Government spending

Re: Ontario’s debt denial, Jack M. Mintz, May 20

I found it coincidental that Prof. Mintz includes Ontario’s gasoline tax in his comparison chart with tax levels in neighbouring New York and Michigan. I had relatives visiting me in Toronto from Michigan this past weekend and my cousin asked a most curious question: what type of concrete do we use on our highways? He remarked upon how superior the 401 was compared to the pothole laden roads he drove in his home state. I confessed I had no idea.

However, from the Mintz chart it’s clear that the additional 12.89¢ (Ontario 32.77¢ versus Michigan 19.88¢) is actually buying us better roads. And given 10¢ of the Ontario tax is the dedicated carbon levy, the true difference going to improve our transportation infrastructure is a mere 2.89¢.

As for his complaints and comparisons regarding marginal personal income taxes, these haven’t seemed to stop dozens of high-tech jobs coming to the province.

David Balcon, Toronto

At one time, a million dollars was something people only dreamed about. Today, houses cost that much and lotteries give many millions each week. Nowadays the talk is up to billions. With all the amounts being thrown out by the parties involved in next month’s election and the federal government, let us put the concept of how much the difference a million and a billion actually represent into something everyone can understand.

All of us can understand what a second represents. There are 60 in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour. A million seconds is 11.5 days but a billion seconds is 31.7 years. Get the concept?

The interest on Ontario’s debt is $1 billion a month. The electorate must look at spending estimates with realistic expectations. Promises costing billions are not feasible. If governments don’t get a grip on spending and focus on what governments are supposed to do (infrastructure and essential services) Greece and Italy will look pretty rosy to us.

George Ferrall, Orléans, Ont.