Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Tom Parkin talks to Toby Sanger about the utter failure of corporate tax cuts to produce anything other than concentrated wealth and increased inequality.
- Steven Greenhouse offers suggestions both as to how governments can level the playing field between workers and employers to reduce inequality, and how workers can have a voice even before those structural fixes are made.
- Alan Freeman examines the dangers associated with the Boeing 737 Max as a prime example of the consequences of deregulation.
- Robert Benzie reports that groups helping people with disabilities in Ontario are the latest to find out that Doug Ford isn't prepared to provide the funding needed to perform their work. And the Canadian Press reports that the same municipal cuts which were hastily reversed due to their devastating effect on communities are now set to be imposed again beginning in 2020.
- Martin Regg Cohn points out the absurdity of Ford ordering gas stations to display political propaganda.
- Finally, James Cairns writes about the selective nature of right-wing "free speech" messaging - which is in fact designed to do nothing but silence anybody other than their own reactionary movement.
Showing posts with label alan freeman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alan freeman. Show all posts
Monday, August 19, 2019
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Larry Elliott writes that a corporate-centred model of globalization is unlikely to survive the Trump regime. And Jeff Spross proposes an alternative which allows for people to be free and capital to be controlled, rather than the other way around.
- But Jo Becker notes that large amounts of money and disinformation are pushing for nationalism and xenophobia around the globe, rather than any recognition of our shared interests in a fair and connected system of international relations.
- Benjamin Fearnow reports on the FBI's insistence on treating peaceful activists for minority rights as a larger threat than violent white supremacists. And Robin Ttess discusses how Canada's security state has been used at the behest of the oil industry to spy on and stifle Indigenous peoples and environmental activists.
- Andy Blatchford reports on the Trudeau Libs' delays and obfuscations about supplying armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.
- Finally, Alan Freeman debunks the Fraser Institute's regularly-scheduled attempt to gaslight Canadians about taxes by refusing to acknowledge what individuals actually pay as well as what public revenue funds.
- Larry Elliott writes that a corporate-centred model of globalization is unlikely to survive the Trump regime. And Jeff Spross proposes an alternative which allows for people to be free and capital to be controlled, rather than the other way around.
- But Jo Becker notes that large amounts of money and disinformation are pushing for nationalism and xenophobia around the globe, rather than any recognition of our shared interests in a fair and connected system of international relations.
- Benjamin Fearnow reports on the FBI's insistence on treating peaceful activists for minority rights as a larger threat than violent white supremacists. And Robin Ttess discusses how Canada's security state has been used at the behest of the oil industry to spy on and stifle Indigenous peoples and environmental activists.
- Andy Blatchford reports on the Trudeau Libs' delays and obfuscations about supplying armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.
- Finally, Alan Freeman debunks the Fraser Institute's regularly-scheduled attempt to gaslight Canadians about taxes by refusing to acknowledge what individuals actually pay as well as what public revenue funds.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Osita Nwanevu describes the higher-brow forms of bigotry and wilful ignorance being pushed by U.S. Republicans for upper-class audiences. And Kate Aronoff discusses the racial undertones of yet another wave of red-baiting.
- Meanwhile, David Climenhaga highlights how Canadian right-wing governments are fully adopting the Republican playbook - including by denying constituents the benefit of funding from other levels of government for partisan gain. And Alan Freeman takes note of the dubious company Jason Kenney has joined in using public money to target perceived political opponents for harassment.
- Andrew Parkin writes that Canadian voters recognize the importance of a national climate change plan. And Dan Tong, Qiang Zhang, Yixuan Zheng, Ken Caldeira, Christine Shearer, Chaopeng Hong, Yue Qin and Steven J. Davis examine the effect of a phaseout of existing fossil fuel infrastructure - concluding that it alone could keep global warming under 2 degress Celsius.
- But Arwa Mahdawi laments the fact that far too many politicians insist on continuing business as usual - fossil fuel subsidies and all - rather than working toward a habitable future.
- Carolyn Ferns discusses the need for the federal government to start taking the importance of child care seriously.
- Finally, Sahil Jai Dutta, Samuel Knafo, Richard Lane, Ian Lovering and Steffan Wyn-Jones point out how neoliberal economics based on the alleged impracticality of centralized planning have ultimately resulted in exactly that - only carried out for corporate rather than public purposes.
- Osita Nwanevu describes the higher-brow forms of bigotry and wilful ignorance being pushed by U.S. Republicans for upper-class audiences. And Kate Aronoff discusses the racial undertones of yet another wave of red-baiting.
- Meanwhile, David Climenhaga highlights how Canadian right-wing governments are fully adopting the Republican playbook - including by denying constituents the benefit of funding from other levels of government for partisan gain. And Alan Freeman takes note of the dubious company Jason Kenney has joined in using public money to target perceived political opponents for harassment.
- Andrew Parkin writes that Canadian voters recognize the importance of a national climate change plan. And Dan Tong, Qiang Zhang, Yixuan Zheng, Ken Caldeira, Christine Shearer, Chaopeng Hong, Yue Qin and Steven J. Davis examine the effect of a phaseout of existing fossil fuel infrastructure - concluding that it alone could keep global warming under 2 degress Celsius.
- But Arwa Mahdawi laments the fact that far too many politicians insist on continuing business as usual - fossil fuel subsidies and all - rather than working toward a habitable future.
