At lunch today, I was asked when the CPP changes would come into effect in order 'to avert the fiscal crisis'.  "What financial crisis?" I replied.  "No such pension-related crisis exists – the PBO proved it just the other day."   But the conversation continued as if I hadn't spoken at all.

Instead, everyone started saying how old they are.  Anyone aged 58 or older gloated; anyone younger grimaced.  They'd all calculated where they stand vis-à-vis an expected cut-off date.  And none of them questioned the government's storyline – everyone just seemed to take it on faith that, sooner or later, senior citizens are going to bankrupt our national government.  

So here we go again.  The government promotes policies based on fantasy rather than fact, and everyone else, be they politicians, pundits or the public, gets drawn into a pseudo-debate that all too often spirals downward into a round robin of vituperaton and demonization.  

So far, not even the PBO has been able to get the debate back on track.  Perhaps what we need is a Canadian version of FactCheck.org.  The American website says it's devoted "to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics."  It's a kind of do-it-yourself democratic institution meant to counter the proliferation of politically motivated fantasies.  We could do with something similar here in Canada.

 On principle it is wrong that people are being fed a bill of goods.  But on the other hand, my husband and father in law, say it is risky territory and Harper should be wary of  targeting "seniors" (quoted because I would not consider most 65'ers I know seniors).  When such issues were played with in the past, the government fell because that segment of the population gets out there and votes...........