Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Amadeus Narbutt discusses the uncertain effect of the coronavirus on the global balance of power. And Adam Tooze notes that the U.S.' damaging response to COVID-19 included vetoing IMF support for governments around the globe.
- Andrew Langille examines how workers with low incomes and precarious work situations have been left out of Canada's coronavirus relief, while Chris Roberts discusses how COVID-19 has further exposed what were already glaring problems in the low-wage economy. And Althia Raj reports on Justin Trudeau's continued insistence that people with no income who have been deliberately excluded from the basic CERB benefit need to keep waiting for him to get around to providing any support.
- Avvy Go writes
that the people already living on the margins of society have been displaced all the more by new rules and requirements which ignore their
circumstances. And Brett Forester reports that communities in northwestern Saskatchewan have had to set up their own command centre due to the Moe government's complete failure to address their needs.
- Nathan Tankus comments on the merits of payment relief both in alleviating the effects of the pandemic, and generating a more fair economy as we emerge from it.
- Louise Kyle writes that the development of publicly-funded vaccines and treatments needs to lead to universal access, not exploitation by the pharmaceutical industry. And PressProgress reports on how Amazon is cashing in providing warehouse space to a federal government which already has plenty of its own.
- Finally, George Eaton writes that there's no reason for the UK (or any other country) to impose crushing austerity once we emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Friday, April 17, 2020
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- Mark Rowlinson points out how the obvious frailty of our current supply chains highlights the need to develop Canadian manufacturing. And Amanda Follett Hosgood notes the importance of localized food production in particular.
- Bill McKibben calls out the oil industry's attempts to use COVID-19 as an excuse to push through pipeline construction, while Mia Rabson exposes its intensive lobbying to undermine any action on climate change or environmental protection.
- Meanwhile, Rhiana Gunn-Wright offers a reminder that the climate change crisis is no less severe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Brian Kahn reports that the group which worked on Jay Inslee's climate plan has developed a roadmap to ensure that the coronavirus recovery results in a just transition toward cleaner energy.
- Bruce Anderson discusses how the effort to achieve physical distancing has ultimately brought people closer together in a common mission. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board recognizes that the social cohesion needed to overcome the coronavirus shouldn't be used as an excuse for governments to claim extraordinary and unaccountable powers.
- Marc Lee argues that the higher levels of government need to provide immediate supports to local governments and regional authorities which were struggling under the weight of downloaded responsibilities and slashed funding even before the pandemic.
- Finally, Simon Kuper writes about Thomas Piketty's call for wealth taxes to rectify gross inequality - a cause which is only becoming more important as the world's wealthiest few rake in billions of dollars more while the rest of the world is locked down.
- Mark Rowlinson points out how the obvious frailty of our current supply chains highlights the need to develop Canadian manufacturing. And Amanda Follett Hosgood notes the importance of localized food production in particular.
- Bill McKibben calls out the oil industry's attempts to use COVID-19 as an excuse to push through pipeline construction, while Mia Rabson exposes its intensive lobbying to undermine any action on climate change or environmental protection.
- Meanwhile, Rhiana Gunn-Wright offers a reminder that the climate change crisis is no less severe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Brian Kahn reports that the group which worked on Jay Inslee's climate plan has developed a roadmap to ensure that the coronavirus recovery results in a just transition toward cleaner energy.
- Bruce Anderson discusses how the effort to achieve physical distancing has ultimately brought people closer together in a common mission. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board recognizes that the social cohesion needed to overcome the coronavirus shouldn't be used as an excuse for governments to claim extraordinary and unaccountable powers.
- Marc Lee argues that the higher levels of government need to provide immediate supports to local governments and regional authorities which were struggling under the weight of downloaded responsibilities and slashed funding even before the pandemic.
- Finally, Simon Kuper writes about Thomas Piketty's call for wealth taxes to rectify gross inequality - a cause which is only becoming more important as the world's wealthiest few rake in billions of dollars more while the rest of the world is locked down.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Annie Lowrey writes about the long-term effects of the millennial generation facing a second economic shock in the years which would normally serve as the base for personal stability and growth.
- Polly Toynbee weighs in on the holes exposed in social safety nets by COVID-19, while recognizing that reality also raises the prospect of longstanding problems finally being remedied. And Amartya Sen likewise points out what lessons we should be taking for the development of access to food, health care and other necessities.
- But Morris Pearl and William Lazonick lament the U.S.' choice to funnel bailout money to the rich rather than offering any meaningful support to workers. And Patrick Falconer calls out Brian Pallister for taking a pandemic as an opportunity to inflict shock-doctrine cuts to non-profit service providers.
- Eric Grenier writes that a strong majority of Canadians recognize the need to ensure the coronavirus is under control, rather than having any interest in rushing back to the previous normal when lives are at stake. And Paul Krugman points out that the few voices demanding that we sacrifice lives to premature re-opening can be entirely ascribed to greed and misinformation.
- Sara Birrell comments on the emptiness of corporate declarations of friendship and social responsibility. And Tobias Klinge, Rodrigo Fernandez and Manuel Aalbers observe that we can't afford to let people's health be subordinated to pharmaceutical industry profiteering.
