Are Americans Too Stupid?
The government of the United States has shut down. Republicans are outraged. Richard Wolff writes: Today’s Republican party is built on principle. As a matter of principle, the GOP believes…
Owen Gray
Fear Itself
Franklin Roosevelt told Americans the only thing they had to fear was fear itself. Tony Schwartz — who ghost wrote Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal — writes that Trump…
It’s All About Power
It’s certain that the way the heirs to the Tim Horton’s fortune handled Ontario’s minimum wage hike will become a classic case study. Linda McQuaig writes: Apparently thinking nobody would…
Only Votes Will Do It
Yesterday, Dr. Ronny Jackson gave Donald Trump a clean bill of health. So much for the fantasy that Trump’s ill health will remove him from office. Likewise, even if Robert…
We Are Not Making Progress
The countries which fought on the United Nations side of the Korean War are meeting in Vancouver. China, Russia — and North Korea — won’t be there. The United States…
Now Is The Time
Bernie Sanders writes that now is the time to take on the oligarchs. The data tells the story of the last thirty-five years: Difficult as it is to comprehend, the…
Here We Go Again
Larry Elliot writes that another debt crisis is just around the corner: Global interest rates are rising. Poor countries are finding it tough to pay back money borrowed from banks…
Getting What It’s Owed
There’s been a lot of sound and fury — particularly from Tim Horton’s franchisees — about Ontario’s recent minimum wage hike. But, Alan Freeman writes, the raise makes perfect sense:…
An Ignorant, Senile Old Man
Two days ago, the cameras were allowed into the cabinet room as the members around the table talked about reaching a deal on immigration. Donald Trump actually looked reasonable, capable…
Too Much To Bear
Some are speculating that Michael Wolff’s book, The Fire And The Fury, will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and lead to Donald Trump’s demise. Frank Rich writes…
The Worth Of An English Degree
A long time ago, I informed my father that I intended to get an English degree. My father — a mechanical engineer — asked, “What the hell can you do…
As Flies To A Dung Heap
Sometimes, the best and the brightest — as David Halberstam proved in his seminal book on the Vietnam War — do not always turn out as advertised. But, Paul Krugman…
Getting Mugged By The Future
When the Conservatives went shopping for a new leader, they chose the wrong guy. Alan Freeman writes: With each passing day, it’s becoming clearer that Canada’s Official Opposition is led…
In Full Panic
Kevin Drum writes that, earlier in the year, he worried that the United States was slipping into autocratic hands. Now, he’s more sanguine: Republicans are in panic mode over the…
Progresssive Internationalism
Chrystia Freeland has returned to her first profession. Susan Delacourt writes: In The Economist’s special New Year’s issue, “The World in 2018,” Freeland has penned an article about how Canada…
We Can’t Go Back
Justin Trudeau likes to proclaim that, “Canada is back.” Paul Koring writes that it’s: a statement that evokes a vague, nostalgic yearning to recreate a once-proud international reputation. In a…
So Much Damage
The world has taken the measure of Donald Trump. And the news is worse than you might think. E.J. Dionne writes: Susan Glasser, writing in Politico, offers frightening detail about…
Bannon’s Bomb
You have to wonder if Donald Trump is beginning to re-evaluate his personnel choices. A new book suggests that Steve Bannon is not acting in Trump’s best interests. David Smith…
Darkening Clouds
Gerry Caplan begins the New Year by asking the question, “Is Doomsday really upon us?” He recalls the last time we came to the brink — the Cuban Missile Crisis:…
Happy New Year
It’s been quite a year. And I make no predictions about the one to come. I do know that it will — at least where we are — start out…