Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Linda McQuaig warns us not to tolerate yet another around of austerian demagoguery when investment in people's well-being is a positive step toward every end other than the goal of pushing people into additional precarity. And Marilyn Watkins examines how Washington state was left far less resilient by needless austerity following the last corporate crash.
- Jeanne Morefield reviews Jessica Whyte's The Morals of the Market, including by noting that neoliberalism has hijacked the language of human rights to serve the purposes of wealth accumulation. And Rutger Bregman discusses what may come next if the neoliberal era is finally at an end. But Nesmine Malik warns that the wealthy and powerful won't give up their privileged positions without a fight.
- On that front, Matthew Chapman notes that the Trump administration is using the COVID-19 pandemic to enable predatory financial institutions to extract even more from consumers. And John Bennett reports on Trump's more recent plan to use the crisis to utterly demolish regulation in the public interest, while Mark Winfield catches Doug Ford doing the same.
- Kim Kelly discusses how meatpackers' lives have been put at risk by exploitative employers and uncaring governments. And Colin Gordon writes about the role of decades of union-busting in trashing wages and worker protections.
- Finally, John Christensen writes that climate justice and economic justice are both inseparable, and essential to a sustainable future.
[Edit: fixed typo.]
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Ian Welsh highlights the false choice between lives and the economy which is being used an excuse to concentrate the power of the wealthy at the expense of both. And Paul Krugman makes the obvious point - yet one seemingly controversial among Republicans and Cons alike - that it's a success to help workers rather than condemning them to death.
- Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon reports on the latest move by the right to suppress facts about the coronavirus to that end, as the architect of Florida' lauded dashboard has been pushed out for insisting that it be used to provide accurate data. Caitlyn McGlade reports on Arizona's refusal to name nursing homes with known COVID-19 outbreaks because it might be bad for business. And Peter Geoghegan and Mary Fitzgerald discuss the UK culture war aimed at attacking the concepts of science and expertise.
- Shannon Osaka discusses the sleight of hand used by fossil fuel giants to claim to be pushing toward carbon neutrality while omitting the carbon pollution generated by their products.
- Shawn McCarthy notes that the pandemic only highlights the desperate need to act to rein in climate change. Michael Enright interviews Charles Taylor about his hope that we'll win the battle against a climate breakdown. And Akshat Rathi discusses the growing consensus as to the value of recovering from the COVID recession through a Green New Deal.
- But Mia Rabson reports that the Libs have decided to put even their already-meager environmental plans on hold while catering to the corporate class. And Beatrice Britneff reports that a modest increase to Old Age Security is likewise being delayed in favour of one-time relief, turning what would have been a predictable source of income into a single payment.
- Finally, Noah Berlatsky comments on "vice-signaling" as a prominent and growing facet of conservatism.
- Ian Welsh highlights the false choice between lives and the economy which is being used an excuse to concentrate the power of the wealthy at the expense of both. And Paul Krugman makes the obvious point - yet one seemingly controversial among Republicans and Cons alike - that it's a success to help workers rather than condemning them to death.
- Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon reports on the latest move by the right to suppress facts about the coronavirus to that end, as the architect of Florida' lauded dashboard has been pushed out for insisting that it be used to provide accurate data. Caitlyn McGlade reports on Arizona's refusal to name nursing homes with known COVID-19 outbreaks because it might be bad for business. And Peter Geoghegan and Mary Fitzgerald discuss the UK culture war aimed at attacking the concepts of science and expertise.
- Shannon Osaka discusses the sleight of hand used by fossil fuel giants to claim to be pushing toward carbon neutrality while omitting the carbon pollution generated by their products.
- Shawn McCarthy notes that the pandemic only highlights the desperate need to act to rein in climate change. Michael Enright interviews Charles Taylor about his hope that we'll win the battle against a climate breakdown. And Akshat Rathi discusses the growing consensus as to the value of recovering from the COVID recession through a Green New Deal.
- But Mia Rabson reports that the Libs have decided to put even their already-meager environmental plans on hold while catering to the corporate class. And Beatrice Britneff reports that a modest increase to Old Age Security is likewise being delayed in favour of one-time relief, turning what would have been a predictable source of income into a single payment.
- Finally, Noah Berlatsky comments on "vice-signaling" as a prominent and growing facet of conservatism.
Monday, May 18, 2020
On breaches of trust
Among other lessons to be learned from the coronavirus pandemic, we should be taking the opportunity to ask ourselves what we expect from our leaders - and whether they're living up to the standards we need to set for the public good.
That represents more than a matter of choosing ideal leaders. It's been well documented that social trust is one of the crucial factors in allowing a society to survive a collective action problem. And while a single government alone may not be able to establish or eradicate trust altogether, its choices figure to heavily influence how people react to a crisis.
Which brings us to the multiple breakdowns of trust under Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party government - all of them directly affecting the decisions Saskatchewan people make, and all posing grave threats both in their first-order effects, and in their resulting damage to social trust.
Let's start with the simple matter of the facts about COVID-19, and the Saskatchewan Party's seeming conclusion that we're better off not knowing where we're at the most risk.
It was dubious enough when a previous outbreak at Lloydminster's hospital was suppressed from the public for a period of days. (And it's hardly any consolation that part of that time was the result of a lack of communication within the government which is supposed to be looking out for everybody.)
But this past week's news from Regina's Pasqua Hospital establishes a pattern of COVID-19 cases in hospitals being suppressed. And this time, that secrecy came with the added bonus of Moe cutting off the normal flow of COVID-19 reporting for the long weekend to avoid answering questions about it.
That deliberate non-disclosure creates immediate risks for anybody who decides to attend to an hospital without being told that there's a known issue on site. But even more perniciously, it also creates reason for suspicion everywhere else: if we can't count on cases being reported when they arise in medical facilities, then people may avoid necessary care when it could safely be provided. (And we should fully expect addressing a backlog in needed-but-not-urgent care to be a far higher priority than the recreational businesses at the top of Moe's priority list for reopening.)
Beyond what Moe's government deigns to tell us, our trust is also necessarily affected by its competence (or lack thereof) in responding to a pandemic.
There, Moe has blindly followed Alberta in ritual Ottawa-bashing aimed at Health Canada, only to wind up ordering tests that don't work because he wouldn't allow a federal regulator to do its job. The Saskatchewan Party failed utterly to provide needed resources for mental health generally and suicide prevention in particular, even while using those systemic problems as an excuse to reopen businesses and increase the risk of community transmission of COVID-19. And it's provided pitiful excuses for relief out of provincial coffers, even as Moe has postured about allowing the federal government to help at all without his say-so.
Finally, we come to a government's willingness to listen and accept both suggestions and criticism. And there too, all evidence is that both the interests of deeply affected people and vital lines of communication have been cut off by choice - paired with deception and denial as to who's been kept in the loop.
Just ask the essential workers who are being told at best that they have to use paid sick leave in order to follow public health orders, and at worst that they're not allowed to try to protect their health at all.
Or the leaders from Northern Saskatchewan who were forced to set up their own response team after urging the province take some action to stop an outbreak which they could see coming - only to have Moe ignore them entirely at the beginning, then falsely assert they'd been included once the public health damage was too obvious for him to say nothing.
And of course, the people's mechanism for holding the government to account remains shut down due to the personal whims of the Premier, even as he tries to point the finger at a party which doesn't have authority to reopen the Legislature. Once again, the pattern is both to reject the basic structures of social cohesion and response, and to be dishonest about how he's chosen to undermine them.
Fortunately, Saskatchewan voters have the option of a leader whose reaction to a crisis is to do everything he can to help, rather than to try to keep the public strictly isolated from the truth. But it's tragic that we're having to see the consequences of the avoidable erosion of trust first.
That represents more than a matter of choosing ideal leaders. It's been well documented that social trust is one of the crucial factors in allowing a society to survive a collective action problem. And while a single government alone may not be able to establish or eradicate trust altogether, its choices figure to heavily influence how people react to a crisis.
Which brings us to the multiple breakdowns of trust under Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party government - all of them directly affecting the decisions Saskatchewan people make, and all posing grave threats both in their first-order effects, and in their resulting damage to social trust.
Let's start with the simple matter of the facts about COVID-19, and the Saskatchewan Party's seeming conclusion that we're better off not knowing where we're at the most risk.
It was dubious enough when a previous outbreak at Lloydminster's hospital was suppressed from the public for a period of days. (And it's hardly any consolation that part of that time was the result of a lack of communication within the government which is supposed to be looking out for everybody.)
But this past week's news from Regina's Pasqua Hospital establishes a pattern of COVID-19 cases in hospitals being suppressed. And this time, that secrecy came with the added bonus of Moe cutting off the normal flow of COVID-19 reporting for the long weekend to avoid answering questions about it.
That deliberate non-disclosure creates immediate risks for anybody who decides to attend to an hospital without being told that there's a known issue on site. But even more perniciously, it also creates reason for suspicion everywhere else: if we can't count on cases being reported when they arise in medical facilities, then people may avoid necessary care when it could safely be provided. (And we should fully expect addressing a backlog in needed-but-not-urgent care to be a far higher priority than the recreational businesses at the top of Moe's priority list for reopening.)
Beyond what Moe's government deigns to tell us, our trust is also necessarily affected by its competence (or lack thereof) in responding to a pandemic.
