Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Nick Charity reports on the observations of the UN's envoy on poverty and human rights that callous and cruel austerian political choices have caused harm to millions of UK residents.
- Tess Kalinowski reports on the reality that Doug Ford's move to remove rent controls won't do anything to make housing available to the people who need it most. And Rick McGinnis writes that even leaving aside the importance of dealing with poverty and homelessness generally, suburban residents can't pretend they're somehow contained in core urban areas only.
- Meanwhile, Mike Crawley points out that a first set of cuts to important services won't even put a dent in Ontario's provincial debt - especially since it's being used to fund giveaways to polluters and the wealthy. And Robert Benzie notes that those handouts to the rich and their businesses are being paired with a loophole to allow corporations to funnel political donations through employees.
- Bill McKibben discusses how climate breakdown is shrinking the habitable space on our planet. Climate Transparency's Brown to Green study (PDF) highlights how Canada has both the highest emissions per capita of any G20 country, and the fourth-highest proportion of public financing for the fossil fuel sector as a proportion of GDP. And Charlie Smith interviews Donald Gutstein about the Libs' "grand bargain" (at the request of the oil industry) to keep allowing unsustainable emissions as long as they're attached to modest prices.
- Finally, Malone Mullin reports on the Husky oil spill off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador which can't even be examined (let alone cleaned up).
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Friday, November 16, 2018
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Jonathan Watts reports on a new study showing how the world's largest economies (including Canada) are falling far short of the Paris climate goals due mostly to the influence of the fossil fuel industry, while also noting that Canada ranks with China and Russia among the world's absolute world climate offenders. And George Monbiot points out the need for radical action to get us on track to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown.
- Meagan Day writes that we can and should view affordable public housing as an opportunity to build vibrant and beautiful communities. But Mike Crawley reports that Doug Ford's first order of business is to make Ontario's housing situation even more grim by eliminating rent controls for tenants.
- Noah Smith makes the case for the U.S. to finally raise its federal minimum wage in order to improve the circumstances of lower-income workers.
- Christo Aivalis offers his take on why Canada deserves a proportional electoral system.
- Finally, Andre Picard marks the Remembrance Day week by noting that the first pieces of Canada's health care system were among hte products of World War 1.
- Jonathan Watts reports on a new study showing how the world's largest economies (including Canada) are falling far short of the Paris climate goals due mostly to the influence of the fossil fuel industry, while also noting that Canada ranks with China and Russia among the world's absolute world climate offenders. And George Monbiot points out the need for radical action to get us on track to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown.
- Meagan Day writes that we can and should view affordable public housing as an opportunity to build vibrant and beautiful communities. But Mike Crawley reports that Doug Ford's first order of business is to make Ontario's housing situation even more grim by eliminating rent controls for tenants.
- Noah Smith makes the case for the U.S. to finally raise its federal minimum wage in order to improve the circumstances of lower-income workers.
- Christo Aivalis offers his take on why Canada deserves a proportional electoral system.
- Finally, Andre Picard marks the Remembrance Day week by noting that the first pieces of Canada's health care system were among hte products of World War 1.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Richard Waters and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson report that five large tech companies alone turned the Trump corporate tax cuts into tens of billions of dollars in share buybacks benefiting nobody other than those who already had the most. And Caroline Haskins writes about the inequality in firefighting services which has left only a few wealthy California residents with any hope against wildfires.
- Jorge Barrera reports that the Libs have added an Indigenous rights framework to the list of campaign promises now being pushed past the next federal election. And Jenelle Davies discusses how many young adults are disillusioned with politics as they stand, but have reason to hope for better with a proportional electoral system.
- On the bright side, Chris Arsenault reports on a new foreign aid experiment to benefit poor people with direct cash transfers - though it would make sense to try the same strategy to combat poverty at home as well.
- Robert Booth relays the stories of exclusion and deprivation told by young Britons to the UN's rapporteur on extreme poverty.
- Finally, Josha McNab points out the health benefits of acting to fight climate change. And Fernando Arce discusses how Doug Ford's attacks on worker protections stand to make all of Ontario ill:
- Richard Waters and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson report that five large tech companies alone turned the Trump corporate tax cuts into tens of billions of dollars in share buybacks benefiting nobody other than those who already had the most. And Caroline Haskins writes about the inequality in firefighting services which has left only a few wealthy California residents with any hope against wildfires.
- Jorge Barrera reports that the Libs have added an Indigenous rights framework to the list of campaign promises now being pushed past the next federal election. And Jenelle Davies discusses how many young adults are disillusioned with politics as they stand, but have reason to hope for better with a proportional electoral system.
