicated thing so I’ll try to make my bitch as easy to understand as |I can.
WE ARE BEING ROBBED OF VALUE
The government tells us inflation is 2-3% (if you want to reference this its called the CPI).
The actual figures are much higher. The necessities of life are food, heat and shelter.
Over the past year food prices have gone up approx. 10% (chronicle herald did an article on this a few months back)
Electricity cost are going up a minimum of 3% a year (plus whatever else they get approved for as they seem to ask and receive more approval every few months)
Rent for most people goes up by 3-5% a year (mine personally went up 4% from 720 to 750, and was 680 2 years ago when I started living there). If you own, and are debt free this doesnt impact you, if you have a mortgage, get ready for prime to climb, it isn’t going lower.
If you drive, its pretty easy to see that fuel costs rise about 5-10% a year lately too.
If you aren’t too good at math, it is impossible to have a lower average then your lowest figure.
For those of you skilled in math I challenge you to take a weighted average of your own expenses (if you have your bill history from a year ago, or keep it now to look in a year).
The rate of inflation I personally have experienced over the past year is 7%, I did the same exercise for my father and his was 9%.
I turns my stomach every time I have to talk the CPI numbers at work and feel like I am knowingly being dishonest to customers.
Simple economic laws of supply and demand confirm that creating new money makes all existing money have less value. Companies realize this and increase their costs, normal citizens end up paying for it.
New money is created when banks (through loans and credit cards) create new money from nothing on computers and people spend it and it goes into circulation. It is estimated that 95% of Canadian dollars in existence only exist on computers from this practice. If you are interested to find out more about this, research fractional lending.
My point is that we are getting ripped off, and I encourage anyone interested to not believe the propaganda being fed to us by our governments, banks and media, and to look at your own finances and make the best decisions for yourself.
If you want to keep your value, that 2% investment isn’t going to do it for you.
Gold and Silver have survived all currency collapses (history tends to repeat it self) and has always kept up with inflation. Also interesting to look into is Bitcoins (the 2nd most used currency in the world to government currencies) as bitcoins inflation is predefined and controlled, also it is tax sheltered due to its private nature.
I wont get started on how corrupt our tax system is.
Live Long and Prosper. —rEVOLution
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2013.
I’ll try to make my bitch as easy to understand as |I can.
The fuck you did ….. doesn’t take an illiterate finance grad to explain this to the masses/
Perhaps you could request a meeting with our quasi Finance Minister/Social Worker and explain it to her in words she can understand, better make it quick because her and Dear Leader are destined for the shitpile of History as a one term wonder come the next election.
Dexter and his gang of rubes are probably one of the worst fiscally capable governments in living memory, they make John, down on the Mira, Buchanan look like Warren Buffett.
OB…. pretty much.
Sucks when you think that (the legitimate) hobos begging for change are worth more on paper than you are.
Makes ya feel like crap being constantly reminded of it too.
being broke isn’t only confined to being young.
Anyone else hear the teacher from Charlie Brown’s voice in their head as they read this? No? Just me?
No, DJ girl, I thought this was actually a pretty decent bitch. Rather than just saying “Fuck the system, things are getting more expensive and people aren’t able to make ends meet anymore…what the hell happened to canada?” OB took the time to offer details and points of reference. It’s your own fault for not being able to understand it.
Thanks OB for putting things in perspective. I’m getting frustrated too. Think I’ll go watch “The Network”.
bitcoins are very interesting, but confuse me. maybe bitcoins for dummys should be next in print?
Dude..it was a joke.Relaaaxxx.
I’m perfectly relaxed dj. Sorry I didn’t get your joke.
OP. Easy to understand and as brief as possible.
Ugh. Sorry OP, I’m just not up to it tonight. A big long ass bitch with stats.
Amen dude! The cost for basic needs is absurd and it is EVERYONE – young, old, educated, uneducated – that can’t afford to make ends meet. It’s as scary to think about the present as it is the future. How can the government keep taking from its citizens without trying to stimulate economic growth?! There needs to be less red tape (i.e laws of needing permits, certifications, etc) to be able to be entrepreneurs and open businesses. Too many businesses are closing right in front of their eyes and they don’t seem to care.
