Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Lara Herrero discusses how infection with COVID-19 can leave people more vulnerable to all kinds of other diseases. And the Canadian Press reports on the rise of two new subvariants in Ontario (and elsewhere) while public health officials beg for the return of at least basic precautionary measures.

- Mitchell Beer writes about the inflection point in an energy transition: there's no longer a prospect of fossil fuels being a viable long-term energy source compared to cheaper and cleaner renewable alternatives, but not enough being done to limit their continued harm to the climate in the short to medium term. And Sofia Quaglia reports on new research showing that extreme heat resulting from climate change has inflicted tens of trillions of dollars in damage, largely on countries who haven't been responsible for much of the carbon pollution that's caused it.

- Steven Greenhouse comments on the absurdity of blaming inflation caused by concentrated corporate power on the few leaders willing to occasionally question it. And Brian Sullivan points out that New York's lack of housing is being exacerbated by landlords choosing to keep homes empty rather than making them available at affordable rates. 

- Meanwhile, Noam Scheiber writes that Starbucks' cynical fight to avoid collective bargaining is being seized on by other employers to tell their employees that collective action is futile.

- Finally, Judy Trinh reports on the latest revelations as to how police bias in favour of violent white supremacists led to their failing to protect the public from the #FluTruxKlan. And Shachi Kurl discusses how telling it is that the Saskatchewan Party is willing to celebrate a good ol' boy best known for domestic abuse and the murder of his wif.

Sunday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Sunday reading.

- Carly Weeks reports on the work being done to begin to understand and treat long COVID, while Erika Edwards reports on the profiteers directing people toward lucrative (if not necessarily effective) interventions where governments have failed to offer anything. Mario Canseco finds that more than half of Canadians are anxious about the political class' inexplicable decision to eliminate public health protections, while Bruce Arthur discusses the impossibility of mounting any effective fight against a pandemic while trying to pretend it's over. And Maiike Swets et al. find that in a particularly painful twist on attempts to minimize COVID as "no worse than a flu", the combination of the coronavirus and an actual flu produces particularly severe outcomes.

- Niki Ashton highlights how public ownership can serve as a level for effective climate action. John Vidal discusses Amory Lovins' work demonstrating that energy efficiency should be central to our carbon mitigation plans. And Maddelin McCosker and Danielle O'Neal report on the farce that is Australia's carbon credit scheme, as credits (and associated profits) have been handed out regardless of any contribution to emission reductions.

- Meanwhile, the National Post reports that the proliferation of plastics has reached the point where microparticles are contaminating human bloodstreams.

- Finally, Jon Queally discusses Joe Biden's laudable effort to ensure the wealthiest few in the U.S. contribute at least something toward funding a functional society.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Toby Sanger points out how Canada could gain tens of billions of dollars annually by working with Joe Biden to apply a global minimum corporate tax. And Linda McQuaig reassures us that a wealth tax can have a profound impact on inequality without collecting from anybody but the richest of the rich.

- Mae Watson Grote writes about the need to address structural causes of inequality and poverty, rather than pretending that "financial literacy" is of any use compared to the systemic barriers which keep people in precarious circumstances. And Paul Krugman discusses the importance of public policy which allows for the growth and strengthening of the labour movement.

- Simone Tagliapietra discusses the impossibility of trying to rein in the climate crisis without simultaneously improving the conditions facing vulnerable people.

- Jim Stanford highlights how corporate-funded opposition to a fair minimum wage depends on obsolete economic theory which has been proven wrong in practice.

- Bruce Arthur slams Doug Ford for his reckless games of chicken against the coronavirus, while Matt Gurney takes note of the complete lack of thought or responsibility behind Ontario's pandemic response. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board writes that all levels of government have failed Canadians by not ensuring workers have paid sick leave available in order to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

- Finally, Molly Bernstein and Sean McElwee point out the strong support in the U.S. to redirect resources from police to alternative emergency response mechanisms.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Kendall Latimer reports that epidemiologists are calling for far stronger public health measures as COVID variants have become the dominant strain - and spread to an alarmingly high number of people already - in Regina. German Lopez discusses the value of a harm reduction approach which asks people to be careful rather than perfect. And Andre Picard examines some of the the facts and fictions around the vaccination process.

- Ashifa Kassam reports on Spain's decision to join the ranks of countries offering a four-day work week. And Jeff Stein reports on the Biden administration's much-needed plan to stop the international race to the bottom on corporate taxes by applying a global minimum tax on profits.

- Owen Schalk points out the Trudeau Libs' willingness to support unelected right-wing governments - and approve of political the jailing of progressive leaders - where it serves the interest of Canadian mining corporations in exploiting the countries involved. And Jon Horler exposes how the federal government lobbying about an arms export permit to Turkey which resulted in the sale of drone technology to be used in war.

- Angie Schmitt discusses how the design of pickup trucks is increasingly oriented toward hypermasculine impunity and disregard for pedestrians and other drivers, rather than any reasonable measure of functionality. And CBC News reports on the rightfully dubious response to the UCP's plans to make Alberta's roads more polluted and less safe by raising highway speed limits.

