FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Sep 30

American Presidential Debate Was An Embarrassment And A Disgrace

by bcurry

The other day I went to a boxing match and a street brawl broke out.  This is what most people felt after having watched the first televised presidential debate last night.  Just like boxing matches, debates have rules for both sides to adhere to.  However, no one should be surprised that Donald Trump does not believe in rules and constantly interrupted Joe Biden throughout the debate, despite the admonitions of the poor moderator.  Like many other observers, this was the first and hopefully last time that I ever witness such an embarrassing spectacle after having followed many years of political debates held here in Canada and in the U.S.

Normally, a debate allows two or more participants to lay out their positions on one or more issues in a civil and respectful manner.  The key adjective here is “respectful”.  In a democracy, one is taught that everyone has a right to express their opinion in a non-violent and transparent way, respecting the right of others to do so as well.  Under most debating protocols, persons are given a specific time frame in which to outline their position on the issue in question without interruption.  Then the opposing person is allowed to present his or her views.  Next, each side usually is then given time for rebuttal of the other side’s position.  The main role of the moderator should be to submit the issue for discussion and then to ensure the allocated time frames are adhered to by the debaters.  The primary purpose of a debate is to provide the viewer with an overview of the debaters’ positions on certain specific issues in a brief, fair and concise manner.

Name calling and personal attacks have no place in a civil debate.  These belong in places where mob rule applies, which unfortunately often leads to violent confrontations.  If the American people endorse Trump’s behaviour during the debate, then there is little left to salvage civil society.  As in most debates, I chose to not pick sides and was more interested in the issues being debated and the manner in which they were debated.  These are extremely important issues and candidates for such a powerful position need to be clearly heard.  To do so in a constructive manner, all sides need to refrain from mud slinging — increasingly an inherent part of political rallies.  Otherwise, what is the point of holding future debates?

Presidential Election 2020 US

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Sep 18

In Canada, the Rich Just Got Richer During the Pandemic – But at What Cost?

by bcurry

Canada’s 20 richest have collectively added $37 billion to their fortunes since March 2020, according to a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.  Meanwhile the unemployment rate in Canada hit an all time high of 13.7 percent in May, with 1.1 million people still out of work.  More than ever, many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet and food banks are doing a booming business across the country.  The report notes that billionaires like Loblaws owner Galen Weston have seen their wealth balloon, while front-line workers stocking shelves and scanning groceries at his stores have continued to risk their health and that of their loved ones by coming into work.

The irony is that three of the largest Canadian grocery chains, Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Sobeys’ parent Empire Co. Ltd. and Metro Inc., each ended their $2-an-hour wage increases on the same day in mid-June.  This shocking action took place despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic was and is still with us.  Some have called for an investigation by the federal Competition Bureau into what is perceived as “wage fixing” by these corporations.  Unfortunately, unlike in the U.S. where wage fixing and other labour-related schemes are considered per se illegal and don’t require any proof of a negative impact, there is no such legislation governing wage fixing in Canada.  In July, the top executives from Loblaw, Empire and Metro were called to explain their wage cuts in front of a parliamentary committee, but to no avail.  Some parliamentarians are calling for a change to the Competition Act to allow the Bureau to investigate such “wage fixing” schemes.  Hopefully, the current federal government will consider a legislative change.

Governments have often proclaimed that we are all in the fight against COVID-19 together.  However, it would appear that some are in the fight more than others, while some are benefiting obvious expense of restaurants and the service industry.  Anyone who shops for groceries knows that food prices have not declined, if anything they have increased greatly — especially for fresh more from the economic impact of the virus.  Among those benefiting are the big grocers with more consumers isolating at home and depending on obtaining essentials from their outlets, at the produce.  This has made it extremely difficult for families who are relying on temporary government assistance, some of which may disappear very shortly.  Among those families are members who work in grocery stores, only to have their risk compensation shamefully terminated by billionaires.  In light of the ultimate advent of a second wave of COVID-19, one can only hope that these big grocers will reinstate the earlier top-up wage increases.  Seems to be the only right thing to do under the circumstances!  Don’t hold your breath.

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Sep 15

The Press Is Physically Under Attack By Police in the U.S.

by bcurry

On September 11, 2020, five police officers threw a female journalist to the ground and handcuffed her as she repeatedly screamed that she was with a local news network and her press credentials dangled from her neck as they shoved her into a patrol car.  This was all captured on video wherein she can be clearly heard shouting that she was a reporter.  At the time, she was covering an incident between police and a small group of protesters.  Local authorities explained that she was taken into custody for five hours on suspicion of obstruction of justice by “interfering with a lawful arrest.”  However, the same authorities later explained: “There is footage of the incident and an active investigation is underway.”

