Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Alex Hemingway points out that British Columbia has a long way to go in raising readily-available revenue in order to provide even the essentials of life for its residents. And Toby Sanger examines the foreseeable distribution of Jason Kenney's tax slashing scheme - with the wealthy few (including foreign investors) predictably walking away with a windfall, while most people end up significantly worse off.
- Meanwhile, Andrew Nikiforuk argues that Alberta voters need to make their decisions based on realities rather than wishful thinking about the future of fossil fuels. And Kim Conway writes that current oil sector workers know better than to buy Kenney's line of spin.
- Arthur White-Cummey reports on the dozens of Saskatchewan schools which are being forced to operate over capacity due to the Moe government's refusal to provide adequate funding. And Stephanie Taylor reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's push to protect GSAs from meddling social conservatives.
- Sarah Ghabrial and Sheetal Rawal discuss the reality of Trudeauvian Liberalism which allows for diverse representation in theory only so long a single privileged white male remains entitled to dictate terms to everybody. And Karl Nerenberg examines the pitiful set of default options between Trudeau's fecklessness and Andrew Scheer's frightfulness.
- Finally, Paul Willcocks offers five reasons to worry about the RCMP's secret monitoring of social media.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Friday, April 12, 2019
Friday Morning Links
Assorted material to end your week.
- Nick Falvo writes that artificially low taxes at the expense of Saskatchewan's well-being are nothing to brag about:
- Karl Nerenberg calls out Justin Trudeau for his choice to legitimize the Cons' anti-refugee messaging. And Robyn Urback points out the lack of any factual basis to treat the number of asylum claimants in Canada as a problem at all.
- Finally, Erica Johnson and Ensa Uda expose the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada's willingness to let banks rewrite a report into their own exploitation of consumers. Jen St. Denis reports on the lack of any RCMP resources being used to investigate money laundering in British Columbia. And the Canadian Press reports on the Libs' continued delays in establishing even a toothless ombudsperson to review the actions of Canadian corporations abroad.
- Nick Falvo writes that artificially low taxes at the expense of Saskatchewan's well-being are nothing to brag about:
(T)axes can help finance important social spending, such as poverty in First Nations’ communities, affordable housing and child care. The province’s on-reserve rate of child poverty is nearly 70 per cent, second highest in the country after Manitoba.- Murtada Haizer and Steven Moranis write that public investment in social housing produces substantial social and economic returns beyond the initial sticker price. And Chris Arsenault points out the need to update our infrastructure to account for climate change.
...
Second, taxes share the wealth, making a province more equitable. Increasing personal income tax rates can be especially effective at reducing income inequality. Yet, Saskatchewan’s top marginal tax rate is the lowest among all Canadian provinces, meaning its personal income taxes are the least effective in Canada at redistributing income.
Third, taxes can discourage undesirable behaviour, such as excessive consumption of energy, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. France tripled cigarette prices by raising taxes every year between 1990 and 2005. During this time, cigarette consumption in that country was cut in half.
Finally, taxes can reduce public debt. Saskatchewan’s public debt-to-GDP ratio currently sits at 25.8 per cent and is expected to hit 27.6 per cent by 2023.
And where do Saskatchewan taxes as a whole currently stand in comparison with other provinces? A recent report found Saskatchewan to have Canada’s lowest tax rate as a percentage of GDP, at just 27.1 per cent. Meanwhile, Quebec’s stood at 37.3 per cent. And therein lies thick irony: Premier Moe attributes Quebec’s more generous social programs to equalization, rather than to higher tax rates.
This should all make us all pause for thought. Do we want to pay low taxes if it means more poverty in First Nations’ communities, more homelessness and insufficient child care? For most residents of Saskatchewan, I think the answer is no.
- Karl Nerenberg calls out Justin Trudeau for his choice to legitimize the Cons' anti-refugee messaging. And Robyn Urback points out the lack of any factual basis to treat the number of asylum claimants in Canada as a problem at all.
- Finally, Erica Johnson and Ensa Uda expose the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada's willingness to let banks rewrite a report into their own exploitation of consumers. Jen St. Denis reports on the lack of any RCMP resources being used to investigate money laundering in British Columbia. And the Canadian Press reports on the Libs' continued delays in establishing even a toothless ombudsperson to review the actions of Canadian corporations abroad.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Donald Gutstein examines the crucial difference between advancing toward a zero-carbon economy, and incentivizing further fossil fuel development through misleading terms such as "low-emission". And Arthur White-Crummey reports on Nic Rivers' response to the Saskatchewan Party's attempt to self-assess climate policy while avoiding any recognition of the province's emissions which contribute to a global climate breakdown.
- Meanwhile, Bob Weber points out the reality that the high oil prices relied on for past booms are almost certainly a thing of the past.
- Duncan Cameron highlights how Jason Kenney is relying on an authoritarian playbook in his quest for power in Alberta. PressProgress reports on a new analysis showing the widespread use of bots to influence the election in Kenney's favour. CBC reports on the voting fraud used to place Kenney in his current position as UPC leader. And David Climenhaga wonders how a party seemingly swimming in money and resources could have failed as badly as the UPC has in reviewing and vetting candidates.
- Finally, Erika Shaker discusses the importance of strength in numbers to challenge Doug Ford's attacks on education, while David Bush examines the role of the labour movement in fighting back against Ford. And Jon Henley reports on the success of Operation Libero in countering right-wing populism in Switzerland.
- Donald Gutstein examines the crucial difference between advancing toward a zero-carbon economy, and incentivizing further fossil fuel development through misleading terms such as "low-emission". And Arthur White-Crummey reports on Nic Rivers' response to the Saskatchewan Party's attempt to self-assess climate policy while avoiding any recognition of the province's emissions which contribute to a global climate breakdown.
- Meanwhile, Bob Weber points out the reality that the high oil prices relied on for past booms are almost certainly a thing of the past.
- Duncan Cameron highlights how Jason Kenney is relying on an authoritarian playbook in his quest for power in Alberta. PressProgress reports on a new analysis showing the widespread use of bots to influence the election in Kenney's favour. CBC reports on the voting fraud used to place Kenney in his current position as UPC leader. And David Climenhaga wonders how a party seemingly swimming in money and resources could have failed as badly as the UPC has in reviewing and vetting candidates.
- Finally, Erika Shaker discusses the importance of strength in numbers to challenge Doug Ford's attacks on education, while David Bush examines the role of the labour movement in fighting back against Ford. And Jon Henley reports on the success of Operation Libero in countering right-wing populism in Switzerland.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- George Monbiot contrasts the message of neoliberalism as freedom against the reality that it imposes severe corporate control on anybody short of the billionaire class:
- Damian Carrington points out that whatever choices we make, future generations will need to make do with far smaller carbon footprints than we've come to expect. And Daphne Bramham highlights the influence millennial voters can have on this fall's federal election if they elect to participate.
- Nora Loreto calls out the Trudeau Libs for a federal budget whose treatment of refugees - including dismissing their claims in bulk, and playing up claims of nonexistent security risks. And Teresa Wright reports on the resulting outrage on the part of refugees and their advocates.
- Finally, Sally Bakewell and Lisa Lee report on the increasing level of risk being taken in the funding of corporate debt. And Richard Shillington studies how tax-free savings accounts have predictably favoured the wealthy over the lower-income people they were supposed to assist - with higher-income people taking advantage to a greater extent even as a percentage of income.
- George Monbiot contrasts the message of neoliberalism as freedom against the reality that it imposes severe corporate control on anybody short of the billionaire class:
(N)eoliberal theology, as well as seeking to roll back the state, insists that collective bargaining and other forms of worker power be eliminated (in the name of freedom, of course). So the marketisation and semi-privatisation of public services became not so much a means of pursuing efficiency as an instrument of control. Public-service workers are now subjected to a panoptical regime of monitoring and assessment, using the benchmarks von Mises rightly warned were inapplicable and absurd. The bureaucratic quantification of public administration goes far beyond an attempt at discerning efficacy. It has become an end in itself.- Meanwhile, Kate Aronoff points out that a Green New Deal would enhance general well-being and foster genuine freedom while also protecting our planet.
Its perversities afflict all public services. Schools teach to the test, depriving children of a rounded and useful education. Hospitals manipulate waiting times, shuffling patients from one list to another. Police forces ignore some crimes, reclassify others, and persuade suspects to admit to extra offences to improve their statistics. Universities urge their researchers to write quick and superficial papers, instead of deep monographs, to maximise their scores under the research excellence framework.
...
New extremes in the surveillance and control of workers are not, of course, confined to the public sector. Amazon has patented a wristband that can track workers’ movements and detect the slightest deviation from protocol. Technologies are used to monitor peoples’ keystrokes, language, moods and tone of voice. Some companies have begun to experiment with the micro-chipping of their staff. As the philosopher Byung-Chul Han points out, neoliberal work practices, epitomised by the gig economy, that reclassifies workers as independent contractors, internalise exploitation. “Everyone is a self-exploiting worker in their own enterprise.”
