Trevor Dailey's Weblog

The conversation began with one of my coworkers commenting to another coworker that she received more pay than her because she worked more hours. True, the one coworker agreed, but it was because she came in an hour early some days, and her coworker was free to do the same. I cracked a smile thinking to myself that was right. The other coworker warned her she would get hit with a big tax bill for working so many hours. She correctly said the more one earns, the more the government takes, and implied that there was no sense in working past a certain point. The government penalizes one for working harder and earning more money.

It was payday, and the one coworker of mine began looking at her pay-stub. Things soon turned angry as she mistakenly interpreted a deduction of her pay being the $50 gift certificate some employees (not including me) received for Christmas. She thought the Company had deducted money from her paycheque. Other coworkers expressed outrage the Company would do such a thing, as they had also received the gift.  

After a few minutes, I spoke up, and I suggested the gift was considered to be income by the government, and it was being taxed. It seems I was correct. I briefly stated my opinion that taxing one’s income was vile. All seemed to agree, but another coworker said in the country she came from, I believe is a Central America country, the citizens were taxed more heavily than in Canada, and they received nothing. Here she spoke well of the taxes because she could see things like roads being built. She said the President of the country she came from stole money from the people. I understood, but I was disheartened by her comments.

What I wanted to tell her is theft is theft. There is no difference between a Central America dictator taking money by force from people, and the elected government of Canada taking money by force from its citizens. I wanted to tell her that socialism leads only to a place of death and destruction, and Canada is inching its way to that place with its slow adaptation of full socialism. I wanted to tell her Canada is creeping towards what she had left behind. I don’t think she, like most Canadians, would have believed any of what I said in spite of the historical and current record of evidence.

(c) Trevor Dailey