Canada Middle class

April 27 2014

A recent letter to the editor decries the report that Canada's middle class is  better off than the USA and with the usual conservative panache blames it on Obama.  Perhaps a little reminder of the source of  our economic woes  coupled with some simple research would help clear up misconceptions of those on the right who want to pin the blame on Obama.

There are a few basic differences between the USA and our cousin to the north.   Canada has a single payer government run health care system that operates much more  efficiently than our hodgepodge of insurance and private medical services. Canada has a higher minimum wage than the USA. Canada has stronger bank regulation which helped avoid the housing and financial crisis that we are still suffering from.  Canada taxes dividends and capital gains as part of income tax as opposed to the Bush era tax cuts on such revenues that has led to huge income inequality in the USA. In The USA the top 1% own 35% of the country's wealth whilst in  Canada that number is only 15% so much more of the wealth generated by the people goes back to the people instead of the wealthy few in the upper class. 

So perhaps we should take a few leaves from Canada's book and learn from their methods to help our citizens instead of constantly blaming the president who has been hamstrung by the conservative obstructionism that has brought this economic lassitude down upon us.