Here we are in the eye of the storm, a place of relative calm surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms (known as the eye wall). We passed through one eye wall to get here and we’ll have to pass through another eye wall to get out. This won’t be easy
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Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz points out that a few gross numbers based on top-end wealth can’t change the reality that Donald Trump’s economy has only squeezed the working class. Jim Stanford highlights Australia’s “retail apocalypse” resulting in massive job losses and disruption, while Josh
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the new year’s early reminders of the generous treatment of corporations and their CEOs compared to workers. For further reading…– David MacDonald’s look at CEO pay is here (PDF). – And Toby Sanger’s study of corporate tax freedom day is here (PDF). From that, I’ll particularly highlight this
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your year. – Armine Yalnizyan writes about the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights a century after the Winnipeg General Strike: Most workers have no channels for acting, or even talking, collectively. That may be changing. Here in Canada, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers launched a
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Is This a Time for Hope?
It’s hard to find hope when so many Albertans are hurting. It’s even more difficult when you realize Alberta’s own government is the source of their pain. Nevertheless, there is cause for hope. I saw that eye-roll. Let me tell you why I’m hopeful. The Notley opposition
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Laurie Macfarlane writes about the interconnected economic, democratic and environmental crises facing the UK – and the opportunity voters have to address all three in today’s election. And a group of political and thought leaders from around the globe lends its support
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Kudos to Carney (and Good Luck!)
Mark Carney is a banker par excellence, a Canadian boy who made the big time. He served as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and is credited with helping the country weather the recession. He then went on to become Governor of the Bank of England,
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Day We Demonstrated Outside the UCP AGM
“Public services are under attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!” – Protest cheer Ms Soapbox, her husband and her good friend from Edmonton joined the public school teachers, healthcare workers, and deeply concerned Albertans at the huge rally outside the Westin Hotel where the UCP were holding
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Will Hutton discusses how the U.S.’ monopolistic economic system threatens anybody who becomes subject to its whims. And Eric Levitz points out how a wealth tax which ensures that everybody is required to contribute to the price of a functional civilization should appeal
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz writes about the dangers of measuring economic and social progress solely in terms of GDP: It is clear that something is fundamentally wrong with the way we assess economic performance and social progress. Even worse, our metrics frequently give the
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Surviving the decline of the American Empire
July 21, 2019: Professor Michael Hudson gave the final keynote at the 14th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy, held in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Photo: Paul S. Graham Michael Hudson is President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a Wall
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On choice giveaways
There’s been plenty worth criticizing about Scott Moe’s combination of laughable demands of the federal government and refusal to take responsibility for anything his government is doing at home. But let’s take note of yet another example of the Saskatchewan Party’s fanatical focus on freebies for resource exploiters with no
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Towards a Green Social Democratic Economy
Background/Context Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit.[1][2][3][4] Characteristics central to capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system and competitive markets.[5][6] In a capitalist market economy, decision-making and investments are
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – PressProgress highlights the latest example of the obscene concentration of wealth in Canada, as a mere 45 people own more than the GDP of over half the country’s provinces and territories. – Paul Precht dispels any myth that Alberta’s anti-tax ideology has anything
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Austerity – The History of A Dangerous Idea – Mark Blyth
A thick meaty discussion of the western political economy and the checkered history that has led us to the current financial mess we happen to be in. Great viewing, get some popcorn!
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Arwa Mahdawi writes that the outsized influence wielded by billionaires makes them something beyond merely wealthy people. Tom Whyman challenges the worship of the excessively wealthy as a particularly destructive religion. Robert Reich points out that the means of accumulating a billion
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the problems with the Saskatchewan Party’s mismanagement which deserve far more attention than Scott Moe’s attempts to pick fights with the federal government for show – including the need to plan for a future in which fossil fuel extraction won’t be the basis for a viable economy. For
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Justin Fox writes that there are plenty of options available to push for the wealthiest few to pay their fair share toward a functional and compassionate society. And Christine Berry discusses the need for a progressive plan of attack to fundamentally restructure
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