I confess to some surprise. I wrote in a recent post that nothing would be done in response to the gun massacres in two U.S. cities. Well, it appears something may be done. Not much, mind you, but as Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer put it, “It nevertheless represents the
Continue readingTag: U.S. Senate
Views from the Beltline: Electing Biden isn’t enough
In 2016, Americans embarrassed themselves by electing Donald Trump as their president. Then Trump took over and has embarrassed them ever since. If they want to regain the world’s respect, they must not only elect Joe Biden next Tuesday, they must repudiate Trump. They must elect Biden in a landslide.
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: U.S. democracy corrupted by U.S. constitution
In 2016, most Americans voted for Hillary Clinton. They got President Donald Trump. Republicans represent fewer citizens than Democrats, yet they have controlled the Senate for more than half of this century. Senators supporting Bret Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court represented only 44 per cent of Americans, less than those
Continue readingThe Senate—No Solution to Regional Alienation
Canada has always been a highly regionalized country—the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, B.C., all with varying interests and economies and, with Quebec at least, culture. One particular complaint is that the country is run from the centre, i.e. Quebec and Ontario dominate with the other regions struggling to be
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Everything you always wanted to know about Rand Paul and the Shouldice Hernia Hospital * but were afraid to ask
I’m sorry to report, Canada, that Rand Paul, the nutty libertarian son of the crazy uncle of the American Right, isn’t the only politician to stumble into a controversy for getting repairs at the Shouldice Hernia Hospital. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first there’s a backstory. According
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Independence Day: An excellent moment for Canadians to recommit ourselves to being different from the United States
Today is the Fourth of July, Independence Day in the Great Republic immediately to our south. Normally, as befits our national character, we Canadians celebrate this occasion with restrained fondness for our American cousins, coming as it does just three days after la fête du Canada. On the 242nd observance
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Advice For Mark Steyn: If You Are Serious
…lose the beard and ditch the fruity, fake Brit accent. Yankees don’t want to hear that shit. Its OK when you’re playing an intellectual come to lecture them on their colonial inferiority. But if you want to lead ’em, you’ll have to learn to talk white. You’ll also have to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Elizabeth Warren
With each story that I read about her, my respect for Elizabeth Warren grows. Would that Canada had someone similar to inspire us. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Elizabeth Warren – Calm, Collected, Logical And Reasonable – A Rare Politician
Earlier today, Owen at Northern Reflections, commenting on a piece by Joseph Stiglitz, wrote a post on student debt, a scourge on both sides of the border. Here is a video of Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, for whom I have a great deal of respect, on her proposal for dealing
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: U.S. Election 2012: There Was a War on Women, and the Women Won
If you think the big winners of Tuesday night’s election were Barack Obama and the Democrats, you’re wrong. Journalist, opinion writer, and author of two books on progressive politics, Amanda Marcotte, argues, convincingly, that the big …
Continue reading350 or bust: Summer of Climate Drought & Climate Science Don’t Budge Senate Climate Deniers
* Virtually all of America’s corn and soy farms are now in drought disaster areas. Food prices globally are already rising as a result. This is what the very beginning of climate change looks and tastes like. We can’t afford this kind of change – we need serious action on
Continue reading