There, Moe has blindly followed Alberta in ritual Ottawa-bashing aimed at Health Canada, only to wind up ordering tests that don't work because he wouldn't allow a federal regulator to do its job. The Saskatchewan Party failed utterly to provide needed resources for mental health generally and suicide prevention in particular, even while using those systemic problems as an excuse to reopen businesses and increase the risk of community transmission of COVID-19. And it's provided pitiful excuses for relief out of provincial coffers, even as Moe has postured about allowing the federal government to help at all without his say-so.
Finally, we come to a government's willingness to listen and accept both suggestions and criticism. And there too, all evidence is that both the interests of deeply affected people and vital lines of communication have been cut off by choice - paired with deception and denial as to who's been kept in the loop.
Just ask the essential workers who are being told at best that they have to use paid sick leave in order to follow public health orders, and at worst that they're not allowed to try to protect their health at all.
Or the leaders from Northern Saskatchewan who were forced to set up their own response team after urging the province take some action to stop an outbreak which they could see coming - only to have Moe ignore them entirely at the beginning, then falsely assert they'd been included once the public health damage was too obvious for him to say nothing.
And of course, the people's mechanism for holding the government to account remains shut down due to the personal whims of the Premier, even as he tries to point the finger at a party which doesn't have authority to reopen the Legislature. Once again, the pattern is both to reject the basic structures of social cohesion and response, and to be dishonest about how he's chosen to undermine them.
Fortunately, Saskatchewan voters have the option of a leader whose reaction to a crisis is to do everything he can to help, rather than to try to keep the public strictly isolated from the truth. But it's tragic that we're having to see the consequences of the avoidable erosion of trust first.
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Martin Birt writes that we can never again ignore the importance and value of the people performing essential work. And Jennifer Keesmat argues that the patterns of life made necessary by the coronavirus point the way toward a far greater focus on building liveable neighbourhoods.
- John Stapleton highlights how many provinces are using the CERB and other COVID-19 benefits to reduce their own contribution to public health and welfare.
- Jonathan Freedland points out how authoritarians around the globe are using the coronavirus as an excuse to tighten their stranglehold on power.
- Christian Favreau discusses how the NDP has served as the effective opposition (in multiple sense of the word) to ensure people haven't been left behind in coronavirus relief measures. And Premila D'Sa reports on Charlie Angus' justified criticism of the Libs handing control over the distribution of vital public health supplies to Amazon.
- Scott Larson reports on how COVID-19 is exposing and exacerbating racism in Saskatchewan.
- Finally, Max Fawcett writes that Norway's disinvestment from the oil sands is just the latest indication that it's long past time for Alberta to stop denying both the climate crisis and its impact on investment decisions.
- Martin Birt writes that we can never again ignore the importance and value of the people performing essential work. And Jennifer Keesmat argues that the patterns of life made necessary by the coronavirus point the way toward a far greater focus on building liveable neighbourhoods.
- John Stapleton highlights how many provinces are using the CERB and other COVID-19 benefits to reduce their own contribution to public health and welfare.
- Jonathan Freedland points out how authoritarians around the globe are using the coronavirus as an excuse to tighten their stranglehold on power.
- Christian Favreau discusses how the NDP has served as the effective opposition (in multiple sense of the word) to ensure people haven't been left behind in coronavirus relief measures. And Premila D'Sa reports on Charlie Angus' justified criticism of the Libs handing control over the distribution of vital public health supplies to Amazon.
- Scott Larson reports on how COVID-19 is exposing and exacerbating racism in Saskatchewan.
- Finally, Max Fawcett writes that Norway's disinvestment from the oil sands is just the latest indication that it's long past time for Alberta to stop denying both the climate crisis and its impact on investment decisions.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Yves Engler discusses how Canadian corporations have shown a consistent pattern of pursuing profit with no consideration of the public good.
- Marco Chown Oved, Kenyon Wallace and Brendan Kennedy analyze how corporate care homes have paid out massive executive compensation and brought in billions in profits while leaving their residents vulnerable to COVID-19. And Kevin Donovan reports that Ontario isn't bothering to track the spread of COVID-19 among personal care workers who are among the most likely to be exposed to it.
- Brittany Scott writes about the need to develop workers' power as part of the effort to make workplaces - and by implication, the public - more safe in the midst of a pandemic. And Steven Greenhouse notes that even in the U.S.' distorted media environment, the public is well aware that the deck is stacked against workers.
- Moira Wyton reports on the lack of any meaningful response to First Nations who have sought help in responding to the coronavirus.
- Karl Nerenberg highlights how the federal NDP has ensured that seniors, students and many others weren't left to fend without any coronavirus relief.
- Finally, Ashley Martin reports on the Regina activists finding new ways to reach people when physical protest is either impossible or less likely to be seen.
- Yves Engler discusses how Canadian corporations have shown a consistent pattern of pursuing profit with no consideration of the public good.
- Marco Chown Oved, Kenyon Wallace and Brendan Kennedy analyze how corporate care homes have paid out massive executive compensation and brought in billions in profits while leaving their residents vulnerable to COVID-19. And Kevin Donovan reports that Ontario isn't bothering to track the spread of COVID-19 among personal care workers who are among the most likely to be exposed to it.
- Brittany Scott writes about the need to develop workers' power as part of the effort to make workplaces - and by implication, the public - more safe in the midst of a pandemic. And Steven Greenhouse notes that even in the U.S.' distorted media environment, the public is well aware that the deck is stacked against workers.
- Moira Wyton reports on the lack of any meaningful response to First Nations who have sought help in responding to the coronavirus.
- Karl Nerenberg highlights how the federal NDP has ensured that seniors, students and many others weren't left to fend without any coronavirus relief.
- Finally, Ashley Martin reports on the Regina activists finding new ways to reach people when physical protest is either impossible or less likely to be seen.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Bryan Borzykowski recognizes that many Canadian families are weathering the COVID-19 crisis only by taking on more debt - though it's worth questioning whether the burden should fall on individuals to dig their way out from under it, rather than receiving systemic relief.
- A distinguished group of academics writes about the importance of democratizing work in rebuilding from the pandemic. Cailynn Klingbeil discusses the importance of not replicating existing inequalities as we map out the path forward. And Larry Savage theorizes that we may see a surge in workers standing up for their rights through strike action.
- But Alex Doherty warns that while governments are doing something approximating the bare minimum to keep people afloat through the pandemic, far too many interests are pushing to return to the old neoliberal normal as soon (and with as little care for people's well-being) as possible. Reuters News Agency reports on the Modi government's push to gut workers' rights in India in the name of a coronavirus response. And David Climenhaga points out that demands to turn the crisis into even greater corporate control are coming from the likes of Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney.
- Homi Kharas and Kristofer Hamel discuss how the coronavirus is setting back progress in fighting poverty around the globe. And Shakti Jaising notes that cultural depictions of pandemics all too often leave out the class effects.
- Finally, Nicola Jones writes that while there's reason to point out where the public health response to the coronavirus could be improved, we should also pay attention to the millions of lives already saved by the steps taken so far.
- Bryan Borzykowski recognizes that many Canadian families are weathering the COVID-19 crisis only by taking on more debt - though it's worth questioning whether the burden should fall on individuals to dig their way out from under it, rather than receiving systemic relief.
- A distinguished group of academics writes about the importance of democratizing work in rebuilding from the pandemic. Cailynn Klingbeil discusses the importance of not replicating existing inequalities as we map out the path forward. And Larry Savage theorizes that we may see a surge in workers standing up for their rights through strike action.
- But Alex Doherty warns that while governments are doing something approximating the bare minimum to keep people afloat through the pandemic, far too many interests are pushing to return to the old neoliberal normal as soon (and with as little care for people's well-being) as possible. Reuters News Agency reports on the Modi government's push to gut workers' rights in India in the name of a coronavirus response. And David Climenhaga points out that demands to turn the crisis into even greater corporate control are coming from the likes of Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney.
- Homi Kharas and Kristofer Hamel discuss how the coronavirus is setting back progress in fighting poverty around the globe. And Shakti Jaising notes that cultural depictions of pandemics all too often leave out the class effects.
- Finally, Nicola Jones writes that while there's reason to point out where the public health response to the coronavirus could be improved, we should also pay attention to the millions of lives already saved by the steps taken so far.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Annie Lowrey discusses how essential workers have been consistently undervalued due to political choices. And Patty Coates, Jan Simpson and Pablo Godoy discuss the need to ensure legal protections for workers' rights in the wake of Foodora fleeing the country after its attempt to find a loophole in employment law failed.
- Meanwhile, Vanessa Brcic argues that we have a much-needed opportunity to better apply principles of equity and public health to the design of our social supports. Rutger Bregman implores us to take advantage of the opening to change the world for the better. And Laura Spinney interviews Thomas Piketty about the prospect that the response to COVID-19 will result in fairer societies.
- Gregory Beatty notes that social programs and safety regulations have been under neoliberal attack for decades. And Nam Kiwanuka highlights the dishonesty and inhumanity underlying the right-wing assumption that people receiving needed income support must be gaming the system.
- Susan Delacourt offers a reminder that Stephen Harper's last call for austerity and corporatism in the wake of a global crisis produced little benefit for anybody but the wealthy and well-connected. And Bruce Arthur notes that while Harper tries to deliver right-wing messages to an American audience, Canada faces the need to protect itself from the U.S.' reckless choice to let the coronavirus run wild in the name of Trump and profits.
