I disagree. I'm usually very understanding when it comes to financial issues. I can't remember the last time I took pride or pleasure in seeing someone go on welfare. I also can't remember the last time I blamed someone for having to go on it. Honestly, I have probably never done such a thing in my entire life. But I have to draw the line somewhere.

I grew up watching people go to Alberta and work in the sands. Most of them were assholes. Like, as people, they were not nice. It's hard to have sympathy for someone who goes off to work in the sands, comes back loaded, and then complains about social services and welfare programs as though the world revolves around them. Additionally, I'm gay and it seemed to me that the most homophobic people I met would go and mingle with their homophobic friends in the sands before returning to spread their homophobic beliefs to anyone who would listen (or, at least, did not have strong enough ear plugs). That, combined with their anti-welfare evangelism, has definitely put a bitter taste in my mouth. And I think, like a lot of Canadians, I consider this distaste to be part of their debt as well. They're going to have to work at regaining the nation's sympathy after decades of acting like Canada's biggest butthole.

I hope this hurts Albertans (at least the arrogant ones), because I want them to learn their lesson instead of walking around with their heads up their asses criticizing anyone who ever accesses government support. Completely fucked up narcissistic political ideology. And this is the perfect time to change that.

I want to have compassion for people who are hard up. I know it can happen to anyone. It could happen to me. However, this is some serious karma and it was a long time coming. I don't enjoy the fact that people are going through hard shit but I do enjoy watching douchebags eat their own words after they've already hurt me and the people I care about.

I will get over this eventually, and feel more compassionate for them later, but I'm mostly just pretty happy that the price of oil is dropping. Albertans are having to eat their own words, there's more political willpower to diversify and invest in green technology, etc. Well worth the dollar dropping IMHO.