The document is comprised of three letters, written by Canadians in various parts of this vast land. It is fair to say that the opinion reflects the mood of most seniors I know. Only those with blind loyalty to a party, including those who inherited their political stripes through genetics, might differ.

Letter 1

Subject: The Carbon Tax

The rumble is now moving across the country and will gain force.

Please don’t let this happen any further in Canada. Canada emits only 2% of the world’s supply of greenhouse gasses and 52% of that comes from the Oil Sands Plants.

Automotive emissions are less than 20% of the 48% balance of Canada’s 2% of the world outcome. Do the math, it’s such an insignificant amount it’s a joke.

Our fuel prices are now $6.75 per gallon, equivalent to $6.00 per gallon U.S.. When Canadians realize what a jackpot the politicians can get us into by supporting a carbon tax, they will be out to get any politician that supports this cause. Dion, Campbell etc. will regret the day they devised this scheme. Americans are screaming at $4.00 a gallon. Our provincial and federal governments are ripping us off with high taxes on fuel now. This is such a cash cow they don’t want to stop. Stop excessive taxation and giving our  money away abroad. We need more support and tax relief for our seniors and baby boomers now retiring and trying to find a fixed income level they can exist upon after working all their lives and paying heavily into the system.

And I am not a Liberal or NDP supporter. I am a senior and a middle-of-the-road conservative and we will be in the majority in Canada for the next 20 years, so politicians get smart and support us.

Do some hard thinking about the future and protect our seniors and all the population from the excessive costs we are facing now and in the future with more taxes. Technology will fix the oil sands problem as they are working on a fix now to reduce that source in the future. Why us with these programs at this time?

Brian Morris

A concerned senior and loyal Canadian

Kelowna, BC

LETTER 2

Consider this from one person who has bothered to do the home work.

When a politician’s lips move, I know he’s probably lying. Mr. Dion says his carbon tax will be revenue neutral. So, I went online and found a carbon calculator and keyed in the annual energy consumption for our household and learned we produce 17 toms of greenhouse gas. Fully 60% of this usage is for electricity which we use to heat our home.

I have already improved insulation in my walls and replaced my windows and doors; use the new “twirley” lights and ensured that my appliances are all Energy Star products. In the past 20 years, these measures reduced my electricity usage from 24,000 KW hours per year to 16,000 KW hours per year last year. What is my reward for this improved efficiency? My power bill is unchanged from what it was 20 years ago. But, my power bill would attract a carbon tax of $104 in year one of Mr. Dion’s plan and $416 in year four. My power bill would rise from $166 per month to $210 per month in year four.

Since I live on a fixed income consisting of CCP and Old Age Security, my income tax bill runs at less than $200 per year. So, for my household, Mr. Dion’s revenue neutral carbon tax will cost me $416 per year, less income tax reductions of about $10 per year.

Revenue neutral? In a pig’s eye! This is a tax on seniors living on fixed incomes. Well, Mr. Dion, you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of ever getting my vote. I hope everyone else takes five minutes to run the same calculations I did and vote to send this joker to the political bone yard.

Jon C. Coates

70 Ridgevalley Rd

Halifax NS

B3P 2J9

LETTER 3

Remember when they brought in the National Income Tax? They promised that it would remain in effect only until all of Canada’s World War 1 debt was repaid. Fooled us good! Debt was repaid, but the tax never came off and will be with us for eternity.

How about this lie. Trudeau imposed a 5% tax on every liter of gas in order to establish a National Oil Company called Petro Canada. He swore that this tax would come off as soon as Petro Canada was up and running. And so it came to pass Petro Canada was established. It was sold to private hands, the enormous cash windfall was frittered away AND HIS 5% (plus, plus) still adorns our pumps to this very day.

Now how is this for a con job? Take our BC premier (Gordon) Campbell, PULEEZE. He truly believes that most British Columbians are brain dead. You will keep paying a yearly escalating carbon tax at the pump and you receive a reduction in your provincial income tax. The new political buzz word is “revenue neutral.” Should this not be called what it truly is; “RECYCLING YOUR MONEY.” Just think folks, another bureaucracy eating up our hard earned cash to administer loser dreams.

And remember, once a government gets addicted to a tax grab, and you let them get away with it, you have handed them a Carte Blanche ticket to impose new taxes, to keep raising others and use it to buy your votes to boot.

If we condone all this, then Premier Campbell is right in assuming that we are all brain dead in British Columbia.

Walt Grochmal

Vernon, BC

MY POSTSCRIPT

Tell me, dear reader, when was the last time a political candidate knocked on your door and said, “Vote for me, I’m going to raise your taxes”? Never happened, right? Well how did we get to the state where we  are being taxed to death?

Been to a fast food outlet lately? There are more seniors behind the counter than teenagers because their meager pensions cannot cover their basic needs. Sad, but oh so true.

(Al Hollingsworth is a retired journalist and broadcaster who is looking forward to meeting federal and provincial candidates at his door.)