- Finally, Matt Taibbi writes that the COVID-19 corporate bailout has once again offered the wealthiest Americans the opportunity to avoid any losses from their financial gambling. And Sharon Riley reports on Alberta's use of the pandemic to let oil companies off the hook for the environmental damage done by abandoned wells, while Lawrie McFarlane notes that Alberta is facing the consequences of its own disdain for the rest of Canada.
- Annie Lowrey discusses how essential workers have been consistently undervalued due to political choices. And Patty Coates, Jan Simpson and Pablo Godoy discuss the need to ensure legal protections for workers' rights in the wake of Foodora fleeing the country after its attempt to find a loophole in employment law failed.
- Meanwhile, Vanessa Brcic argues that we have a much-needed opportunity to better apply principles of equity and public health to the design of our social supports. Rutger Bregman implores us to take advantage of the opening to change the world for the better. And Laura Spinney interviews Thomas Piketty about the prospect that the response to COVID-19 will result in fairer societies.
- Gregory Beatty notes that social programs and safety regulations have been under neoliberal attack for decades. And Nam Kiwanuka highlights the dishonesty and inhumanity underlying the right-wing assumption that people receiving needed income support must be gaming the system.
- Susan Delacourt offers a reminder that Stephen Harper's last call for austerity and corporatism in the wake of a global crisis produced little benefit for anybody but the wealthy and well-connected. And Bruce Arthur notes that while Harper tries to deliver right-wing messages to an American audience, Canada faces the need to protect itself from the U.S.' reckless choice to let the coronavirus run wild in the name of Trump and profits.
- Finally, Matt Taibbi writes that the COVID-19 corporate bailout has once again offered the wealthiest Americans the opportunity to avoid any losses from their financial gambling. And Sharon Riley reports on Alberta's use of the pandemic to let oil companies off the hook for the environmental damage done by abandoned wells, while Lawrie McFarlane notes that Alberta is facing the consequences of its own disdain for the rest of Canada.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- The Globe and Mail's editorial board argues that Canada has put far too few resources toward actually stopping the spread of the coronavirus, focusing instead on immediate financial concerns rather than the underlying health issue. Justin Kong and Tsui Yee Wu make the case for ensuring that everybody has access to high-quality masks. Andre Picard highlights the importance of dramatically expanding our testing capacity before we let our guard down and resume business resembling the previous normal. And the Star's editorial board discusses how child care is an absolute must for our economy to recover.
- Andrea Horwath writes that Ontarians have had enough of long-term care oriented toward profit rather than residents' well-being. And Jen St. Denis writes about the human cost of treating housing primarily as a source of wealth and profits, rather than a human right to be provided to people who lack it.
- Isaac Chotiner interviews Arif Husain about the potential for COVID-19 to cause catastrophic hunger around the globe.
- Charlie Smith and David Climenhaga each offer reminders that Canada's oil sands are primarily owned by outside capital, meaning that even the benefits of any future price increases would mostly flow out of the country. And Geoff Dembicki reports on Deborah Lawrence's analysis suggesting that oil sands extraction is past its shelf life as a viable business model.
- Finally, Shannon Gormley discusses the warped interpretation of "liberty" being pushed by the fringe movement determined to endanger everybody in order to avoid even the least intrusive of public health measures.
- The Globe and Mail's editorial board argues that Canada has put far too few resources toward actually stopping the spread of the coronavirus, focusing instead on immediate financial concerns rather than the underlying health issue. Justin Kong and Tsui Yee Wu make the case for ensuring that everybody has access to high-quality masks. Andre Picard highlights the importance of dramatically expanding our testing capacity before we let our guard down and resume business resembling the previous normal. And the Star's editorial board discusses how child care is an absolute must for our economy to recover.
- Andrea Horwath writes that Ontarians have had enough of long-term care oriented toward profit rather than residents' well-being. And Jen St. Denis writes about the human cost of treating housing primarily as a source of wealth and profits, rather than a human right to be provided to people who lack it.
- Isaac Chotiner interviews Arif Husain about the potential for COVID-19 to cause catastrophic hunger around the globe.
- Charlie Smith and David Climenhaga each offer reminders that Canada's oil sands are primarily owned by outside capital, meaning that even the benefits of any future price increases would mostly flow out of the country. And Geoff Dembicki reports on Deborah Lawrence's analysis suggesting that oil sands extraction is past its shelf life as a viable business model.
- Finally, Shannon Gormley discusses the warped interpretation of "liberty" being pushed by the fringe movement determined to endanger everybody in order to avoid even the least intrusive of public health measures.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- PressProgress discusses now polling showing that a strong majority of Canadians favour a broad transformation of our society in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, with a focus on health and well-being. Tamara Lorincz suggests that we take the opportunity to withdraw from the purchase of fighter jets in order to put tens of billions of dollars toward more important ends. George Monbiot writes about the opportunity to make education more focused on the ecology which sustains us. And Naheed Dosani notes that the immediate response to COVID-19 demonstrates that there's no excuse for allowing homelessness to exist in Canada.
- Meanwhile, Andrew Jackson makes the case for any funding to large corporations being tied to equity stakes and consideration of larger social goals. Aaron Wherry discusses the minimal requirement that recipients of federal bailout money give at least a modicum of thought to climate change. And Tom Sanzillo notes that loans to the fossil fuel sector are virtually certain to turn out to be an utter waste of money.
- But in case anybody was under the impression that there would be anything less than a furious push to use COVID-19 to exacerbate the problems which led to its devastating impact, Jesse Snyder reports on corporate lobbying to eliminate any consideration of social and financial requirements in evaluating infrastructure projects. And Stephen Harper never passes up an opportunity to demand austerity and corporate obeisance, rather than making any effort to build a stronger society - while Grace Blakeley recognizes that the effort is based on little more than attempting to convince people not to believe their own eyes in seeing how public investment can make them better off.
- Finally, Jason Warick reports on the push from Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy Commissioner - among many others - to ensure that the public has accurate information about the spread of COVID-19 in the face of the Moe government's inclination toward secrecy. And Adam Hunter reports on Moe's concurrent refusal to allow for any legislative accountability, while Murray Mandryk points out the absolute lack of justification for that stance.
- PressProgress discusses now polling showing that a strong majority of Canadians favour a broad transformation of our society in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, with a focus on health and well-being. Tamara Lorincz suggests that we take the opportunity to withdraw from the purchase of fighter jets in order to put tens of billions of dollars toward more important ends. George Monbiot writes about the opportunity to make education more focused on the ecology which sustains us. And Naheed Dosani notes that the immediate response to COVID-19 demonstrates that there's no excuse for allowing homelessness to exist in Canada.
- Meanwhile, Andrew Jackson makes the case for any funding to large corporations being tied to equity stakes and consideration of larger social goals. Aaron Wherry discusses the minimal requirement that recipients of federal bailout money give at least a modicum of thought to climate change. And Tom Sanzillo notes that loans to the fossil fuel sector are virtually certain to turn out to be an utter waste of money.
- But in case anybody was under the impression that there would be anything less than a furious push to use COVID-19 to exacerbate the problems which led to its devastating impact, Jesse Snyder reports on corporate lobbying to eliminate any consideration of social and financial requirements in evaluating infrastructure projects. And Stephen Harper never passes up an opportunity to demand austerity and corporate obeisance, rather than making any effort to build a stronger society - while Grace Blakeley recognizes that the effort is based on little more than attempting to convince people not to believe their own eyes in seeing how public investment can make them better off.
- Finally, Jason Warick reports on the push from Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy Commissioner - among many others - to ensure that the public has accurate information about the spread of COVID-19 in the face of the Moe government's inclination toward secrecy. And Adam Hunter reports on Moe's concurrent refusal to allow for any legislative accountability, while Murray Mandryk points out the absolute lack of justification for that stance.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Jim Stanford highlights the drastic difference between Canada's already-high official unemployment rate, and the much higher level of loss of work. And Aaron Wherry discusses how the workers with the least are bearing the greatest risks arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Jean Twenge examines the damage the coronavirus crisis has caused to mental health - particularly for parents. And Gilbert Ngabo reports on the extreme precarity facing one lower-income family.
- Michael Rachlis argues that long-term care facilities should be built as communities rather than warehouses for their residents. And Gary Mason makes the case to bring seniors' care under the Canada Health Act.
- Gary Stevenson points out how the rich were able to consolidate their wealth and control in the wake of the 2008 crash - and warns us not to it that happen again.
- Alex Hemingway summarizes why we shouldn't let deficit or debt scolds get in the way of investing in relief and recovery from COVID-19. And Nesrine Malik notes that a combination of austerity and corporatism explains why the coronavirus has been particularly destructive in the U.S. and the UK.
- Finally, PressProgress examines the destructive protests aimed at Vancouver health care workers and facilities. And Andrea Huncar reports that Edmonton's police are being warned about far-right extremists emboldened by the lack of any response to their threats of violence.
- Jim Stanford highlights the drastic difference between Canada's already-high official unemployment rate, and the much higher level of loss of work. And Aaron Wherry discusses how the workers with the least are bearing the greatest risks arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Jean Twenge examines the damage the coronavirus crisis has caused to mental health - particularly for parents. And Gilbert Ngabo reports on the extreme precarity facing one lower-income family.
