Saturday Afternoon Links

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- While the Star-Phoenix editorial board is still looking for corporate tax cuts at the first available opportunity, it's at least recognized the striking contrast in treatment between corporations being handed massive amounts of money now, and the targeted and/or delayed-reaction benefits being offered to anybody else by the Harper Cons:

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been telling Canadians, his party's promise to cut their tax by allowing income splitting and with a fitness tax credit will only be delivered when the budget is balanced, possibly in 2014-15. Couldn't the same principle apply to the corporate tax cuts, especially when the current rates demonstrably haven't proven onerous?

And if the government thinks targeted tax cuts, such as the fitness credit, work for ordinary Canadians, could not the same incentive work for corporate behaviour when it comes to investing more in plant and equipment, job creation, and innovation instead of providing a general tax reduction?

Yes, it's all very complicated, but sometimes it has to be asked, whose interests are being served.

- Meanwhile, Erin brings a Star Trek theme to his latest evisceration of corporatist talking points. And Canada Uncut takes on the tax evasion techniques of Canadian banks.

- What thwap said:

(F)or genuine progressives, honesty is the best policy. (NOT, mind you, the Liberal Party hacks on "Progressive Bloggers" who are willing to return harper to power if it means they can steal enough votes from incumbent NDPr's and strong NDP challenges to harper. That sort of scum studies up on progressive issues only so that they can get jobs explaining why their party's latest betrayals of them are necessary and good.) By "honesty is the best policy" I mean that we must honestly and fearlessly express our views. We should not be afraid of "alienating" clueless people. How is the country supposed to turn away from right-wing economic nonsense, support for NATO or Israeli imperialism, worship the rich/bury the poor social policies, or police-state values, if there's nobody out there trashing such garbage?

And people are never going to move towards democratic socialism unless we sing its praises loud and proud. If you believe in something, and the majority doesn't, you have to ask why that is so. Given the serial failures of right-wing hegemony, I'd say that we're more than justified in our belief that we are right and the majority is wrong.

Last word, ... honesty ALSO means acknowledging when your opponents are right. This doesn't mean that you have to take the time to read everything from shit-heads like Ezra Levant or Jonah Goldberg. Some people have already discredited themselves with their consistent errors and stupidities. I just mean that if you come across an opposing view that effectively challenges you worldview, engage with it honestly, ... don't run from it.

- And finally, NDP MP Peter Julian is the latest to point out why Stephen Harper doesn't want Canadians to vote or otherwise participate in politics:

(H)ow do we get Canada’s prosperity and equality back? All of us, as activists and concerned citizens, must re-engage in the political system. We must stop the take-over of our public policy and public decisions in the interests of the few at the expense of the many. That means exposing the lie that all politicians and all political parties are the same. They’re not. No political party is perfect. But the Canada’s New Democrats are made up of strong activists for social justice, economic equality, and sound environmental stewardship.

As a proud New Democrat, I ask you to surprise Stephen Harper by doing what he doesn’t want you to do: vote. Canada will be the better for it.