In late May 2020, two members of a TV crew from Reuters news agency were shot at with rubber bullets while police dispersed protesters defying an 20:00 curfew.  Around the same time, a riot police officer charged his shield at a BBC cameraman covering another protest.  The cameraman was clearly identifiable as a member of the media.  An identified reporter from Germany’s international news broadcaster Deutsche Welle, again covering a protest, was shot with projectiles by police while preparing to go live on air.

These attacks on the media did not occur in Russia or Belarus, but right at home in the U.S.  In June, the US Press Freedom Tracker, a non-profit project, said it was investigating more than 100 “press freedom violations” at protests.  About 90 cases involved attacks.  The Committee to Protect Journalists has claimed that dozens of journalists covering anti-racism protests in the U.S. have reported being targeted by security forces using tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray.  In many cases, the Committee said it was despite showing clear press credentials.  The Society of Professional Journalists has stipulated that this excessive use of force represents a serious threat to the First Amendment guarantee which protects the press, free speech, and the right to protest.

Meanwhile, you have President Trump who continues to blatantly attack the media.  He has tweeted: “The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy.” He also said that journalists were “truly bad people with a sick agenda”.  Statements like these only add to a perceived justification for enforcement officials to harass and even physically attack reporters and their crews.  Such crews are simply carrying out their primary role to provide citizens with the information they need to effectively govern a democracy.  Attempts to prevent the media from performing this role in a safe and secure manner are in itself a deliberate attack on democracy.  Such attacks do not help the image of law enforcement which is primarily to serve and protect members of the community, including those diligently and importantly working within the media.  On-going coverage of the protests cannot and must not be used as an excuse to arbitrarily attack representatives of the media, despite dangerous and unwarranted pronouncements by certain politicians.

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Sep 7

Squeezing the Middle Class: The Proof is in the Pudding

by bcurry

Over the last few years, numerous studies have come out which confirm beyond a doubt that the incomes of those in the American middle class have slowly but surely shrunk.  The most recent one just released by Stephen Rose of George Washington University, Urban Institute, highlights this fact by looking at income trajectories from 1967 to 2016.  In his study he concludes, and I quote from his main findings:

  • “ The median income growth experienced by prime-age Americans over a fifteen-year period has been cut by almost two thirds, from 27% to 8%.
  • The proportion experiencing a large income loss has more than tripled, from 4% to 12%.
  • The upper middle class has expanded significantly, while the “middle” middle class (MMC) has shrunk from 50% to 36%.
  • Income growth at the top of the distribution has been almost twice as fast as in the middle (48% at the 95th percentile, compared to 26% at the median).
  • Upward mobility out of poverty has declined, from 43% to 35%.
  • Downward mobility from the MMC has doubled, from 5% to 11%.
  • The proportion of Black Americans in the upper middle class has increased significantly, from just 1% to 14%. But large race gaps remain: 39% of whites are in the upper middle class or higher.
  • More education has become more closely associated with a higher income; 59% of those with a BA+ are in the upper middle class or higher, up from 37%. ” 1.

Meanwhile, several other studies have shown that during the last few decades, the rich have been getting richer.  One such study in December 2014 by the Pew Research Center found that the wealth gap between the country’s top earners and the rest of America had stretched to its widest point in at least three decades.  The same report also noted that the Great Recession of 2008-09 had destroyed a significant amount of middle-income and lower-income families’ wealth, and the economic ‘recovery’ has yet to be felt for them.  According to a 2019 working paper on wealth inequality by University of California at Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman, the 400 richest Americans — the top 0.00025 percent of the population —tripled their share of the nation’s wealth since the early 1980s.  Zucman also found that U.S. wealth concentration seems to have returned to levels last seen during the Roaring Twenties.  Those 400 Americans now own more of the country’s riches than the 150 million adults in the bottom 60 percent of the wealth distribution. 2.

Once again, initial indications are that the middle class is being particularly hurt by the novel coronavirus pandemic, such that some refer to the current economy as the depression of minivans.  There is little doubt that there are two economies at this time: that of wall street and that of main street.  Gabriel Zucman writes that the wealthy use their money to buy political power, and they use some of that power to protect their money.  On the other hand, middle-class families tend to use their wealth to save for rainy-day expenses or to draw down on for retirement.  With the pandemic and ensuing high levels of unemployment in key sectors, the middle class is having to draw down on their savings just to survive.  Under the Trump administration which believes that wall street depicts the current state of the economy, wealthy Americans continue to thrive, including the Trump family.

1. Squeezing the Middle Class: Income Trajectories From 1967 to 2016: Stephen Rose, Economic Studies at Brookings, August 2020

2. Wealth concentration returning to ‘levels last seen during the Roaring Twenties,’ according to new research: Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, February 8, 2019

Donald Trump Economy The American Dream US

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Sep 4

A September That No One Will Ever Forget!

by bcurry

Well, here we are.  We’ve almost survived the summer of COVID-19 and are anxiously awaiting to see that the fall has to offer.  Kids are going back to schools for the most part across the continent.  Parents are as anxious as ever for their safety.  Already, there are signs that troubled waters lie ahead, especially on college campuses.  While the coronavirus outbreaks are relatively under control in Canada, the same cannot be said for the U.S.  Community cases continue to emerge in the mid-west and in California.  Over six million COVID-19 cases have to date been confirmed in the U.S., making it statistically the leading country in the pandemic, ahead of such countries as Brazil and India.