The freedom we were promised turns out to be freedom for capital, gained at the expense of human liberty. The system neoliberalism has created is a bureaucracy that tends towards absolutism, produced in the public services by managers mimicking corporate executives, imposing inappropriate and self-defeating efficiency measures, and in the private sector by subjection to faceless technologies that can brook no argument or complaint.
- Damian Carrington points out that whatever choices we make, future generations will need to make do with far smaller carbon footprints than we've come to expect. And Daphne Bramham highlights the influence millennial voters can have on this fall's federal election if they elect to participate.
- Nora Loreto calls out the Trudeau Libs for a federal budget whose treatment of refugees - including dismissing their claims in bulk, and playing up claims of nonexistent security risks. And Teresa Wright reports on the resulting outrage on the part of refugees and their advocates.
- Finally, Sally Bakewell and Lisa Lee report on the increasing level of risk being taken in the funding of corporate debt. And Richard Shillington studies how tax-free savings accounts have predictably favoured the wealthy over the lower-income people they were supposed to assist - with higher-income people taking advantage to a greater extent even as a percentage of income.
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Simon Enoch examines Scott Moe's bait-and-switch when it comes to carbon taxes, including his utter refusal to offer any other plan for province-wide emission reductions as a substitute for consumer-based carbon pricing. And Aaron Wherry points out how any carbon tax falls far short of the actual social cost of carbon.
- Alissa Quart offers a reminder that the perceived necessity of second jobs and side gigs is a sign of a broken economic system which makes unfair demands of workers. And the Economist charts the pessimism many Americans have about the course of the next few decades when it comes to their standard of living, their health and their environment.
- Fay Faraday argues that Canada needs to stop exploiting migrant workers. But Bill Curry writes that the Libs are instead following the Trump/Scheer plan to strip rights and protections away from immigrants, including by slipping a blanket denial of refugee claims into an omnibus budget bill.
- Finally, Geoff Dembicki discusses Jason Kenney's choice to make his UCP into a breeding ground for bigotry. And Hugh MacKenzie studies the effect of the UCP's platform (or Kenney's even more austerian promises), concluding that its anti-social cuts would lead to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
- Simon Enoch examines Scott Moe's bait-and-switch when it comes to carbon taxes, including his utter refusal to offer any other plan for province-wide emission reductions as a substitute for consumer-based carbon pricing. And Aaron Wherry points out how any carbon tax falls far short of the actual social cost of carbon.
- Alissa Quart offers a reminder that the perceived necessity of second jobs and side gigs is a sign of a broken economic system which makes unfair demands of workers. And the Economist charts the pessimism many Americans have about the course of the next few decades when it comes to their standard of living, their health and their environment.
- Fay Faraday argues that Canada needs to stop exploiting migrant workers. But Bill Curry writes that the Libs are instead following the Trump/Scheer plan to strip rights and protections away from immigrants, including by slipping a blanket denial of refugee claims into an omnibus budget bill.
- Finally, Geoff Dembicki discusses Jason Kenney's choice to make his UCP into a breeding ground for bigotry. And Hugh MacKenzie studies the effect of the UCP's platform (or Kenney's even more austerian promises), concluding that its anti-social cuts would lead to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
Monday, April 08, 2019
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Robert Reich offers a reminder that the Trump administration is just the most glaring example of the utter breakdown of any pretense of meritocracy in the U.S.
- Daniel Zamora interviews Niklas Olsen about the dangers of replacing the idea of government representing the outcome of communal decision-making with a series of consumer-style brand choices.
- Carla Santos Kandier writes that it's unrealistic to expect a climate crisis to be averted by the version of a market system that's biased heavily in favour of polluting industries. And Seema Syeda discusses the importance of the movement to get financial institutions to stop funding the destruction of a habitable climate.
- Duncan Kinney discusses how Jason Kenney's exclusionary social conservatism is far out of touch with most Alberta voters. And Jen Gerson notes that even small-c conservatives are understandably concerned about the UCP's questionable ethics and bizarre moral crusades.
- Finally, Andrew Coyne writes that the most important concern arising from the Libs' SNC-Lavalin scandal is their attempt to normalize political meddling in all types of independent decision-making. Tom Parkin argues that it will be impossible to see our constitutional order as safe without a complete about-face from Justin Trudeau - including genuine contrition under circumstances where's he's treated it first as a strategic possibility to be focus group tested, then something that's entirely beneath him. And the Ottawa Citizen's editorial board points out how the entire remaining Lib caucus opted for a cover-up, rather than maintaining any interest in discovering the truth behind a serious issue.
- Robert Reich offers a reminder that the Trump administration is just the most glaring example of the utter breakdown of any pretense of meritocracy in the U.S.
- Daniel Zamora interviews Niklas Olsen about the dangers of replacing the idea of government representing the outcome of communal decision-making with a series of consumer-style brand choices.
- Carla Santos Kandier writes that it's unrealistic to expect a climate crisis to be averted by the version of a market system that's biased heavily in favour of polluting industries. And Seema Syeda discusses the importance of the movement to get financial institutions to stop funding the destruction of a habitable climate.
- Duncan Kinney discusses how Jason Kenney's exclusionary social conservatism is far out of touch with most Alberta voters. And Jen Gerson notes that even small-c conservatives are understandably concerned about the UCP's questionable ethics and bizarre moral crusades.
- Finally, Andrew Coyne writes that the most important concern arising from the Libs' SNC-Lavalin scandal is their attempt to normalize political meddling in all types of independent decision-making. Tom Parkin argues that it will be impossible to see our constitutional order as safe without a complete about-face from Justin Trudeau - including genuine contrition under circumstances where's he's treated it first as a strategic possibility to be focus group tested, then something that's entirely beneath him. And the Ottawa Citizen's editorial board points out how the entire remaining Lib caucus opted for a cover-up, rather than maintaining any interest in discovering the truth behind a serious issue.
Sunday, April 07, 2019
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Ryan Meili writes about the need for leaders to listen to bona fide activists regardless of their cause - while drawing an important distinction where events are staged based on hate and/or misinformation.
- Jack Knox recognizes that the work of averting a global climate breakdown requires good faith action by all parties, not the oil-and-gaslighting we've become accustomed to from Andrew Scheer, Scott Moe, Jason Kenney and so many others.
- Ben Parfitt writes that the SNC-Lavalin scandal reveals the expectation by large corporations that their wrongdoing will be swept under the rug. And Charlie Smith points out how Justin Trudeau's typical Lib slipperiness is rightly viewed with skepticism by voters.
- Larry Elliott reports on the UK Cons' deliberate increases in poverty and inequality by stealth, as money cut from social benefits was handed to higher-income individuals in the form of tax goodies rather than being used for its stated purpose of reducing a deficit.
- Finally, Jane Cordy and Raymonde Gagne write about the urgent need to invest in reducing the harm caused by opioid addiction.
- Ryan Meili writes about the need for leaders to listen to bona fide activists regardless of their cause - while drawing an important distinction where events are staged based on hate and/or misinformation.
- Jack Knox recognizes that the work of averting a global climate breakdown requires good faith action by all parties, not the oil-and-gaslighting we've become accustomed to from Andrew Scheer, Scott Moe, Jason Kenney and so many others.
- Ben Parfitt writes that the SNC-Lavalin scandal reveals the expectation by large corporations that their wrongdoing will be swept under the rug. And Charlie Smith points out how Justin Trudeau's typical Lib slipperiness is rightly viewed with skepticism by voters.
- Larry Elliott reports on the UK Cons' deliberate increases in poverty and inequality by stealth, as money cut from social benefits was handed to higher-income individuals in the form of tax goodies rather than being used for its stated purpose of reducing a deficit.
- Finally, Jane Cordy and Raymonde Gagne write about the urgent need to invest in reducing the harm caused by opioid addiction.
Saturday, April 06, 2019
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Crawford Kilian writes that Canada's Changing Climate Report should be a loud wakeup call about the need to avert climate breakdown, even as far too many people try to deny there's a problem or refuse to discuss meaningful solutions. Graham Thomson calls out Jason Kenney for lacking any plan other than an outdated attempt to hype carbon capture and sequestration as a substitute for practical emission reductions and industrial transitions. David Climenhaga notes that Preston Manning's conservative vision included "green capitalism" rather than the tar-coloured version currently favoured by Canada's right. Brendan Frank reviews the wide range of options available to governments in using carbon pricing revenue. And Mark Cameron offers a reminder that the federal carbon tax system - insufficient though it is as a climate policy - will actually result in a net financial benefit for households.
- Bob Weber reports on Environmental Commissioner Julie Gelfand's findings that the federal government doesn't even properly track - let alone follow up on - damage done to waterways due to pollution or site conversion. And Trevor Harrison and David Cooper rightly note that a remediation plan for abandoned oil and gas wells should be a major issue in Alberta's provincial election.
- Meanwhile, Teresa Wright reports on Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux' reminder that his office isn't receiving enough information to assess the "tax gap" between what the federal government should collect in revenue and what is actually received.