- Michael Rachlis argues that long-term care facilities should be built as communities rather than warehouses for their residents. And Gary Mason makes the case to bring seniors' care under the Canada Health Act.
- Gary Stevenson points out how the rich were able to consolidate their wealth and control in the wake of the 2008 crash - and warns us not to it that happen again.
- Alex Hemingway summarizes why we shouldn't let deficit or debt scolds get in the way of investing in relief and recovery from COVID-19. And Nesrine Malik notes that a combination of austerity and corporatism explains why the coronavirus has been particularly destructive in the U.S. and the UK.
- Finally, PressProgress examines the destructive protests aimed at Vancouver health care workers and facilities. And Andrea Huncar reports that Edmonton's police are being warned about far-right extremists emboldened by the lack of any response to their threats of violence.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Monday Morning Links
Assorted content to start your week.
- John Nichols writes about Pramila Jayapal's recognition that mass unemployment is a policy choice - and her plan for wage supports to make sure workers aren't left without needed income. Nicole Aschoff discusses how profiteers have been taking advantage of programs set up to favour the businesses least in need of support. And Regan Boychuk rightly slams Jason Kenney for insisting that recovery funding be few into zombie oil companies.
- Meanwhile, Duncan Kinney talks to one of the Cargill workers put at risk by the joint neglect of their employer and the UCP. PressProgress exposes Amazon's rush to take even unpaid leaves of absence away from its employees. Jan Malek points out that we can't protect against the disproportionate risks to residents of long-term care homes without addressing the working conditions of the people who care for them. And Paul Daley examines how work may change once the coronavirus lockdown is over.
- Catherine Wedge interviews Alex Neve about the human rights implications of the pandemic. And Ritika Goel discusses how the coronavirus poses extra dangers for people who already lack secure housing or social supports, while Megan Pietrus points out that the response to date has largely left homeless people behind.
- Finally, Philippe Lagassé and Srdjan Vucetic make the case that Canada's response to COVID-19 needs to include distancing ourselves from the U.S. - both due to its negligence in allowing the disease to spread, and its unreliability as a primary trading partner. Linda McQuaig writes that there's no excuse for appeasing the U.S. by continuing sanctions on vulnerable nations, particularly at a time when deprivation anywhere endangers people around the globe. And Gavin Charles and Shannon Kindornay argue that we should be boosting our international aid to ensure a full and fair recovery.
- John Nichols writes about Pramila Jayapal's recognition that mass unemployment is a policy choice - and her plan for wage supports to make sure workers aren't left without needed income. Nicole Aschoff discusses how profiteers have been taking advantage of programs set up to favour the businesses least in need of support. And Regan Boychuk rightly slams Jason Kenney for insisting that recovery funding be few into zombie oil companies.
- Meanwhile, Duncan Kinney talks to one of the Cargill workers put at risk by the joint neglect of their employer and the UCP. PressProgress exposes Amazon's rush to take even unpaid leaves of absence away from its employees. Jan Malek points out that we can't protect against the disproportionate risks to residents of long-term care homes without addressing the working conditions of the people who care for them. And Paul Daley examines how work may change once the coronavirus lockdown is over.
- Catherine Wedge interviews Alex Neve about the human rights implications of the pandemic. And Ritika Goel discusses how the coronavirus poses extra dangers for people who already lack secure housing or social supports, while Megan Pietrus points out that the response to date has largely left homeless people behind.
- Finally, Philippe Lagassé and Srdjan Vucetic make the case that Canada's response to COVID-19 needs to include distancing ourselves from the U.S. - both due to its negligence in allowing the disease to spread, and its unreliability as a primary trading partner. Linda McQuaig writes that there's no excuse for appeasing the U.S. by continuing sanctions on vulnerable nations, particularly at a time when deprivation anywhere endangers people around the globe. And Gavin Charles and Shannon Kindornay argue that we should be boosting our international aid to ensure a full and fair recovery.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Ronan Burtenshaw discusses the British public's strong support for a New Deal featuring higher wages and more fair tax contributions by the rich as the UK plans for a recovery from the coronavirus. But Naomi Klein calls out how COVID-19 is instead being used to give all the more power to tech billionaires who only want to remake society to enhance their power and goose their profits.
- The Economist points out the increasingly-glaring gap between the real economy and the stock market. And Chuck Collins discusses how the wealthiest few in the U.S. are only getting richer through the pandemic which has left nearly everybody else in a precarious financial position, while J.C. Pan likewise recognizes that billionaires are swallowing the rest of the economy whole.
- Meanwhile, Paul Krugman highlights the reasons why Republicans are determined not to help Americans facing hunger and hardship.
- Victoria Gill reports on Mark Carney's recognition that self-isolation won't save us from the effects of a climate breakdown. And Nina Lakhani discusses new researching showing that dangerous heart and humidity are on the rise.
- Finally, Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze observes that a full building retrofit program would work wonders both in ensuring sustainable development and reducing the damage we do to our planet. And Sean McElwee, Julian NoiseCat and John Ray note that U.S. voters are all the more supportive of a Green New Deal in light of the need for massive public investments to sustain and rebuild economic activity in any event.
- Ronan Burtenshaw discusses the British public's strong support for a New Deal featuring higher wages and more fair tax contributions by the rich as the UK plans for a recovery from the coronavirus. But Naomi Klein calls out how COVID-19 is instead being used to give all the more power to tech billionaires who only want to remake society to enhance their power and goose their profits.
- The Economist points out the increasingly-glaring gap between the real economy and the stock market. And Chuck Collins discusses how the wealthiest few in the U.S. are only getting richer through the pandemic which has left nearly everybody else in a precarious financial position, while J.C. Pan likewise recognizes that billionaires are swallowing the rest of the economy whole.
- Meanwhile, Paul Krugman highlights the reasons why Republicans are determined not to help Americans facing hunger and hardship.
- Victoria Gill reports on Mark Carney's recognition that self-isolation won't save us from the effects of a climate breakdown. And Nina Lakhani discusses new researching showing that dangerous heart and humidity are on the rise.
- Finally, Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze observes that a full building retrofit program would work wonders both in ensuring sustainable development and reducing the damage we do to our planet. And Sean McElwee, Julian NoiseCat and John Ray note that U.S. voters are all the more supportive of a Green New Deal in light of the need for massive public investments to sustain and rebuild economic activity in any event.
Saturday, May 09, 2020
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- The Book Dad highlights how labour unions can help to reduce the economic uncertainty workers otherwise face. Nicholas Kristof points out that workers elsewhere already have far superior wages and benefits to what's treated as the default in the U.S. (and to a lesser extent Canada). And Steven Greenhouse writes that U.S. union activism is spiking as workers are put in danger by the coronavirus.
- Jamelle Bouie highlights the racist conception of "liberty" behind the U.S.' COVID-19 denial movement, while PressProgress examines the bizarre groups behind the Canadian equivalent. And Michael Hiltzik notes that a callous disregard for the lives of anybody aside from a few wealthy insiders is nothing new in the U.S., while Ethan Cox notes that Canada is also rife with corporate hacks eager to trade lives for temporary profits.
- Stephanie Taylor and Kyle Benning each report on some of the Saskatchewan businesses who have seen the provincial government announce their reopening without taking steps to ensure they can do so safely. But as long as it's golf you're after, the Sask Party is prepared to dedicate its constant attention to updating and relaxing any health requirements.
- Finally, David Macdonald analyzes how the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have disproportionately fallen on vulnerable workers. And Kim Brooks writes that the appropriate approach to Mothers' Day should be to ensure equal pay and opportunities, not merely offer a one-time gift as an excuse for continued unfairness.
- The Book Dad highlights how labour unions can help to reduce the economic uncertainty workers otherwise face. Nicholas Kristof points out that workers elsewhere already have far superior wages and benefits to what's treated as the default in the U.S. (and to a lesser extent Canada). And Steven Greenhouse writes that U.S. union activism is spiking as workers are put in danger by the coronavirus.
- Jamelle Bouie highlights the racist conception of "liberty" behind the U.S.' COVID-19 denial movement, while PressProgress examines the bizarre groups behind the Canadian equivalent. And Michael Hiltzik notes that a callous disregard for the lives of anybody aside from a few wealthy insiders is nothing new in the U.S., while Ethan Cox notes that Canada is also rife with corporate hacks eager to trade lives for temporary profits.
- Stephanie Taylor and Kyle Benning each report on some of the Saskatchewan businesses who have seen the provincial government announce their reopening without taking steps to ensure they can do so safely. But as long as it's golf you're after, the Sask Party is prepared to dedicate its constant attention to updating and relaxing any health requirements.
- Finally, David Macdonald analyzes how the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have disproportionately fallen on vulnerable workers. And Kim Brooks writes that the appropriate approach to Mothers' Day should be to ensure equal pay and opportunities, not merely offer a one-time gift as an excuse for continued unfairness.
On necessary steps
Following up on the status of Saskatchewan's pending provincial election, let's note how it fits into one Scott Moe's refusal to reconvene the Legislature.
Here's what the Chief Electoral Officer has had to say about the province's options:
Even if there weren't many other compelling reasons to recall Saskatchewan's legislature immediately, it's a must if we're going to have a safe and fair election. And if Moe is once again prioritizing political games over fundamental concerns including public health and electoral integrity, then Saskatchewan's citizens will have every reason to take away his control over our government.
