there goes my piggy bank

I just finished reading the newspaper and I'm not a fan of the contradictory statement premier dalton mcguinty made. Actually, I feel like he just knocked out my piggy bank, for lack of a better phrase

Since I am studying journalism, it is a requirement to read the newspaper daily. Today, while I was sitting at my kitchen table reading the Toronto Star and sipping my green tea, I came across an interesting article. This article was about how Premier Dalton McGuinty is reconsidering the minimum wage increase to $10.25 on March 31, 2010. It was reported that he is ignoring the poor people.

Well hey, I am not the wealthiest person in the world but I am pretty sure that the $10.25 pay is included in the 2010 budget for Toronto so why go back on your word, Mr. McGuinty?

First, Ontario raises tuition costs and now it's refuting its minimum wage raise promise. 

How am I supposed to make enough money this summer and next summer to help my parents pay for my post-secondary education if the tuition prices keep rising and minimum wage is stationary?

Yes, I know that on Tues. March 31, 2009 (which is this Tuesday), minimum wage will be raising to $9.50. That is extremely helpful for me right now. However, in 2010 who's to say Ontario will be cleared out of a recession? Who's to say that I will still have a part time job? Who's to say that my parents will be working full time? Since not even Mr. McGuinty can keep his promise, who am I supposed to rely on to find those answers?

I tutor, I volunteer, and I have a great summer job coming up but right now I do not have a steady cash flow so I guess what I should do is become a hermit. I won't spend money, I won't go out, I won't shop. I have been doing that for a while now to save as much money as I can, it's no biggy. However, pretty soon I will be getting my G2 which means money for insurance, lessons, and a possible car. Where am I getting this money from? Will I have to hold off getting my license for another year so I can wait for my money to accumulate? Well, there's no point in that because minimum wage is not going to help me very much.

I am not the only one suffering. People everywhere are paying the bills on one income since jobs have been lost. How does Ontario expect to get out of this recession when people are not making enough money right now to get by? If minimum wage stays at $9.50 for two years, it will just continue to bring the house down.

Less people will be purchasing things than now and less people will be applying to universities and colleges. 

I understand that everyone has to sacrifice a little bit in order to squeeze out of this recession. But, why wouldn't the rich sacrifice their income before the poor?

That's what you get when for so many years, the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. The poor are the tax payers. The rich file the taxes. The poor are the hard workers who see nothing but the factory. The rich sit there and run it.

I may seem ignorant, but truth be told I'm not. I know what goes on. Multinational corporations outsource for cheaper labour costs, the government doesn't keep promises, and the poor are continuing to suffer.

You know, maybe if I had a talent like singing or playing the guitar I could fend for myself and make a really cool demo and put it all over the Internet for revenue. I don't have a talent like that. I write and I love it but right now I am writing for free. That doesn't bother me because I do it because I like it. But, what about the people who have a bundle of jobs that just don't pay enough. They can't qualify for OSAP. In fact, if I applied for OSAP I would get less than $1400.00 (by that I mean $0.00).

My books alone cost me $800.00+ a school year. My living expenses and tution are a total other story. It's quite pathetic actually. 

C'mon Mr. Premier, make a tiny little sacrifice for your future--the students and working class of Ontario. That might not mean much to you because you are a successful man, but you are representing Ontario. Since the unemployment rate has raised to 7.7% since February, I think Ontario can afford to make a slight sacrifice for that 7.7%.

For us students who are looking to jump into the real job/career force in years to come, what is going to happen to us? Since the babyboomers are going to start to retire by that point, where does that leave us? Sure, there will be tons of jobs open...right? Well we're young and we're immature and all that, so we probably won't get hired right away because of the knowledge and experience needed to fill that position, right? Well guess what, if we cannot have that experience because no one is hiring and minimum wage is just chilling then we cannot pay for our education which will leave us hanging in the end. 

Would you like that unemployment rate to increase again? I don't.