- Sharon Batt exposes the corporate money lobbying against a universal pharmacare plan in Canada (and apparently winning the Libs' ear in the process). And Danny Hakim, Roni Caryn Rabin and William K. Rashbaum discuss the Sackler family's scheme to simultaneously profit from deadly opioids and the treatment needed to try to free patients from their addictions.
- Finally, CBC News reports on Saskatchewan's latest Fight for 15 rally this week pushing for a liveable minimum wage. And Kati Pohjanpalo discusses the psychological and social benefits found in Finland's basic income trial when people can count on at least some secure income rather than relying on social programs designed to cut them loose at the first opportunity.
- Crawford Kilian writes that Canada's Changing Climate Report should be a loud wakeup call about the need to avert climate breakdown, even as far too many people try to deny there's a problem or refuse to discuss meaningful solutions. Graham Thomson calls out Jason Kenney for lacking any plan other than an outdated attempt to hype carbon capture and sequestration as a substitute for practical emission reductions and industrial transitions. David Climenhaga notes that Preston Manning's conservative vision included "green capitalism" rather than the tar-coloured version currently favoured by Canada's right. Brendan Frank reviews the wide range of options available to governments in using carbon pricing revenue. And Mark Cameron offers a reminder that the federal carbon tax system - insufficient though it is as a climate policy - will actually result in a net financial benefit for households.
- Bob Weber reports on Environmental Commissioner Julie Gelfand's findings that the federal government doesn't even properly track - let alone follow up on - damage done to waterways due to pollution or site conversion. And Trevor Harrison and David Cooper rightly note that a remediation plan for abandoned oil and gas wells should be a major issue in Alberta's provincial election.
- Meanwhile, Teresa Wright reports on Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux' reminder that his office isn't receiving enough information to assess the "tax gap" between what the federal government should collect in revenue and what is actually received.
- Sharon Batt exposes the corporate money lobbying against a universal pharmacare plan in Canada (and apparently winning the Libs' ear in the process). And Danny Hakim, Roni Caryn Rabin and William K. Rashbaum discuss the Sackler family's scheme to simultaneously profit from deadly opioids and the treatment needed to try to free patients from their addictions.
- Finally, CBC News reports on Saskatchewan's latest Fight for 15 rally this week pushing for a liveable minimum wage. And Kati Pohjanpalo discusses the psychological and social benefits found in Finland's basic income trial when people can count on at least some secure income rather than relying on social programs designed to cut them loose at the first opportunity.
Friday, April 05, 2019
Friday Evening Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Will McMartin writes that if we needed more evidence that Jason Kenney's trickle-down economics are nothing but a scam to concentrate more wealth in the hands of the rich, British Columbia's own moves in the same direction produced none of the promised economic boost in exchange for tax giveaways. And Angella MacEwen exposes how Kenney's tax assumptions are riddled with holes based on Canadian experience.
- Meanwhile, Bob Barnetson examines how Kenney is planning to drive down wages while forcing workers into longer hours. And Aidan Harper discusses how a shorter work week could help to alleviate income inequality.
- Paul Krugman points out how Donald Trump's anti-regulation zealotry is needlessly putting people's lives at risk in the name of corporate profits.
- Jordan Health-Rawlings and Raizen Robin discuss the causes of continued hunger and poverty in Canada. And Tim Aubry, Geoffrey Nelson, Kevin Page and Claudette Bradshaw lament the lack of progress in reducing homelessness.
- Finally, Martin Patriquin comments on the anti-minority attitudes behind Quebec's ban on selected religious symbols. And Andrew Mitrovica rightly calls attention to Andrew Scheer's plan to court the far right as part of his path to power under an electoral system which rewards that course of action.
- Will McMartin writes that if we needed more evidence that Jason Kenney's trickle-down economics are nothing but a scam to concentrate more wealth in the hands of the rich, British Columbia's own moves in the same direction produced none of the promised economic boost in exchange for tax giveaways. And Angella MacEwen exposes how Kenney's tax assumptions are riddled with holes based on Canadian experience.
- Meanwhile, Bob Barnetson examines how Kenney is planning to drive down wages while forcing workers into longer hours. And Aidan Harper discusses how a shorter work week could help to alleviate income inequality.
- Paul Krugman points out how Donald Trump's anti-regulation zealotry is needlessly putting people's lives at risk in the name of corporate profits.
- Jordan Health-Rawlings and Raizen Robin discuss the causes of continued hunger and poverty in Canada. And Tim Aubry, Geoffrey Nelson, Kevin Page and Claudette Bradshaw lament the lack of progress in reducing homelessness.
- Finally, Martin Patriquin comments on the anti-minority attitudes behind Quebec's ban on selected religious symbols. And Andrew Mitrovica rightly calls attention to Andrew Scheer's plan to court the far right as part of his path to power under an electoral system which rewards that course of action.
On double standards
Shorter Murray Mandryk:
I'd never be so unreasonable as to suggest Saskatchewan Party cabinet ministers could be expected to listen to protests against their own government. But for Ryan Meili, I won't be satisfied by anything short of showing up to rally in support of his political opponents - not to mention climate change denial.
I'd never be so unreasonable as to suggest Saskatchewan Party cabinet ministers could be expected to listen to protests against their own government. But for Ryan Meili, I won't be satisfied by anything short of showing up to rally in support of his political opponents - not to mention climate change denial.
Thursday, April 04, 2019
New column day
Here, on how Jason Kenney, Scott Moe and other right-wing leaders make a habit of substituting futile complaints about other levels of government for action in the public interest in the jurisdiction where they pursue power.
For further reading...
- Kenney's Alberta campaign has focused heavily on whinging about pipelines and equalization - presumably to distract from the combination of tax gifts for the rich and wage and service cuts for workers which makes up his platform at the provincial level.
- And Moe is of course using the same themes with equally little plausibility behind them - as reflected in today's corporate-sponsored pollution-fest, and his party's selective interest in equalization.
For further reading...
- Kenney's Alberta campaign has focused heavily on whinging about pipelines and equalization - presumably to distract from the combination of tax gifts for the rich and wage and service cuts for workers which makes up his platform at the provincial level.
- And Moe is of course using the same themes with equally little plausibility behind them - as reflected in today's corporate-sponsored pollution-fest, and his party's selective interest in equalization.
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- CBC reports on Canada's Changing Climate Report showing that we're facing climate change twice as severe as the rest of the world, while Phil Tank writes about the anticipated effects on Saskatoon in particular. And the Canadian Press reports on the latest report by Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand on the disturbing lack of effective climate policy.
- Wallis Snowdon discusses the effect increasingly smoky summers are having on Alberta children, while Fiona Harvey reports on new research showing that air pollution may cut years off the lives of children around the globe. And Nicola Twilley points out the dangers lurking in indoor air which haven't been the subject of any but the most preliminary of research.
- Meanwhile, George Monbiot raises the prospect that a concerted effort at rewilding might help to avert catastrophic climate breakdown.
- Jim Stanford points out how right-wing wage forecasts in Australia have proven to be entirely illusory, while Rob Ferguson reports on the findings of Ontario's Financial Accountability Office that low-income workers are far worse off due to Doug Ford's cancellation of a minimum wage increase (despite the offer of a tax bauble instead). And Next Alberta exposes Jason Kenney's plan to strip overtime pay away from workers if he gets the chance.
- Finally, PressProgress highlights the growing concentration of wealth in Canada's corporate sector, with one per cent of companies holding over two-thirds of all corporate assets. And David Welch discusses GM's closure of its Lordstown plant even after securing nine-figure concessions from workers as a prime example of the futility of trying to indulge corporate greed.
- CBC reports on Canada's Changing Climate Report showing that we're facing climate change twice as severe as the rest of the world, while Phil Tank writes about the anticipated effects on Saskatoon in particular. And the Canadian Press reports on the latest report by Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand on the disturbing lack of effective climate policy.
- Wallis Snowdon discusses the effect increasingly smoky summers are having on Alberta children, while Fiona Harvey reports on new research showing that air pollution may cut years off the lives of children around the globe. And Nicola Twilley points out the dangers lurking in indoor air which haven't been the subject of any but the most preliminary of research.
- Meanwhile, George Monbiot raises the prospect that a concerted effort at rewilding might help to avert catastrophic climate breakdown.
- Jim Stanford points out how right-wing wage forecasts in Australia have proven to be entirely illusory, while Rob Ferguson reports on the findings of Ontario's Financial Accountability Office that low-income workers are far worse off due to Doug Ford's cancellation of a minimum wage increase (despite the offer of a tax bauble instead). And Next Alberta exposes Jason Kenney's plan to strip overtime pay away from workers if he gets the chance.
- Finally, PressProgress highlights the growing concentration of wealth in Canada's corporate sector, with one per cent of companies holding over two-thirds of all corporate assets. And David Welch discusses GM's closure of its Lordstown plant even after securing nine-figure concessions from workers as a prime example of the futility of trying to indulge corporate greed.