Here's what the Chief Electoral Officer has had to say about the province's options:
On Monday, Michael Boda sent Premier Scott Moe and the House leaders in government and Opposition a set of recommendations on what is needed before people cast their ballots.
"This has to be in the very near future. We are not talking weeks from now, but days from now in order to confirm that I would be getting assistance," Boda told CBC News on Tuesday.
...
Boda said he will need legislators to work together to give him the emergency powers to adjust the electoral process in order to "reduce risk of COVID-19 and adjust for inefficiencies that come as a result."In other words, the Chief Electoral Officer has made clear that even if Scott Moe has run out the clock on any opportunity to move toward a full mail-in system, legislative changes will be needed in the very near future to allow him to do his job. And the Saskatchewan Party's response has been...to slow-play any response even while claiming to accept the recommendation.
Section 7 of the Election Act does not afford the chief electoral officer powers during a pandemic.
Boda said if, for example, there needs to be an increase in absentee ballots, he would need to adjust the system to secure more of those ballots.
Even if there weren't many other compelling reasons to recall Saskatchewan's legislature immediately, it's a must if we're going to have a safe and fair election. And if Moe is once again prioritizing political games over fundamental concerns including public health and electoral integrity, then Saskatchewan's citizens will have every reason to take away his control over our government.
Friday, May 08, 2020
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Irfan Dhalla argues that we have a choice between merely containing COVID-19 and outright eradicating it - and that we'll be far better off pursuing the latter option. And Jim Pankratz writes that we should be entirely willing - and indeed happy - to deal with the amount we borrow collectively to avoid the worst of a pandemic, rather than accepting a massive death toll in a futile attempt to maintain a facade of economic activity.
- Meanwhile, Donna Lu reports on the positive effects of Finland's basic income experiment even before it was overlaid with an immediate health risk associated with service work.
- Keith Leslie highlights how for-profit service has long been recognized as a problem in Ontario's long-term care homes. And Amina Jabbar and Danyaal Raza make the case to eliminate the profit motive, while Kathleen Harris recognizes a growing movement for a national and universal public system.
- Doug Cuthand writes about the dangers of the spread of COVID-19 through northern Saskatchewan.
- Chloe Alexander and Anna Stanley expose how the fossil fuel sector is trying to exploit the coronavirus to dodge environmental obligations and demand public money to prop up an industry already dying of natural causes. And Josh Sigurdson reports that Scott Moe is pushing for a bailout for the CFL while refusing to offer anything more than pennies for people facing immediate shortages of housing, food and other necessities.
- Finally, Charlotte Hill, Jacob Grumbach, Adam Bonica and Hakeem Jefferson rightly argue that voters shouldn't be forced to vote in person - particularly in the midst of a pandemic where the result is a danger to the health of everybody involved. But Arthur White-Crummey reports that Elections Saskatchewan is warning that it isn't ready for a ballot by mail this fall - in large part because Moe's games around a snap election prevented it from preparing through 2020 so far.
- Irfan Dhalla argues that we have a choice between merely containing COVID-19 and outright eradicating it - and that we'll be far better off pursuing the latter option. And Jim Pankratz writes that we should be entirely willing - and indeed happy - to deal with the amount we borrow collectively to avoid the worst of a pandemic, rather than accepting a massive death toll in a futile attempt to maintain a facade of economic activity.
- Meanwhile, Donna Lu reports on the positive effects of Finland's basic income experiment even before it was overlaid with an immediate health risk associated with service work.
- Keith Leslie highlights how for-profit service has long been recognized as a problem in Ontario's long-term care homes. And Amina Jabbar and Danyaal Raza make the case to eliminate the profit motive, while Kathleen Harris recognizes a growing movement for a national and universal public system.
- Doug Cuthand writes about the dangers of the spread of COVID-19 through northern Saskatchewan.
- Chloe Alexander and Anna Stanley expose how the fossil fuel sector is trying to exploit the coronavirus to dodge environmental obligations and demand public money to prop up an industry already dying of natural causes. And Josh Sigurdson reports that Scott Moe is pushing for a bailout for the CFL while refusing to offer anything more than pennies for people facing immediate shortages of housing, food and other necessities.
- Finally, Charlotte Hill, Jacob Grumbach, Adam Bonica and Hakeem Jefferson rightly argue that voters shouldn't be forced to vote in person - particularly in the midst of a pandemic where the result is a danger to the health of everybody involved. But Arthur White-Crummey reports that Elections Saskatchewan is warning that it isn't ready for a ballot by mail this fall - in large part because Moe's games around a snap election prevented it from preparing through 2020 so far.
Wednesday, May 06, 2020
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Polly Toynbee writes that the coronavirus has highlighted how poverty kills - and how a concerted fight against inequality is a precondition to a healthier society:
- Kim Stanley Robinson discusses both the ongoing risks arising from the disruption of the status quo ante, and the opportunity to plan out the society we want to build. And Ryan Meili points out the importance of ensuring that any reopening plan prioritizes people over corporate interests, while Katrina Miller sets out a test to determine whether any bailout proposal fits that bill.
- Aaron Wherry writes about fundamental unfairness of the risks of COVID-19 being borne disproportionately by people already facing the challenges of low incomes and insecure work - particularly when conservative politicians are eager to push more and more people into that type of precarity. David Macdonald finds that over half a million low-income workers are effectively being threatened with the loss of their current income supports if they refuse unsafe work. Sujatha Gidla discusses how the workers continuing to provide services in the course of a pandemic are being treated as sacrificial rather than essential. And David Fairey makes the case for paid sick leave as one necessary boost to the security available to workers, while PressProgress calls out Cargill for instead creating deliberate incentives for workers to stay on the job while sick and contagious.
- Finally, David Sheppard argues that the collapse in demand and prices in the wake of the coronavirus is only a preview of what the future holds for the fossil fuel sector. And Mike Moffatt and John McNally discuss how to rebuild our economy while also ensuring that we do our utmost to avoid a climate calamity.
- Polly Toynbee writes that the coronavirus has highlighted how poverty kills - and how a concerted fight against inequality is a precondition to a healthier society:
This time the coronavirus epidemic touches everyone, as all can see who is harmed most. This time, double the death rate for the low-paid, their coffins soon piling up twice as fast in Blackpool or Middlesbrough as in the richest parts of the country, may deliver a shock on the political Richter scale rarely registered before.- Meanwhile, both John Harris and Max Fawcett write that the need for a public income backstop in the wake of COVID-19 should help to make the case for a basic income more generally.
Years of research show the social gradient of death is not a poverty cliff-edge but that it runs in a straight line from bottom to top: on the graph people get gradually healthier as they get richer...
...
What kills is inequality itself. Beyond the struggle to get by, it’s the stigma of disrespect, the lack of choice or agency. Disempowerment makes people ill and die young.
Marmot’s report in February measured the steep deterioration in health inequality in England since 2010: the rise in child poverty, insecure work, food banks, worsened living conditions “with insufficient money to lead a healthy life”, and the loss of children’s centres. “Austerity,” he warned, “will cast a long shadow over the lives of the children born and growing up under its effects.”
Is he surprised that Covid-19 is not a leveller, but has double the death rate in deprived districts? “It’s exactly what I expected,” he told me this week. “Most diseases follow the social gradient. The poor are most likely to suffer hypertension, COPD [a lung condition], obesity – all carrying a greater risk of fatal infection. The poor are older biologically, ageing faster.”
...
...Inequality is responsible for the longevity decline, and this government has no chance of reversing it without radically transforming life chances. Five more years of healthy life? We must hold the government’s feet to the fire on that promise. The virus has shone a light on the facts of British life and death.
- Kim Stanley Robinson discusses both the ongoing risks arising from the disruption of the status quo ante, and the opportunity to plan out the society we want to build. And Ryan Meili points out the importance of ensuring that any reopening plan prioritizes people over corporate interests, while Katrina Miller sets out a test to determine whether any bailout proposal fits that bill.
- Aaron Wherry writes about fundamental unfairness of the risks of COVID-19 being borne disproportionately by people already facing the challenges of low incomes and insecure work - particularly when conservative politicians are eager to push more and more people into that type of precarity. David Macdonald finds that over half a million low-income workers are effectively being threatened with the loss of their current income supports if they refuse unsafe work. Sujatha Gidla discusses how the workers continuing to provide services in the course of a pandemic are being treated as sacrificial rather than essential. And David Fairey makes the case for paid sick leave as one necessary boost to the security available to workers, while PressProgress calls out Cargill for instead creating deliberate incentives for workers to stay on the job while sick and contagious.
- Finally, David Sheppard argues that the collapse in demand and prices in the wake of the coronavirus is only a preview of what the future holds for the fossil fuel sector. And Mike Moffatt and John McNally discuss how to rebuild our economy while also ensuring that we do our utmost to avoid a climate calamity.
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Sheila Block highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the profits accruing to the wealthy few while putting added pressure on everybody else. Chris Brooks notes that the corporate push for "reopening" is occurring with full knowledge that it represents a sacrifice of workers' lives. And Guy Ryder writes about the need for a new and better normal when it comes to protecting workers.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the failure of Ontario's Ministry of Labour to uphold a single complaint about work safety in the face of COVID-19. And Richard Florida points out that workers have largely been left to themselves to demand change in the system designed to treat them as expendable.