- Finally, David Kirkpatrick and Alan Feuer report on the refusal of U.S. law enforcement to respond at all to the Proud Boys until they participated in the Trump-induced attack on the Capitol.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Rita Trichur writes that an attempt to boost the economy solely through monetary policy will predictably lead to even worse inequality - meaning it's necessary for governments to instead intervene through fiscal policy to ensure that growth is shaped to be fair and inclusive.

- Gabriela Schulte reports that a majority of Americans support a wealth tax to rein in existing inequality. And Joseph Choi reports on the Biden administration's plans for at least some tax increases on the people and corporations who can most afford to pay them.

- Jim Stanford calls out Uber for attempting to gut existing employment standards by permitting a far lesser set of protections to apply to its workers compared to people in more traditional employment relationships. 

- Max Fawcett writes about the dangers posed by a housing market which is pulling in massive amounts of investment wholly out of proportion to any rational explanation. And Amin Barnea discusses the need for regulation of the financial markets to ensure they don't function as casinos which always return money to the house.

- Finally, Taslim Jaffer highlights how we all have privilege of some sort - and need to use it to ensure that others don't face injustice.

[Edit: fixed typo.]

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Karl Leffme interviews Jake Lytle about the movement to unionize marijuana-related work in Chicago. And Jay Greene and Eli Rosernberg report on an all-too-rare expression of support for unionization by Joe Biden in the wake of Amazon's attempt to bully and bribe workers out of pursuing collective bargaining.

- Alex McKeen reports on a push by Canada's provincial labour ministers for a national sick leave program. And the Star's editorial board again calls for action at the provincial level as well to ensure workers aren't forced to endanger themselves and others for lack of alternative income supports.

- Andrew Meijers highlights how changes in Atlantic ocean currents may exacerbate the extreme weather expected as part of a climate breakdown.

- Meanwhile, Helen Caldicott points out how nuclear power is neither practical from a cost standpoint, nor desirable from an environmental one. And QMI reports on Quebec Solidaire's effort to convert golf courses into public green space.

- Finally, Greg Palast discusses how Texas' disastrous power deregulation was the result of conscious political choices (with the Bush family playing a prominent role). And Tom Parkin writes about the different incentives and which are leading to the NDP backing a shift to public ownership of long-term care facilities while the Libs seek to go no further than voluntarism and symbolism.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jason Warick reports on Steven Lewis' blunt conclusion that Scott Moe and his government have been "really stupid" in taking "half-assed" steps in response to the fall wave of COVID-19. And Adam Hunter contrasts Moe's refusal to consider any meaningful steps to control the spread of COVID-19 in the name of the economy against the recognition by actual economists that nobody benefits from uncontrolled outbreaks.

- Patricia Treble points out the consequences of Alberta's failure to accept the advice of doctors that the province needed a "circuit breaker" to avert what's now the worst outbreak in Canada. Susan Wright takes note of Jason Kenney's choice to hide as case loads explode under his failed leadership. And Taylor Lambert discusses why Kenney is fixated on a provincial contact tracing app which has produced virtually no results at a cost of a million dollars and counting, rather than the federal one which is fully functional and free for his province to use. 

- Michael Laxer writes that while Doug Ford is using the language of a "lockdown" to try to claim credit for action, he's actually doing little more than allowing big business to keep operating while shutting down anything smaller and locally owned. And PressProgress documents Brian Pallister's apparent belief that the media should do his job in developing a pandemic plan.

- And with conservative premiers showing their utter inability to deal with problems which require effective government action, Tom Parkin makes the case for the federal government to step into the breach.

- Finally, Ian Welsh discusses the crucial difference between enemies and friends in the political sphere. And that distinction maps closely onto Luke Savage's warning that the Biden administration can't repeat Barack Obama's errors in primarily serving and appeasing the corporate class, rather than fighting for the people whose interests have long been neglected in the halls of power.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Nazaneei Ismail Ali discusses how public procurement can and should be a means of improving social and economic conditions, not merely a source of easy profits for well-connected corporate contractors. Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on an all-too-rare reprisal decision against a farm employer who tried to deport a worker for daring to raise COVID concerns. And Jason Foster examines the Kenney UCP's attacks on protections for workers in the midst of a pandemic.

- Laura Sciarpelletti reports on Nazeem Muhajarine's message that Saskatchewan needs a "circuit breaker" lockdown to protect people who depend on our social care systems. And Taylor Braat reports on the Alberta workers who are effectively being forced to work while sick, while noting that enforcement of public health rules doesn't help when people aren't given the necessary support to be able to comply with them. 

- Tahiat Mahboob reports on Saadia Sediqzadah's call for relationship-building and personal supports as a necessary foundation for mental health care.

- The Canadian Press reports on Jagmeet Singh's needed push for improved legislation and enforcement against hate groups. Steve Scherer discusses the significance of increased immigration as part of Canada's prospects for recovery and development. And Susan Delacourt points out the contrast drawn by far too many Canadian leaders between Charter freedoms they're prepared to defend for political purposes, and those they're ready to abandon.