- Carolyn Ferns discusses the need for the federal government to start taking the importance of child care seriously.
- Finally, Sahil Jai Dutta, Samuel Knafo, Richard Lane, Ian Lovering and Steffan Wyn-Jones point out how neoliberal economics based on the alleged impracticality of centralized planning have ultimately resulted in exactly that - only carried out for corporate rather than public purposes.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Andrew Mitrovica gives due credit to Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott for showing there's some honour to be found in Canadian politics - though the Libs' subsequent loyalty tests have made it all too clear how limited that is. And Alan Freeman warns of the unfairness of a two-tier justice system in which well-connected businesses never answer for their crimes.
- The Canadian Press reports on the Saskatchewan Party's continued disregard for treaty rights and the safety of Indigenous people when it sees an opportunity to pander to exclusionary voters.
- Meanwhile, Chris McGreal discusses the destruction and absorption of family farms by U.S. agribusinesses.
- Edward Keenan reports on the unexpected passage of Mike Layton's longstanding plan to make wastewater polluters pay as an example of the value of persistence in politics.
- Vanessa Branch highlights the many ways in which homeless people are excluded from their communities due to a lack of public resources to accompany the best efforts of civil society and volunteer groups.
- Finally, Brandie Weikle reports on a new survey showing a majority of Canadians to be unhappy with their current work income.
- Andrew Mitrovica gives due credit to Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott for showing there's some honour to be found in Canadian politics - though the Libs' subsequent loyalty tests have made it all too clear how limited that is. And Alan Freeman warns of the unfairness of a two-tier justice system in which well-connected businesses never answer for their crimes.
- The Canadian Press reports on the Saskatchewan Party's continued disregard for treaty rights and the safety of Indigenous people when it sees an opportunity to pander to exclusionary voters.
- Meanwhile, Chris McGreal discusses the destruction and absorption of family farms by U.S. agribusinesses.
- Edward Keenan reports on the unexpected passage of Mike Layton's longstanding plan to make wastewater polluters pay as an example of the value of persistence in politics.
- Vanessa Branch highlights the many ways in which homeless people are excluded from their communities due to a lack of public resources to accompany the best efforts of civil society and volunteer groups.
- Finally, Brandie Weikle reports on a new survey showing a majority of Canadians to be unhappy with their current work income.
Monday, July 30, 2018
Monday Morning Links
Assorted content to start your week.
- Robert Reich examines how a concerted attack on organized labour has pushed the vast majority of American workers into living paycheque-to-paycheque (or worse) while income and wealth have become increasingly concentrated at the top end of the spectrum:
- Robert Booth exposes how a UK right-wing "think tank" has been actively selling both research outcomes, and access to the Con government.
- Alan Freeman points out the fiscal price of mindless populism. And Tom Parkin highlights the need for a plan for citizens to organize against the authoritarian tendencies of the likes of Doug Ford.
- Finally, Edward Keenan calls out Ford's choice to gratuitously undermine municipal democracy for the sole purpose of wreaking vengeance against perceived political opponents.
- Robert Reich examines how a concerted attack on organized labour has pushed the vast majority of American workers into living paycheque-to-paycheque (or worse) while income and wealth have become increasingly concentrated at the top end of the spectrum:
Almost 80% of Americans say they live from paycheck to paycheck, many not knowing how big their next one will be.- William Davies points out how the trumped-up complaints about campus free speech peddled by the right serve primarily to distract from the takeover of most other spaces by the corporate sector. And Nora Loreto comments on the deliberate choice by right-wing pundits to stoke fear and hatred in the wake of the Toronto Danforth shooting.
Blanketing all of this are stagnant wages and vanishing job benefits. The typical American worker now earns around $44,500 a year, not much more than what the typical worker earned in 40 years ago, adjusted for inflation. Although the US economy continues to grow, most of the gains have been going to a relatively few top executives of large companies, financiers, and inventors and owners of digital devices.
...
(T)he share of total income going to the richest 10 percent of Americans over the last century is almost exactly inversely related to the share of the nation’s workers who are unionized. (See chart below). When it comes to dividing up the pie, most American workers today have little or no say. The pie is growing but they’re getting only the crumbs.
Over the same period time, antitrust enforcement has gone into remission. The US government has essentially given a green light to companies seeking to gain monopoly power over digital platforms and networks (Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook); wanting to merge into giant oligopolies (pharmaceuticals, health insurers, airlines, seed producers, food processors, military contractors, Wall Street banks, internet service providers); or intent on creating local monopolies (food distributors, waste disposal companies, hospitals).
This means workers are spending more on such goods and services than they would were these markets more competitive. It’s exactly as if their paychecks were cut. Concentrated economic power has also given corporations more ability to hold down wages, because workers have less choice of whom to work for. And it has let companies impose on workers provisions that further weaken their bargaining power, such as anti-poaching and mandatory arbitration agreements.
...
The combination of high corporate profits and growing corporate political power has created a vicious cycle: higher profits have generated more political influence, which has altered the rules of the game through legislative, congressional, and judicial action – enabling corporations to extract even more profit. The biggest losers, from whom most profits have been extracted, have been average workers.
- Robert Booth exposes how a UK right-wing "think tank" has been actively selling both research outcomes, and access to the Con government.