- Meanwhile, Jason Koebler reports on Tim Bray's resignation from Amazon over its firing and smearing of workers trying to ensure the safety of themselves and their colleagues.
- Canadians for Tax Fairness notes that in addition to endangering the lives of employees and then using racial prejudice to blame them for a COVID-19 outbreak, Cargill's billionaire owners have a well-documented history of using tax havens to avoid contributing to the public good.
- Finally, Lucas Edmonds discusses Brian Pallister's disaster capitalism as he uses a crisis to try to further undermine Manitoba's already-precarious public services. And Colin Mcaullife and Jason Ganz respond to Marc Andreesson by calling out the political barriers to building a better world:
- Sheila Block highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the profits accruing to the wealthy few while putting added pressure on everybody else. Chris Brooks notes that the corporate push for "reopening" is occurring with full knowledge that it represents a sacrifice of workers' lives. And Guy Ryder writes about the need for a new and better normal when it comes to protecting workers.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the failure of Ontario's Ministry of Labour to uphold a single complaint about work safety in the face of COVID-19. And Richard Florida points out that workers have largely been left to themselves to demand change in the system designed to treat them as expendable.
- Meanwhile, Jason Koebler reports on Tim Bray's resignation from Amazon over its firing and smearing of workers trying to ensure the safety of themselves and their colleagues.
- Canadians for Tax Fairness notes that in addition to endangering the lives of employees and then using racial prejudice to blame them for a COVID-19 outbreak, Cargill's billionaire owners have a well-documented history of using tax havens to avoid contributing to the public good.
- Finally, Lucas Edmonds discusses Brian Pallister's disaster capitalism as he uses a crisis to try to further undermine Manitoba's already-precarious public services. And Colin Mcaullife and Jason Ganz respond to Marc Andreesson by calling out the political barriers to building a better world:
(T)he question remains: why has the US refused to use public resources for the benefit of the public? The answer is again a matter of political power. The ruling class has made the conscious choice that every aspect of life should be a site for profit extraction, and that the public sector exists primarily to create and maintain the conditions that allow extraction to occur. While some refer to this as “unfettered capitalism”, the truth is that capitalism is itself a system of fetters that are placed on society to allow private property owners to accumulate money by taking it from the productive parts of the economy.
This is why we have ostensible social insurance programs that are designed to humiliate people who are struggling and force them to jump through hoops or else be denied their benefit. The government lacks the infrastructure to send checks to individuals, but it possesses the infrastructure to shore up the finances of banks and large corporations at the snap of a finger. State capacity exists in abundance, but it is deployed for the benefit of a small number of private property owners, not for society as a whole. The idea that this state of affairs represents a lack of desire on the part of ordinary people and not an immoral and unjustified set of priorities on the part of the small number of people in the country who are capable of setting policy is manifestly untrue.
...
Acknowledging the role of public investment in innovation leads to two important conclusions. The first is that we should do a lot more of it, perhaps by as much as 3-4% of GDP per year. Contrary to narratives about public spending “crowding out” private investments, there is good reason to believe that public R&D actually “crowds in” private R&D. One paper estimated that a 10% increase in public R&D spending would induce an additional 4.3% in private R&D spending. A large expansion in public R&D would also create millions of jobs, and not just for those who are highly educated. Research facilities can sustain vibrant communities with opportunities available to people from all walks of life.The second conclusion is that once we recognize that innovation in modern economies requires that we socialize much of the associated costs and risks, then we also must ensure that the benefits that come from projects that are ultimately successful are broadly shared. This should be accomplished both in financial terms, by using a portion of the profits generated by successful projects on social spending, as well as in nonfinancial terms, by prioritizing development of technology with high societal value.
Monday, May 04, 2020
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Scott Aquanno writes about the role the Bank of Canada has played so far in responding to COVID-19, while also recognizing that a new public bank could and should do far more to ensure we invest in a sustainable economy rather than plunging into austerity.
- Paul Krugman discusses the disconnect between the dire reality facing most of the U.S.' population, and the partial rebound of stock prices based on the expectation that it will still be possible to extract wealth from the general public. Tracey Tully writes about the continued spread of massive food bank queues in states with no lack of overall wealth. And Jonathan Mijs points out some of the lessons about inequality which are highlighted by the coronavirus crisis.
- PressProgress exposes Amazon's lobbying of the federal government before it was handed logistical responsibility which would normally have been kept within the public sector.
- Madeleine Cummings reports on the plight of migrant workers who don't share the access to health care that keeps other Canadians comparatively healthy in the midst of a pandemic.
- Finally, Louise Kyle writes that any vaccine for COVID-19 needs to be treated as a public good available to all, rather than a profit centre meted out only to people who can pay big pharma's prices. And Carl Bergstrom and Natalie Dean explain why a vaccine is ultimately the only viable option to reach herd immunity by pointing out the ramifications of allowing a deadly disease to run rampant.
- Scott Aquanno writes about the role the Bank of Canada has played so far in responding to COVID-19, while also recognizing that a new public bank could and should do far more to ensure we invest in a sustainable economy rather than plunging into austerity.
- Paul Krugman discusses the disconnect between the dire reality facing most of the U.S.' population, and the partial rebound of stock prices based on the expectation that it will still be possible to extract wealth from the general public. Tracey Tully writes about the continued spread of massive food bank queues in states with no lack of overall wealth. And Jonathan Mijs points out some of the lessons about inequality which are highlighted by the coronavirus crisis.
- PressProgress exposes Amazon's lobbying of the federal government before it was handed logistical responsibility which would normally have been kept within the public sector.
- Madeleine Cummings reports on the plight of migrant workers who don't share the access to health care that keeps other Canadians comparatively healthy in the midst of a pandemic.
- Finally, Louise Kyle writes that any vaccine for COVID-19 needs to be treated as a public good available to all, rather than a profit centre meted out only to people who can pay big pharma's prices. And Carl Bergstrom and Natalie Dean explain why a vaccine is ultimately the only viable option to reach herd immunity by pointing out the ramifications of allowing a deadly disease to run rampant.
Sunday, May 03, 2020
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Jason Warick reports on the concern of doctors that Scott Moe's insistence on reducing protections against the spread of COVID-19 doesn't take into account the health of older or less healthy residents. And Sheri Lecker notes that the social isolation imposed so far - and continued in most existing plans - is particularly difficult for our most vulnerable neighbours.
- Meanwhile, Alicia Bridges reports on the Saskatchewan Health Authority's choice to keep the public in the dark about a Lloydminster outbreak as Moe was pushing the "reopening" line.
- Meredith Haggerty notes that a business lockdown has many consumers rediscovering the concept of thrift. And Michael Roberts examines the psychological effects we can expect even once we move past the direct limitations on activity.
- Heather Scoffield points out that Justin Trudeau's relief plans have failed to respond to the gender effects of the coronavirus crisis. Jeff Booth argues that COVID-19 will allow us to put an end to crony capitalism if we push for that result. And Robert Palmer sees an opportunity to finally apply reasonable taxes to rich people and large corporations, while Atul Shah makes the case to include limits on the use of tax havens as part of the price of public bailouts for businesses.
- Finally, Ian Welsh notes that COVID-19 has exposed our inability to do even basic things like provide personal protective equipment for workers.
- Jason Warick reports on the concern of doctors that Scott Moe's insistence on reducing protections against the spread of COVID-19 doesn't take into account the health of older or less healthy residents. And Sheri Lecker notes that the social isolation imposed so far - and continued in most existing plans - is particularly difficult for our most vulnerable neighbours.
- Meanwhile, Alicia Bridges reports on the Saskatchewan Health Authority's choice to keep the public in the dark about a Lloydminster outbreak as Moe was pushing the "reopening" line.
- Meredith Haggerty notes that a business lockdown has many consumers rediscovering the concept of thrift. And Michael Roberts examines the psychological effects we can expect even once we move past the direct limitations on activity.
- Heather Scoffield points out that Justin Trudeau's relief plans have failed to respond to the gender effects of the coronavirus crisis. Jeff Booth argues that COVID-19 will allow us to put an end to crony capitalism if we push for that result. And Robert Palmer sees an opportunity to finally apply reasonable taxes to rich people and large corporations, while Atul Shah makes the case to include limits on the use of tax havens as part of the price of public bailouts for businesses.
- Finally, Ian Welsh notes that COVID-19 has exposed our inability to do even basic things like provide personal protective equipment for workers.
Saturday, May 02, 2020
Saturday Morning Links
This and that for your Saturday reading.
- Ed Yong writes about the many complexities surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, including how much we have left to figure out before being able to make any concrete plans.
- Leonardo Trasande and Akhgar Ghassabian discuss how chemicals in our homes may be exacerbating the damage done by COVID-19.
- Claire Kelloway highlights how concentration in food processing and distribution has led to both waste and shortages in the wake of a pandemic which inevitably finds its way into large facilities, while Oliver Laughland and Amanda Holpuch examine how meat plants have become the frontline in the war against the coronavirus. And Licia Corbella discusses how Jason Kenney's government and Alberta meat packers likewise refused to keep workers safe in the face of clear warnings and obvious outbreaks, while Ysh Cabana writes about the abuse and subsequent scapegoating of Filipino workers.
