Even though it's a TV show (that is becoming dated), The West Wing came up with a lot of great ideas - or at least great discussion topics - over its' lifespan.
This is from 5x19 - "Talking Points"
JOSH
Ten years ago, I worked for this Senate candidate. He had this idea that
health care, pensions, even vacation time ought to be portable, that it
should follow you from job to job, 'cause everyone was gonna work 15 jobs
in a lifetime. Might as well fly in the teeth of it. And we talked him out
of it. We told him he was scaring the bejeesus out of people. Who wants to
know about 15 jobs? Maybe we should have done that, I don't know.
***
I would like to start a debate based around this suggestion. Since I am a writer and not affiliated with any political party, I'm working towards increasing awareness on issues and suggesting possible solutions that are politically unpopular.
For the Americans that read this post - I'm not supporting any of your politicians either, but I think Obama has made a lot of mistakes and I cringe at Donald Trump and the equality problems I read about - and I'm hoping the next president is open to new ideas for your country and the world.
For my fellow Canadians, many of us - The Working Poor and those struggling with Mental Health issues - went through our last election hoping that we might be mentioned by our political leaders and talking heads. Everyone was championing the "Middle Class" as if most Canadians assume they are part of that group, but no one ever defines what that means.
If I were to define "Middle Class", I would say that it would include individuals that were able to live and work full time and be able to afford not only the necessities of life and the ability to save for a proper retirement but also any sudden expense (like replacing a broken refrigerator or time off for a medical emergency) without worrying about not being able to afford it; education and caring for family members will not bankrupt them; and being able to enjoy life with things like celebrating an achievement, heading out to local community events, participating in hobbies and organized sports, and the occasional vacation. I would add to this that a middle class family would be comfortable having the children they choose to have with the knowledge that they can be tested for any health issues that may come up; successful pregnancy including pre/post natal care; early education; school fees that won't cripple their family budget; the ability to have the kids participate in arts and sports; the nightmare of post-secondary student loans will not hobble them and their soon-to-be-adult children; the ability to participate in community events for the whole family and individuals; and everyday joys like birthday parties and competitions can be participated in without first checking the bank account. This is a very low bar, I believe - as the saying goes, we should work to live not live to work. The people who can afford more than this aren't automatically "rich" - this should apply to everyone in Canada. We should all be able to enjoy some comforts of life and be able to answer the phone without worrying about creditors. No one should fall through the cracks, have to go to a Food Bank, receive welfare, or cringe at the phone ringing because they are ducking creditors. Everyone should be able to enjoy life.
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