Well, the Liberals won. And hallelujah, and praise be to the Lord. Of course it is good that the Harper Conservatives are out. But let’s not get carried away. We have a lot of work to do. Because, as bad as the Harper government may have been, and was, and
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Writings of J. Todd Ring: An Analysis Of The 2015 Election In Canada
Well, the Liberals won. And hallelujah, and praise be to the Lord. Of course it is good that the Harper Conservatives are out. But let’s not get carried away. We have a lot of work to do. Because, as bad as the Harper government may have been, and was, and
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Vote! Get involved, vote, speak, write, raise your voice – and get Harper out
Whether you volunteer, write, canvass, talk to friends and family, or in some other way engage in, and promote, democracy in Canada, please do be involved. Vote, encourage others to vote, talk about the issues, and let’s see a massive turn-out today, along with a lively, and much-needed, thoughtful discussion.
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Vote! Get involved, vote, speak, write, raise your voice – and get Harper out
Whether you volunteer, write, canvass, talk to friends and family, or in some other way engage in, and promote, democracy in Canada, please do be involved. Vote, encourage others to vote, talk about the issues, and let’s see a massive turn-out today, along with a lively, and much-needed, thoughtful discussion.
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Election 2015 and Strategic Voting: Madness, or Practical Necessity?
An economic and political analysis of Canada, neoliberalism, and the world Get a cup of coffee or tea, or a glass of wine, and settle in – this is not sound-bite commentary. We are going to dig deep. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” – Ralph Waldo
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Election 2015 and Strategic Voting: Madness, or Practical Necessity?
An economic and political analysis of Canada, neoliberalism, and the world Get a cup of coffee or tea, or a glass of wine, and settle in – this is not sound-bite commentary. We are going to dig deep. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” – Ralph Waldo
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Canadian and US Federal Elections – 2015, 2016: A summary of the prospects and possible outcomes
Revolution, reform, stagnation – or worse? It is sometimes difficult to say what would be best for a given nation at a given time in history. There are things that would be desirable, of course, or which seem desirable, and things that are quite clearly, urgently needed – but in
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Canadian and US Federal Elections – 2015, 2016: A summary of the prospects and possible outcomes
Revolution, reform, stagnation – or worse? It is sometimes difficult to say what would be best for a given nation at a given time in history. There are things that would be desirable, of course, or which seem desirable, and things that are quite clearly, urgently needed – but in
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Empiricism and Dogmatism
Or, Evidence-based opinion versus ideological fundamentalism There is a major difference between evidence-based opinion and opinion-based evidence. The former is empirical, and sane, the latter, dogmatic, and either insane or dishonest. There are always a few people, many in fact, who adopt an ideology first, then mold the facts to
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Empiricism and Dogmatism
Or, Evidence-based opinion versus ideological fundamentalism There is a major difference between evidence-based opinion and opinion-based evidence. The former is empirical, and sane, the latter, dogmatic, and either insane or dishonest. There are always a few people, many in fact, who adopt an ideology first, then mold the facts to
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Lament For A Nation – A Review
(Originally written as a review for Good Reads) Here is a must-read for all Canadians – George Grant’s classic masterpiece, documenting the poor decisions which led to the loss of sovereignty of Canada to the US empire, just at a time when the British empire had been weakened enough that
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Lament For A Nation – A Review
(Originally written as a review for Good Reads) Here is a must-read for all Canadians – George Grant’s classic masterpiece, documenting the poor decisions which led to the loss of sovereignty of Canada to the US empire, just at a time when the British empire had been weakened enough that
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Vile Maxim of the Servants
Adam Smith wrote about “The vile maxim of the masters,” which is, as he describes it, “All for us, none for anybody else.” And the vile maxim of their loyal servants seems to be, “Whatever you say boss. You make the rules.” The vile, amoral service to power – nothing
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Vile Maxim of the Servants
Adam Smith wrote about “The vile maxim of the masters,” which is, as he describes it, “All for us, none for anybody else.” And the vile maxim of their loyal servants seems to be, “Whatever you say boss. You make the rules.” The vile, amoral service to power – nothing
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Bernie Sanders: socialism, anarchism, corporatism and democracy
I support Senator Bernie Sanders in his candidacy to become the next US president. I would very much like to see him win, and I think he very may well. Now, some people will say, but Bernie Sanders is a self-declared democratic socialist. I see no problem with that. And
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Bernie Sanders: socialism, anarchism, corporatism and democracy
I support Senator Bernie Sanders in his candidacy to become the next US president. I would very much like to see him win, and I think he very may well. Now, some people will say, but Bernie Sanders is a self-declared democratic socialist. I see no problem with that. And
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Naomi Klein on Neoliberalism, the Shock Doctrine and Disaster Capitalism
Normally I post only essays that I have written on my blog, but this deserves to be an exception to the rule. This is a true Must-Watch. Naomi Klein clarifies the history of neoliberalism and the current state of the world in a few short minutes. 100,000 protests a year
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Going Off-Grid
Off-grid, self-reliant living is a rapidly growing phenomenon and popular movement – so popular that there is now a cable TV show devoted to it, called something like, Off-Grid House Hunters, on HGTV. It only makes sense. Cut your expenses and improve your quality of life, while lowering stress and
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Thoughts on the NDP
I’d like to have confidence in the NDP, but they have become a neoliberal party, in full submission to the corporate powers and the neoliberal corporate agenda, despite the fanfare and the piece-meal token gestures. Mulcair certainly is no Tommy Douglas, nor is he a Tony Benn. I hope I
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: A call to the drowning
I would love to celebrate the beauty of jazz, of blues, of classical music, and of this world, and life, and I do; but I must also relate to the suffering of this world, and attend to it, or I would feel myself to be heartless, and it would be
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