In the meantime, the U.S. is preparing itself for a presidential election which everyday is becoming nastier and nastier.  Donald Trump will keep on tweeting right up to election day and will continue to use scare tactics and conspiracy theories to justify his position.  There is no doubt that this will be the weirdest American election of all time — virtual or not.  As a long-time student of American political history, this should be one for the books — and there are plenty of those already starting to emerge.

As far as the North American economies go, tougher times are expected.  As of mid-August, more than 29 million Americans were receiving some sort of unemployment insurance.  In Canada, although there was a labour market improvement in August, that may not be as robust as headlines suggest.  The fact is that most of the job gains have been due to the return of workers, especially part-timers, who became unemployed during the early stages of the pandemic.  The damage to both economies has been wide and deep.  Economic growth is in negative territory and is not expected to improve substantively for some time, perhaps years.  The two big risks for the recovery remain the uncertainty around back-to-school plans and the onset of colder weather which will also bring in the normal influenza season and potential second waves of COVID-19.

There appear to be two economies in both countries, that of wall street and that of main street.  The average American and Canadian is struggling to pay their bills, make mortgage payments and put food on the table.  The rich on the other hand are just getting wealthier, exacerbating the already established inequalities in society.  A huge question remains as to how long government assistance can continue?   The U.S. debt is set to exceed the size of the economy next year, a first Since World War II.  The federal debt held by the public projected to reach or exceed 100% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).  In Canada, the combined debt level of all governments is poised to surge to an unprecedented $1.9 trillion or 85% of GDP.

The fact of the matter is that the only way that both economies can improve is by first getting COVID-19 outbreaks under control and, as experts note, by flattening the curve related to community spread.  In the meantime, school re-openings will no doubt test the resolve for both parents and politicians alike.

Canada Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump Education Presidential Election 2020 US

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Sep 1

Difficulty of Lying in the Face of U.S. Statistics on Coronavirus Cases

by bcurry

All too often Donald Trump has claimed that the country’s stats on coronavirus are exaggerated and not to be believed.  This is in the direct contradiction to the fact that U.S. coronavirus cases approached 6 million this past week.  The most recent rise in confirmed new cases is attributed to the situation in the Midwest, especially resulting from students returning to college campuses and not taking the applicable precautions.  In addition, experts agree that coronavirus-related deaths will most likely reach the 200,000 mark by the end of September.  Indeed, some sources believe that the current statistics are very likely an “underestimation” because of lack of timely reporting by several states.  Unfortunately, the President’s claims are contributing to the belief by some, especially his supporters, that the spread and dangers of COVID-19 is all a “hoax”.

Then there is the recent assertion by one of President Trump’s top medical advisers who is urging the White House to embrace a controversial ‘herd immunity’ strategy to combat the pandemic.  This strategy would entail allowing the coronavirus to spread through most of the population to quickly build resistance to the virus, while taking steps to protect those in nursing homes and other vulnerable populations.  The approach’s chief proponent is Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist from Stanford’s conservative Hoover Institution, who joined the White House earlier this month as a pandemic adviser.  He has advocated that the US adopt the model Sweden used in response to its virus outbreak, which of course led to Sweden having the highest coronavirus-related death rate among all Scandinavian countries — more than three times the combined total of Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.  Although Sweden did not implement the degree of control measures taken by most countries, its economy has faired no better than other Scandinavian countries.  Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says aiming for herd immunity would lead to an “enormous” death toll.  Even the World Health Organization has warned against pinning hopes on herd immunity.

Then there is the issue of rushing out a Covid-19 vaccine before it has been proven to be safe and effective.  President Trump is reportedly considering plans to put out a vaccine before it has been fully tested, claiming a vaccine could be available before the end of this year.  The majority of international experts, including Dr. Fauci, have warned against prematurely letting a vaccine out.  Without completing the essential clinical trials, any rushed vaccine would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the other vaccines to enrol people in their trials.  People and public health officials want the usual trials completed to ensure the safety of any vaccine.  Researchers are hopeful that a vaccine will become available perhaps sometime in 2021 at the earliest.  Its eventual use should not be driven by political considerations, but instead by science.  In the meantime, the emphasis should be placed on continuing to adhere to the precautionary measures already put in place by public health authorities across the country.

Please Mr. President, stop lying about the current status of the war on COVID-19 and listen to the reputable medical and scientific experts.  Tell the American people the truth in order to obtain their support and assistance in preventing the further spread of this deadly disease.  The time for action and honesty is now!

Coronavirus Donald Trump Uncategorized US US Politics

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