- Finally, David Webster discusses the Libs' choice to continue exporting violence and death to the Middle East. And Yves Engler criticizes the Trudeau government's willingness to again side with the Saudi regime against human rights.
- Annie Lowrey writes about the long-term effects of the millennial generation facing a second economic shock in the years which would normally serve as the base for personal stability and growth.
- Polly Toynbee weighs in on the holes exposed in social safety nets by COVID-19, while recognizing that reality also raises the prospect of longstanding problems finally being remedied. And Amartya Sen likewise points out what lessons we should be taking for the development of access to food, health care and other necessities.
- But Morris Pearl and William Lazonick lament the U.S.' choice to funnel bailout money to the rich rather than offering any meaningful support to workers. And Patrick Falconer calls out Brian Pallister for taking a pandemic as an opportunity to inflict shock-doctrine cuts to non-profit service providers.
- Eric Grenier writes that a strong majority of Canadians recognize the need to ensure the coronavirus is under control, rather than having any interest in rushing back to the previous normal when lives are at stake. And Paul Krugman points out that the few voices demanding that we sacrifice lives to premature re-opening can be entirely ascribed to greed and misinformation.
- Sara Birrell comments on the emptiness of corporate declarations of friendship and social responsibility. And Tobias Klinge, Rodrigo Fernandez and Manuel Aalbers observe that we can't afford to let people's health be subordinated to pharmaceutical industry profiteering.
- Finally, David Webster discusses the Libs' choice to continue exporting violence and death to the Middle East. And Yves Engler criticizes the Trudeau government's willingness to again side with the Saudi regime against human rights.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Dan Gardner writes that the COVID-19 pandemic is exactly the type of rare but severe event which should be the subject of thorough public preparation. And Eric Neudorf explains why so many governments failed to appreciate and act on the severity of the coronavirus even after its dangers were publicly known.
- Adam Almeida notes that Canada's universal public health care has allowed us to fare far better than other countries who rely on private providers. But Kara Grace Hounsell, Marcella Jones, Melanie Spence, Nisha Kansal and Thrmiga Sathiyamoorthy write that COVID-19 also the need to fight to fill in the gaps in Canada's system.
- Robert Green writes about privatization as a pre-existing condition which has created intolerable dangers for people in long-term care. Bruce Arthur points out how COVID-19 was positioned to exploit our current nursing home structure, while Jonathon Gatehouse reminds us that there have been plenty of warnings which have gone unaddressed (or indeed been met with deregulation and declining standards). Andre Picard calls out the ageism involved in the appalling willingness of operators - and a growing number of right-wing politicians - to sacrifice the lives of older residents. And David Climenhaga discusses the need for improved pay and working conditions for long-term care workers both during and after the pandemic, while Scott Gilmore makes a similar case for all of the essential workers risking their own health to keep us supplied with necessities.
- Jim Stanford discusses how the Bank of Canada could offer far more effective quantitative easing by investing directly in government bonds, rather than relying on bank-shot secondary funding through private financiers to produce desirable public outcomes. And Frances Bula highlights the difficulties faced by municipalities confronted simultaneously with reduced tax revenue and provincially-imposed obligations to balance their budgets.
- Finally, David Dayen points out that the U.S. is allowing banks to seize relief funding to individuals, meaning that the already-meager assistance on offer might never make it to recipients. And Ricardo Tranjan studies how payday lenders are positioned to exploit the dire straits facing Canadian workers to pad their profits.
- Dan Gardner writes that the COVID-19 pandemic is exactly the type of rare but severe event which should be the subject of thorough public preparation. And Eric Neudorf explains why so many governments failed to appreciate and act on the severity of the coronavirus even after its dangers were publicly known.
- Adam Almeida notes that Canada's universal public health care has allowed us to fare far better than other countries who rely on private providers. But Kara Grace Hounsell, Marcella Jones, Melanie Spence, Nisha Kansal and Thrmiga Sathiyamoorthy write that COVID-19 also the need to fight to fill in the gaps in Canada's system.
- Robert Green writes about privatization as a pre-existing condition which has created intolerable dangers for people in long-term care. Bruce Arthur points out how COVID-19 was positioned to exploit our current nursing home structure, while Jonathon Gatehouse reminds us that there have been plenty of warnings which have gone unaddressed (or indeed been met with deregulation and declining standards). Andre Picard calls out the ageism involved in the appalling willingness of operators - and a growing number of right-wing politicians - to sacrifice the lives of older residents. And David Climenhaga discusses the need for improved pay and working conditions for long-term care workers both during and after the pandemic, while Scott Gilmore makes a similar case for all of the essential workers risking their own health to keep us supplied with necessities.
- Jim Stanford discusses how the Bank of Canada could offer far more effective quantitative easing by investing directly in government bonds, rather than relying on bank-shot secondary funding through private financiers to produce desirable public outcomes. And Frances Bula highlights the difficulties faced by municipalities confronted simultaneously with reduced tax revenue and provincially-imposed obligations to balance their budgets.