- Alan Freeman points out the fiscal price of mindless populism. And Tom Parkin highlights the need for a plan for citizens to organize against the authoritarian tendencies of the likes of Doug Ford.
- Finally, Edward Keenan calls out Ford's choice to gratuitously undermine municipal democracy for the sole purpose of wreaking vengeance against perceived political opponents.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Alan Freeman discusses the U.S.' decline based on anti-tax dogma - and warns of the same result in Canada if we don't stand up for our collective interests:
- Amy Hadley reports on the individual effects of Ontario's basic income pilot, while the Green Institute offers a discussion paper (PDF) on the combination of a secure basic income and a reduction in the work people need to perform to survive. And Dayton Martindale interviews David Graeber about busy work which keeps people employed but unhappy, while David Spencer discusses the health implications of excessive work.
- Chris Dillow wonders whether the effect of a job guarantee would be to make capitalism more sustainable, or to lay the groundwork for a new economic structure. And Annie Lowrey notes that there's still a great deal of uncertainty as to what the U.S. Democrats' developing promises on the subject actually mean.
- Miles Kampf-Lassin discusses the Workplace Democracy Act which would at least provide U.S. workers with far more ability to organize.
- Finally, Murray Mandryk writes that the fallout from the La Loche shootings highlights the continued lack of mental health support in Saskatchewan - particularly in rural communities.
- Alan Freeman discusses the U.S.' decline based on anti-tax dogma - and warns of the same result in Canada if we don't stand up for our collective interests:
The U.S. has always been a capitalist society but it always believed in meritocratic principles, allowing smart, hard-working individuals to advance through strong public schools and publicly-funded state universities. That’s all but disappeared now as is social mobility in the U.S. Better chance of getting ahead if you’re a child of immigrants in Canada than south of the border.- Meanwhile, Jim Stanford crunches the numbers to show how that pattern is playing out in Australia's budget - with a right-wing government assuming wage growth while taking steps which suppress it. Robert Sweeny comments on the consequences of Danny Williams' upward redistribution of income. And David Macdonald and Sheila Block point out how Doug Ford's "middle class" tax slashing would primarily benefit the wealthy, while Michael Laxer notes that Ford's subsidies for poverty-level wages would encourage employers to rely on exploiting workers.
I’m convinced this is not a winning strategy for America or U.S. business long-term. Impoverished government will mean crumbling infrastructure, an under-educated work force and huge social problems.
Thankfully, we’re not there yet in Canada.
The libertarian right has always been weaker here and despite the Harper government’s best efforts — the unnecessary cut in the GST is the most egregious example of its boneheaded fiscal management — Canada’s education, health and social systems remain adequately funded by tax revenues.
But I worry every time groups like the Business Council of Canada start complaining about the need to match the Trump corporate tax cuts, for the sake of “competitiveness” and threaten all sorts of dire consequences if we don’t march in lock-step with the Republican right. If we follow that advice too closely, our children will soon be studying from ripped 30-year old textbooks on computers running Windows 98.
- Amy Hadley reports on the individual effects of Ontario's basic income pilot, while the Green Institute offers a discussion paper (PDF) on the combination of a secure basic income and a reduction in the work people need to perform to survive. And Dayton Martindale interviews David Graeber about busy work which keeps people employed but unhappy, while David Spencer discusses the health implications of excessive work.
- Chris Dillow wonders whether the effect of a job guarantee would be to make capitalism more sustainable, or to lay the groundwork for a new economic structure. And Annie Lowrey notes that there's still a great deal of uncertainty as to what the U.S. Democrats' developing promises on the subject actually mean.
- Miles Kampf-Lassin discusses the Workplace Democracy Act which would at least provide U.S. workers with far more ability to organize.
- Finally, Murray Mandryk writes that the fallout from the La Loche shootings highlights the continued lack of mental health support in Saskatchewan - particularly in rural communities.
Sunday, February 04, 2018
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Victor Cyr discusses the problems with a public policy focus on capitalism without any concern for human well-being. And Ann Pettifor highlights the concentrated wealth and power arising out of corporate monopolies, while noting that political decisions are behind those realities.
- Alan Freeman points out that Canada is facilitating tax evasion due to a gross lack of corporate transparency. And Marco Chown Oved reports that the federal government is more interested in pointing fingers at the provinces than working toward solving that problem.
- Stephanie Smith examines the problems with British Columbia's faith-based regulatory system which (like many others) is increasingly based on corporate self-monitoring and self-reporting. And Alex Hemingway offers some suggestions for John Horgan's next provincial budget to bring needed progressive change.
- Finally, Ian MacKenzie makes the case for B.C. to approve a proportional electoral system so that all votes count. Stephen Tweedale notes that proportional representation can help to remedy the control leaders now exercise over their parties by creating a stronger prospect that new parties can be viable. And Paul Wells sets out how Justin Trudeau's petulant refusal to consider any electoral system other than one which would promote even more false majorities for his party contrasts against the promises he made to win power:
- Victor Cyr discusses the problems with a public policy focus on capitalism without any concern for human well-being. And Ann Pettifor highlights the concentrated wealth and power arising out of corporate monopolies, while noting that political decisions are behind those realities.
- Alan Freeman points out that Canada is facilitating tax evasion due to a gross lack of corporate transparency. And Marco Chown Oved reports that the federal government is more interested in pointing fingers at the provinces than working toward solving that problem.