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Monday, April 01, 2019
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Roland Paulsen is rightly critical of the billionaire-funded take that we should ignore the ready availability of resources to end severe crises simply because they were worse on an absolute level in the past:
- The Star-Phoenix and Leader-Post editorial boards rightly point out the public demand for transparency into Saskatchewan's alarming rate of workplace injuries and fatalities. And David Burke contrasts Sweden's success in eradicating illness from salmonella against Canada's litany of failures.
- Emma Paling discusses how Doug Ford's reckless slashing of funds has plunged children's aid societies into crisis. And CBC News reports that the PCs' agenda of cruelty also includes the closing of overdose prevention sites, exacerbating the opioid crisis which has already resulted in an unmanageable workload for the province's social support system.
- Finally, David Climenhaga examines the Jason Kenney UCP's plans to save Alberta by destroying it.
- Roland Paulsen is rightly critical of the billionaire-funded take that we should ignore the ready availability of resources to end severe crises simply because they were worse on an absolute level in the past:
To exclusively discuss social progress based on a certain set of facts removes moral values from the debate. Facts only point to that which is and has been, but when we argue about values such as freedom or justice, we are considering the less measurable, counterfactual world of what might have been or what might be. This is precisely the world that the New Optimists refuse to acknowledge.- Damien Gayle reports that UK Labour's needed shift toward movement politics includes supporting the efforts of activists to challenge bank support for dirty energy.
...
Oxfam reported in January that a 0.5 percent tax on the wealth of the world’s richest 1% would raise more money than it would cost to educate the world’s 262 million children currently out of school and provide healthcare that would save the lives of 3.3 million people. Instead, according to the British House of Commons Library, we are on a course that will concentrate two-thirds of the world’s wealth in the richest 1% by 2030.
Facts like these do not fit into the “optimistic ” TED Talk celebration of neoliberalism—the docile, yet enthusiastically marketed, resignation to business as usual. On the contrary, they point to potentialities that remain unrealized due to the exploitative relationships on which global capitalism relies. As Yale philosopher Thomas Pogge suggests, it is more morally conscientious to compare existing poverty “not with historical benchmarks but with present possibilities: How much of this poverty is really unavoidable today? By this standard, our generation is doing worse than any in human history.”
- The Star-Phoenix and Leader-Post editorial boards rightly point out the public demand for transparency into Saskatchewan's alarming rate of workplace injuries and fatalities. And David Burke contrasts Sweden's success in eradicating illness from salmonella against Canada's litany of failures.
- Emma Paling discusses how Doug Ford's reckless slashing of funds has plunged children's aid societies into crisis. And CBC News reports that the PCs' agenda of cruelty also includes the closing of overdose prevention sites, exacerbating the opioid crisis which has already resulted in an unmanageable workload for the province's social support system.
- Finally, David Climenhaga examines the Jason Kenney UCP's plans to save Alberta by destroying it.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Jake Bittle writes about rural homelessness as a seldom-discussed issue which calls out for a strong policy response to ensure the right to housing is met regardless of whether one's community is urban or rural:
- Luke Savage discusses how the real working class - as opposed to an all-white male version of the same - receives virtually no attention from the U.S.' media. Andrew Coyne comments on Quebec's blatantly discriminatory Bill 21, and wonders whether Canada's federal politicians will start talking about what can be done at the national level to restrain bigotry at the provincial level. And Salimah Kassam writes about the dangers of white supremacists and the politicians who enable them, while Chauncey DeVega highlights the connection between Donald Trump's campaign appearances and racist violence.
- Pamela Palmater points out how the Libs' budget has once again put off the urgent needs and glaring disparities facing Indigenous women and children.
- Finally, Lana Payne rightly calls out the Cons as being the most faux of feminists - though it's worth noting that their obvious lack of genuine interest in addressing inequality doesn't mean there isn't ample reason to criticize the Libs' track record.
- Jake Bittle writes about rural homelessness as a seldom-discussed issue which calls out for a strong policy response to ensure the right to housing is met regardless of whether one's community is urban or rural:
While the trigger events that cause homelessness are similar everywhere—foreclosure, unemployment, addiction, illness—small towns have far fewer job opportunities and mental-health resources. And although the housing shortage in rural areas is not as severe as in large cities such as New York City, Seattle, or San Francisco, rural houses are older and more dilapidated on average than urban houses, according to HUD data. As a result, even though the housing crisis left thousands of vacant homes in rural areas, service providers often have trouble finding housing that meets HUD’s standards. This leaves advocates with an uncomfortable choice: Work with the limited resources available in their area, or advise homeless individuals to relocate, which can mean leaving their families and social networks behind.- And Bernie Sanders notes that the gap between the rich and the rest of us applies to agricultural communities, as agribusiness giants are extracting massive profits from increasingly precarious farms.
...
(U)nless the federal government makes an attempt to tackle rural homelessness as a distinct problem, the issue will only worsen. Roman said NAEH helped Congress sketch out a special HUD program to solve rural homelessness, but that Congress never actually gave the department money to set the initiative up. Under President Barack Obama, the department reversed a years long rise in homelessness, and homeless aid is one of the few parts of the HUD budget that the Trump administration has not slashed. Still, Roman says, without a concerted effort to tackle rural America’s “hidden homeless,” the question of shelter in the United States will only be partially answered.
- Luke Savage discusses how the real working class - as opposed to an all-white male version of the same - receives virtually no attention from the U.S.' media. Andrew Coyne comments on Quebec's blatantly discriminatory Bill 21, and wonders whether Canada's federal politicians will start talking about what can be done at the national level to restrain bigotry at the provincial level. And Salimah Kassam writes about the dangers of white supremacists and the politicians who enable them, while Chauncey DeVega highlights the connection between Donald Trump's campaign appearances and racist violence.
- Pamela Palmater points out how the Libs' budget has once again put off the urgent needs and glaring disparities facing Indigenous women and children.
- Finally, Lana Payne rightly calls out the Cons as being the most faux of feminists - though it's worth noting that their obvious lack of genuine interest in addressing inequality doesn't mean there isn't ample reason to criticize the Libs' track record.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Frank Graves and Michael Valpy discuss the contrast between Canadian voters who are rightly concerned about the gap in wealth and power between the rich and the rest of us, and the Lib and Con politicians who go out of their way to preserve existing inequality and privilege:
- Paul Krugman highlights the absence of any of the promised economic spinoffs from the Trump administration's giveaway to the rich. And Robert Reich points out how misplaced trust in corporate self-regulation - exacerbated by an administration which is neither willing nor able to act in the public interest - is endangering Americans.
- Dylan Penner discusses some of the reasons to pursue a Green New Deal in Canada. And Noah Zon and Adrienne Lipsey offer some suggestions to improve Canada's system of parental leave.
- Finally, Andrew Nikiforuk looks in detail at some of the basic information lacking from British Columbia's belated review of the dangers of fracking. And Sharon Riley examines Alberta's failure to actually test the self-serving assertions of operators asserting they've reclaimed well sites.
- Frank Graves and Michael Valpy discuss the contrast between Canadian voters who are rightly concerned about the gap in wealth and power between the rich and the rest of us, and the Lib and Con politicians who go out of their way to preserve existing inequality and privilege:
The public has arrived at a rare moment of agreement that populism has been unleashed by a stratification of income not seen since the early years of the last century. In a country otherwise incommensurably divided on the major political issues of the day like immigration, globalization, climate change and the role of the state, EKOS finds harmonious thought among most Canadians—regardless of party attachment—that extreme and growing concentration of wealth at the top is responsible for Canada’s current social and economic problems. For example, wage increases for 90 per cent of Canadians have remained stuck at zero in constant dollars since 1980 while earnings for the top 0.1 per cent have gone up 500 per cent (note that chief executives of Canada’s five largest banks collectively earned $55-million in 2018 in total direct compensation, up roughly 6.5 per cent from 2017). There’s strong agreement across partisan boundaries on addressing the issue by taxing wealth and raising the marginal tax rate.
...
Across the border, politicians declaring their candidacies for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2020 are advocating for both wealth taxes and rising top marginal tax rates to popular acclaim. They are talking about inequality and promising to level the playing field in militant language — they’re using the word socialism, for heaven’s sake — seldom heard from American legislators.- Meanwhile, Alex Ballingall reports on Jagmeet Singh's plan to take a first step toward a more progressive tax system by including more capital gains as taxable income. And Dana Nuccitelli writes about the elitism involved in protecting wealthy oil investors over the people who stand to suffer most from a climate breakdown.
In Canada, at the same time, many of the very voters who have moved into the authoritarian populist camp agree with those taxation measures, providing a nearly singular point of unity in an otherwise hopelessly fractured public.
Suppose, on the march to Canada’s October’s election, our political leaders began stepping up to the public judgment by proposing the creation of a wealth tax, of an inheritance tax, of caps on executive remuneration, of legislated routes to encourage profit sharing with workers. That may change the country’s political conversation.
- Paul Krugman highlights the absence of any of the promised economic spinoffs from the Trump administration's giveaway to the rich. And Robert Reich points out how misplaced trust in corporate self-regulation - exacerbated by an administration which is neither willing nor able to act in the public interest - is endangering Americans.
