I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.
When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation.. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. We all need a Tree!
Worth the share 🥰
How much money will workers save in an independent Alberta??
This is a typical family from Red Deer. Dwayne works in the oil patch, for one of the local service companies. He brings in $110,550. Pam chose to stay home and raise their two girls instead of sending them to daycare. They live in a 25-year-old home that they've been making payments on for 3 years, and they each drive an older vehicle.
Dayne's tax bill in 2024 was;
Federal: $16,208
Provincial: $8,356
CPP/EI: $5,105
Municipal: $3,468
For a total of $33,137...leaving him $77,413 of discretionary income.
A whopping 64% of his tax bill goes to Ottawa, and he gets almost nothing in return for his effort.
When Alberta becomes independent, his Federal bill will go to $0. His CPP will be replaced by a more efficient APP. Same for his EI. His provincial taxes will go up slightly, to cover things like border security and defense spending.
His new tax bill will look something like this;
Federal: $0
Provincial: $9,500
APP/EI: $4,000
Municipal: $3,468
For a total of $16,968....leaving him an extra $16,169 in his pocket every year.
Alberta separation is a game changer for every Albertan.
This trend will make your blood boil.
Look at the leaders in Trudeau's government.
Everyone who resigned or was forced out has 1 thing in common.
And it reveals a disturbing pattern in Canadian politics...
Trump didn't create this mess in Canada. He merely poked his finger into the middle of it to expose what was already festering under the surface.
If Canada wasn't already a quasi-failed state, this wouldn't have triggered a unity crisis -- and there would probably never have been a brewing tariff war, nor threats of annexation. Our weakness is self-inflicted. Trump exposed it for the world to see.
The hysteria about Trump bullying Canada is theatre used by our political classes to evade responsibility for what they have done to their own people over the last 9 years, and beyond.
The real villain is not Trump, it's our own ruling class. In many ways we should be grateful to him for ripping off the band-aid to show the world how broken this country is.
His "bullying" may not be the intervention Canada wants, but it is the intervention Canada desperately needed to force Canada to look in the mirror and confront what it has become.
Fix it, or lose it. Better now than later when we have even less good options left.
@Martyupnorth_2 Great post Marty!!
Working hard and giving back to community and paying your fair share!
I agree with you and have kids in same situation as you. It looks like a long hard road for them forsure.
TOP GUN was released 38 years ago today. One of the definitive 1980s action films, and among the most popular of its star, Tom Cruise, the story behind the scenes will take your breath away…
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🧵The bus your kid rides to school burns gasoline that is subject to the carbon tax. The school division is passing on that extra cost to citizens via increased municipal taxes. That's inflation. Seniors who's kids have left the house still pay school taxes.
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This is bang on when it comes to leadership and creating a culture of growth, accountability, and understanding of what it takes to be a successful organization.
Love this post. I don’t now live in the country but am heavily invested in SE SK in terms of farmland.
The @JustinTrudeau’s @liberal_party is trying to kill our farming industries - hitting fertilizer & adding carbon taxes. Destroying our farmers livelihoods.