- Stephanie Smith examines the problems with British Columbia's faith-based regulatory system which (like many others) is increasingly based on corporate self-monitoring and self-reporting. And Alex Hemingway offers some suggestions for John Horgan's next provincial budget to bring needed progressive change.
- Finally, Ian MacKenzie makes the case for B.C. to approve a proportional electoral system so that all votes count. Stephen Tweedale notes that proportional representation can help to remedy the control leaders now exercise over their parties by creating a stronger prospect that new parties can be viable. And Paul Wells sets out how Justin Trudeau's petulant refusal to consider any electoral system other than one which would promote even more false majorities for his party contrasts against the promises he made to win power:
What did Trudeau’s platform say? Here is the section on electoral reform, in its entirety:
“We will make every vote count.“We are committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system. We will convene an all-party Parliamentary committee to review a wide variety of reforms, such as ranked ballots, proportional representation, mandatory voting, and online voting. This committee will deliver its recommendations to Parliament. Within 18 months of forming government, we will introduce legislation to enact electoral reform.”And you know, it’s funny, because the Liberal platform of the day was both voluminous—88 pages—and capacious in its margins, in the manner of an undergrad essay formatted to fill as many pages as possible. And yet in all that white space, the Liberals could not, apparently, find room to add “which we very clearly believe would be harmful to Canada” after the words “proportional representation” in the excerpt above. Formatting is such a delicate thing.
It would have been handy if the Liberal leader had specified before people voted, and before his ministers spent a year consulting them, that he had already privately discarded one of the leading systems of electoral reform.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Tom Parkin writes that the Trudeau Libs and Bill Morneau have taken the side of wealthy shareholders over workers who want only the secure retirement they've already paid for through deferred wages:
- Meanwhile, Chris Varcoe reports on the Notley government's push to make sure that federal bankruptcy law doesn't leave the public on the hook for the costs of remediating abandoned oil wells.
- Alex Hemingway discusses the role tax fairness can play in reducing inequality - and how to make that work in British Columbia's next budget. And Dean Beeby reports on the Canada Revenue Agency's first steps toward cracking down on tax avoidance in the country's wealthiest neighbourhoods.
- Finally, Ed Finn writes that citizen happiness correlates far more strongly with genuinely democratic and responsive government than with raw GDP.
- Tom Parkin writes that the Trudeau Libs and Bill Morneau have taken the side of wealthy shareholders over workers who want only the secure retirement they've already paid for through deferred wages:
Morneau should be requiring companies to tell Canadians’ pension regulator about their dividend plans. He should be setting processes and rules that get healthy companies to fully fund pensions — before there’s another Sears-type pension fiasco.- And Alan Freeman echoes the view that Morneau can't be kept in a position which he's used mostly to enrich his own class of vulture capitalists.
Instead, Morneau is sponsoring Bill C-27. True, it does help eliminate pension liabilities — but not by funding them. Morneau’s bill would help employers permanently shift potential liabilities onto workers by replacing defined benefit plans with “target” plans.
On pensions, tax havens and private infrastructure finance, Bill Moreau has shown he’s a rich guy’s rich guy. That’s what he was as leader of a C.D. Howe Institute, which is little more than a CEO lobby group. That’s what he is as Finance Minister. He can’t be gone soon enough.
- Meanwhile, Chris Varcoe reports on the Notley government's push to make sure that federal bankruptcy law doesn't leave the public on the hook for the costs of remediating abandoned oil wells.
- Alex Hemingway discusses the role tax fairness can play in reducing inequality - and how to make that work in British Columbia's next budget. And Dean Beeby reports on the Canada Revenue Agency's first steps toward cracking down on tax avoidance in the country's wealthiest neighbourhoods.
- Finally, Ed Finn writes that citizen happiness correlates far more strongly with genuinely democratic and responsive government than with raw GDP.
Saturday, September 09, 2017
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Naomi Klein examines how climate change has contributed to a summer of extreme weather disasters, while David Suzuki highlights how we can work with nature to respond to increased flooding. And Emily Atkin discusses the outsized damage 90 corporate behemoths have done to our climate.
- Meanwhile, Abacus Data polls Canadians about energy development, and finds both strong support for a shift toward renewables and an expectation that we'll begin a transition away from fossil fuels (even among the provinces and parties which operate based on demanding increased production). And Dave Cournoyer rightly argues that Alberta (like other provinces) needs to start reducing its reliance on ongoing resource royalties.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh offers a disturbing look at how fake temp agencies are used to saddle workers with precarious employment and unacceptable working conditions. And Adam Turner talks to Dennis Skinner about ensuring that the working class is represented in government.
- Monika Dutt rebuts the claim that privatized health care does anything but undermine the public system Canadians depend on. And Alex Munter makes the case for mental health care to be added to our public health care system.
- Finally, Alan Freeman asks for some reasonableness on all sides of an overheated debate over a proposal which involves closing only a few tax loopholes for a modest revenue benefit.
- Naomi Klein examines how climate change has contributed to a summer of extreme weather disasters, while David Suzuki highlights how we can work with nature to respond to increased flooding. And Emily Atkin discusses the outsized damage 90 corporate behemoths have done to our climate.