- Edward Ongweso Jr. takes note of the latest research showing that in addition to better protecting health and safety and securing higher wages, unions also make employers more productive. The Los Angeles Times' editorial board highlights the need for improved pay and treatment for food sector workers. But Eric Levitz observes that the Republicans' priority in negotiations around any coronavirus relief is to make workers poorer and less safe, while Steven Greenhouse writes about Donald Trump's choice to order workers to their deaths when COVID-19 spread in overly concentrated workplaces.
- Finally, Justin Ling tests the Libs' claim that they're taking steps to avoid the spread of COVID-19 through Canada's prison system, and finds virtually no work being done to release people whose continued incarceration only endangers themselves and others.
- Ed Yong writes about the many complexities surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, including how much we have left to figure out before being able to make any concrete plans.
- Leonardo Trasande and Akhgar Ghassabian discuss how chemicals in our homes may be exacerbating the damage done by COVID-19.
- Claire Kelloway highlights how concentration in food processing and distribution has led to both waste and shortages in the wake of a pandemic which inevitably finds its way into large facilities, while Oliver Laughland and Amanda Holpuch examine how meat plants have become the frontline in the war against the coronavirus. And Licia Corbella discusses how Jason Kenney's government and Alberta meat packers likewise refused to keep workers safe in the face of clear warnings and obvious outbreaks, while Ysh Cabana writes about the abuse and subsequent scapegoating of Filipino workers.
- Edward Ongweso Jr. takes note of the latest research showing that in addition to better protecting health and safety and securing higher wages, unions also make employers more productive. The Los Angeles Times' editorial board highlights the need for improved pay and treatment for food sector workers. But Eric Levitz observes that the Republicans' priority in negotiations around any coronavirus relief is to make workers poorer and less safe, while Steven Greenhouse writes about Donald Trump's choice to order workers to their deaths when COVID-19 spread in overly concentrated workplaces.
- Finally, Justin Ling tests the Libs' claim that they're taking steps to avoid the spread of COVID-19 through Canada's prison system, and finds virtually no work being done to release people whose continued incarceration only endangers themselves and others.
On incentive structures
Sure, this is one possible interpretation of the choices facing low-income parents whose school and child care have been taken away:
But I'm sure your local Conservative would argue people are simply being given appropriate incentives to work rather than parenting.This is heartbreaking: One family decided to voluntarily put their two children into a foster home so they could be cared for. https://t.co/jpCxKVDzik— Natascia Lypny (@wordpuddle) May 2, 2020
Friday, May 01, 2020
Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Bruce Campbell highlights how corporate greed isn't limited by a public health emergency. And indeed, the Canadian Press reports on a record amount of federal lobbying in February and March as entrenched interests seek to increase their wealth and power as a result of COVID-19.
- Meanwhile, Quinn Slobodian points out that corporate interests are counting on the rest of us doing nothing to push for change as a result of a glaring breakdown of our public health and support systems:
- The American Prospect examines the future of labour following the COVID-19 pandemic. Denise Balkissoon discusses the harm we do by undermining the rights of food sector workers, while Lauren Kaori Gurley reports on today's strikes of many major U.S. retailers. And Brett Nelson points out the need for organizing in response to the issues highlighted by the coronavirus to focus on issues which develop solidarity rather than undermining it.
- Finally, Bruce Arthur writes that we won't be able to defeat the coronavirus without fully working together - while noting that our treatment of people living with homelessness and precarious work falls far short of the mark.
- Bruce Campbell highlights how corporate greed isn't limited by a public health emergency. And indeed, the Canadian Press reports on a record amount of federal lobbying in February and March as entrenched interests seek to increase their wealth and power as a result of COVID-19.
- Meanwhile, Quinn Slobodian points out that corporate interests are counting on the rest of us doing nothing to push for change as a result of a glaring breakdown of our public health and support systems:
We have seen a world where capitalism stops. But it will start again. When America “reopens,” it will be much like the old America. Big companies will be bigger, ever more beholden to the leader for having saved them. Arguments for austerity will return in the wake of the unprecedented spending.- Anne Gaviola reports on the appalling exploitation of Canadians by payday lenders even as coronavirus relief is supposed to include access to affordable credit.
...
The next year will be a litany of the “workouts and turnarounds” that bankruptcy specialists are known for, ruthlessly wringing the value out of companies, while ignoring the human or social costs. Distressed debt funds are the loan sharks of the business world, and will feel no compunction about pursuing the bottom line. We have seen a preview of such dispassionate calculation in the last month, as stock values soared alongside record unemployment numbers and mounting deaths. The combination seemed shocking to some people, even scandalous. “The stock market doesn’t care about your feelings,” was the response of a Los Angeles Times business reporter, “nor should it.”
Covid-19 has left the economy in rubble, and we have a brief chance to build anew. But to avoid the vultures, we will have to be creative and work together. Freed from our quarantine, we can use the remains of our old society to construct new buildings, gardens, playgrounds, and, when necessary, barricades too.
- The American Prospect examines the future of labour following the COVID-19 pandemic. Denise Balkissoon discusses the harm we do by undermining the rights of food sector workers, while Lauren Kaori Gurley reports on today's strikes of many major U.S. retailers. And Brett Nelson points out the need for organizing in response to the issues highlighted by the coronavirus to focus on issues which develop solidarity rather than undermining it.
- Finally, Bruce Arthur writes that we won't be able to defeat the coronavirus without fully working together - while noting that our treatment of people living with homelessness and precarious work falls far short of the mark.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Maxwell Smith, Ross Upshur and James Downar warn us against mistaking a temporarily flattened curve for a final victory over the spread of COVID-19.
- Leilani Farha questions how it's possible for people to help fight the coronavirus by staying at home when they don't have a secure home to begin with. And Duncan Cameron suggests that we can provide needed community housing by repurposing spaces which no longer work for retail businesses.
- George Monbiot argues that we shouldn't be bailing out the fossil fuel sector (including airlines and the auto sector as currently structured) when it's based on a model which causes unconscionable damage to our planet. And in response to Jason Kenney's reactionary attacks on the concept of a Green New Deal, Bronwen Tucker highlights how Alberta would stand to benefit from a transition to clean energy.
- Finally, Ed Broadbent and Rick Smith set out a progressive framework for a COVID-19 recovery plan:
- Maxwell Smith, Ross Upshur and James Downar warn us against mistaking a temporarily flattened curve for a final victory over the spread of COVID-19.
- Leilani Farha questions how it's possible for people to help fight the coronavirus by staying at home when they don't have a secure home to begin with. And Duncan Cameron suggests that we can provide needed community housing by repurposing spaces which no longer work for retail businesses.
- George Monbiot argues that we shouldn't be bailing out the fossil fuel sector (including airlines and the auto sector as currently structured) when it's based on a model which causes unconscionable damage to our planet. And in response to Jason Kenney's reactionary attacks on the concept of a Green New Deal, Bronwen Tucker highlights how Alberta would stand to benefit from a transition to clean energy.
- Finally, Ed Broadbent and Rick Smith set out a progressive framework for a COVID-19 recovery plan:
1. Prioritize the needs of people. We need to work with employers to save and create jobs, but the focus should be on bettering the lives of individual Canadians. Financial aid to corporations should be much more conditional than in past rescue packages. Any recovery must ensure by law that public dollars are not diverted into exorbitant executive compensation packages, stock buybacks or increased dividend pay-outs.
2. Reinforce people’s economic and social rights. Temporary fixes must be changed into longer term reforms, such as reconfigured income supports to supplement EI; extension of the scope of public health care to home care, long-term care homes and universal public pharmacare; and the implementation of a “decent work” agenda with paid sick days and liveable wages.
3. Public investment. With families and corporations deep in debt even before the crisis, and with some sectors (such as tourism and oil and gas) very unlikely to recover quickly, public investment will have to drive recovery. Such investment should be focused on job-rich areas that deliver on our collective goals, like green infrastructure (renewables, energy conservation, public infrastructure) and affordable housing.
4. Transition to greater national self-sufficiency in some sectors. The global economy is here to stay, but we need to rebuild Canadian productive capacity to meet key needs such as food security and medical supplies rather than rely exclusively on global markets.
5. Spend what it takes. The Bank of Canada is providing the resources we need short term to support Canadians. A longer-term public investment program intended to address income inequality will also require radical tax reform, including taxation of wealth.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Andrew Nikiforuk highlights where we stand in responding to the coronavirus - including the dangers of declaring victory at a point where there's still every risk of waves of death.
- Janice Braden writes that the Saskatchewan Party's idea of reopening the province involves little more than prioritizing recreation for Scott Moe and his pals while failing to account for the needs of most of the province. And Michael Bramadat-Willcock reports on the particular fear in northern Saskatchewan that declarations that business is going back to the previous normal will undermine the region's attempt to control an existing outbreak.
- Gideon Meyerowitz-Kratz sums up the true nature of "herd immunity" (absent a vaccine) as the sacrifice of human lives to a preventable disease.
- The Globe and Mail's editorial board argues against obsessing over the money which will need to be borrowed to keep people afloat. And as part of a debate within the Star, Martine August highlights how it's far more realistic to expect landlords to forego some rent than to insist on tenants finding a way to pay it in the midst of a lockdown.
- Finally, PressProgress reports on the UPC's move to grab Alberta pensions and funnel them into the hands of AIMCO to fund its oil-sector donors. And Mitchell Beer discusses the appalling demands being made by the fossil fuel lobby to try to capitalize on the COVID-19 crisis.