- On the bright side, Chris Arsenault reports on a new foreign aid experiment to benefit poor people with direct cash transfers - though it would make sense to try the same strategy to combat poverty at home as well.
- Robert Booth relays the stories of exclusion and deprivation told by young Britons to the UN's rapporteur on extreme poverty.
- Finally, Josha McNab points out the health benefits of acting to fight climate change. And Fernando Arce discusses how Doug Ford's attacks on worker protections stand to make all of Ontario ill:
When asked about the rationale for eliminating paid sick days, the Ministry of Labour offered in an email response to NOW that “these eight days... would be in line with Alberta and British Columbia, and could be taken without fear of termination.”
But as studies have shown, paid sick days can make a crucial, sometimes even fatal difference, when workers choose to stay home or work through their sickness.
“A lot of specialists don’t have availability in the evening, so having sick days allows patients to get to those appointments during the day,” says Raza. Employees without paid sick days also tend to get fewer flu shots, mammograms, pap smears and blood pressure checks.
The changes proposed by the Ford government mean that Ontarians will be at greater risk of contracting diseases when workplaces become inundated with sick workers unable to afford a day off to see their physician or get well. Raza says schools could soon follow when sick children are forced to attend because their parents or guardians can’t stay home with them.
Two years ago this scenario came to pass, with tragic consequences, when two-year-old Jude – described by his mother Jill Promoli as an otherwise “perfectly healthy child” – succumbed to influenza B, which had begun with a fever the day before. His sister had first caught the bug in her kindergarten class. Said Promoli at last week’s press conference: "One sick child came to school, and basically, it became an entire classroom full of sick children."
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Trish Garner comments on the need to acknowledge the humanity of people living in poverty - which leads to the inescapable need to use readily-available resources to ensure a reasonable standard of living. And Arindrajit Dube studies the effect of an increased minimum wage in helping to pull people out of poverty.
- Meanwhile, Robert Benzie reports that Doug Ford's choice to attack workers is leading to a substantial drop in public support.
- Jim Tankersley and Matt Phillips report that the Trump Republicans' giveaway to the wealthy has produced negative results on multiple fronts - including a net reduction in the workforce of the large employers targeted for extra freebies. And Derek Thompson discusses why it's long past time to put a stop corporate relocation incentives.
- Helen-Maria Vasiliadis points out the important returns - in both fiscal and human terms - from investing in universally-accessible mental health care.
- Tom Perry discusses how a proportional electoral system can lead governments to reflect and listen to a wide range of voices, rather than being motivated solely to stick to a single party line.
- Finally, Don Braid weighs in on the demonization of minority groups - and particularly LGBTQ people through John Carpay's consistent attacks - in Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party.
- Trish Garner comments on the need to acknowledge the humanity of people living in poverty - which leads to the inescapable need to use readily-available resources to ensure a reasonable standard of living. And Arindrajit Dube studies the effect of an increased minimum wage in helping to pull people out of poverty.
- Meanwhile, Robert Benzie reports that Doug Ford's choice to attack workers is leading to a substantial drop in public support.
- Jim Tankersley and Matt Phillips report that the Trump Republicans' giveaway to the wealthy has produced negative results on multiple fronts - including a net reduction in the workforce of the large employers targeted for extra freebies. And Derek Thompson discusses why it's long past time to put a stop corporate relocation incentives.
- Helen-Maria Vasiliadis points out the important returns - in both fiscal and human terms - from investing in universally-accessible mental health care.
- Tom Perry discusses how a proportional electoral system can lead governments to reflect and listen to a wide range of voices, rather than being motivated solely to stick to a single party line.
- Finally, Don Braid weighs in on the demonization of minority groups - and particularly LGBTQ people through John Carpay's consistent attacks - in Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Tom Kibasi writes that the UK's best option in light of its impending Brexit is to develop a more active and entrepreneurial state:
- Callum Burroughs discusses how the oil industry is failing to put its money where its mouth is in developing renewable energy even as it pours tens of millions of dollars into squelching any public policy improvements. And Chantal Hebert points out that the mindless oil industry jingoism being parroted by right-wing parties across much of Canada looks to be political poison for the federal Cons in Quebec.
- Troy Henderson notes that public-sector wage caps and general job precarity serve to drive down wages and working conditions for everybody.
- Taylor Scollon suggests that the disproportionate political influence of big money could be counterbalanced by ensuring that campaigns are financed through public dollars distributed based on voter choice.
- Finally, Brent Patterson is hopeful that Canada will see a wave of progressive millennial activists emerge comparable to the ones which are already reshaping politics in the U.S. and the UK.
