Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- J. David Hulchanski identifies the most important common theme within the Occupy movement:
One thing the “Occupy” movement does not lack is a clear message: the system is broken and the folks who broke it are not the ones who will fix it. There is no doubt in the minds of many that the economy is rigged in favour of the very few, and that most politicians act on behalf of those few. Why? To quote Jessie James, because that’s where the money is.

Living in an affluent society like Canada is not very pleasant if one senses no opportunity to continue to be — or ever to be — economically comfortable, let alone affluent. A huge percentage of jobs are now precarious: low wages, few benefits, no pension, usually no future. More become that way every day.

Who benefits from a labour market based on precarious employment at low wages with no benefits? Is that how we build a just, cohesive, democratic society, where the majority feels included and fairly treated?
- Meanwhile, Trish Hennessy points to George Lakoff's take on the importance of framing for Occupiers:
I see OWS as a patriotic movement, based on a deep and abiding love of country — a patriotism that it is not just about the self-interests of individuals, but about what the country is and is to be. Do Americans care about other citizens, or mainly just about themselves? That’s what love of America is about.

I therefore think it is important to be positive, to be clear about loving America, seeing it in need of fixing, and not just being willing to fix it, but being willing to take to the streets to fix it. A populist movement starts with the people seeing that they are all in the same boat and being ready to come together to fix the leaks.
- We can add Joseph Stiglitz to the list of Nobel laureates gobsmacked at the sheer stupidity of continuing to cater to the ideology of the creditor class when the result is economic disaster for that group as much as anybody else.

- And finally, I'm sure Edmonton will agree that it's a good thing we have such a strong, stable majority government so we don't end up with major federally-funded projects getting cancelled willy-nilly without explanation.

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