Those of us who write blogs on a regular basis, I suspect, have a high tolerance for the uglier aspects of humanity that we regularly confront in our exploration of the political arena. Greed, deception, avarice and rampant egoism seem pervasive, concern for the collective good little more than a
Continue readingTag: Income Inequality
Northern Insight: Investment in society and in human beings?
A paper published in the journal International Political Science Review considered if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was “Democracy’s Friend or Foe.” It noted that reforms required by the American based IMF, “may create an economically and politically marginalized population whose government is unwilling or incapable of responding to their
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Joseph Stiglitz On Income Inequality
Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz recently gave a powerful speech at the annual AFL-CIO convention in Los Angeles. Watching this video leaves one little choice but to feel a deep dissatisfaction with the status quo: Recommend this Post
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Conservatives attack on unions a threat to shared prosperity in Canada, says Broadbent Institute
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: The right-wing’s regressive anti-union rhetoric and U.S.-styled attacks on the labour movement threatens Canada’s prosperity, says a report recently released by the progressive Canadian think tank Broadbent Institute. The report expresses grave concern about the Conservative government’s current political agenda and “highly-organized right-wing campaign to import American-style
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Puncturing Right-Wing Mythology
I hope everyone will take five minutes to watch this video, originally considered too controversial for TED Talks. The speaker, entrepreneur Nick Hanauer, very deftly cuts through the mythology perpetuated by the right wing that the super-rich are our job creators and hence must be treated with taxation kid gloves.
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Income disparity grows
Incomes of bottom 90 percent grew $59 in 40 years, Natasha Lennard, Salon.com “Pulitzer Prize-winner David Cay Johnston has highlighted yet more statistics that illuminate the spike in income inequality in the U.S. in recent decades. Flagging Johnston’s analysis, HuffPo noted Monday, ‘Incomes for the bottom 90 percent of Americans
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada’s tax system is in dire need of “fairness” reform: Report
By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive | Jan. 26, 2013: A new study by two economists from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), an independent left-leaning policy research institute, says Canada’s tax system is in dire need of “fairness” reform. Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova argue that “ad-hoc tax changes over the last two decades have
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada failing to close the income inequality gap
by Conference Board of Canada | Feb. 4, 2013: OTTAWA – Canada has been unable to reverse the rise in income inequality – and poverty rates – that occurred in the 1990s. Low rankings on these social equity measures mar an otherwise solid “B” grade in The Conference of Canada’s Society report card, released today. Canada places
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Regression
The Conference Board keeps churning out reports which should embarrass the Harper government. The Board’s latest report ranks Canada 7th out of 17 developed countries in terms of quality of life. It’s interesting that, in terms of falling crime rates, we are doing very well — although, if you believe
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada’s richest 1% grabbed 10.6% of all income, rich-poor gap widened: StatsCan
by Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Jan. 28, 2013: Remember Occupy, Canada? A new Statistics Canada analysis of income trends among Canadian taxfilers from 1982 to 2010, released today, confirms three of the many concerns Occupy protesters expressed in late 2011. Concerns relating to income inequality, poverty, corporate greed, etc. First, members of the
Continue readingNorthern Insight: A road to inevitable unrest
Libs’ ‘Job Plan’ not enough to tackle poverty, Trish Garner, The Province, Dec 2012 “…B.C. has the largest gap between the rich and the poor, and the highest poverty rate in Canada. Over half-a-million British Columbians live below the poverty line, and most of them have a job, sometimes several,
Continue readingNorthern Insight: A society doomed by greed
Is the future healthy when one company’s CEO draws a larger salary between breakfast and lunch, on one day, than a loyal 20 year employee earns in a year? Well, during the four hours that a long time McDonald crew person earned $35, his boss gained $16,827. We might assume
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Business genius talks
Warren Buffett, the world’s third richest man, appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart along with Carol Loomis, senior editor-at-large for Fortune and author of Tap Dancing to Work. A few quotes:
Warren Buffett:
“In the last ten years, I have…
Northern Insight: Trends
A Failed Experiment, Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times, Nov 21/12
“Since the 1950s, the top federal income tax rate has fallen from 90 percent or more to 35 percent. Capital gains tax rates have been cut by more than half since the late 1970s. Finan…
Continue readingNorthern Insight: The real Welfare Queen
Walmart: America’s real ‘Welfare Queen’, Paddy Ryan, Daily Kos, October 2012
” As many as 80 percent of workers in [U.S.] Wal-Mart stores use food stamps.”Inequality, exhibit A: Walmart and the wealth of American families, Josh Bivens, The Economic Pol…
Northern Insight: Take from the poor, give to the rich
Further to my comments about homeowners subsidizing industrial power, here is an extract from the blog of Vancouver lawyer Jim Quail, Site C and the Kitimat LNG Export Terminal: Christy Clark’s Program for Income Redistribution: “…Hydro would sell that much power to one corporate mega-project, at industrial tariff rates of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Even Forbes Gets It. Why Can’t Steve Harper?
Forbes, yes that Forbes, the business magazine understands the damage that income inequality is exacting on America’s economy. New research indicates that growing income inequality isn’t just unpleasant; it is seriously hurting the U.S. economy. And economists are figuring out just how the damage is done, according to a fascinating
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Words to ponder
“In any society where wealth and income concentrate overwhelmingly at the top, the affluent will almost always come to sneer at public services and the men and women who provide them.” – Sam Pizzigati
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