Harper’s Conservatives don’t need you telling them how incompetent or wasteful they are. They don’t need to know those things and they certainly don’t need anyone telling their faithful – dare I say, blind – voters either. They already know. They have enough evidence. Due in part to laws that
Continue readingTag: Spending
The Progressive Economics Forum: Canada’s Luxury Index is through the roof
Numbers season is over but good inequality data is still missing. January sees us regularly bombarded with a whole range of economic statistics about the previous year. GDP growth: likely 1.7%, low but looking brighter for next year. Unemployment: 7.2%, low but lots of workers leaving the job market altogether
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: How to Break Your Election Promises
Taxman: I was thinking of this Beatles’ song, recently, after council received the pre-budget report from the treasurer at last Monday’s council meeting. It’s dated, the song that is, but still eerily appropriate (I will have to learn to play it on my ukulele). Last election, all of us who
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: How A Bad Economy Is Not Harper’s Fault
Canada’s economy is set to grow less than the government thought, but it’s not our Prime Minister’s fault. True under Stephen Harper the World Bank has downgraded Canada from being the 4th most Business Friendly country in 2006 to 17th in 2013, but, as most Conservatives know, businesses have nothing
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Is R&D-ing A Decline, With Graphs
In 2006 Canada was spending 2% of its Gross Domestic Product on R&D. In 2012 it will spend just 1.69%. While a large portion of the decline is due to the business sector spending less on R&D, the current Conservative government has responded by cutting its own share of spending
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: If A Fiscal Cliff Kills, Canada Should Tax Death
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin The fiscal cliff in the United States did not just endanger its own country’s economy but the world’s, including Canada’s heavily dependent one. But in the American problem lies, at least partially, a
Continue readingChadwick's Blog & Commentary: Gambling and the local economy part 2
Seventy three dollars. It’s not a large amount if you’re middle class, certainly not if you’re Conrad Black. But for others it can be significant. If you’re on minimum wage, it’s a full day’s wage, before taxes. If you’re a senior on a … Continue reading →
Continue readingThings Are Good: Bike Lanes Help Local Economies
As a cyclist the fact that bicycle infrastructure helps business makes senses to me. Bike lanes encourage more cyclists which can bring more people to an area, drivers on the other hand seem to just keep driving though. I hope the backwards thinking politicians in Toronto see this study since
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: US Chamber Rejoices As Courts Rule For Polluters
dirty-air.jpg Earlier this week, an appellate court in Washington, D.C. ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had overstepped their authority with their Transport Rule that was put in place to reduce the amount of air pollution being spewed from coal burning plants. The rule would have put stringent
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: Flarethy’s Bomb Before the Holiday
Right before holidays is usually the greatest time to dumb documents that you don’t want to know about. Our Finance minister follows suit with this bad tradition, and dumb the bomb that Canada isn’t going to increase health care spending by 6% every year after 2017. Now for many people (including me) we all
Continue readingPolitics and Entertainment: The zombie-banker lives and roams the earth
Another follow-up; Craig Alexander, TD’s chief economist – it pains me to reference a classic neoclassical bank economist – noted on Lang and O’Leary last night that Canada’s debt to income ratio is high less because of increasing debt and more because real wages are falling. So the deleveraging I
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: What Cuts?
The Conservatives are planning to find 4 billion in permanent cuts to try and balance the budget. The Only problem is do we see these cuts in the deficit? No the way this government works with finances the deficit isn’t going to get better. First the C…
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: Another Stimulus?
With more fear with the stock market some people in the U.S have been asking for another stimulus or spending package. Although putting money into the economy will create jobs the U.S can’t afford it! Debt to GDP ratio is at 98%. The U.S doesn’t have m…
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: Wow Republicans !
Last few years when the Dem’s held both houses the Republicans stood united against almost every single thing the Democrats proposed. The Republicans now are somewhat divided in passing Boehner plan. It seems the curse of being the party in power has n…
Continue readingcmkl: Crime rates and government spending
So crime rates continue to decline. Not just nuisance crimes and property crimes but also crimes where people get hurt or worse. And it’s been going this way for nigh on forty years.
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: Cut, Cut, Cut
Stephen Harper would like to cut 4 billion dollars in spending in order to help balance the budget. knowing Harper these cuts of course attacks agencies he is against like Environment Canada that will be getting a 21% cut this year. which is …
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