- Finally, David Dayen points out that the U.S. is allowing banks to seize relief funding to individuals, meaning that the already-meager assistance on offer might never make it to recipients. And Ricardo Tranjan studies how payday lenders are positioned to exploit the dire straits facing Canadian workers to pad their profits.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Miles Corak weighs in on how COVID-19 is revealing and exacerbating existing inequality rather than serving as any leveling force.
- Jessica Yun reports on how the ability to work from home reflects existing privilege, while Sara Mojtehedzadeh notes that already-vulnerable migrant farm workers are being required to sign waivers against liability for coronavirus-related risk. But Steven Chase reports that Canada's union movement is pushing both to make work safer in the midst of the pandemic, and to improve wages and working conditions for essential workers in the longer term.
- Caryn Lieberman reports on a call from hundreds of Ontario health providers to better provide for homeless people. And Mickey Djuric points out that hundreds of people in Saskatoon remain without a home even as they're being told to engage in physical isolation.
- Anna Dodd suggests that our willingness to follow expert advice in response to COVID-19 - even where it results in a break from the status quo - should push us in the same direction in averting a climate breakdown.
- David Climenhaga comments on the importance of Canada's public health care system in fending off invasive neoliberalism.
- Finally, David Moscrop writes that the Libs' latest decision to continue to arming Saudi Arabia - even in the absence of any ability to point fingers at the Harper Cons - demonstrates their willingness to trade lives and principles for corporate interests.
- Miles Corak weighs in on how COVID-19 is revealing and exacerbating existing inequality rather than serving as any leveling force.
- Jessica Yun reports on how the ability to work from home reflects existing privilege, while Sara Mojtehedzadeh notes that already-vulnerable migrant farm workers are being required to sign waivers against liability for coronavirus-related risk. But Steven Chase reports that Canada's union movement is pushing both to make work safer in the midst of the pandemic, and to improve wages and working conditions for essential workers in the longer term.
- Caryn Lieberman reports on a call from hundreds of Ontario health providers to better provide for homeless people. And Mickey Djuric points out that hundreds of people in Saskatoon remain without a home even as they're being told to engage in physical isolation.
- Anna Dodd suggests that our willingness to follow expert advice in response to COVID-19 - even where it results in a break from the status quo - should push us in the same direction in averting a climate breakdown.
- David Climenhaga comments on the importance of Canada's public health care system in fending off invasive neoliberalism.
- Finally, David Moscrop writes that the Libs' latest decision to continue to arming Saudi Arabia - even in the absence of any ability to point fingers at the Harper Cons - demonstrates their willingness to trade lives and principles for corporate interests.
Monday, April 13, 2020
On absenteeism
The U.S. has seen some of its state elections turned into anti-democratic abominations by the absence of effective absentee balloting - with the lack of effective voting serving as an explicit strategy by Republicans to exclude people from exercising their right to vote.
Fortunately, Saskatchewan doesn't have the extreme exclusions against absentee voting which have been the source of the greatest controversy in the U.S. But voters should nonetheless take note of the limited availability of voting by mail - and ask what the Moe government plans to do about it.
Saskatchewan's elections are governed by The Election Act, 1996, which allows for any voter to request an absentee (mail-in) ballot nine or more days before the election by declaring that they "will be unable to vote at an advance poll or on polling day in the constituency": section 86(2).
That means voters aren't required to meet a specific standard of age or absence in order to request a ballot by mail. But it does mean that by law, voting by mail is the exception rather than the rule. Even in the midst of a pandemic where any physical interaction creates foreseeable and avoidable risks to public health, Elections Saskatchewan doesn't appear to have authority to make mail-in ballots available in the absence of an individual request.
Other provisions also apply to homebound voters, but with similar limitations (the requirement for an advance request, and a substantial level of advance notice).
Those provisions may have been sufficient during an election period when going to the polls in person could be considered a reasonable default expectation. But it now looks likely - if not inevitable - that this fall's election will take place in the face of a continued need for social distancing.
Which means that it will fall to Moe and his government to decide whether to update the law to make sure that Saskatchewan's residents can vote without jeopardizing public health - or whether they'll choose to force citizens to choose between their votes or their lives as their Republican allies have done so callously south of the border.
Fortunately, Saskatchewan doesn't have the extreme exclusions against absentee voting which have been the source of the greatest controversy in the U.S. But voters should nonetheless take note of the limited availability of voting by mail - and ask what the Moe government plans to do about it.
Saskatchewan's elections are governed by The Election Act, 1996, which allows for any voter to request an absentee (mail-in) ballot nine or more days before the election by declaring that they "will be unable to vote at an advance poll or on polling day in the constituency": section 86(2).
That means voters aren't required to meet a specific standard of age or absence in order to request a ballot by mail. But it does mean that by law, voting by mail is the exception rather than the rule. Even in the midst of a pandemic where any physical interaction creates foreseeable and avoidable risks to public health, Elections Saskatchewan doesn't appear to have authority to make mail-in ballots available in the absence of an individual request.
Other provisions also apply to homebound voters, but with similar limitations (the requirement for an advance request, and a substantial level of advance notice).