- Meanwhile, Abacus Data polls Canadians about energy development, and finds both strong support for a shift toward renewables and an expectation that we'll begin a transition away from fossil fuels (even among the provinces and parties which operate based on demanding increased production). And Dave Cournoyer rightly argues that Alberta (like other provinces) needs to start reducing its reliance on ongoing resource royalties.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh offers a disturbing look at how fake temp agencies are used to saddle workers with precarious employment and unacceptable working conditions. And Adam Turner talks to Dennis Skinner about ensuring that the working class is represented in government.
- Monika Dutt rebuts the claim that privatized health care does anything but undermine the public system Canadians depend on. And Alex Munter makes the case for mental health care to be added to our public health care system.
- Finally, Alan Freeman asks for some reasonableness on all sides of an overheated debate over a proposal which involves closing only a few tax loopholes for a modest revenue benefit.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Seth Hanlon and Alexandra Thornton review the evidence from the U.S. showing that tax handouts to the rich don't produce job gains for the general public. And Binyamin Appelbaum reports on Janet Yellen's warning that financial deregulation produces bubbles, not sustainable growth.
- Alan Freeman is rightly skeptical about the alarmist rhetoric from a few doctors seeking to protect tax loopholes which allow them to avoid paying normal rates out of their high incomes.
- Ben Tarnoff discusses how the corporate sector is just now beginning to extract value from our personal information - including by tailoring prices to maximize what's charged to each individual.
- Rob Tress writes about the environmental movement's success in ensuring that Energy East and other projects are evaluated based on their full climate impacts.
- Finally, Tamara Khandaker warns not to be fooled by the right's attempts to rebrand itself away from its reliance on bigotry, fear and hatred. And Doug Cuthand highlights how Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party regularly use "rural crime" as a dog whistle for policies intended to atack Indigenous people.
- Seth Hanlon and Alexandra Thornton review the evidence from the U.S. showing that tax handouts to the rich don't produce job gains for the general public. And Binyamin Appelbaum reports on Janet Yellen's warning that financial deregulation produces bubbles, not sustainable growth.
- Alan Freeman is rightly skeptical about the alarmist rhetoric from a few doctors seeking to protect tax loopholes which allow them to avoid paying normal rates out of their high incomes.
- Ben Tarnoff discusses how the corporate sector is just now beginning to extract value from our personal information - including by tailoring prices to maximize what's charged to each individual.
- Rob Tress writes about the environmental movement's success in ensuring that Energy East and other projects are evaluated based on their full climate impacts.
- Finally, Tamara Khandaker warns not to be fooled by the right's attempts to rebrand itself away from its reliance on bigotry, fear and hatred. And Doug Cuthand highlights how Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party regularly use "rural crime" as a dog whistle for policies intended to atack Indigenous people.
Saturday, July 01, 2017
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Alan Freeman discusses the real costs of ideologically-driven deregulation:
- Meanwhile, Andy Crosby points out how the same federal government which has gone so far out of its way to sell out the public interest in corporate trade deals has taken a brutally hard and cynical line in dealing with First Nations on issues of treaty rights. Ben Parfitt focuses on how the fossil fuel lobby has run roughshod over British Columbia First Nations whose water is endangered by fracking operations. And the CCPA highlights the role of long-overdue reconciliation in building a more fair and sustainable Canada.
- Paul Wells writes that the Libs are following in the Cons' footsteps by pushing politicized and corporate-oriented funding models for research - even as scientists tell them that's exactly the wrong approach.
- Finally, Michal Rozworski is among many economists signing on to support a $15 minimum wage based on its economic and social benefits. And Lars Osberg, Craig Riddell, Rozworski and Jim Stanford explain their support in more detail.
- Alan Freeman discusses the real costs of ideologically-driven deregulation:
The idea that “the market” will root out bad actors in any industry and that regulations are just a hindrance to economic vitality is a dangerous concept. Companies, like individuals, will do what they can get with. If there were no costly traffic tickets or demerit points, some drivers would speed along residential streets at 100 kilometres an hour and routinely jump red lights. It’s no different for corporate behaviour, whether it’s banks making risky loans, companies selling flammable cladding or meatpackers taking shortcuts on hygiene.- Pierre Laliberte and Scott Sinclair examine the effects of NAFTA and its possible termination, and find that there's no reason for Canada to make significant concessions in the name of preserving continental free trade. And given Canada's woeful track record in NAFTA challenges (as pointed out by Mia Rabson), there may in fact be plenty to gain by removing one particularly damaging restraint on democratic governance.
Only strong laws backed up by robust enforcement and big penalties for offenders, including jail time if necessary, can truly protect society. When it came to the poor residents of Grenfell Tower, light regulation proved to be a death sentence.
- Meanwhile, Andy Crosby points out how the same federal government which has gone so far out of its way to sell out the public interest in corporate trade deals has taken a brutally hard and cynical line in dealing with First Nations on issues of treaty rights. Ben Parfitt focuses on how the fossil fuel lobby has run roughshod over British Columbia First Nations whose water is endangered by fracking operations. And the CCPA highlights the role of long-overdue reconciliation in building a more fair and sustainable Canada.
- Paul Wells writes that the Libs are following in the Cons' footsteps by pushing politicized and corporate-oriented funding models for research - even as scientists tell them that's exactly the wrong approach.