- Finally, Joel Laforest warns against drawing the wrong lessons from a U.S. election in which Republicans nearly retained the presidency and capitalized on an uninspiring Democratic message down the ballot.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Ricky Leong writes that any meaningful effort to stop the coronavirus has to include enforcement to deal with the people who haven't responded to moral suasion. 

- Lauren Mascarenhas reports on the CDC's belated recognition that masks benefit both wearers and others in limiting the spread of COVID-19 And Olivia Goldhill points out that rural areas generally aren't equipped with ultra-cold freezers needed to store the Pfizer vaccine which has emerged as the most promising vaccine to date.

- Amanda Pfeffer reports on the Ontario PCs' choice to spend extra on investigators to claw back social supports in the midst of the pandemic, rather than doing anything to support people who need it. Andrea Woo highlights the appalling Ontario death toll from the opioid epidemic which is going unaddressed. And Farrah Merali examines the neglect of residents in the province's private long-term care homes - and the lack of any accountability against the corporations responsible. 

- Meanwhile, Noor Javed points out how Doug Ford is taking the opportunity to enrich developers at the expense of environmental protection.

- Finally, Umair Haque writes that the core task of Joe Biden's presidency shouldn't be merely to restore some pre-Trump status quo ante, but to rebuild a failing U.S. state. George Monbiot discusses the risk that Donald Trump's rise may simply presage the emergence of a more competent - and more dangerous - autocrat. And David Suzuki notes that the state of the U.S. highlights the importance of fighting injustice in all of its forms.

On asymmetrical warfare

In the wake of this week's U.S. elections - featuring a closer-than-expected contest for the presidency, and down-ballot results which look to disappointingly leave substantial power in Republican hands - there's been an outpouring of commentary criticizing the money that was put into campaigns which ultimately lost.

If there's a lesson we can draw from a broader set of political results, though, it's about the need for all-of-the-above politics - rather than an assumption that a single form of winning support can be counted on to make up for a lack of others.

In the U.S., the division between the air war and the ground war was stark. In the presidential race as well as major congressional battles, Democrats were able to pour loads of money into ads. 

But Biden's initial reluctance to pursue door-knocking at all, combined with a lack of effort to reach communities where it appears particularly important to win and turn out support, looks to have been a major factor behind some of the most disappointing results. And the assumption that text alerts and phoning would make up for a lack of in-person contact looks to have been thoroughly flawed.

That's particularly so since the Democrats' greatest successes look to have come in areas where ad blitzes from above (boosting voters' motivation) were paired with grassroots canvassing (which converted that motivation into turnout).

It appears that a similar dynamic also may have applied in Saskatchewan's provincial election - though the problem for the NDP arose on the former front.

Here, the prospect of an opportunistic snap spring election call in the midst of a pandemic always seemed particularly egregious given the Saskatchewan Party's reserves of corporate donations. The prospect of the government locking everybody indoors, then using its cash reserves to drown out all competing voices through electronic media, looked like about the most unfair and self-serving starting point one could imagine.

The election eventually took place on schedule, and COVID receded somewhat over the summer. As a result, the opposition parties were eventually able to get out door-knocking - albeit with some restrictions which did make communication more difficult. And on election day, the NDP was in its familiar situation of being able to reach target voters with a thorough ground game in priority ridings. 

But by that point, the party was fishing in a depleted and uninterested pool. Large numbers of mail-in ballots and advance voters proved to be more the result of a shift in turnout rather than an increase. For citizens who had seen far more government messaging than contrasting perspectives in the course of the campaign (particularly with what should have been major news going unreported through mainstream outlets in that time), it figures to have been relatively easy to decide that the pandemic offered a valid excuse to stay home. And the result was that the NDP's support on election day fell well short of what the polls suggested.

In sum, neither an air-war approach without a well-thought-out plan to engage with voters in their communities, nor a strong ground game in the face of a massive advertising disadvantage, is likely to represent a recipe for victory. But by the same token, the answer isn't to criticize the people who have built up one or the other, but to ensure the causes we support have enough of both to succeed.

[Edit: fixed & added wording.]

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Randy Robinson writes that Doug Ford's gratuitous austerity will have severe costs in both jobs and lives. And James Downie comments on the desperate need for a Biden administration to make major investments in an equitable and sustainable U.S. economy.

- Justin McElroy discusses how the B.C. NDP was able to win a majority government. And Christo Aivalis points out the importance of making the most of the opportunity by setting new standards for progressive government in Canada.

- Matt Wade reports on new research showing how an affordable basic income could wipe out poverty in Australia.

- Naureen Malik, Brian Eckhouse, Dave Merrill and Jeremy C.F. Lin report that peak demand for natural gas in the U.S. is approaching in a hurry (if it isn't here already), leaving no excuse for wasting time and public resources on a "bridge" to cleaner and more efficient renewables.

- Finally, Ashleigh Mattern interviews Jan Gelech about the psychology behind anti-maskers in a pandemic. And Andre Picard writes about the need to focus on preventing COVID-19 superspreader events.