- Tom Kibasi writes that the UK's best option in light of its impending Brexit is to develop a more active and entrepreneurial state:
So in a sense, Brexit changes everything and changes nothing: it exacerbates the UK longstanding problem with an investment rate that was already far below our international competitors at the time of the referendum. It makes it harder to achieve escape velocity from an economic model that isn’t working to one that does.- Meanwhile, Brett Christophers examines the large-scale privatization of land in the UK - with roughly half of its remaining commonwealth in land by area, and more than that by value, having been sold off since 1979.
We know that rather than crowding out investment – as free marketers claim – greater public investment in fact crowds it in. Brexit will therefore make it even more important to get public investment up, not less. And with interest rates close to zero, a programme of quantitative easing that has not been wound down, fiscal policy will be the only option left to lift Britain out of any future recession. It is therefore illogical to say that Brexit must mean more austerity. It must mean the reverse. Paradoxically, the right response to Brexit is to become a more European economy, with a more active and entrepreneurial state.
- Callum Burroughs discusses how the oil industry is failing to put its money where its mouth is in developing renewable energy even as it pours tens of millions of dollars into squelching any public policy improvements. And Chantal Hebert points out that the mindless oil industry jingoism being parroted by right-wing parties across much of Canada looks to be political poison for the federal Cons in Quebec.
- Troy Henderson notes that public-sector wage caps and general job precarity serve to drive down wages and working conditions for everybody.
- Taylor Scollon suggests that the disproportionate political influence of big money could be counterbalanced by ensuring that campaigns are financed through public dollars distributed based on voter choice.
- Finally, Brent Patterson is hopeful that Canada will see a wave of progressive millennial activists emerge comparable to the ones which are already reshaping politics in the U.S. and the UK.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Wayne Swan writes that it won't be possible to take necessary steps to combat climate breakdown without ensuring that corporations pay their fair share. And the Guardian argues that exorbitant executive pay needs to be restrained.
- Sam Pizzigati discusses how the uber-wealthy can disproportionately influence the U.S.' public discourse under the cover of dark money. And Mariya Hake and Christian Belabed examine the relationship between income inequality and distrust in public institutions.
- Crawford Kilian offers a reminder of the devastating effects of other diseases which can be eradicated through vaccinations - but which are threatening to return due to both policy and personal choices.
- Maryse Zeidler reports on the tens of billions of dollars worth of food wasted in Canada every year. And Matt Humphrey reports that Raise the Rates has had to cancel its Vancouver welfare challenge because there's simply no hope for participants to find food for even a week a based on what social benefit recipients receive.
- Finally, Ken Boon makes the case for British Columbia to try a more fair and proportional electoral system, rather than resigning itself to a system which has produced far too much inequality and corruption.
- Wayne Swan writes that it won't be possible to take necessary steps to combat climate breakdown without ensuring that corporations pay their fair share. And the Guardian argues that exorbitant executive pay needs to be restrained.
- Sam Pizzigati discusses how the uber-wealthy can disproportionately influence the U.S.' public discourse under the cover of dark money. And Mariya Hake and Christian Belabed examine the relationship between income inequality and distrust in public institutions.
- Crawford Kilian offers a reminder of the devastating effects of other diseases which can be eradicated through vaccinations - but which are threatening to return due to both policy and personal choices.
- Maryse Zeidler reports on the tens of billions of dollars worth of food wasted in Canada every year. And Matt Humphrey reports that Raise the Rates has had to cancel its Vancouver welfare challenge because there's simply no hope for participants to find food for even a week a based on what social benefit recipients receive.
- Finally, Ken Boon makes the case for British Columbia to try a more fair and proportional electoral system, rather than resigning itself to a system which has produced far too much inequality and corruption.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Wade Davis comments on the ecological amnesia which has resulted in repeated cycles of extinctions:
- Meanwhile, Simon Flowers sets out a readily-achievable scenario in which a determined transition to clean energy would exceed the Paris emissions reduction targets. And Lorraine Chow writes about New Zealand's decision to end new offshore oil and gas exploration out of its recognition that fossil fuel expansion and environmental responsibility are utterly incompatible.
- Finally, the Economist reports that rising inequality isn't limited to wages and income, as benefits are also diverging between the U.S.' higher- and lower-income workers. Bethany Hastie replies to a review of British Columbia's Labour Code by pointing out the need for far more protection for people facing precarious work. And Simran Dhunna discusses how the Libs are leaving immigrant caregivers at the mercy of employers with little hope of achieving permanent residency in Canada.