- Finally, Michal Rozworski is among many economists signing on to support a $15 minimum wage based on its economic and social benefits. And Lars Osberg, Craig Riddell, Rozworski and Jim Stanford explain their support in more detail.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Barbara Ellen questions the positive spin the right tries to put on poverty and precarity, and writes that we're all worse off forcing people to just barely get by:
- Elizabeth McSheffrey points out how pipeline backers largely took over the Libs' much-trumpeted consultations with First Nations. Michael Geist discusses the PBO's conclusion that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Europe will cost Canada hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty giveaways to big pharma. And Garfield Mahood and Brian Iler suggest that it's time to name and shame the individual executives behind tobacco-related diseases and deaths - which would seem a sensible plan for any corporation which puts the public's well-being at risk to serve its own ends.
- Marshall Steinbaum notes that Thomas Piketty's work in identifying and challenging inequality and economic unfairness is being papered over within the field of economics.
- Finally, Alan Freeman discusses the lack of long-term preparation and planning that results in floods (and other disasters) doing far more damage than they should.
- Barbara Ellen questions the positive spin the right tries to put on poverty and precarity, and writes that we're all worse off forcing people to just barely get by:
In recent times, there has been a lot said about those people who are “just managing”. They are neither rich nor poor, but usually working in low- to medium-income jobs, scratching a living, surviving from one month, week, day, or minute to another.- Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan write about dental care as a glaring example of the disparity in treatment based on wealth. And Rory Carroll highlights LAX's new, exclusive terminal - featuring an opportunity for the rich to entertain themselves with the comparative discomfort of everybody else.
A narrative has emerged of plucky, cheerful sorts who soldier on, just about making ends meet, but “can’t complain, guv”, which has the effect of rebranding a permanent grinding state of poverty as something really plucky, gutsy and wonderfully, quintessentially British. Those just managing types, what sports they are about being poor. Gawd bless ’em! Back in the real world, maybe the just managing can and do complain, but nobody wants to listen?
...
If people are regularly reduced to borrowing just to keep a roof over their head, then they’re evidently not managing. Since when was this defined by stacking up dangerous amounts of debt just to avoid being made homeless? At what point did it become normal for people to drown in repayments just to keep up with basic utilities?
It could be that a lot of these people are not remotely managing – they’re being ground down by debt in a way that’s either ignored, normalised or, increasingly, sanitised.
- Elizabeth McSheffrey points out how pipeline backers largely took over the Libs' much-trumpeted consultations with First Nations. Michael Geist discusses the PBO's conclusion that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Europe will cost Canada hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty giveaways to big pharma. And Garfield Mahood and Brian Iler suggest that it's time to name and shame the individual executives behind tobacco-related diseases and deaths - which would seem a sensible plan for any corporation which puts the public's well-being at risk to serve its own ends.
- Marshall Steinbaum notes that Thomas Piketty's work in identifying and challenging inequality and economic unfairness is being papered over within the field of economics.
- Finally, Alan Freeman discusses the lack of long-term preparation and planning that results in floods (and other disasters) doing far more damage than they should.
Sunday, March 05, 2017
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Carol Linnitt notes that British Columbia's provincial pipeline spill map has been conspicuously disappeared by the Clark Libs in the lead up to an election where environmental protection is a major issue. And Kathy Tomlinson is the latest to highlight both the glaring lack of reasonable fund-raising regulations in B.C., and the fact that corporations are still managing to break the law with impunity.
- Meanwhile, Emily Eaton and Simon Enoch examine how the oil industry is distorting education in Saskatchewan.
- Bob Berwyn warns about the impending release of greenhouse gases from thawing permafrost. And Robin McKie writes that the loss of sea ice is threatening the entire Arctic ecosystem.
- Kate Lord discusses Canada's shameful history of systemic discrimination against indigenous children. Michael Enright writes that there's no excuse for the continued lack of clean water on many First Nations reserves, while Sarah Giles, Lindsay Hancock and Lisa Letkemann point out that allocated funding for health services isn't being spent due to an overly stingy travel policy which prevents needed treatment from being approved. And Paul Dewar suggests that instead of following through on the Cons' ideological anti-communism memorial, we direct our efforts toward building a National Aboriginal Centre.
- Alan Freeman notes that money launderers are effectively being welcomed to Canada and told they'll be shielded from public view. And Harvey Cashore, Kimberly Ivany, Frederic Zalac and Gillian Findlay expose a few of the bigger names linked to KPMG's offshore tax evasion, while noting that none of them figure to face any consequences for cheating the public.
- And finally, Jim Bronskill reports on CSIS' glaring failure to assess privacy risks before it approved the wholesale collection of metadata.
- Carol Linnitt notes that British Columbia's provincial pipeline spill map has been conspicuously disappeared by the Clark Libs in the lead up to an election where environmental protection is a major issue. And Kathy Tomlinson is the latest to highlight both the glaring lack of reasonable fund-raising regulations in B.C., and the fact that corporations are still managing to break the law with impunity.
- Meanwhile, Emily Eaton and Simon Enoch examine how the oil industry is distorting education in Saskatchewan.
- Bob Berwyn warns about the impending release of greenhouse gases from thawing permafrost. And Robin McKie writes that the loss of sea ice is threatening the entire Arctic ecosystem.