- Dylan Penner discusses some of the reasons to pursue a Green New Deal in Canada. And Noah Zon and Adrienne Lipsey offer some suggestions to improve Canada's system of parental leave.
- Finally, Andrew Nikiforuk looks in detail at some of the basic information lacking from British Columbia's belated review of the dangers of fracking. And Sharon Riley examines Alberta's failure to actually test the self-serving assertions of operators asserting they've reclaimed well sites.
Friday, March 29, 2019
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Ryan Meili points out the unduly limited view of climate policy arising out of political posturing over the federal carbon tax. Ed Finn writes about the importance of ensuring our only home remains inhabitable. Bruce Anderson and David Colleto examine the growing importance of our climate breakdown as a ballot box question for Canadian voters. And George Monbiot suggests that ecocide should be viewed and prosecuted as a crime against humanity.
- Meanwhile, Richard Blackwell reports that renewable energy already generates more employment for Canadians than the oil sands, while Sharon Riley discusses the risk of relying on an oil industry facing a predictable decline for future economic development.
- Paul Dechene writes about the connection between climate denial and right-wing bigotry. Andray Domise questions who so much of Canada's media is choosing to amplify racist messages rather than challenging them. And Kevin Metcalf discusses the attempt by self-proclaimed right-wing "speech warriors" to silence anybody who disagrees through the courts.
- PressProgress offers some suggestions from this year's Progress Summir as to what left-wing populism should look like.
- And finally, Raquel Rolnik discusses how poverty and inequality are only getting worse in the UK under a Conservative government which has pushed nothing but domestic deprivation and international isolationism.
- Ryan Meili points out the unduly limited view of climate policy arising out of political posturing over the federal carbon tax. Ed Finn writes about the importance of ensuring our only home remains inhabitable. Bruce Anderson and David Colleto examine the growing importance of our climate breakdown as a ballot box question for Canadian voters. And George Monbiot suggests that ecocide should be viewed and prosecuted as a crime against humanity.
- Meanwhile, Richard Blackwell reports that renewable energy already generates more employment for Canadians than the oil sands, while Sharon Riley discusses the risk of relying on an oil industry facing a predictable decline for future economic development.
- Paul Dechene writes about the connection between climate denial and right-wing bigotry. Andray Domise questions who so much of Canada's media is choosing to amplify racist messages rather than challenging them. And Kevin Metcalf discusses the attempt by self-proclaimed right-wing "speech warriors" to silence anybody who disagrees through the courts.
- PressProgress offers some suggestions from this year's Progress Summir as to what left-wing populism should look like.
- And finally, Raquel Rolnik discusses how poverty and inequality are only getting worse in the UK under a Conservative government which has pushed nothing but domestic deprivation and international isolationism.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Robert Borosage discusses why we shouldn't let conveniently one-sided calls for civility silence debate over progressive possibilities. And Alex Ballingall reports on the affordability anxiety which demands an effective political response rather than a contemptuous dismissal:
- Dennis Gruending responds to Republican nonsense by setting the record straight about Canada's health care system. And David Climenhaga examines how conservatives in Alberta and the U.S. alike are determined to take away health care as an end in itself.
- Emma Teitel writes that Andrew Scheer's embrace of hate makes him utterly unsuited to address the crime which arises from it. And CBC News examines the racism embedded in Halifax' policing practices.
- Finally, Dana Gee interviews David Moscrop about Too Dumb For Democracy? and the need for people to put time and effort into a responsive democracy.
- Robert Borosage discusses why we shouldn't let conveniently one-sided calls for civility silence debate over progressive possibilities. And Alex Ballingall reports on the affordability anxiety which demands an effective political response rather than a contemptuous dismissal:
In a memo outlining the results, Coletto points to a “common concern” that life is getting less affordable in Canada, with 68 per cent of respondents saying the cost of things they use and consume daily has gotten “worse” within the last few years. At the same time, 59 per cent said they feel the difference between their personal salaries and those of the “richest one per cent” has gotten “worse,” while a majority — 62 per cent — said the profits of big corporations are better or about the same as they were a few years ago.- Fox News (!) reports on polling showing that people's top priority on taxes is to make sure the rich pay their fair share. Meanwhile, PressProgress points out how Jason Kenney's plan for Alberta is to go in the opposite direction.
This “gap” between anxiety about everyday affordability and the perception the wealthy are doing well is “fuelling the angst that we see in the data,” Coletto writes — raising the question of whether Canada is increasingly fertile ground for anti-elite populism of the kind seen in the United States and Europe.
...
Coletto points to results that suggest avenues for political parties to tap into these sentiments. Most respondents who said they worry about affordability said they would choose lower costs over higher wages to assuage their concerns, indicating an openness to pocketbook policies that cut individual and household costs, Coletto writes.
Forty-six per cent chose the government forcing companies to reduce the cost of goods as one of three responses to affordability concerns, followed by 45 per cent who said it can cut taxes, and 42 per cent who said it can extend public health care to cover more services.
For Miller, some of this aligns with what a progressive party like the NDP — the party most closely associated with the Broadbent summit — can offer voters, whether it is creating a national pharmacare program or cracking down on tax havens used by the rich.
- Dennis Gruending responds to Republican nonsense by setting the record straight about Canada's health care system. And David Climenhaga examines how conservatives in Alberta and the U.S. alike are determined to take away health care as an end in itself.
- Emma Teitel writes that Andrew Scheer's embrace of hate makes him utterly unsuited to address the crime which arises from it. And CBC News examines the racism embedded in Halifax' policing practices.
- Finally, Dana Gee interviews David Moscrop about Too Dumb For Democracy? and the need for people to put time and effort into a responsive democracy.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Josh Bornstein writes that in Australia like elsewhere, the combination of increasing corporate profits, stagnant wages and resulting inequality can be traced to the reduced bargaining power of workers. Jim Stanford notes that New Zealand offers an example as to how to reverse the pattern.And Robert Reich highlights why we shouldn't accept the crocodile tears of the uber-rich seeking to shape any response to growing inequality to protect their own disproportionate concentration of wealth:
- PressProgress reports on the Libs' school meal program which features precisely zero funding.
- In a reminder as to how discriminatory policy seldom survives contact with any system designed to ensure fairness, Nicholas Keung reports on the Federal Court's determination that the Harper Cons' attempt to negate the rights of refugees by labeling specific countries of origin as "safe" is unconstitutional. And Patrick White reports on a judgment awarding tens of millions of dollars in damages against Correctional Service Canada for using solitary confinement to warehouse prisoners with mental health needs.
- Riki Ott and Jack Siddoway point out that while fossil fuel flacks try to pretend there have been major advances to limit the risk associated with offshore drilling and ocean transportation of oil products, the reality is that there's been substantially no improvement in the response to oil spills since the Exxon Valdez disaster. And Laura Parker writes about the need for a coordinated international response to the growing plastic waste crisis.
- Finally, Sean Holman discusses the need for massive improvements in the flow of information between governments and citizens - both to ensure that we know what our leaders are doing, and to require them to listen to the will of the public.
- Josh Bornstein writes that in Australia like elsewhere, the combination of increasing corporate profits, stagnant wages and resulting inequality can be traced to the reduced bargaining power of workers. Jim Stanford notes that New Zealand offers an example as to how to reverse the pattern.And Robert Reich highlights why we shouldn't accept the crocodile tears of the uber-rich seeking to shape any response to growing inequality to protect their own disproportionate concentration of wealth:
If Dimon and the others were serious about helping most American workers – whose real wages have been going nowhere for decades and job security is dwindling – they could use their outsized political influence to push for laws requiring CEOs to consider all their stakeholders, not just shareholders.- Meanwhile, Joe Demanuelle-Hall highlights the beginning of strike action to force Amazon to treat workers with a modicum of respect and dignity.
Rather than make it harder for workers to unionize, they could fight to make it easier, and to give workers larger voice in management decisions and a greater share of the profits.
Rather than reflexively seek tax cuts, they could push to raise taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans like themselves, so there’d be more school funding to prepare American kids for the jobs of the future.
They could seek a higher minimum wage, a larger Earned Income Tax Credit, universal healthcare, and other measures to make left-behind Americans more secure.
...
(A)s heads of institutions with the greatest influence over American politics, they also have a duty to the common good and are uniquely positioned to advance it.
For 40 years, CEOs of America’s largest corporations and Wall Street banks have abdicated this responsibility.
We are now living with the consequences. Jamie Dimon and the Business Roundtable can see those consequences as well as anyone.
Rather than announce token jobs programs, they’d be better served seeking to increase the economic and political power of left-behind Americans – many of whom will otherwise continue to vote for demagogues who only make them feel powerful.
- PressProgress reports on the Libs' school meal program which features precisely zero funding.
- In a reminder as to how discriminatory policy seldom survives contact with any system designed to ensure fairness, Nicholas Keung reports on the Federal Court's determination that the Harper Cons' attempt to negate the rights of refugees by labeling specific countries of origin as "safe" is unconstitutional. And Patrick White reports on a judgment awarding tens of millions of dollars in damages against Correctional Service Canada for using solitary confinement to warehouse prisoners with mental health needs.