- Wade Davis comments on the ecological amnesia which has resulted in repeated cycles of extinctions:
In three generations, a mere moment in the history of our species, we have throughout the world contaminated the water, air and soil, driven countless species to extinction, dammed the rivers, poisoned the rain and torn down the ancient forests. As Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson reminds us, this era will not be remembered for its wars or technological advances but as the time when men and women stood by and either passively endorsed or actively supported the massive destruction of biological diversity on the planet.- Jared Keller writes that the destruction from Hurricane Michael offers one reminder as to the security risks associated with climate breakdown. And Art Cullen discusses the threat a hotter, drier planet poses to agriculture in the U.S. and elsewhere - even as the problem is ignored by the Trump administration.
Given the dire consequences, how might we explain this peculiar and ultimately self-destructive capacity to shed memory and shift our expectations as we adapt to an increasingly impoverished world? Were this to be a fundamental adaptive trait of our species, we would surely find evidence scattered throughout the ethnographic record. But most assuredly we do not.
...
...Just as 18th-century slavers concocted racial fantasies to mask the evil of their trade, perhaps we have learned to shed memory to avoid confronting the actual consequences of our egregious violations of the natural world. Our shifting expectations and dimming memory are less an adaptive trait than a reflexive impulse. If we are responsible for the numbing of our own senses, we can surely awaken to new possibilities as stewards of life, inspired by Indigenous peoples who have walked this path before us, guided by a conscience informed by memory.
- Meanwhile, Simon Flowers sets out a readily-achievable scenario in which a determined transition to clean energy would exceed the Paris emissions reduction targets. And Lorraine Chow writes about New Zealand's decision to end new offshore oil and gas exploration out of its recognition that fossil fuel expansion and environmental responsibility are utterly incompatible.
- Finally, the Economist reports that rising inequality isn't limited to wages and income, as benefits are also diverging between the U.S.' higher- and lower-income workers. Bethany Hastie replies to a review of British Columbia's Labour Code by pointing out the need for far more protection for people facing precarious work. And Simran Dhunna discusses how the Libs are leaving immigrant caregivers at the mercy of employers with little hope of achieving permanent residency in Canada.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Owen Jones writes that a four-day work week being developed by UK Labour could represent an important step toward genuine personal freedom:
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on a push by Ontario students to achieve minimum wage parity with other workers. And Rob Shaw reports on British Columbia's move to put an end to contract-flipping attacks on public service workers.
- Rick Smith writes about the increasingly-visible human face of plastics pollution.
- Finally, Brent Patterson discusses the need to respond to what's wrong with the world with active steps to set matters right.
- Owen Jones writes that a four-day work week being developed by UK Labour could represent an important step toward genuine personal freedom:
(I)t is extremely welcome that Labour’s John McDonnell has approached eminent economist Lord Skidelsky to head an inquiry into potentially cutting the working week to four days. It should be part of a new crusade for the left: of defending and expanding personal freedom.- Meanwhile, PressProgress exposes Ontario Proud's pitch for six-figure corporate donations to try to prevent workers from ever achieving any improvements, while Jim Stanford warns the Ford government that merely seeking to turn back the clock is no way to develop viable policy.
The champions of free market fundamentalism promised their creed would bring us freedom. But it wasn’t freedom at all: from the lack of secure, affordable housing to growing job insecurity and rising personal debt, the individual is trapped. Nine decades ago, John Maynard Keynes predicted that technological advances and rising productivity would mean that we’d be working a 15-hour week by now: that target has been somewhat missed.
...
(A) shorter working week would enable us to redistribute hours from the overworked to the underworked. Lord Skidelsky’s inquiry would need to look at cutting the working week without slashing living standards: after all, Britain’s workers have already suffered the worst squeeze in wages since the Napoleonic wars. But cutting the working week would free the individual, giving millions of workers more time to spend as they see fit. Human freedom should be the core aim of modern socialism. The right to work less would be an act of liberation – and a cause the left should embrace.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on a push by Ontario students to achieve minimum wage parity with other workers. And Rob Shaw reports on British Columbia's move to put an end to contract-flipping attacks on public service workers.
- Rick Smith writes about the increasingly-visible human face of plastics pollution.
- Finally, Brent Patterson discusses the need to respond to what's wrong with the world with active steps to set matters right.
Friday, November 09, 2018
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Roger Eatwell writes that the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment can be traced back largely to the sense that elite-dominated governments have failed to take care of citizens generally, while David Leonhardt likewise notes that inequality can all too easily lead to easily-exploitable resentment. And Geoff Sharpe is rightly worried that Canada's regressive conservatives are destroying any consensus on the value of cultural diversity.
- Richard McKellar offers his list of reasons why British Columbia voters should cast a referendum ballot for proportional representation. David Suzuki points out the importance of reflecting an increased diversity of viewpoints. And Seth Klein discusses why a proportional and cooperative system stands to produce improved policy outcomes.