Those provisions may have been sufficient during an election period when going to the polls in person could be considered a reasonable default expectation. But it now looks likely - if not inevitable - that this fall's election will take place in the face of a continued need for social distancing.
Which means that it will fall to Moe and his government to decide whether to update the law to make sure that Saskatchewan's residents can vote without jeopardizing public health - or whether they'll choose to force citizens to choose between their votes or their lives as their Republican allies have done so callously south of the border.
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Tobias Jones discusses how COVID-19 has emphasized the importance of social interaction to human well-being:
- Robert Reich points out how many of the "philanthropic" announcements made by billionaires in response to COVID-19 represent little but self-aggrandizement on the part of people who are actively exacerbating the crisis through their mistreatment of workers.
- PressProgress calls out the Fraser Institute's attempt to use a pandemic to justify the long-term use of environmentally-destructive plastic bags. And Regan Boychuk argues that the oil companies who have made billions polluting Alberta shouldn't be allowed to "dine and dash" as part of a recovery effort.
- Finally, Sara Mojtehedzaden reports on the payday lenders exploiting a mass crisis with the explicit encouragement of the Trudeau government. Rupert Neate and Jasper Jolly note that hedge funds are extracting huge amounts of wealth betting on chaotic markets, while Lawrence Delevigne exposes one investment firm's attempt to abuse relief funding to take in windfall profits. And J. David McSwane and Yeganeh Torbati report on the Trump administration's choice to dole out sole-source contracts.
- Tobias Jones discusses how COVID-19 has emphasized the importance of social interaction to human well-being:
It seems callous to suggest that this tenebrous pandemic is letting the light in, and daft to offer immediate consolations amid so much grief. But there is a sense that, with the world having ground to a halt, our fantasies are finally taking flight.- Laura Spinney writes that inequality doesn't just exacerbate pandemics, but also plays a role in causing them. Don Pittis writes that the coronavirus pandemic offers an important test of a government's willingness to invest in avoiding impending catastrophe - and that the results so far look worrisome based on the even larger threat of climate breakdown. And Gregory Beatty discusses how the U.S. in particular is seeing greed and political posturing overwhelm even the most basic of responses to COVID-19.
Much of what we have always been told was impossible is actually happening: the homeless are (in some places) being housed in hotels while prisoners are (in others) being released. Kids are told not to go to school and to forget exams. Massive government spending is ensuring that people are guaranteed an income even if they can’t work. Private hospitals in Spain are being nationalised. A hospital has been built in London under a fortnight. In Portugal, tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers have been “regularised” and given full rights. It’s not quite a revolution, but it’s an epic conceptual awakening.
...
The penny has also dropped that wellbeing isn’t individual but social. We are not actually independent at all, but dependent. We can make each other sick and we can try to make each other well. We’ve understood that a healthy community (as Wendell Berry wrote in his essay Health Is Membership) isn’t merely human, but also “its soil, its water, its air”.
It has been fascinating to see the speed at which other attitudes have changed. The indignation expressed towards people not respecting social distancing (from those who would never normally describe themselves as moralists) has been understandably shrill: here too we’ve suddenly realised that the wellbeing of the group is endangered by indifferent individuals, and that community – for which we’ve yearned for so long – means originally simply a pooling of duties.
- Robert Reich points out how many of the "philanthropic" announcements made by billionaires in response to COVID-19 represent little but self-aggrandizement on the part of people who are actively exacerbating the crisis through their mistreatment of workers.
- PressProgress calls out the Fraser Institute's attempt to use a pandemic to justify the long-term use of environmentally-destructive plastic bags. And Regan Boychuk argues that the oil companies who have made billions polluting Alberta shouldn't be allowed to "dine and dash" as part of a recovery effort.
- Finally, Sara Mojtehedzaden reports on the payday lenders exploiting a mass crisis with the explicit encouragement of the Trudeau government. Rupert Neate and Jasper Jolly note that hedge funds are extracting huge amounts of wealth betting on chaotic markets, while Lawrence Delevigne exposes one investment firm's attempt to abuse relief funding to take in windfall profits. And J. David McSwane and Yeganeh Torbati report on the Trump administration's choice to dole out sole-source contracts.
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Lauren Leatherby and David Gelles examine how people are spending money differently in the midst of a pandemic, while Lucia Mutikani reports on a massive drop in prices as declining consumer spending outweights any disruption to supply chains. And Armine Yalnizyan comments how COVID-19 represents a brand-new economic crisis centred on service work, a disproportionate impact on women, and a limited prospect of rapid growth once the shutdown is done.
- Claire Cain Miller wonders whether our increased recognition of both the importance of service workers and the precarity of their work situations will be a first step toward righting what's wrong with the U.S.' system of labour relations. And Dr. Dawg's contributor ForgotToBuyTinfoil comments on the potential to shape a new economic system which actually puts people before profits, while Robert Green notes that the willingness of governments everywhere to spend whatever it takes to respond to a fast-moving crisis signals that they're equally capable of investing in the slower (but no less severe) fight against a climate breakdown.
- Tom Wall reports on the connection between subpar housing on the spread of the coronavirus.
