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Air Canada Strike: Lessons to be had?

 Truly Being Informed  No Responses »
Oct 122011

In Canada there have been various threats to strike, strikes, and the most popular in Canada this year was the Canada Post strike.  We keep hearing about the disparity of income across Canada and how the gap is growing (same story in the United States also).

There is always a portion of folks who look at the rich with disdain and some advocate for closing the gap by higher taxation.  There have been many recent Wall Street protests happening in the US and Canada too.  However many of these protesters always look at the “big bad companies”.   My point today is in light of the Air Canada Strike that had been attempted but halted for the moment is this: What about the disparity between workers who are part of these big unions and the people who are not?

What about unions which are advocating for guaranteed amounts of pensions, when millions of other Canadians have to establish their own retirement savings?

What about the millions of Canadians that do not earn the wages that many from these unions do?

What about the abuse that happens (of course not by everyone but a certain portion) by abusing the generous sick time policies negotiated by unions?

Can unions continue to make demands in this economic climate when millions of Canadians and Americans do not have the luxury of unions?

Talk about the power of unions…One recent example is in the Ontario election there was big money taken from union dues to counter the Conservatives.  By the way, in Canada (unlike the US) union members have no choice when it comes to their dues being used for this purpose.

Is there not a huge disparity here? Do unions think they will continue to get sympathy from the millions of others? Are they on a sustainable path?

Posted by admin at 5:28 pm  
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Jobs in a Recession

 Being Empowered, Beyond Me, Truly Being Informed  No Responses »
Oct 082011

Here are two interesting stories on jobs which is quite surprising.  You can click on the respective headlines below and they will open up in a new window.  I do find the news about these additions of jobs in a recession to be quite interesting.  Below the story headlines I will tell you why.

America adds 103, 000 in September 

Canada adds 61,000 jobs in September

America’s population is over 300 million people  and Canada’s is about 33 million.  Yet Canada added 61,000 jobs and the US only 103,000.  Obviously there is a recession like atmosphere but relatively by comparison Canada is doing quite well.

Why?

Much in part because Canada got its spending under control in the 90s but just as important it has appropriate regulations concerning its financial institutions.  I say appropriate because I certainly believe it’s very possible to over-regulate or incorrectly regulate.  Unfortunately when these mistakes are made in regulations then you fuel the large groups of people opposing government incursion.  But when regulations are done correctly and not excessively they can enable the free market.  This is key for capitalism.

If you have had the opportunity to deal with bureaucratic institutions he US you probably have noted that it can be quite unpleasant.  There sometimes does not appear to be that reasonableness that one might expect.  Not that the same is never true in Canada, but I believe Canada pales in comparison.  There are so many laws and regulations and institutions permitting and prohibiting various activities that there is in many senses more latitude in Canada.  Obviously there are differences between Canadian and US law. Canada is common law (except Quebec which is the Civil Code, Louisiana has some French and Spanish heritage in law) and differs from US law even though they have the same Common Law origins, and our federations differ.  Click here for more information about the US Federal Government and here for info on the Canadian.  The US is certainly a great melting pot of regulations.   Many people think of the US as being freer than Canada but in many ways it is not.  I think that Canadians are coming to see the “The True North strong and free!” which can be an example for other countries.  Where as many in the US say it is spreading democracy and freedom, Canada can be an influencing example of common sense.

Posted by admin at 7:51 am  
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Safe Injection Sites: A great idea?

 Being Empowered  No Responses »
Oct 032011

Check out this video please (if you click on the left bolded text, it will open in a new window and this page will remain open)

There are many argument for safe injection sites, some of which are:

  • safe injection sites keep people alive so that they can get treatment
  • they prevent diseases such as HIV
  • it’s a safe place to do it
  • they save lives

But…

First timers go there to use so it is not about people coming here to kick the habit.  They are not necessarilly coming here to get off of it.  This is akin to various religions staging events to convert people to their religion then right? Not really… because there is not much “conversion” being attempted that I can see.

I have to say is that I’m not a convert then…

There are those parents who claim that it’s better to allow their children to do things such as  smoking and drinking in front of them than behind their backs.  I knew a classmate in high school whose parents held this belief.  They would even provide him with smokes and alcohol.  It turned out he used drugs in his bedroom too.  All of this “under supervision”

He turned out to be extremely addicted to these substances.  It didn’t help him in any way.  He learned no respect for his parents.  He learned no boundaries in life.  Life was an open forum to do whatever he wished to do on a whim.  I talk about this scenario because I’m sure he is not alone.  Like those shooting up in these facilities.

By providing a venue for people to use illegal drugs without consequences will not cause these people to give them up.  As the video notes this is a “physiological addiction” why would people be just giving it up?

There is no doubt that the injection practices at a safe injection site could be safer than doing it on the street? It is argued that safe injection sites are a necessary source of health care for users that would be cut off if Insite were closed down.  I get all of these things.

The argument is that the site has saved lives since opening.  However could there not have been a corresponding number of people picking up up such habits and more easily maintaining these bad habits through the center?

What about getting users off of drugs through a safe injection site?

Are they staging interventions to get these people off of drugs?

Are they tracking outcomes of interventions used to get people off of drugs?

Are they leaving things open for first time users? i.e. making it easy to get the habit started?

I think that these questions need to be addressed.  What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Posted by admin at 5:54 pm  
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