- Stephen Tweedale argues that the NDP's focus should be on good policy more than populism. And the Notley government's move to ensure that social assistance keeps up with inflation represents a small but useful example.
- David Climenhaga points out how large tar sands operators have booked tens of billions of dollars in profits even while continuously extending demands to governments for still more giveaways and concessions. And while Diego Arguedas Ortiz' observations as to what every person can do about climate change are worth a read, they shouldn't take away from the urgent need to break free from political control by the resource sector.
- Meanwhile, Alex Hern reports on new research showing the gross waste of resources resulting from the "mining" of bitcoin and other alternative currencies.
- Finally, Eric Newcomer discusses the hidden costs of working in the gig economy.
- Roger Eatwell writes that the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment can be traced back largely to the sense that elite-dominated governments have failed to take care of citizens generally, while David Leonhardt likewise notes that inequality can all too easily lead to easily-exploitable resentment. And Geoff Sharpe is rightly worried that Canada's regressive conservatives are destroying any consensus on the value of cultural diversity.
- Richard McKellar offers his list of reasons why British Columbia voters should cast a referendum ballot for proportional representation. David Suzuki points out the importance of reflecting an increased diversity of viewpoints. And Seth Klein discusses why a proportional and cooperative system stands to produce improved policy outcomes.
- Stephen Tweedale argues that the NDP's focus should be on good policy more than populism. And the Notley government's move to ensure that social assistance keeps up with inflation represents a small but useful example.
- David Climenhaga points out how large tar sands operators have booked tens of billions of dollars in profits even while continuously extending demands to governments for still more giveaways and concessions. And while Diego Arguedas Ortiz' observations as to what every person can do about climate change are worth a read, they shouldn't take away from the urgent need to break free from political control by the resource sector.
- Meanwhile, Alex Hern reports on new research showing the gross waste of resources resulting from the "mining" of bitcoin and other alternative currencies.
- Finally, Eric Newcomer discusses the hidden costs of working in the gig economy.
Thursday, November 08, 2018
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Jovanka Beckles writes that the housing crisis in California - like those elsewhere - needs to be addressed through public investment in social housing rather than giveaways to private developers.
- Sharon Riley discusses Alberta's gigantic problem with unfunded oil production liabilities. But Regan Boychuk and Avi Lewis point out that it's not too late to make sure that the industry actually pays for the environmental damage it's caused - and that the result would be a massive boon for workers otherwise facing the decline of the fossil fuel sector.
- Meanwhile, both Bill McKibben and David Roberts note that massive amounts of oil industry spending served to undercut even modest U.S. state-level ballot measures to rein in pollution, protect the environment and transition toward a sustainable economy. And Julia Belluz writes that only a campaign of pure deception led to a ban on municipal soda taxes in Washington.
- Steven Chase reports on the Libs' refusal to pay any more attention to human rights in decision whether or not to arm dictatorships.
- Finally, Colin Bennett writes that the benefits of proportional representation include its comparative disincentive for political parties to rely on microtargeting and data manipulation.
- Jovanka Beckles writes that the housing crisis in California - like those elsewhere - needs to be addressed through public investment in social housing rather than giveaways to private developers.
- Sharon Riley discusses Alberta's gigantic problem with unfunded oil production liabilities. But Regan Boychuk and Avi Lewis point out that it's not too late to make sure that the industry actually pays for the environmental damage it's caused - and that the result would be a massive boon for workers otherwise facing the decline of the fossil fuel sector.
- Meanwhile, both Bill McKibben and David Roberts note that massive amounts of oil industry spending served to undercut even modest U.S. state-level ballot measures to rein in pollution, protect the environment and transition toward a sustainable economy. And Julia Belluz writes that only a campaign of pure deception led to a ban on municipal soda taxes in Washington.
- Steven Chase reports on the Libs' refusal to pay any more attention to human rights in decision whether or not to arm dictatorships.
- Finally, Colin Bennett writes that the benefits of proportional representation include its comparative disincentive for political parties to rely on microtargeting and data manipulation.
New column day
Here, on how the U.S. midterms show the political risks of putting corporations over people - and how Saskatchewan citizens should take a hint as to who deserves to be voted out of office.
For further reading...
- Dana Milbank discussed how the Republicans' tax giveaway to the rich was motivated entirely by a desire to secure campaign funding, particularly to hold the House of Representatives. And we can see how well that plan turned out.
- Meanwhile, Rana Foroohar notes that the Democrats' success can be traced in no small part to their increasing willingness to stand up to corporate interests.