I agree with most of what you said Crossword but I don’t thing reducing regulations is the answer. That’s what bush did with the banks/mortgage companies and look what happened. But perhaps a way to speed up the process would be helpful? More grants for entrepreneurs maybe? Less Senators and MLA’s helping themselves to the public funds?
Indeed, but how can we stop their political greed? It’s hard to get people rattled up about important issues when no one cares to vote or read a book. They use excuses like “oh it’s either voting for dumb or dumber” or “I don’t know enough to make a voting decision”. Have boring grade school social studies ruined peoples’ interest in politics? Can there be an easier medium to educate the lazy and uninterested?
There’s no excuse for not voting when people die for the right to vote in other countries.
“oh it’s either voting for dumb or dumber” – And you’d prefer everyone vote for one of these candidates, right? You’d like to see everyone casting their vote and participating in the democratic process, despite their lack of confidence in ‘dumb and dumber’.
“I don’t know enough to make a voting decision” – A lot of them don’t, would you rather they cast a blind, uneducated vote? I’d like to see less
I do agree with a lot of what you posted though, crossword. Slash the Red Tape!
“There’s no excuse for not voting when people die for the right to vote in other countries.” – Well people died for my right to vote in this country, and I have valid excuses for not voting.
Refusing to vote is as a valid an option as spoiling your ballot, or casting a “protest” vote for a looney-tune fringe candidate. As flawed as our current system may be, and as dismal as our options may sometimes appear, it still does possess the ability to evolve, to change to adapt to shifting dynamics both external, or from below.
Shun those coffee house radicals who harp about the need for a “revolution”. The majority are talking out their arseholes and have absolutely no knowledge of what revolution entails. It is simply a tarted up word for “civil war”
A minority are sociopaths, imagining themselves as the “men in black leather coats” putting others up in front of a wall, and neglecting the lessons of history that they too eventually wind up as a nameless layer in an unmarked grave.
“Well people died for my right to vote in this country, and I have valid excuses for not voting.”
People did die so that we would be free.
I never thought that in a democracy you also have a right not to vote.
“Well people died for my right to vote in this country, and I have valid excuses for not voting.”
A dictator tells his people, “you cannot vote, nor will you have the chance to vote”.
A dictator taking the opposite approach would tell his people, “you all must vote, and have no choice about it, but you WILL ALL VOTE”.
Freedom is the choice to choose and make your own decision. Saying people died for your right to vote is also foolish. People died in support of Hitler and Stalin. Were they right? Did they promote freedom? NO! Just because people died for a cause does not make it a good cause. Some people don’t vote, so what? Until its required of every Canadian citizen, it is thier choice, and their right. If you don’t like it, don’t reside in the land of the free.
The ability to “think” and make “choices”is what makes humans different from animals.
“I might not agree with what you say but I’ll fight(perhaps die) for your right to say it”
A choice for the good of the “collective”.
“People died in support of Hitler and Stalin. Were they right?” – Who said they were right?
“Just because people died for a cause does not make it a good cause.” – No one said it did. People died for my right to vote and I can choose to exercise that right, that’s all I said. I think boru1014 was saying that if someone sacrifices something for you (ie: their life) you should do the right thing and honor that sacrifice.
“Some people don’t vote, so what?” – The main problem isn’t that people aren’t voting. People not voting is actually evidence of the real problems like lack of faith in government, poor voter education, and an overwhelming sense of futility with the whole process.
The Captain should become a dictator. He’ll tell people what to do!
“People died in support of Hitler and Stalin. Were they right?” – Who said they were right?
Captain Myanmar 11 wasn’t implying that your a Nazi;I believe Myanmar 11 meant (IMO) that those who died fighting for Stalin did so with a believe ‘THEY’ thought strongly enough for. Those who fought for the allies did the same.
Having thoughts and being able to form opinions is what makes us civilized.
You are correct Boru. I used that example as a reference to the argument that if people fought and died for something, it must be a good cause and worth supporting. Totally untrue as mankind has fought and died for both good and evil sides, all of whom fought under the beliefs that were right and the others wrong. This argument could be twisted to assit both sides is all I meant Captain.