- Kate Lord discusses Canada's shameful history of systemic discrimination against indigenous children. Michael Enright writes that there's no excuse for the continued lack of clean water on many First Nations reserves, while Sarah Giles, Lindsay Hancock and Lisa Letkemann point out that allocated funding for health services isn't being spent due to an overly stingy travel policy which prevents needed treatment from being approved. And Paul Dewar suggests that instead of following through on the Cons' ideological anti-communism memorial, we direct our efforts toward building a National Aboriginal Centre.
- Alan Freeman notes that money launderers are effectively being welcomed to Canada and told they'll be shielded from public view. And Harvey Cashore, Kimberly Ivany, Frederic Zalac and Gillian Findlay expose a few of the bigger names linked to KPMG's offshore tax evasion, while noting that none of them figure to face any consequences for cheating the public.
- And finally, Jim Bronskill reports on CSIS' glaring failure to assess privacy risks before it approved the wholesale collection of metadata.
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Alan Freeman is duly appalled by Apple's attempt to throw itself a pity party with the money it's hoarding rather than paying in fair corporate taxes. And James Mackintosh reports on Jeroen Dijsselbloem's response to Apple's utterly tone-deaf position that it's entitled to its entitlements, while the Globe and Mail weighs in with the view that nobody is above paying their fair share.
- George Monbiot reminds us that successful action against one corporate-biased trade deal only accomplishes so much when another is always just around the corner. And Jim Stanford questions whether it's in Canada's interest to make major concessions to expand a trading relationship with China which already involves massive trade deficits.
- Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini conclude that excessive management is costing the U.S. economy upwards of $3 trillion per year. And Steven Musil discusses how management as it stands continues to impose unequal pay regardless of whether women attempt to negotiate a fair deal.
- The Globe and Mail argues that charities should enjoy the same freedom of speech as other organizations, rather than facing strict and arbitrary restrictions on their ability to advocate for the worthy causes they're founded to promote.
- Finally, Paul Wells comments on the urgent need for funding for basic research in Canada - even as the Libs seek headlines for building shiny new research centres.
- Alan Freeman is duly appalled by Apple's attempt to throw itself a pity party with the money it's hoarding rather than paying in fair corporate taxes. And James Mackintosh reports on Jeroen Dijsselbloem's response to Apple's utterly tone-deaf position that it's entitled to its entitlements, while the Globe and Mail weighs in with the view that nobody is above paying their fair share.
- George Monbiot reminds us that successful action against one corporate-biased trade deal only accomplishes so much when another is always just around the corner. And Jim Stanford questions whether it's in Canada's interest to make major concessions to expand a trading relationship with China which already involves massive trade deficits.
- Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini conclude that excessive management is costing the U.S. economy upwards of $3 trillion per year. And Steven Musil discusses how management as it stands continues to impose unequal pay regardless of whether women attempt to negotiate a fair deal.
- The Globe and Mail argues that charities should enjoy the same freedom of speech as other organizations, rather than facing strict and arbitrary restrictions on their ability to advocate for the worthy causes they're founded to promote.
- Finally, Paul Wells comments on the urgent need for funding for basic research in Canada - even as the Libs seek headlines for building shiny new research centres.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Michael Bader argues that a cynical view of politics represents the most important barrier to progressive victories:
- Craig Scott sees this week's federal budget as an all-too-familiar example of the gap between the Libs' campaign rhetoric and their actions while in power, while Kate McInturff writes that the Libs' budget falls far short of expectations for women in particular. And Alan Freeman discusses how the CFIB was one of the groups which saw campaign commitments abandoned in the budget - though he rightly notes that the group's past willingness to be used by the Harper Cons may represent part of the explanation.
- Elena Holodny writes about the increasing number and cost of extreme weather events as the most readily visible symptom of climate change.
- Finally, Rose Hackman examines the effects of pervasive and groundless surveillance on a minority population.
- Michael Bader argues that a cynical view of politics represents the most important barrier to progressive victories:
Cynicism is a corrosive force in our politics and culture, but one that is invisible to us because it seems so normal. My patients feel the same way. They keep repeating patters that are familiar and experience deviations from these scripts as anxiety provoking. It’s my job to help them see, through education and by creating new corrective experiences in which they are encouraged to freely choose a healthier way to be, that their emotional reality and distress are not something hardwired and inevitable. My underlying message is that transformational change is possible.- And on the subject of visionary policies which are too often dismissed based solely on questionable assertions as to feasibility, Jeff Krimmel points out how a basic income offers important benefits across the income spectrum.
Progressives need to convey this same message in the broader political arena. The problem we face is that political cynicism of the sort that suffocates us today masquerades as realism, a realism that warns us that transformational change is a pipe dream and that aspiring to what we really want is a recipe for disappointment. When a patient conveys this belief, I see it as a symptom of an emotional injury rather than objective reality and I seek to change it, not surrender to its inevitability.
That's what a progressive movement should be doing on a social level; challenging cynicism and drawing people to our cause because our cause is big and grand and mirrors their own buried wish to be part of something that big and grand. We need leaders who can present such a vision and fight the realists who want us to be afraid of our own deepest longings.
- Craig Scott sees this week's federal budget as an all-too-familiar example of the gap between the Libs' campaign rhetoric and their actions while in power, while Kate McInturff writes that the Libs' budget falls far short of expectations for women in particular. And Alan Freeman discusses how the CFIB was one of the groups which saw campaign commitments abandoned in the budget - though he rightly notes that the group's past willingness to be used by the Harper Cons may represent part of the explanation.
