Forget houses as a source of secondary income – that’s so 2007. After the latest recession, Americans are increasingly dipping into their retirement savings to fund on-going consumer expenses. Many private 401(k) plans have rules that allow workers to withdraw some amount of saved funds before retirement and such early
Continue readingTag: paternalism
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: All hail the Glorious Leader Trope #nlpoli
“Province to deliver on promise of whistleblower law” read the headline for the CBC’s online story about the provincial government throne speech read Wednesday in the House of Assembly. About half way down the story, it says that “Premier Tom Marshall is fighting back against the perception” that the government
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Kathy Dunderdale, give-aways, and the resource curse #nlpoli
Ontario has been interested in Gull Island since at least the 1990s. We didn’t need Kathy Dunderdale to say that again as part of the advertising show she is mounting before finally admitting Muskrat Falls is a done deal. As recently as 2005, Dunderdale and her friends turned up their
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: When rights are annoying #nlpoli
There’s something about this frivolous and vexatious thing that caught people’s attention right from the start. Under the provincial Conservatives’ new secrecy laws, a cabinet minister can refuse to disclose information if he or she thinks the request is “frivolous or vexatious”. (sec. 43.1) Leave aside the idea that a
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Bennett’s telephone call “gendered violence” according to PACSW prez #nlpoli
Most of you likely missed it, but a sharp exchange in Twitter on Monday showed the way politics in this province rolls these days. Dara Squires writes a blog called ReadilyAParent, She’s also syndicated in the Western Star and some of the TransCon weeklies. Dara’s post on Sunday took up
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: And this surprises you because…? #nlpoli
Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador is about what the social scientists – like political scientists, for example - would call clientelism. You may have heard it called patronage. Regardless of the word you use, the purpose is the same: That isn’t just about giving party workers government jobs. It’s basically
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