- Libby Belson writes that Sam Brownback's willingness to use Kansas as a guinea pig for extreme austerity and trickle-down economics helped elect a Democratic governor in an otherwise red state. Ann North highlights Gretchen Whitmer's winning Michigan campaign based on having the government start ensuring residents have access to basic services. And David Dayen discusses how Scott Walker's giveaway of public money and policymaking to Foxconn led to his downfall.
- Finally, CBC News reports on the Saskatchewan Party government's awareness that its hand-selected bypass conglomerate isn't particularly interested in responding to vehicle access issues. Adam Hunter reports on Ken Cheveldayoff's declaration that the Saskatchewan Party has no problem further commercializing Wascana Park while pretending that corporations are doing people a favour by capturing public spaces. And David Boles contrasts the NDP's call for public spending to be linked to community benefit agreements against the Saskatchewan Party's insistence on putting corporate profits (including toothless imported labour) ahead of the province.
For further reading...
- Dana Milbank discussed how the Republicans' tax giveaway to the rich was motivated entirely by a desire to secure campaign funding, particularly to hold the House of Representatives. And we can see how well that plan turned out.
- Meanwhile, Rana Foroohar notes that the Democrats' success can be traced in no small part to their increasing willingness to stand up to corporate interests.
- Libby Belson writes that Sam Brownback's willingness to use Kansas as a guinea pig for extreme austerity and trickle-down economics helped elect a Democratic governor in an otherwise red state. Ann North highlights Gretchen Whitmer's winning Michigan campaign based on having the government start ensuring residents have access to basic services. And David Dayen discusses how Scott Walker's giveaway of public money and policymaking to Foxconn led to his downfall.
- Finally, CBC News reports on the Saskatchewan Party government's awareness that its hand-selected bypass conglomerate isn't particularly interested in responding to vehicle access issues. Adam Hunter reports on Ken Cheveldayoff's declaration that the Saskatchewan Party has no problem further commercializing Wascana Park while pretending that corporations are doing people a favour by capturing public spaces. And David Boles contrasts the NDP's call for public spending to be linked to community benefit agreements against the Saskatchewan Party's insistence on putting corporate profits (including toothless imported labour) ahead of the province.
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Merran Smith and Dan Woynillowicz comment that the new climate denial involves denying that any solutions are possible. Blake Shaffer points out that the Trudeau Libs' inexplicable decision to favour coal power over other alternatives for the next decade serves to undermine any claim to responsible climate policy. And Jim Bronskill reports on CSIS' continued spying against peaceful pipeline protesters and environmental advocates.
- Damian Carrington reports on new research connecting air pollution from vehicle use to increased childhood obesity. And Alison Griswold discusses the growing movement toward free public transit in European cities - even as our trend has seen transit in any form becoming less accessible.
- The Canadian Press reports on a lawsuit which responds to the retroactive awarding of exemptions for illegally-built fracking dams in British Columbia by seeking to ensure that such gross disregard for the environment and the law won't be rewarded. And Christopher Pollon writes about the aftermath of the Mount Polley tailings pond spill - which has resulted primarily in Imperial Metals receiving additional permits to dump hazardous waste, while failing to be held to account for its damage to Quesnel Lake.
- Victor Fuchs studies the cost factors in the U.S.' health care system, and finds that employment-based coverage leads to higher costs and unequal coverage - a point which applies equally to prescription drugs and other benefits commonly covered through work in Canada.
- Finally, Tom Wall discusses how austerity wages are driving UK health sector workers into poverty. And Kathryn May reports on PIPSC's efforts to better organize professionals working in the gig economy rather than standard employment.
- Merran Smith and Dan Woynillowicz comment that the new climate denial involves denying that any solutions are possible. Blake Shaffer points out that the Trudeau Libs' inexplicable decision to favour coal power over other alternatives for the next decade serves to undermine any claim to responsible climate policy. And Jim Bronskill reports on CSIS' continued spying against peaceful pipeline protesters and environmental advocates.
- Damian Carrington reports on new research connecting air pollution from vehicle use to increased childhood obesity. And Alison Griswold discusses the growing movement toward free public transit in European cities - even as our trend has seen transit in any form becoming less accessible.
- The Canadian Press reports on a lawsuit which responds to the retroactive awarding of exemptions for illegally-built fracking dams in British Columbia by seeking to ensure that such gross disregard for the environment and the law won't be rewarded. And Christopher Pollon writes about the aftermath of the Mount Polley tailings pond spill - which has resulted primarily in Imperial Metals receiving additional permits to dump hazardous waste, while failing to be held to account for its damage to Quesnel Lake.
- Victor Fuchs studies the cost factors in the U.S.' health care system, and finds that employment-based coverage leads to higher costs and unequal coverage - a point which applies equally to prescription drugs and other benefits commonly covered through work in Canada.