Andre Picard discusses the importance of ensuring that the horrors of private long-term care which have been exposed in the face of a pandemic aren't repeated. And David Yaffe-Bellany and Michael Corkery write about the simultaneous rise of hunger and destruction of massive amounts of food due to a lack of coordination between production and needs.
- Finally, Tae Hoon Kim argues that South Korea's success in beating COVID-19 can be traced to a greater degree of government accountability to its populace. And Sarah Kendzior points out how the coronavirus is only exposing the disease pervading the U.S.' political system.
- Lauren Leatherby and David Gelles examine how people are spending money differently in the midst of a pandemic, while Lucia Mutikani reports on a massive drop in prices as declining consumer spending outweights any disruption to supply chains. And Armine Yalnizyan comments how COVID-19 represents a brand-new economic crisis centred on service work, a disproportionate impact on women, and a limited prospect of rapid growth once the shutdown is done.
- Claire Cain Miller wonders whether our increased recognition of both the importance of service workers and the precarity of their work situations will be a first step toward righting what's wrong with the U.S.' system of labour relations. And Dr. Dawg's contributor ForgotToBuyTinfoil comments on the potential to shape a new economic system which actually puts people before profits, while Robert Green notes that the willingness of governments everywhere to spend whatever it takes to respond to a fast-moving crisis signals that they're equally capable of investing in the slower (but no less severe) fight against a climate breakdown.
- Tom Wall reports on the connection between subpar housing on the spread of the coronavirus.
Andre Picard discusses the importance of ensuring that the horrors of private long-term care which have been exposed in the face of a pandemic aren't repeated. And David Yaffe-Bellany and Michael Corkery write about the simultaneous rise of hunger and destruction of massive amounts of food due to a lack of coordination between production and needs.
- Finally, Tae Hoon Kim argues that South Korea's success in beating COVID-19 can be traced to a greater degree of government accountability to its populace. And Sarah Kendzior points out how the coronavirus is only exposing the disease pervading the U.S.' political system.
Saturday, April 11, 2020
On antisocialism
Plenty of attention is rightly getting paid to the unabashed evil that is the Republicans' insistence on holding previously-scheduled elections at a time when it was certain to make. But how much worse is it then for a politician to actually treat the spread of COVID-19 as an excuse to precipitate an election which wouldn't otherwise have occurred?
And similarly, Republican governors have been called out for overriding public health measures taken by local authorities. But how much worse is it to stifle municipal steps to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in the name of consistency, while simultaneously complaining about the prospect of the federal government setting stronger common standards at the national level?
Fortunately, Saskatchewan's people have thus far been responsible enough to go a long way toward limiting the spread of the coronavirus - and Moe has eventually given in on most of his worst decisions (though it's worth noting that the effective ban on stronger municipal measures remains in place).
But Moe has demonstrated that his and most powerful instinct is toward exactly the kind of antisocial choices which have resulted in no end of rightful criticism for his Republican counterparts. And it's well past time for more of Saskatchewan's media to start holding him to the same level of scrutiny they've faced.
And similarly, Republican governors have been called out for overriding public health measures taken by local authorities. But how much worse is it to stifle municipal steps to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in the name of consistency, while simultaneously complaining about the prospect of the federal government setting stronger common standards at the national level?
Fortunately, Saskatchewan's people have thus far been responsible enough to go a long way toward limiting the spread of the coronavirus - and Moe has eventually given in on most of his worst decisions (though it's worth noting that the effective ban on stronger municipal measures remains in place).
But Moe has demonstrated that his and most powerful instinct is toward exactly the kind of antisocial choices which have resulted in no end of rightful criticism for his Republican counterparts. And it's well past time for more of Saskatchewan's media to start holding him to the same level of scrutiny they've faced.
On private interests
So far, the COVID-19 crisis has offered plenty of lessons about the limitations of delivering public goods through self-interested banks. Any relief has flowed only slowly, while the crisis has been turned into a profiteering opportunity both in the form of fine print imposing higher long-term costs on people who ask for it, and standard policies imposing higher immediate costs for people who don't.
Meanwhile, the major public-sector effort to distribute a new form of relief has been an unabashed success in terms of speed and efficiency (even if it's still too limited in scope).
Which is to say that we're seeing further evidence that a blinkered focus (PDF) on putting banks in charge of deciding who gets money and how can't actually be justified in the name of speed or business efficacy. To the contrary, they're far more likely to dangerously limit any distribution of resources, while making any decisions only through ponderous approval processes which delay the receipt of help even where it is made available.
Instead, if we want to ensure that money actually makes it where it's needed (however that need is defined), the past month has demonstrated that the public sector is far better suited to the job.
Meanwhile, the major public-sector effort to distribute a new form of relief has been an unabashed success in terms of speed and efficiency (even if it's still too limited in scope).
Which is to say that we're seeing further evidence that a blinkered focus (PDF) on putting banks in charge of deciding who gets money and how can't actually be justified in the name of speed or business efficacy. To the contrary, they're far more likely to dangerously limit any distribution of resources, while making any decisions only through ponderous approval processes which delay the receipt of help even where it is made available.
Instead, if we want to ensure that money actually makes it where it's needed (however that need is defined), the past month has demonstrated that the public sector is far better suited to the job.