- Elena Holodny writes about the increasing number and cost of extreme weather events as the most readily visible symptom of climate change.
- Finally, Rose Hackman examines the effects of pervasive and groundless surveillance on a minority population.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- James Ayre points out Radoslaw Stefanski's study as to how cutting off fossil fuel subsidies subsidies (among other public policy preferences) would go a long way toward helping a transition toward clean, renewable energy.
- Mike De Souza exposes the National Energy Board's service to the oil industry, including by editing reports to suit TransCanada's wishes and by telling a whistleblower into poor pipeline safety to accept a payoff and keep quiet.
- Rick Smith calls for the Libs to keep their promise to end the Cons' targeted Canada Revenue Agency attacks on progressive charities, while Alan Freeman argues that we should demand a thorough house-cleaning to ensure the CRA focuses on tax evaders. And Alex Boutillier reports on the continued muzzling of federal scientists.
- The Washington Post's editorial board highlights the unfairness of a criminal justice system designed to impose additional punishment on people living in poverty, while Campbell Robertson discusses how Republican governors have deliberately deprived poor people of the legal representation needed to navigate the system. And Craig and Marc Kielburger discuss how poor families may be trapped by a social safety net more focused on slashing support at the first opportunity than ensuring people have some means to survive.
- Finally, Thomas Walkom notes that differences in regulation may be an important factor in giving consumers the ability to influence corporate behaviour.
- James Ayre points out Radoslaw Stefanski's study as to how cutting off fossil fuel subsidies subsidies (among other public policy preferences) would go a long way toward helping a transition toward clean, renewable energy.
- Mike De Souza exposes the National Energy Board's service to the oil industry, including by editing reports to suit TransCanada's wishes and by telling a whistleblower into poor pipeline safety to accept a payoff and keep quiet.
- Rick Smith calls for the Libs to keep their promise to end the Cons' targeted Canada Revenue Agency attacks on progressive charities, while Alan Freeman argues that we should demand a thorough house-cleaning to ensure the CRA focuses on tax evaders. And Alex Boutillier reports on the continued muzzling of federal scientists.
- The Washington Post's editorial board highlights the unfairness of a criminal justice system designed to impose additional punishment on people living in poverty, while Campbell Robertson discusses how Republican governors have deliberately deprived poor people of the legal representation needed to navigate the system. And Craig and Marc Kielburger discuss how poor families may be trapped by a social safety net more focused on slashing support at the first opportunity than ensuring people have some means to survive.
- Finally, Thomas Walkom notes that differences in regulation may be an important factor in giving consumers the ability to influence corporate behaviour.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Alan Freeman notes that the Libs' aversion to raising public revenue may lock in some of the Cons' most damaging actions:
- Andrea Germanos reports on the latest Human Development Index rankings which show Norway at the top of the pack.
- And in what may not be a coincidence as to the importance of respect for workers in generating shared prosperity, the ILO highlights Norway's leadership in ratifying a new protocol against forced labour among other conventions protecting labour rights. And Edward Keenan discusses the different sides of a gig economy - and notes that the 1% may be confusing its own ability to engage in highly-paid consulting with the reality facing precarious workers.
- Finally, Branko Milanovic offers a theory as to the limits in how much worse income inequality could get in the U.S.
- Alan Freeman notes that the Libs' aversion to raising public revenue may lock in some of the Cons' most damaging actions:
With the new Liberal government facing fierce economic headwinds — plus a billion-dollar shortfall created by its middle-income tax cut, and a growing need for revenue to cover promised spending on everything from infrastructure and veterans to First Nations and refugees — it would seem logical to at least mull the possibility of raising the GST.- Eric Jaffe reports on new research showing how social deprivation can keep children from meeting their potential for intellectual development. And the Globe and Mail argues that Quebec should be honest about any plans to eliminate a high-quality, public child care system in favour of pushing parents toward more expensive private care.
That appeared to be what Finance Minister Bill Morneau was doing earlier this week when he gave a convoluted response to a journalist that was interpreted as opening the possibility to a GST hike sometime in the future.
Within hours — probably after a panicked call from the Prime Minister’s Office — Morneau tweeted a climbdown of his own: “Contrary to misleading headlines, we are not considering changes to the GST.”
What Morneau made clear is that the Liberals are scared to death of being slammed as tax-grabbers by the Conservatives. While much of the Harper legacy is being scrapped — his obstinate refusal to take action on climate change, his surly, tough-guy foreign policy — the anti-tax mantra lives on.
It’s notable that the first thing on Parliament’s to-do list after the Liberals’ election win was the middle-class tax cut. The Liberals want Canadians to believe that the government’s tax burden (except on the super-rich) can continue to decline as it has since 2000.
- Andrea Germanos reports on the latest Human Development Index rankings which show Norway at the top of the pack.
- And in what may not be a coincidence as to the importance of respect for workers in generating shared prosperity, the ILO highlights Norway's leadership in ratifying a new protocol against forced labour among other conventions protecting labour rights. And Edward Keenan discusses the different sides of a gig economy - and notes that the 1% may be confusing its own ability to engage in highly-paid consulting with the reality facing precarious workers.
- Finally, Branko Milanovic offers a theory as to the limits in how much worse income inequality could get in the U.S.
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