- Andrew Nikiforuk highlights where we stand in responding to the coronavirus - including the dangers of declaring victory at a point where there's still every risk of waves of death.
- Janice Braden writes that the Saskatchewan Party's idea of reopening the province involves little more than prioritizing recreation for Scott Moe and his pals while failing to account for the needs of most of the province. And Michael Bramadat-Willcock reports on the particular fear in northern Saskatchewan that declarations that business is going back to the previous normal will undermine the region's attempt to control an existing outbreak.
- Gideon Meyerowitz-Kratz sums up the true nature of "herd immunity" (absent a vaccine) as the sacrifice of human lives to a preventable disease.
- The Globe and Mail's editorial board argues against obsessing over the money which will need to be borrowed to keep people afloat. And as part of a debate within the Star, Martine August highlights how it's far more realistic to expect landlords to forego some rent than to insist on tenants finding a way to pay it in the midst of a lockdown.
- Finally, PressProgress reports on the UPC's move to grab Alberta pensions and funnel them into the hands of AIMCO to fund its oil-sector donors. And Mitchell Beer discusses the appalling demands being made by the fossil fuel lobby to try to capitalize on the COVID-19 crisis.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Paul Wells explores how extensive planning for foreseeable pandemics was discarded or forgotten just as it mattered most.
- Ryan Meili highlights the importance of putting people first in determining how to ease restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus, while Missy Johnson looks at a few of the options to ameliorate our current level of inequality in the wake of a pandemic which has shown how precarity weakens us all.
And Adam Tooze writes that we shouldn't be obsessing over deficits or debt, particularly when it's being raised primarily as an excuse to push cruel austerity measures.
- Nafeez Ahmed notes that the coronavirus may provide the economic system shock which permanently shifts us away from dirty fossil fuels. And Brendan Haley discusses the need for public investment in clean energy systems to ensure a durable and sustainable recovery, while James Wilt argues for decommodifying public transit.
- Andrew Nikiforuk points out that the meatpackers which have become some of Canada's most dangerous vectors for the spread of COVID-19 ignored plenty of warnings to reach that point.
- Bill Blaikie makes the case to fulfill the promise of complete universal health care by ensuring people have the medicine they need.
- Finally, Dominic Rushe and Mona Chalabi discuss how the wealthiest few are exploiting the pandemic to make themselves even richer. And Jo Snyder provides responses to the Koch-funded talking points being used to argue for reckless disregard for the continued dangers of COVID-19.
- Paul Wells explores how extensive planning for foreseeable pandemics was discarded or forgotten just as it mattered most.
- Ryan Meili highlights the importance of putting people first in determining how to ease restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus, while Missy Johnson looks at a few of the options to ameliorate our current level of inequality in the wake of a pandemic which has shown how precarity weakens us all.
And Adam Tooze writes that we shouldn't be obsessing over deficits or debt, particularly when it's being raised primarily as an excuse to push cruel austerity measures.
- Nafeez Ahmed notes that the coronavirus may provide the economic system shock which permanently shifts us away from dirty fossil fuels. And Brendan Haley discusses the need for public investment in clean energy systems to ensure a durable and sustainable recovery, while James Wilt argues for decommodifying public transit.
- Andrew Nikiforuk points out that the meatpackers which have become some of Canada's most dangerous vectors for the spread of COVID-19 ignored plenty of warnings to reach that point.
- Bill Blaikie makes the case to fulfill the promise of complete universal health care by ensuring people have the medicine they need.
- Finally, Dominic Rushe and Mona Chalabi discuss how the wealthiest few are exploiting the pandemic to make themselves even richer. And Jo Snyder provides responses to the Koch-funded talking points being used to argue for reckless disregard for the continued dangers of COVID-19.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Rochelle Baker interviews David Suzuki about the lessons from the coronavirus pandemic which we should apply equally to the threat of a climate breakdown. And Mike Layton writes that we need a Green New Deal as our recovery program once the pause on physical interaction has passed.
- Meanwhile, Joe Cressy points out how cities need support to recover from a crisis which has dramatically undercut their revenues without affecting their provincially-imposed obligation to balance budgets.
- Richard Warnica discusses how confined residences including care homes, prisons and shelters have become the most dangerous transmission points for COVID-19 in Canada. And Michael Enright interviews Pat Armstrong about a long-term care system which has been set up to prioritize operator profit over the health of residents.
- Jo Snyder writes about the quarantine privilege which divides people between those who can engage in meaningful physical distancing and those whose work and life circumstances make it impossible to do so. Robert Reich makes a similar point while breaking down the latter group into the "essential", the "unpaid" and the "forgotten". And Kara Voght examines how the the U.S.' coronavirus relief package is designed to perpetuate existing inequalities and exclusions.
- Lisa Graves points out that the already-paltry "reopen" events are almost entirely the result of right-wing astroturfing. And Colin Horgan notes that there isn't a reality-based argument to ignore or facilitate the spread of a pandemic.
- Finally, Branko Milanovic writes that Donald Trump represents the end point of neoliberal ideology as a boss who doesn't hesitate to dismiss the lives and safety of the people he perceives as his servants.
- Rochelle Baker interviews David Suzuki about the lessons from the coronavirus pandemic which we should apply equally to the threat of a climate breakdown. And Mike Layton writes that we need a Green New Deal as our recovery program once the pause on physical interaction has passed.
- Meanwhile, Joe Cressy points out how cities need support to recover from a crisis which has dramatically undercut their revenues without affecting their provincially-imposed obligation to balance budgets.
- Richard Warnica discusses how confined residences including care homes, prisons and shelters have become the most dangerous transmission points for COVID-19 in Canada. And Michael Enright interviews Pat Armstrong about a long-term care system which has been set up to prioritize operator profit over the health of residents.
- Jo Snyder writes about the quarantine privilege which divides people between those who can engage in meaningful physical distancing and those whose work and life circumstances make it impossible to do so. Robert Reich makes a similar point while breaking down the latter group into the "essential", the "unpaid" and the "forgotten". And Kara Voght examines how the the U.S.' coronavirus relief package is designed to perpetuate existing inequalities and exclusions.
- Lisa Graves points out that the already-paltry "reopen" events are almost entirely the result of right-wing astroturfing. And Colin Horgan notes that there isn't a reality-based argument to ignore or facilitate the spread of a pandemic.
- Finally, Branko Milanovic writes that Donald Trump represents the end point of neoliberal ideology as a boss who doesn't hesitate to dismiss the lives and safety of the people he perceives as his servants.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Heather Scoffield points out some of the people who have been systematically excluded from any discussion about what steps need to be taken next in response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Althia Raj focuses on self-employed Canadians in particular. Simon Enoch is rightly aghast at the Saskatchewan Party's development of a "reopening" plan which makes no mention of, and fails to take into account, the needs of workers. And Laird Cronk writes about the importance of ensuring that the new society we build on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic recognizes and values the contributions of essential workers.
- Moira Walsh and Omar Mosleh report on the court ruling Ontario nurses had to win in order to be able to determine which personal protective equipment was required to keep them safe in long-term care homes. And Noam Scheiber and Michael Corkery report on the lawsuit seeking to ensure that Smithfield workers aren't ordered to endanger themselves and their colleagues.
- Jesse Drucker exposes some of the handouts to big business and the wealthy buried in the terms of the U.S.' meager relief packages. Emily Flitter and Peter Eavis document some of the corporations which have demanded bailouts after draining what should have been more than sufficient cash reserves. And Karl Nerenberg discusses the Libs' choice to make public funding available to tax haven abusers, rather than ensuring that businesses benefit from public supports only if they've paid their fair share.
- Finally, Chuck Collins notes that the world's wealthiest people are so removed from everybody else that they've managed to accumulate even more while most people have been in lockdown. And Alex Hemingway makes the case for an excess profits tax to ensure that businesses can't retain the spoils of profiteering based on a public emergency.
- Heather Scoffield points out some of the people who have been systematically excluded from any discussion about what steps need to be taken next in response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Althia Raj focuses on self-employed Canadians in particular. Simon Enoch is rightly aghast at the Saskatchewan Party's development of a "reopening" plan which makes no mention of, and fails to take into account, the needs of workers. And Laird Cronk writes about the importance of ensuring that the new society we build on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic recognizes and values the contributions of essential workers.
- Moira Walsh and Omar Mosleh report on the court ruling Ontario nurses had to win in order to be able to determine which personal protective equipment was required to keep them safe in long-term care homes. And Noam Scheiber and Michael Corkery report on the lawsuit seeking to ensure that Smithfield workers aren't ordered to endanger themselves and their colleagues.
- Jesse Drucker exposes some of the handouts to big business and the wealthy buried in the terms of the U.S.' meager relief packages. Emily Flitter and Peter Eavis document some of the corporations which have demanded bailouts after draining what should have been more than sufficient cash reserves. And Karl Nerenberg discusses the Libs' choice to make public funding available to tax haven abusers, rather than ensuring that businesses benefit from public supports only if they've paid their fair share.
- Finally, Chuck Collins notes that the world's wealthiest people are so removed from everybody else that they've managed to accumulate even more while most people have been in lockdown. And Alex Hemingway makes the case for an excess profits tax to ensure that businesses can't retain the spoils of profiteering based on a public emergency.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)