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Saturday reading.
- Henry Giroux discusses how the greatest risks arising out of the coronavirus pandemic can be traced back to neoliberal political assumptions. And Patrick Sharkey notes that the effect of the pandemic has been to reveal the U.S.' glaring inability to address collective action problems, as the not-quite-half of the population already conditioned to reject science and devalue the lives of others is able to undermine everybody else's efforts to limit the damage.
- Meanwhile, Moira Ness writes that the already-precarious lives of artists are even more challenging as a result of COVID-19.
- Rick Smith examines the environmental lessons we can draw from COVID-19 and the resulting social lockdown. And Ivan Penn highlights how renewable energy is becoming perpetually stronger from an economic perspective, while fossil fuels are proving to be unsustainable.
- Gwynne Dyer points out the next steps needed to bring COVID-19 under control - including a vaccine before it's possible to fully lift the restrictions which have become the new normal.
- Finally, Elizabeth Bruenig writes a post-mortem for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign even as his core principles and demands are being proven right by the events surrounding the U.S.' presidential election.
- Henry Giroux discusses how the greatest risks arising out of the coronavirus pandemic can be traced back to neoliberal political assumptions. And Patrick Sharkey notes that the effect of the pandemic has been to reveal the U.S.' glaring inability to address collective action problems, as the not-quite-half of the population already conditioned to reject science and devalue the lives of others is able to undermine everybody else's efforts to limit the damage.
- Meanwhile, Moira Ness writes that the already-precarious lives of artists are even more challenging as a result of COVID-19.
- Rick Smith examines the environmental lessons we can draw from COVID-19 and the resulting social lockdown. And Ivan Penn highlights how renewable energy is becoming perpetually stronger from an economic perspective, while fossil fuels are proving to be unsustainable.
- Gwynne Dyer points out the next steps needed to bring COVID-19 under control - including a vaccine before it's possible to fully lift the restrictions which have become the new normal.
- Finally, Elizabeth Bruenig writes a post-mortem for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign even as his core principles and demands are being proven right by the events surrounding the U.S.' presidential election.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content for your long weekend reading.
- Andrej Markovcic discusses how the pursuit of profit above all else has contributed to the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating effects on people - while warning that we'll only make matters worse by keeping the same warped priorities now. And Ian Welsh writes that the coronavirus may not yet be the shock needed to jolt us away from corporate-driven politics, even as it demonstrates the obvious flaws of a system where power is exercised primarily to allow for asset accumulation by the already-privileged few.
- Warren Bell discusses the crucial role of political decisions in the obvious successes and failures in responding to COVID-19. Claudia Webbe focuses on Jair Bolsonaro's calamitous refusal to acknowledge and address the pandemic. And Michael Harris rightly criticizes Justin Trudeau for trying to turn a public health emergency into a power grab - though of course others have gone far further in that direction.
- Meanwhile, Kate Ng reports on Spain's use of a basic income to offer COVID-19 relief - and the prospect that it will be maintained past the immediate crisis. And Daniel Boffey takes note of Amsterdam's decision to use Kate Raworth's doughnut model in planning its next steps.
- Finally, Marc Lee points out the significance of food insecurity as one of most obvious areas where our social safety net is failing. And Alicia Bridges reports on Scott Moe's continuing failure to provide housing and basic care even to people with the symptoms of COVID-19.
- Andrej Markovcic discusses how the pursuit of profit above all else has contributed to the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating effects on people - while warning that we'll only make matters worse by keeping the same warped priorities now. And Ian Welsh writes that the coronavirus may not yet be the shock needed to jolt us away from corporate-driven politics, even as it demonstrates the obvious flaws of a system where power is exercised primarily to allow for asset accumulation by the already-privileged few.
- Warren Bell discusses the crucial role of political decisions in the obvious successes and failures in responding to COVID-19. Claudia Webbe focuses on Jair Bolsonaro's calamitous refusal to acknowledge and address the pandemic. And Michael Harris rightly criticizes Justin Trudeau for trying to turn a public health emergency into a power grab - though of course others have gone far further in that direction.
- Meanwhile, Kate Ng reports on Spain's use of a basic income to offer COVID-19 relief - and the prospect that it will be maintained past the immediate crisis. And Daniel Boffey takes note of Amsterdam's decision to use Kate Raworth's doughnut model in planning its next steps.
- Finally, Marc Lee points out the significance of food insecurity as one of most obvious areas where our social safety net is failing. And Alicia Bridges reports on Scott Moe's continuing failure to provide housing and basic care even to people with the symptoms of COVID-19.
Thursday, April 09, 2020
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Damian Carrington reports on the connection between air pollution and more severe death rates caused by the coronavirus. Clyde Russell writes that there's every reason to expect clean energy to win out over fossil fuels as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, while Bob Weber reports on the path for Canada in particular. Wal van Lierop argues that what's been treated as a normal expectation of windfall profits for the oil industry will likely never return. And even the Globe and Mail's editorial board notes that Jason Kenney's willingness to dump billions of Alberta's dollars into the U.S. construction of Keystone XL is a reckless bet.