- Riki Ott and Jack Siddoway point out that while fossil fuel flacks try to pretend there have been major advances to limit the risk associated with offshore drilling and ocean transportation of oil products, the reality is that there's been substantially no improvement in the response to oil spills since the Exxon Valdez disaster. And Laura Parker writes about the need for a coordinated international response to the growing plastic waste crisis.
- Finally, Sean Holman discusses the need for massive improvements in the flow of information between governments and citizens - both to ensure that we know what our leaders are doing, and to require them to listen to the will of the public.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Isabel Sawhill and Christopher Pulliam discuss the gap between a U.S. populace which wants to see more progressive taxes to fund improved social programs, and a political class blocking any progress. And PressProgress offers a reminder that Canada too has relatively low social spending despite the strong public demand for more.
- Meanwhile, Laurie Monsebraaten reports on the end of Ontario's basic income pilot at the hands of Doug Ford - though it's noting that even at as the regular payments stop, recipients are rightly setting themselves up with somewhat more of a cushion for the future than they'd have had otherwise.
- Gaby Hinsliff writes about the intolerable exclusion being set up by UK developers setting up playgrounds to prevent access by children living in social housing.
- Guillaume Paris, Pierre-Henri Blard and Étienne Deloule discuss how the burning of fossil fuels has radically altered the Earth's climate in just a century and a half. And Eric Holthaus writes about the catastrophic flooding in Mozambique caused by Cyclone Idai which may represent the single largest humanitarian loss to date from our ongoing climate breakdown.
- Finally, Tom Parkin makes the point that Justin Trudeau's enablers are doing him no favors by pretending he can keep concealing the truth about the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
- Isabel Sawhill and Christopher Pulliam discuss the gap between a U.S. populace which wants to see more progressive taxes to fund improved social programs, and a political class blocking any progress. And PressProgress offers a reminder that Canada too has relatively low social spending despite the strong public demand for more.
- Meanwhile, Laurie Monsebraaten reports on the end of Ontario's basic income pilot at the hands of Doug Ford - though it's noting that even at as the regular payments stop, recipients are rightly setting themselves up with somewhat more of a cushion for the future than they'd have had otherwise.
- Gaby Hinsliff writes about the intolerable exclusion being set up by UK developers setting up playgrounds to prevent access by children living in social housing.
- Guillaume Paris, Pierre-Henri Blard and Étienne Deloule discuss how the burning of fossil fuels has radically altered the Earth's climate in just a century and a half. And Eric Holthaus writes about the catastrophic flooding in Mozambique caused by Cyclone Idai which may represent the single largest humanitarian loss to date from our ongoing climate breakdown.
- Finally, Tom Parkin makes the point that Justin Trudeau's enablers are doing him no favors by pretending he can keep concealing the truth about the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Yanis Varoufakis writes that the tendency of capitalism toward stagnation signals the need for greater public input into economic decisions. And Branko Milanovic discusses how the attitude that politics should be governed by greed has undermined the trust between citizens and governments necessary for either to thrive.
- Meanwhile, Ed Broadbent writes about the need to take back the concept of populism from the right-wing bigots who seek to use at a means of exclusion rather than a basis for public empowerment:
- Arthur Neslen reports on growing warnings from the insurance sector that the extreme weather events caused by climate breakdown will soon make insurance unaffordable.
- Finally, Emma Paling reports on Doug Ford's move to stop the tracking of toxic chemicals and air pollutants to ensure that what people don't know can continue to hurt them.
- Yanis Varoufakis writes that the tendency of capitalism toward stagnation signals the need for greater public input into economic decisions. And Branko Milanovic discusses how the attitude that politics should be governed by greed has undermined the trust between citizens and governments necessary for either to thrive.
- Meanwhile, Ed Broadbent writes about the need to take back the concept of populism from the right-wing bigots who seek to use at a means of exclusion rather than a basis for public empowerment:
(I)t is important to remember that populism also has a democratic and pluralist provenance. It also speaks directly to the concerns of those threatened by inequality, democratic decline and the perceived indifference of political leadership. The most recent example of this is the kind of politics championed by Senator Bernie Sanders in the United States. Like those on the right, he, too, takes aim at elites and their self-serving use of power and claims the status quo is broken. But in place of xenophobia and exclusionary nationalism, he supports pluralism and calls for a diverse popular front with the explicit goal of strengthening and reinvigorating democracy, and uniting movements for social, racial, economic and environmental justice in a common struggle.- And George Monbiot discusses how the media in the UK and elsewhere is increasingly setting itself up to provide a platform for the worst possible voices.
...
The key difference between right-wing populism and the populism of the progressive left – not just today but historically – is that the former is authoritarian and anti-pluralist, whereas the latter is democratic and inclusive. Projecting the imagined interests of the “real people” for whom they claim to speak, right-wing populists frequently pursue the vilification of vulnerable groups, fostering a political identity founded on exclusion. The treatment of non-Christians by Hungary’s Mr. Orban or the demonization of Latinos by Mr. Trump come to mind, as does his condemnation of immigrants from, as he put it, “shithole” countries.
Once in control of government, these authoritarian populists stack the institutions of state with their own allies, supporters and patrons – political corruption in its most naked form. Waging war on social movements and civil society, many also attack and demonize the free media. For Mr. Trump, all critical media is “fake news,” which he has described as being “the enemy of the people.” For Vladimir Putin and Mr. Orban, meanwhile, NGOs are frequently demonized and denounced as actors under foreign control.
Leftist populists, by contrast, challenge powerful systems by championing the social and material interests of ordinary people. While they also are critical of elites, they do not make them enemies. They attempt to bring all people together into the fight against inequality, racism and climate change. Far from being the left-wing equivalent of the authoritarian right as some centrists have insisted, the populist left is, in actuality, its democratic antithesis – and its worst nightmare.
- Arthur Neslen reports on growing warnings from the insurance sector that the extreme weather events caused by climate breakdown will soon make insurance unaffordable.
- Finally, Emma Paling reports on Doug Ford's move to stop the tracking of toxic chemicals and air pollutants to ensure that what people don't know can continue to hurt them.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Michael Mikulewicz and Tahseen Jafry discuss the responsibility wealthy countries bear for increasingly severe weather events - as well as the best way to start bearing an appropriate share of the resulting human and economic costs:
- Carhy Stephanow highlights how Saskatchewan's budget was nominally balanced on the backs of the poor who have seen already-inadequate standards of living do nothing but degrade over the Sask Party's time in power. And Jesse Winter points out the folly of pushing patients from hospitals immediately into homeless shelters rather than having appropriate housing available.
- Elieen Banks discusses how Jason Kenney's rhetoric about farms is based entirely in ignorance about NDP action to make farm work safer.
- Finally, Alex Marland writes about the dangers of the total control exercised by leaders' offices over elected Members of Parliament.
- Michael Mikulewicz and Tahseen Jafry discuss the responsibility wealthy countries bear for increasingly severe weather events - as well as the best way to start bearing an appropriate share of the resulting human and economic costs:
In all this inequality, the world’s wealthiest countries are heavily culpable. It stems from a complex economic system that disadvantages the Global South – not to mention the centuries-long experience of colonialism, the effects of which have hampered human development until this day.- Doug Cuthand highlights the need for a united front against white supremacy even as right-wing politicians try to wink and nod toward it. And Paul Willcocks discusses the mortality crisis among Indigenous teen girls as a glaring example of the conditions demanding a response from political leaders.
In a world where 26 billionaires own as much wealth as the bottom half of humanity, the prospect of more frequent and intense climate disasters is only bound to exacerbate those inequalities. At the same time, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe contribute only a small fraction of the emissions that are causing such disasters. The West’s responsibility – along with other big emitters such as China – is therefore also a matter of climate justice.
...
Besides the high-profile attempts to reduce global emissions, countries such as the UK should be offering support to poorer countries with everything from building flood defences to supporting social services to transferring technology. They should be forgiving national debt, redistributing wealth or at least giving them preferential trade deals to help them adapt to climate change themselves. This requires a rethinking not just of humanitarian aid but of development assistance in general.
- Carhy Stephanow highlights how Saskatchewan's budget was nominally balanced on the backs of the poor who have seen already-inadequate standards of living do nothing but degrade over the Sask Party's time in power. And Jesse Winter points out the folly of pushing patients from hospitals immediately into homeless shelters rather than having appropriate housing available.
- Elieen Banks discusses how Jason Kenney's rhetoric about farms is based entirely in ignorance about NDP action to make farm work safer.
- Finally, Alex Marland writes about the dangers of the total control exercised by leaders' offices over elected Members of Parliament.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
On wilful blindness
One of the questions faced by the participants in any party leadership contest is the appropriate type of oppositional politics that's appropriate between candidates and their supporters. And there's certainly some reasonable incentive on the part of everybody involved to ensure that internal competitions don't become unduly personal such as to cause long-term rifts.
