The Penticton Western News Dec. 12 issue contained one of the more astute political cartoons that I have seen in a long time.
It showed a Canadian soldier suffering post-war trauma being given a lump sum settlement of $41,411.96, alongside a cartoon figure of our pompous Conservative veteran affairs minister who gets a yearly stipend of $242,000.
This is Harper’s Conservatives at work. It should also serve as a warning to any young person thinking of joining Canada’s armed forces. Consider seriously that if you get hurt, and if you suffer from traumatic stress serving in a war in which there is no rational reason for being involved, you could end up being offered a lump sum of $44,411.96, while the gentleman in Ottawa will collect over a million dollars in pensions.
This is part of Harper’s legacy. This is the Conservative government at work,
Think carefully about who you select as your representative in the election coming up in 2015.
Frank Martens
Summerland