- Gil McGowan discusses how Kenney's austerity - including mass layoffs of education workers in the midst of the crisis - figures to prove disastrous for Alberta's economy. And Kyle Bakx reports on the tech employers fleeing Alberta due to the UCP's fixation on a dying industry.
- Matt Taibbi warns against providing yet another set of corporate bailouts that further incentivizes and institutionalized the reckless extraction of wealth by the richest few. And Grace Blakely discusses how to break the stranglehold of the financial sector while reviewing Anastasia Nesvetailova and Ronen Palan's Sabotage.
- Marc Lee examines the coronavirus relief package offered by British Columbia's provincial government. Angella MacEwen and Armine Yalnizyan (PDF) each point out who's included - and particularly who's left out - in the federal government's response so far. And Jacob Lorinc reports on the plight of students facing a locked-down economy and a lack of income supports.
- Finally, Anna Fifield reports on New Zealand's success in eliminating - rather than merely containing - the spread of COVID-19.
- Damian Carrington reports on the connection between air pollution and more severe death rates caused by the coronavirus. Clyde Russell writes that there's every reason to expect clean energy to win out over fossil fuels as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, while Bob Weber reports on the path for Canada in particular. Wal van Lierop argues that what's been treated as a normal expectation of windfall profits for the oil industry will likely never return. And even the Globe and Mail's editorial board notes that Jason Kenney's willingness to dump billions of Alberta's dollars into the U.S. construction of Keystone XL is a reckless bet.
- Gil McGowan discusses how Kenney's austerity - including mass layoffs of education workers in the midst of the crisis - figures to prove disastrous for Alberta's economy. And Kyle Bakx reports on the tech employers fleeing Alberta due to the UCP's fixation on a dying industry.
- Matt Taibbi warns against providing yet another set of corporate bailouts that further incentivizes and institutionalized the reckless extraction of wealth by the richest few. And Grace Blakely discusses how to break the stranglehold of the financial sector while reviewing Anastasia Nesvetailova and Ronen Palan's Sabotage.
- Marc Lee examines the coronavirus relief package offered by British Columbia's provincial government. Angella MacEwen and Armine Yalnizyan (PDF) each point out who's included - and particularly who's left out - in the federal government's response so far. And Jacob Lorinc reports on the plight of students facing a locked-down economy and a lack of income supports.
- Finally, Anna Fifield reports on New Zealand's success in eliminating - rather than merely containing - the spread of COVID-19.
Wednesday, April 08, 2020
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Brendan Kennedy discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be the last straw for far too many workers already facing precarious finances. And Theodore Schleifer warns of the dangers of counting on billionaires to save us from breakdowns in public capacity which they've done so much to cause.
- Christopher Ingraham writes about the reasons why essential workers are paid far less than they deserve, while Josh Eidelson takes note of the growing backlash against mistreatment. Joanna Frketich reports from the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, while Sheila Block and Simran Dhunna discuss the need to do far more for care workers at a time when they're facing greater pressures and risks than ever. But Gil McGowan notes that Jason Kenney has chosen to kick public servants while they're down.
- Mark Hancock writes about the immense value of public services in a time of crisis. And Linda McQuaig makes the case to start manufacturing vital goods within the public sector, rather than relying on corporations to provide necessities.
- Brian Bank highlights how Canada will need to expand its manufacturing of electric vehicles in order to keep a meaningful place in the global automotive sector.
- Finally, Perry Bellegarde writes that the coronavirus pandemic is both reminding us of the existing deprivation facing First Nations, and creating an opportunity to finally remediate it.
- Brendan Kennedy discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be the last straw for far too many workers already facing precarious finances. And Theodore Schleifer warns of the dangers of counting on billionaires to save us from breakdowns in public capacity which they've done so much to cause.
- Christopher Ingraham writes about the reasons why essential workers are paid far less than they deserve, while Josh Eidelson takes note of the growing backlash against mistreatment. Joanna Frketich reports from the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, while Sheila Block and Simran Dhunna discuss the need to do far more for care workers at a time when they're facing greater pressures and risks than ever. But Gil McGowan notes that Jason Kenney has chosen to kick public servants while they're down.
- Mark Hancock writes about the immense value of public services in a time of crisis. And Linda McQuaig makes the case to start manufacturing vital goods within the public sector, rather than relying on corporations to provide necessities.
- Brian Bank highlights how Canada will need to expand its manufacturing of electric vehicles in order to keep a meaningful place in the global automotive sector.
- Finally, Perry Bellegarde writes that the coronavirus pandemic is both reminding us of the existing deprivation facing First Nations, and creating an opportunity to finally remediate it.
Tuesday, April 07, 2020
Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Duncan Cameron writes that while the COVID-19 pandemic has been catastrophic, we shouldn't pretend that it's at all surprising - or that the necessary responses are in doubt:
- Anelyse Weiler, Janet McLaughlin, Susana Caxaj and Donald Cole discuss the importance of protecting the rights of migrant workers in the wake of the coronavirus. But then, Stephanie Land points out that it shouldn't require a pandemic for us to care about people living in poverty and precarity.