But there's also a severe danger where a candidate is able to win a leadership campaign without addressing what should be seen as potentially disqualifying issues. And indeed, where a party collectively agrees to look the other way in the face of serious problems rather than meaningfully evaluating for itself whether a prospective leader has an even remotely reasonable explanation for past wrongs, it can hardly be surprised if the general public comes to question both the leader and his sycophants when it gets the chance.
Jason Kenney and the UCP are in the midst of learning that lesson the hard way.
And as Saskatchewan's voters become aware of the serious issues which were mentioned barely if at all in the course of the Saskatchewan Party's leadership campaign, Scott Moe and his party may not be far behind.
But there's also a severe danger where a candidate is able to win a leadership campaign without addressing what should be seen as potentially disqualifying issues. And indeed, where a party collectively agrees to look the other way in the face of serious problems rather than meaningfully evaluating for itself whether a prospective leader has an even remotely reasonable explanation for past wrongs, it can hardly be surprised if the general public comes to question both the leader and his sycophants when it gets the chance.
Jason Kenney and the UCP are in the midst of learning that lesson the hard way.
And as Saskatchewan's voters become aware of the serious issues which were mentioned barely if at all in the course of the Saskatchewan Party's leadership campaign, Scott Moe and his party may not be far behind.
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Alastair Sharp reports on the massive sums of money spent by oil barons in an attempt to undermine climate action. And Kyla Mandel reports on the Trump administration's willingness to allow the oil industry to threaten drinking water by failing to update decades-old lists of toxic chemicals to account for new scientific knowledge.
- Meanwhile, in case there was any doubt as to whether anybody can escape the consequences when science deniers get to set the public policy agenda, David Hasemyer points out how extreme floods have breached a U.S. Air Force base and destroyed equipment which wasn't protected against the effects of climate change.
- Timothy Wilson reports on political interference by Liberal MP Andrew Leslie to stop an investigation into corporate non-disclosure contrary to OECD guidelines. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board rightly observes that the Libs can't expect their SNC Lavalin scandal to do anything but hang over their heads until they allow for the truth to be told, while Murray Rankin makes the case for a public inquiry.
- The Current interviews Barbara Perry about Canada's glaring failure to take right-wing threats seriously in its terrorism watchlist. And Alleen Brown exposes how the U.S. has taken direction from the oil sector in cracking down on environmental activism while letting the menace of fascist grow unabated.
- Finally, James Keller writes about the continued effect of the "kamikaze candidate" scandal in forcing Alberta voters to distrust Jason Kenney. And PressProgress highlights some of Kenney's previous public statements which have proven to have been false.
- Alastair Sharp reports on the massive sums of money spent by oil barons in an attempt to undermine climate action. And Kyla Mandel reports on the Trump administration's willingness to allow the oil industry to threaten drinking water by failing to update decades-old lists of toxic chemicals to account for new scientific knowledge.
- Meanwhile, in case there was any doubt as to whether anybody can escape the consequences when science deniers get to set the public policy agenda, David Hasemyer points out how extreme floods have breached a U.S. Air Force base and destroyed equipment which wasn't protected against the effects of climate change.
- Timothy Wilson reports on political interference by Liberal MP Andrew Leslie to stop an investigation into corporate non-disclosure contrary to OECD guidelines. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board rightly observes that the Libs can't expect their SNC Lavalin scandal to do anything but hang over their heads until they allow for the truth to be told, while Murray Rankin makes the case for a public inquiry.
- The Current interviews Barbara Perry about Canada's glaring failure to take right-wing threats seriously in its terrorism watchlist. And Alleen Brown exposes how the U.S. has taken direction from the oil sector in cracking down on environmental activism while letting the menace of fascist grow unabated.
- Finally, James Keller writes about the continued effect of the "kamikaze candidate" scandal in forcing Alberta voters to distrust Jason Kenney. And PressProgress highlights some of Kenney's previous public statements which have proven to have been false.
Friday, March 22, 2019
New column day
Here, on how the federal Liberals and provincial Saskatchewan Party are both unduly concerned with optics around "balance" rather than budgeting for the good of their constituents.
For further reading...
- Pamela Palmater writes that the Libs' budget continues to neglect Indigenous women and children. Katherine Scott points out the absence of child care funding in the federal budget (which is even more glaring in light of cuts from Saskatchewan's already-meager resources). Paul Willcocks notes that one of the Libs' new spending items will result in lower-income renters subsidizing people who can afford to buy a house. And Joel Lexchin notes that when it comes to pharmacare, the Libs are doing nothing by eights which can be done by sixteenths instead.
- Meanwhile, CBC examines the Saskatchewan Party's tenuous claim to balance in any form. But more importantly, NUPGE recognizes that any nominal fiscal balance is based solely on Scott Moe imposing unacceptable burdens on the public service and the people who rely on social supports.
For further reading...
- Pamela Palmater writes that the Libs' budget continues to neglect Indigenous women and children. Katherine Scott points out the absence of child care funding in the federal budget (which is even more glaring in light of cuts from Saskatchewan's already-meager resources). Paul Willcocks notes that one of the Libs' new spending items will result in lower-income renters subsidizing people who can afford to buy a house. And Joel Lexchin notes that when it comes to pharmacare, the Libs are doing nothing by eights which can be done by sixteenths instead.
- Meanwhile, CBC examines the Saskatchewan Party's tenuous claim to balance in any form. But more importantly, NUPGE recognizes that any nominal fiscal balance is based solely on Scott Moe imposing unacceptable burdens on the public service and the people who rely on social supports.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Linda Givetash discusses how the consequences of climate breakdown include impending water shortages in the UK. But rather than recognizing and acting on that danger, Theresa May's Conservatives are looking at Brexit as an excuse to do even less to protect the environment.
- Meanwhile, Grace Blakely highlights how the UK's outsourcing of public services has led to the usual pattern of corporate profits, bailouts and declining working conditions and social supports. And Tria Donaldson discusses how Saskatchewan is suffering as a result of a decade of Sask Party austerity.
- Noah Smith comments on the economic costs (in addition to the well-known social harm) caused by an opioid crisis which has been met with a grossly insufficient policy response.
- Nora Loreto wonders whether the Christchurch massacre - and the role Canadian extremists played in laying the groundwork for it - might represent a tipping point in ensuring a needed crackdown on hate speech and violence. And Jim Waterson reports on Neil Basu's comments about the UK media's responsibility for radicalizing the far right.
- Finally, Rob Larson argues that we shouldn't accept the corporatist argument that freedom should be equated with unfettered greed, rather than the security for all types of people to be able to make choices.
- Linda Givetash discusses how the consequences of climate breakdown include impending water shortages in the UK. But rather than recognizing and acting on that danger, Theresa May's Conservatives are looking at Brexit as an excuse to do even less to protect the environment.
- Meanwhile, Grace Blakely highlights how the UK's outsourcing of public services has led to the usual pattern of corporate profits, bailouts and declining working conditions and social supports. And Tria Donaldson discusses how Saskatchewan is suffering as a result of a decade of Sask Party austerity.
- Noah Smith comments on the economic costs (in addition to the well-known social harm) caused by an opioid crisis which has been met with a grossly insufficient policy response.
- Nora Loreto wonders whether the Christchurch massacre - and the role Canadian extremists played in laying the groundwork for it - might represent a tipping point in ensuring a needed crackdown on hate speech and violence. And Jim Waterson reports on Neil Basu's comments about the UK media's responsibility for radicalizing the far right.
- Finally, Rob Larson argues that we shouldn't accept the corporatist argument that freedom should be equated with unfettered greed, rather than the security for all types of people to be able to make choices.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Wednesday Evening Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Mark Olalde writes about the public subsidies being handed to U.S. resource companies who polluted water with toxic waste without having any plan or resources to clean up their messes. And Michael Mann and Bob Ward note that Donald Trump is using Stalinist tactics to try to protect polluters from facing regulation in the public interest.
- Meanwhile, Tanya Lewis discusses the increasing harm climate breakdown is causing to human health around the globe. And Jennifer Francis reports on Don Kossick's first-hand experience as to how the destruction of climate change causes disproportionate damage to the countries least equipped to respond.
- CBC News reports on the view Canadians share with our counterparts around the world favouring increased taxes on the wealthy to fund improved social programs. And David Macdonald discusses how the Libs' budget falls far short of anything more than symbolism and half-measures.
- Matt Gurney writes that the Trudeau Libs seem bent on inflaming the SNC Lavalin scandal even more than they already have. And today's news that their spin about jobs was entirely fabricated surely can't help matters.
- Finally, the Edmonton Journal writes that Jason Kenney shouldn't be allowed to move the goal posts of acceptable political conduct by manipulating any system that could possibly affect his claimed entitlement to power. And Keith Gerein discusses the gross lack of ethics and integrity he's shown on the Alberta scene alone.
- Mark Olalde writes about the public subsidies being handed to U.S. resource companies who polluted water with toxic waste without having any plan or resources to clean up their messes. And Michael Mann and Bob Ward note that Donald Trump is using Stalinist tactics to try to protect polluters from facing regulation in the public interest.