- Finally, Tom Wall discusses how austerity wages are driving UK health sector workers into poverty. And Kathryn May reports on PIPSC's efforts to better organize professionals working in the gig economy rather than standard employment.
Tuesday, November 06, 2018
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- The Guardian's editorial board writes that stagnating and even declining life expectancies and nother indications of declining social health are the result of purely political choices:
- Andrew Jackson points out that rather than putting an end to Donald Trump's preposterous tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Trudeau Libs have actually handed the U.S. even more ability to control trade with unverifiable claims of "national security".
- Finally, Andrea Huncar reports on the observation of the Office of the Correctional Investigator that Canada's prison system far too frequently uses force as a response to mental health issues.
- The Guardian's editorial board writes that stagnating and even declining life expectancies and nother indications of declining social health are the result of purely political choices:
In 2010 a government-commissioned review looking at the relationship between health and wealth – only the third officially sanctioned attempt to do so in 30 years – came to the conclusion that life expectancy is linked to social standing and so is the time spent in good health. Lower life expectancies in the UK were not those associated with destitution but rather despair and expectation. Poorer people suffer diseases because of bad diets, a lack of exercise, smoking, poor pay and job insecurity. Its message was twofold. First, government intervention was necessary to ensure that people’s freedoms were not bad for their health. Second, the state had a responsibility to assure people’s material security. Tory health secretaries did no more than pay lip service to such ideas. The result has been rising death rates.- Meanwhile, Chris Buckley and Mary Marrone highlight how Doug Ford is going out of his way to make life even more precarious for Ontario workers. Noah Smith comments on the effect of crushing student loan debt on millennials. Paul Davidson reports on a new study showing that nearly two-thirds of U.S. jobs are insufficient to support a middle-class standard of living. And Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson and Ed Crooks discuss yet more evidence that tax giveaways to the rich have done nothing to even indirectly benefit anybody else.
...
...In terms of length of life, the UK lags behind other developed nations. Young people are now less likely to live longer than their parents. Ministers initially blamed the figures on flu deaths. A more plausible explanation is the politics of austerity, which had an excessive impact on the poor, the disabled and the elderly. Local councils cannot pay for home visits, cuts have led to rising levels of homelessness, fuel poverty and food bank visits. It is shocking that 18-year-olds with learning disabilities may well not live long enough to draw their pension.
...
At the heart of this debate is the government’s refusal to engage with inequality. This is an error borne out of ideology. We know that children from poorer backgrounds are more affected by the rise in childhood obesity. So why allow the number of children living in poverty to breach 5 million by 2022, up from around 4 million at present? It is because a key belief in free-market societies is that they reward the industrious and punish the idle. In this system, individuals must have the freedom to choose – and with that freedom would come responsibility. The market, in this system, would not only improve British society; it would remoralise it. To have faith in such an unfettered model of capitalism is a political choice. When applied to public health, the appalling price appears to be to stall progress in life expectancy.
- Andrew Jackson points out that rather than putting an end to Donald Trump's preposterous tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Trudeau Libs have actually handed the U.S. even more ability to control trade with unverifiable claims of "national security".
- Finally, Andrea Huncar reports on the observation of the Office of the Correctional Investigator that Canada's prison system far too frequently uses force as a response to mental health issues.
Monday, November 05, 2018
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Alexi White points out how tall tales about "welfare fraud" have been used as excuse to trap people in poverty. And the Star's editorial board is rightly concerned about a social assistance review from a Ford government which couldn't care less about anybody besides its wealthy donors.
- Meanwhile, Dogwood looks into the big developer money behind the forces trying to fend off electoral reform in British Columbia. And Ben Protess, Robert Gebeloff and Danielle Ivory discuss the Trump administration's choice to forfeit billions of dollars in penalties for corporate wrongdoing as a prime example of what businesses buy with their political donations and influence.
- Bruce Campbell points out that Canada has failed to learn needed lessons from the Lac-Mégantic explosion even when it comes to rail safety - to say nothing of the broader problem with corporate self-regulation.
- Alex Ballingall discusses the prospect of a left-wing populist movement in Canada oriented toward empowering people while reducing the control of the corporate elite. And Joshua Zeitz notes that the most progressive policies on offer from the U.S. Democrats represent a return to the party's post-war roots.
- And finally, Doug Cuthand calls out the Saskatchewan Party for going out of its way to damage relationships between Indigenous peoples and the provincial government.
- Alexi White points out how tall tales about "welfare fraud" have been used as excuse to trap people in poverty. And the Star's editorial board is rightly concerned about a social assistance review from a Ford government which couldn't care less about anybody besides its wealthy donors.
