Parliament in Review – April 4, 2012
After the Cons refused to listen to the opposition parties’ proposed amendments, Wednesday, April 4 saw a day of debate on the main budget motion in the second-last day before…
economy
The Economy IS Important, but it operates Within the Environment
Most economists will agree that most economic troubles are the cause of human action, but there are some that are not. The environment can cause economic disruption when natural disasters…
Why work?
I was raised up believing I was somehow unique Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d…
A quick primer: Inflation vs. Devaluation
Following a conversation I had tonight on twitter, I’d like to write a quick little guide on the difference between devaluation and inflation, as they do look quite similar. Let’s…
Extending Habitability
What does “extending habitability” mean? It explains “sustainability”. I prefer to sometimes call it “survivability”, because without the delicate balance our ecosystem and societies are teetering on, there’s no possible…
The Flip Side of Fear
Fear and confidence make the markets go ’round. Most economic reports are intended to drive one or the other. The power of intention can be much more powerful than that…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Martin Papillon offers up some lessons for the NDP in Francois Hollande’s French presidential victory: Being ideological does not have to mean being…
How to Make Policy That Serves Us, Without Hurting Us
Everyone that cares about politics, should have an understanding of economics. Irwin Schiff’s cartoon, How an economy Grows? provides an easy to understand basis for economics, that doesn’t make the…
The real generational time-bomb isn’t in pensions
There is a definite concern world-wide about whether the younger generations can shoulder existing pension fund obligations for retiring baby-boomers and then for themselves. Every other month there are articles…
Parliament in Review – April 2, 2012
Monday, April 2 saw the second day of Peter Julian’s extended budget speech. And perhaps the point most worth noting is how many Canadians outside of Parliament took the opportunity…
Getting more out of job creators
Probably the best and most successful way to get more out of the job creators, is to convince them that they can make more money.
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Gerald Caplan looks at the principled leadership which Stephen Harper embarrassingly made into an attack on the NDP as an example what Canada…
No, you can’t achieve anything you set your mind to
We all remember when we were kids or even adolescents how our parents used to tell us that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to, that we can…
Austerity or Growth? I thought it was Austerity and Growth?
Europe debate shifts to growth as austerity is failing. So what was the debate before? Well in September of 2011 it was ‘Developed nations struggle to restore growth‘, and here’s…
Canada may be secretly preparing to decouple from the USD
Almost exactly one year ago I wrote a piece on my old blog about Canada’s economic situation. In it I concluded there were two possible outcomes in the medium term:…
No Reply from SaskPower
SaskPower’s VP May failed to respond to my followup points, so I’ve included her entire initial reply at my earlier post. I wrote a letter months ago to ask why…
14 economic advisors Flaherty consults on policy and budgets are all from the financial sector: Fiscal contraction doesn’t work
The 14 economic advisors Flaherty consults on policy and budgets are all from the financial sector, mostly banksters. Here’s what James K. Galbraith says about the implicit danger of such…
Study exposes secret Canadian bank bailout
The Harper Conservatives are fond of touting Canadian banks as more stable than other countries’ big banks. They claim all the credit for Canada’s stability during the 2008-10 global financial…
Parliament in Review – March 30, 2012
Friday, March 30 was the first day of Peter Julian’s budget filibuster. But while it accomplished its goal of avoiding several hours worth of Con talking points, was there much…
The great Canadian bank bailout (now in technicolor)
In case you didn’t notice the plenty of black and white evidence showing you our banks are no more sound and stable than our U.S. counterparts then you are in…