- Meanwhile, Tanya Lewis discusses the increasing harm climate breakdown is causing to human health around the globe. And Jennifer Francis reports on Don Kossick's first-hand experience as to how the destruction of climate change causes disproportionate damage to the countries least equipped to respond.
- CBC News reports on the view Canadians share with our counterparts around the world favouring increased taxes on the wealthy to fund improved social programs. And David Macdonald discusses how the Libs' budget falls far short of anything more than symbolism and half-measures.
- Matt Gurney writes that the Trudeau Libs seem bent on inflaming the SNC Lavalin scandal even more than they already have. And today's news that their spin about jobs was entirely fabricated surely can't help matters.
- Finally, the Edmonton Journal writes that Jason Kenney shouldn't be allowed to move the goal posts of acceptable political conduct by manipulating any system that could possibly affect his claimed entitlement to power. And Keith Gerein discusses the gross lack of ethics and integrity he's shown on the Alberta scene alone.
Progress delayed
It was roughly two years ago - in the 2017 budget - when the federal government announced changes to the parental leave available through Employment Insurance. Instead of being limited to 12 months of benefits, parents could elect to receive the same total benefit amount over a period of 18 months.
Leaving aside the modest nature of that change in federal policy, though, it's worth taking a close look at the Saskatchewan Party's response - especially compared to that of other provincial governments.
The changes first announced in early 2017 took effect at the federal level in December of that year. And some provinces acted quickly to make sure that their constituents had access to leave in order to make use of the new benefit structure.
Under Scott Moe, the Saskatchewan Party has chosen to do just the opposite.
Moe waited until multiple provinces had actually enacted changes to their leave periods before so much as suggesting that he'd follow the federal benefit structure as a matter of course. The Saskatchewan Party then waited until last November to introduce a bill (Bill 153) - and the legislation needed to ensure the availability of an extended parental leave period remains stuck (PDF) at second reading by choice.
But if the Moe government is holding off as long as possible in actually providing any increased leave period, it's finding other uses for the change in federal policy.
Most notably, the Saskatchewan Party is engaged in data mining off a petition seeking declarations of support for the very policy it's delaying (while also setting up a default option for anybody who signs to receive Sask Party spam in perpetuity). And if new parents have needlessly been deprived of otherwise-accessible benefit options for over a year because Moe prefers to drag his heels for political gain...well, that doesn't seem to be of any concern for him.
To sum up, the path of Saskatchewan's parental leave policy highlights the reality that the Saskatchewan Party stands out as gratuitously delaying progress compared to its provincial counterparts, even as it falsely pretends to champion the policy it's actually obstructing. And it's worth keeping that gap between spin and reality in mind as Moe unveils today's budget.
Leaving aside the modest nature of that change in federal policy, though, it's worth taking a close look at the Saskatchewan Party's response - especially compared to that of other provincial governments.
The changes first announced in early 2017 took effect at the federal level in December of that year. And some provinces acted quickly to make sure that their constituents had access to leave in order to make use of the new benefit structure.
Under Scott Moe, the Saskatchewan Party has chosen to do just the opposite.
Moe waited until multiple provinces had actually enacted changes to their leave periods before so much as suggesting that he'd follow the federal benefit structure as a matter of course. The Saskatchewan Party then waited until last November to introduce a bill (Bill 153) - and the legislation needed to ensure the availability of an extended parental leave period remains stuck (PDF) at second reading by choice.
But if the Moe government is holding off as long as possible in actually providing any increased leave period, it's finding other uses for the change in federal policy.
Most notably, the Saskatchewan Party is engaged in data mining off a petition seeking declarations of support for the very policy it's delaying (while also setting up a default option for anybody who signs to receive Sask Party spam in perpetuity). And if new parents have needlessly been deprived of otherwise-accessible benefit options for over a year because Moe prefers to drag his heels for political gain...well, that doesn't seem to be of any concern for him.
To sum up, the path of Saskatchewan's parental leave policy highlights the reality that the Saskatchewan Party stands out as gratuitously delaying progress compared to its provincial counterparts, even as it falsely pretends to champion the policy it's actually obstructing. And it's worth keeping that gap between spin and reality in mind as Moe unveils today's budget.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Ahmed Sati offers some important - if belated - recognition of the need to fight against exclusionary bigotry. Jessica Davis focuses on the particular urgency in addressing right-wing terrorism. Thomas Woodley comments on the importance of having our political leaders do their job in repudiating Islamophobia - though Scott Moe for one plainly isn't up to the task. And Branko Marcetic argues that we can defeat hatred with strong public resistance.
- Rebecca Solnit points out why white supremacists' hostility toward anybody other than themselves results in contempt for our planet as well as for most of its inhabitants.
- But there's reason for optimism that nihilism isn't winning out even in the U.S., Robinson Meyer reports on a jump in public concern about climate change along with political steps to combat it. And Warren Bell notes that a younger generation is responding to ongoing delays by pushing for more responsible decisions than we've seen to date.
- Meanwhile, Leigh Thomas also reports on broad support across OECD countries for increased taxes on the wealthy. Canadians for Tax Fairness offers its list of loopholes which should be closed in the federal budget. And Amy Bemeikis reports on a widespread call for Australia to focus on improving wages as it approaches a general election.
- Finally, Micah Uetrecht discusses how today's precarious job market can be traced back to a historical strategy to diminish the value of women's work. And Katherine Scott offers some suggestions as to what could be included in the federal budget to start closing the persistent gender gap - including child care and progressive tax reform as crucial elements.
- Ahmed Sati offers some important - if belated - recognition of the need to fight against exclusionary bigotry. Jessica Davis focuses on the particular urgency in addressing right-wing terrorism. Thomas Woodley comments on the importance of having our political leaders do their job in repudiating Islamophobia - though Scott Moe for one plainly isn't up to the task. And Branko Marcetic argues that we can defeat hatred with strong public resistance.
- Rebecca Solnit points out why white supremacists' hostility toward anybody other than themselves results in contempt for our planet as well as for most of its inhabitants.
- But there's reason for optimism that nihilism isn't winning out even in the U.S., Robinson Meyer reports on a jump in public concern about climate change along with political steps to combat it. And Warren Bell notes that a younger generation is responding to ongoing delays by pushing for more responsible decisions than we've seen to date.
- Meanwhile, Leigh Thomas also reports on broad support across OECD countries for increased taxes on the wealthy. Canadians for Tax Fairness offers its list of loopholes which should be closed in the federal budget. And Amy Bemeikis reports on a widespread call for Australia to focus on improving wages as it approaches a general election.
- Finally, Micah Uetrecht discusses how today's precarious job market can be traced back to a historical strategy to diminish the value of women's work. And Katherine Scott offers some suggestions as to what could be included in the federal budget to start closing the persistent gender gap - including child care and progressive tax reform as crucial elements.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Robert Reich writes about the laughable spin that the Trump Republicans' giveaways to the privileged and elimination of supports for the vast majority of people result in anything approaching a meritocracy:
- Meanwhile, the Alberta Federation of Labour highlights how Jason Kenney is determined to make matters worse.
- Bee Wilson writes about the drastic changes in our food production and consumption patterns over a period of just a couple of decades. And Cam Goff is rightly concerned that the Libs want to tilt Canada's plant breeding system toward rent-seeking and exclusion rather than collaborative evolution.
- Finally, Branko Marcetic points out that corporatism and anti-regulatory zealotry are behind the deaths in two Boeing 737 Max 8s (along with countless other avoidable tragedies).
- Robert Reich writes about the laughable spin that the Trump Republicans' giveaways to the privileged and elimination of supports for the vast majority of people result in anything approaching a meritocracy:
The monstrous concentration of wealth in America has not only created an education system in which the rich can effectively buy college admission for their children. It has distorted much else.- Paul Krugman offers a reminder that the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us is the result of policy choices rather than inevitable trends. And James Meadway discusses the need to develop a new, broader movement in support of egalitarian economics.
It has created a justice system in which the rich can buy their way out of prison. (Exhibit A: money manager Jeffrey Epstein, who sexually abused dozens of underage girls, yet served just thirteen months in a private wing of a Palm Beach county jail.)
It has spawned a political system in which the rich can buy their way into Congress (Exhibit B: Reps. Darreill Issa and Greg Gianforte) and even into the presidency. (Donald Trump, perhaps Starbuck’s Howard Schultz).
And a health care system in which the super-rich can buy care unavailable to others (concierge medicine).
Meritocracy remains a deeply held ideal in America. But (the) nation is drifting ever-farther away from it. In the age of Trump, it seems, everything is for sale.
- Meanwhile, the Alberta Federation of Labour highlights how Jason Kenney is determined to make matters worse.
- Bee Wilson writes about the drastic changes in our food production and consumption patterns over a period of just a couple of decades. And Cam Goff is rightly concerned that the Libs want to tilt Canada's plant breeding system toward rent-seeking and exclusion rather than collaborative evolution.
- Finally, Branko Marcetic points out that corporatism and anti-regulatory zealotry are behind the deaths in two Boeing 737 Max 8s (along with countless other avoidable tragedies).
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