- Meanwhile, Dogwood looks into the big developer money behind the forces trying to fend off electoral reform in British Columbia. And Ben Protess, Robert Gebeloff and Danielle Ivory discuss the Trump administration's choice to forfeit billions of dollars in penalties for corporate wrongdoing as a prime example of what businesses buy with their political donations and influence.
- Bruce Campbell points out that Canada has failed to learn needed lessons from the Lac-Mégantic explosion even when it comes to rail safety - to say nothing of the broader problem with corporate self-regulation.
- Alex Ballingall discusses the prospect of a left-wing populist movement in Canada oriented toward empowering people while reducing the control of the corporate elite. And Joshua Zeitz notes that the most progressive policies on offer from the U.S. Democrats represent a return to the party's post-war roots.
- And finally, Doug Cuthand calls out the Saskatchewan Party for going out of its way to damage relationships between Indigenous peoples and the provincial government.
Sunday, November 04, 2018
On strategic implications
One of the most worrisome aspects of first-past-the-post politics is the reality that a party can take what amounts to unaccountable power for an election cycle based on frivolous and/or misleading messages which just barely nudge public opinion against another option around election day. And parties which don't have any interest in the concept of honest government to begin with have been particularly unscrupulous in pushing the envelope.
It shouldn't then be any surprise to see the same dishonest tactic emanating from the billionaire-funded forces trying to avoid electoral reform in British Columbia. But for voters, the referendum should be seen as an opportunity not only to ensure that votes are fairly counted, but also to ensure that political parties have an incentive to prove themselves as trustworthy to voters and competing parties alike - rather than counting their ability to game a system which allows them to gaslight their way to power.
It shouldn't then be any surprise to see the same dishonest tactic emanating from the billionaire-funded forces trying to avoid electoral reform in British Columbia. But for voters, the referendum should be seen as an opportunity not only to ensure that votes are fairly counted, but also to ensure that political parties have an incentive to prove themselves as trustworthy to voters and competing parties alike - rather than counting their ability to game a system which allows them to gaslight their way to power.
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Gary Younge discusses how regardless of the outcome of the U.S.' midterm elections, democracy is on the defensive against a Republican attack on voting rights. Janet Reitman goes into detail about the consequences of the U.S.' law enforcement system failing to do anything about the dangerous buildup of violent white nationalism. And Tabatha Southey rightly points out the lack of any reason to hand a platform to a demagogue, while also offering some suggestions as to how any debate including Steve Bannon should have gone.
- Meanwhile, Paul Krugman comments that it's impossible to square support for the Republicans with either a clean conscience or any grounding in reality.
- The CCPA's latest Monitor examines the relationship between finance and the citizenry - including Michal Rozworski's piece on the connection between Canada's urban housing crisis and its increasing personal debt. And Al Jazeera interviews Leilani Farha about the global effects of treating housing as a means to accumulate wealth rather than a human right.
- Murray Mandryk writes that whatever plausibility the Saskatchewan Party has tried to claim for its Global Transportation Hub plans is going up on smoke as it appears more and more likely that the only private-sector participants had to be gifted land and services to go along.
- Finally, Michael Mann comments on the connection between climate breakdown and the increasingly extreme weather seen this summer. And David Olive writes that Doug Ford and other climate change denialists and obstructionists are positioning themselves firmly on the wrong side of history.
- Gary Younge discusses how regardless of the outcome of the U.S.' midterm elections, democracy is on the defensive against a Republican attack on voting rights. Janet Reitman goes into detail about the consequences of the U.S.' law enforcement system failing to do anything about the dangerous buildup of violent white nationalism. And Tabatha Southey rightly points out the lack of any reason to hand a platform to a demagogue, while also offering some suggestions as to how any debate including Steve Bannon should have gone.
- Meanwhile, Paul Krugman comments that it's impossible to square support for the Republicans with either a clean conscience or any grounding in reality.
- The CCPA's latest Monitor examines the relationship between finance and the citizenry - including Michal Rozworski's piece on the connection between Canada's urban housing crisis and its increasing personal debt. And Al Jazeera interviews Leilani Farha about the global effects of treating housing as a means to accumulate wealth rather than a human right.
- Murray Mandryk writes that whatever plausibility the Saskatchewan Party has tried to claim for its Global Transportation Hub plans is going up on smoke as it appears more and more likely that the only private-sector participants had to be gifted land and services to go along.
- Finally, Michael Mann comments on the connection between climate breakdown and the increasingly extreme weather seen this summer. And David Olive writes that Doug Ford and other climate change denialists and obstructionists are positioning themselves firmly on the wrong side of history.
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