All we need is benefits

I was glad to read in today's newspaper that Canadian taxpayers are forking out billions for GM pension aid. The article also quotes CAW President Ken Lewenza: "We have preserved our wages, we have preserved and secured our pension benefits, and we have protected most of our core benefits". As a taxpayer and strong believer in the right of everyone to live in decency after a life of hard work, I'm happy to oblige.

The guy next door, he's not so happy. And that's precisely because he shares my said strong belief — the everyone part in particular. He's already resigned himself to the fact that government employees (and Canadians are so blessed here, with three levels governing them with plenty of care) have indexed pensions and benefits, while he, having toiled for a private non-unionized very big Company, has effectively none of these. He was disturbed a few weeks ago to learn of the existence of a Viagra benefit that US GM pensioners enjoyed (literally), then had to give up (mostly), though the drugmaker came to the rescue ("for up to a year" or, as he — incorrectly — read it, "to up for a year").

Guy next door's not clear whether said medicine is also part of the aforementioned "core benefits" here in Canada. He is happy to have OHIP, but that plan won't even fork out the few bucks needed for a bottle of aspirin to subsidize Guy's own option, "Not tonight dear, I have a headache"...