I’m currently working two jobs and I live with my parents. So I’m pretty lucky. In fact, I got nothing to worry about. Except I do have a lot to worry about.
Even now (as in, before the tax hike) I work two jobs and I can only afford to pay my bills and very little food. I can’t afford to repair my cellphone, and I can’t afford to eat healthy. Also, living with your parents at 28 years old is no walk in the park. These are just petty things compared to what other people have to go through. So how will the 2016 provincial budget affect me? I don’t know. My future is uncertain.
Will I still have a job within the next year or two? If I don’t, will employment insurance still be available? Could I afford to buy lunch for work? How could my fiancée and I be able to afford a wedding? How can I afford to go to college?
Because of the 2016 budget, some senior citizens will live below the poverty line. Unless Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy greatly improves within the next 25-30 years, that could be me. Speaking of which, the two jobs that I have are labour jobs that involve a lot of bending, twisting, and heavy lifting. How would I be able to do such jobs when I’m 65? And considering the poor state of the economy, I doubt I’ll be able to retire at that age.
There are single parents out there who are working three jobs and they are starving themselves to provide their children with food, clothes, and a roof over their heads. So imagine how many more single parents will suffer the same fate because of the budget? It won’t be any easier for couples either.
My fiancée and I once lived together. We both had to move back in with our parents. Even though we currently work two jobs each, we still can’t afford to live together again. So how could we possibly afford to take care of a child? Even if we could afford it, how could we take care of a child if both of us are working two jobs each?
In my opinion, my future doesn’t look so bright. But what I do know for certain is that my future is uncertain. But who knows? Maybe things will be a lot better than I think.
Justin F.H. / St. John’s
If you would like to share your story about how the provincial government’s austerity budget will affect you and/or your family, send your letter to [email protected]
Read The Independent’s ongoing coverage of austerity and the 2016 budget:
- Open letter to Premier, Cabinet Ministers & all MHAs (Letter)
- Solidarity and paying my dues (Opinion)
- Austerity hurts women, so we must shape our response accordingly (Opinion)
- Residents take anti-austerity fight to streets of St. John’s (News)
- Liberals’ austerity budget will hit most vulnerable hardest (News)
- Budget 2016 provides little hope for the future (Letter)
- Budget 2016 “an attack on families” (Letter)
- Government “definitely does have a choice” in NL Budget 2016: economist (News)
- As the wave breaks: NL budget 2016 (Opinion)
- Is there a democratic alternative to austerity? (Opinion)
- Deficit crisis a chance for change (Opinion)
- Not “Our” Crisis (Opinion)