- Alex MacPherson reports on Saskatchewan's mayors who are trying desperately to get Scott Moe's government to deal with a lack of housing and other supports in the face of COVID-19.
- Finally, David Moscrop wonders whether our democratic practices and institutions can survive the coronavirus. And Melinda Meng offers a reminder that a system of proportional representation would be far more responsive to public needs.
- Duncan Cameron writes that while the COVID-19 pandemic has been catastrophic, we shouldn't pretend that it's at all surprising - or that the necessary responses are in doubt:
Though it has taken the world by surprise, the COVID-19 pandemic is a white swan event. It was predictable that a contagious disease without a standard treatment would strike the planet -- it is a periodic occurrence.- Arwa Mahdawi writes about how the reaction to COVID-19 has highlighted the gap between celebrity culture and the reality facing most people. And Solhani Katkar writes about the cruel face of capitalism which has been exposed.
...
What is needed is to throw out the conventional thinking that dominates public policy, particularly in the wealthy G7 nations led by the U.S., that are suffering from COVID-19 illness and deaths.
Global co-operation does not arise from international trade deals that generate monopoly profits for corporations through enshrining intellectual property rights. Confronting a pandemic requires the ability to share knowledge about how to cure the virus, and eventually make vaccines and drugs for treatment widely available at the lowest possible cost, without price gouging through patent protection.
...
In an uncertain world, countries need a robust response to an uncertain future.
The out-of-control military spending of the U.S. and other G7 nations needs to be redirected to assure financial security, vital health and educational infrastructure, and a transition out of a fossil-fuel economy across the world.
Environmental activists, trade unionists, feminists and religious leaders have been pointing out for decades that at the planetary level, nations need to come together for common security.
Protecting citizens from climate change, famine, drought, forest fires and pandemics requires specific practices, investments and major policy shifts.
The main threats to human well-being are not military attacks that threaten national security: they emerge from the interplay of industrial society and nature; and responding effectively requires a new approach to global co-operation.
- Anelyse Weiler, Janet McLaughlin, Susana Caxaj and Donald Cole discuss the importance of protecting the rights of migrant workers in the wake of the coronavirus. But then, Stephanie Land points out that it shouldn't require a pandemic for us to care about people living in poverty and precarity.
- Alex MacPherson reports on Saskatchewan's mayors who are trying desperately to get Scott Moe's government to deal with a lack of housing and other supports in the face of COVID-19.
- Finally, David Moscrop wonders whether our democratic practices and institutions can survive the coronavirus. And Melinda Meng offers a reminder that a system of proportional representation would be far more responsive to public needs.
Monday, April 06, 2020
Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.
- Mariana Mazzucato comments on the triple crisis facing our current economic system, and the importance of addressing health, environmental and economic disasters alike.
- Shannon Daub writes that it's entirely counterproductive to withhold coronavirus relief from charities and non-profits until their resources have already been depleted. And Nina Lakhani discusses the perfect storm facing both Americans now confronted with severe hunger, and the U.S. food banks trying to meet their needs.
- Jeremy Rigby points out how underlying inequalities make it impossible for a school division to provide equitable resources in the wake of the pandemic. Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Denise Lu and Gabriel Dance note that the physical distancing being painted as a form of self-sacrifice is itself a luxury beyond the means of far too many. And Ginia Bellafante reports on the efforts of Amazon workers to secure some measure of safety and dignity as they're simultaneously treated as essential to their society, and disposable to their employer.
- Finally, Neil Macdonald highlights how the Trump administration - and Republicans and their allies generally - have gone out of their way to make people worse informed and less safe. Gary Fineout and Marc Caputo examine the disastrous effect of Republicans' efforts to destroy Florida's income support system. And Yeganeh Torbati and Isaac Arnsdorf discuss how the Tea Party and other purveyors of austerity politics ensured the U.S. wasn't prepared to respond to a predictable calamity.
- Mariana Mazzucato comments on the triple crisis facing our current economic system, and the importance of addressing health, environmental and economic disasters alike.
- Shannon Daub writes that it's entirely counterproductive to withhold coronavirus relief from charities and non-profits until their resources have already been depleted. And Nina Lakhani discusses the perfect storm facing both Americans now confronted with severe hunger, and the U.S. food banks trying to meet their needs.
- Jeremy Rigby points out how underlying inequalities make it impossible for a school division to provide equitable resources in the wake of the pandemic. Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Denise Lu and Gabriel Dance note that the physical distancing being painted as a form of self-sacrifice is itself a luxury beyond the means of far too many. And Ginia Bellafante reports on the efforts of Amazon workers to secure some measure of safety and dignity as they're simultaneously treated as essential to their society, and disposable to their employer.
- Finally, Neil Macdonald highlights how the Trump administration - and Republicans and their allies generally - have gone out of their way to make people worse informed and less safe. Gary Fineout and Marc Caputo examine the disastrous effect of Republicans' efforts to destroy Florida's income support system. And Yeganeh Torbati and Isaac Arnsdorf discuss how the Tea Party and other purveyors of austerity politics ensured the U.S. wasn't prepared to respond to a predictable calamity.
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