FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Mar 29

China Is Moving Quickly Into International Void Left By The U.S.

by bcurry

Anyone paying attention over the past couple of years to China’s moves on both the trade and diplomatic fronts would have seen great process in its filling the void left by the Trump administration.  China’s influence abroad was greatly led by its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure scheme intended to stretch from East Asia to Europe.  China has lent billions of dollars to countries to upgrade old or to build new infrastructure, including roads, dams and railroads.  This initiative recently culminated in a 25-year cooperation agreement signed by China and Iran to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance.  This could deepen Beijing’s influence in the Middle East and undercut American efforts to keep Tehran isolated.

Back in January, Bloomberg News produced a synopsis about how China had won Trump’s trade war and even got Americans to foot the bill.  The trade deficit with the U.S. has significantly increased and China had easily withstood Trump’s tariff salvos.  In 2019, a group of 10 Southeast Asian nations replaced the U.S. as China’s second-largest trading partner.  Furthermore, most U.S. manufacturers surveyed last September said they didn’t intend to move production out of China.  There is no evidence that the U.S. tariffs on China benefit American workers and the tariffs have actually cost American companies and consumers in loss incomes.  According to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, the Chinese economy rose 2.3% last year.  By contrast, the U.S., Canada, Japan and many nations in Europe have suffered steep falls in economic output, especially after the emergence of the pandemic.

Then there is China’s willingness to provide its COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable countries, including Brazil where hospitals have been overwhelmed by a surge of infections.  CoronaVac has turned out to be the most affordable and most accessible inoculation for the more vulnerable nations.  In China, Sinovac, the maker of CoronaVac, started delivery tens of millions of doses overseas, reportedly providing free samples to 53 nations and exporting it to 22 nations that positioned orders.  Meanwhile, the U.S. appears to be hoarding vaccines and its forecast supply reportedly will be enough to vaccinate 650 million people — nearly twice the U.S. population.

All of the evidence indicates that China, as part of its foreign and trade policies, is attempting to extend its growing influence abroad through a number of avenues.  Meanwhile, countries like the U.S. and Canada can only sit on the sidelines and watch.  It is unclear whether the American or Canadian governments can do much to counteract the growth of Chinese influence in the international sphere.  Indeed, it may be too late given the existing long-term economic problems in both countries.

Canada China China's Relations US

Leave a comment »
Mar 23

Something Dangerous Is Happening In American Politics

by bcurry

Recently, I read an interesting book written by two professors of government at Harvard U., Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.  The 2018 book entitled “How Democracies Die” takes a historical look at numerous democracies in various countries, including the U.S., which have at some point in time become more authoritarian, despite having strongly written constitutions.  What’s frightening is their conclusion that the actions of elected leaders have often paved the road to democratic failure, and why the U.S. in now vulnerable to the same downward spiral.  Shared beliefs and practices, beyond our formal constitutions, need to be restored.  The attack by some factions on these values has been slowly evolving over several years in U.S. politics.  One can go as far back to McCarthyism in the 1950s, ending in a witch hunt for communists in and out of government, ruining lives and bitterly dividing the country.  Then there was the selection of Sarah Palin who, as John McCain’s running mate in 2007, became his attack dog against the Democrat’s Barack Obama.  Politics has become increasingly personal, with attacks on the character and patriotism of opponents through mainstream media and more recently through social media.  The arrival of Donald Trump on the scene and his subsequent Presidential stint firmly installed the current polarization of American politics and continuing campaigns of intolerance and misinformation. 

Now, we have politicians like Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson who continues to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation, particularly now that Donald Trump is banned from social media and largely avoiding appearances on cable television.  He reportedly spreads doubts about President Joe Biden’s victory, argues that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an armed insurrection, promotes discredited COVID-19 treatments, sees no need to get the coronavirus vaccine and declares that climate change was not man-made but instead was caused by “sun spots”.  He is also one of those politicians who loves to spread his message through such outlets as Fox News and right-wing talk radio, especially in Wisconsin’s wide network of conservative talk-radio shows.  The use of the media to disperse misinformation and fervently attack their opponents is a common practice among politicians today in several democratic countries.

Back when Spiro Agnew served as Richard Nixon’s vice-president, from 1969 until his resignation in 1973, he began a predilection for “anti-intellectualism” aimed at appeasing a certain faction of the American population.  This attitude culminated in attacks on what Agnew referred to as the “elites” and on the “left-wing or liberal media”.  Of course, Donald Trump’s rantings about the media’s unfair reporting of his administration’s policies (fake news) just continued the attacks on democratic institutions.  The inability to establish respect and civility within our governing institutions is probably one of the primary challenges in the next few years.  We need to have political entities promoting more partisanship in order to help make governing institutions work effectively and democratically. 

As the above book points out, no democracy is immune to authoritarian actions which can help to diminish confidence in our democratic institutions at a perilous moment.  This danger comes at a time when the health and economic well-being of nations relies heavily on mass vaccinations, the spread of misinformation and when one’s faith in democracy is being shaken by right-wing falsehoods about voting. 

Donald Trump US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Mar 19

Anti-Asian Racism On The Increase In North America

by bcurry

A recent study in the U.S. indicated that Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked 150 percent since the pandemic began.  In Canada, a June 2020 survey by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute noted that, of those of East Asian descent surveyed, half reported being called names or insulted as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak, and 43 percent further said they had been threatened or intimidated.  Then came the March 17, 2021 shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, where six of the eight victims killed are of Asian descent — shootings subsequently being investigated as a possible hate crime.  Anti-Asian attacks in person and on-line have significantly increased during the past year in both countries.  Physical or verbal attacks have particularly occurred in major urban centers with large Asian communities such as Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver and Toronto.  Asian Americans and Canadians are increasingly fearful for their safety and even their lives, especially after the tragic Atlantic shootings.

People of Asian descent have been living in the United States and Canada for more than 160 years, and have long been the target of bigotry and racism.  In both Canada and certain U.S. states, there are hate crime laws in place.  However, hate alone without the addition of a criminal act is not illegal, and proving that a criminal act is a hate crime can be a difficult action.  Unfortunately, under the Trump administration, certain expressions used by the former president could be taken as anti-Asian in their context.  Former President Trump frequently referred to COVID-19 as “the China virus,” “the Wuhan virus,” and the “Kung Flu.”  All adding fuel to an already burning fire.  Blaming Asian Americans and Canadians for the pandemic outbreak unfortunately also became immersed in the propaganda of white supremists groups in both countries. 

What seems to be missing are national programs aimed at educating people about the contributions of people of Asian descent in both countries.  Such programs must emphasize that physical and verbal attacks on citizens, no matter what their colour, gender and ethnicity, is wrong and unacceptable.  Indeed, U.S. lawmakers have called for national action in the wake of the Atlanta shootings and for the creation of a national day to speak out against anti-Asian hate later this month.  Mayors in large urban centers have spoken out against racial attacks on their Asian communities, but much more needs to be done. 

It greatly saddened me and I’m certain many others that any particular group is being singled out by bigots and uninformed individuals.  Many of us know people of Asian descent in our communities who not only merit our respect, but also deserve our protection.  They are health care providers, educators, police officers, military personnel, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and work in many other professions.  Like us, they are hard workers, raising families, supporting their elderly and living peacefully in the community.  It’s time that we all step up and condemn any further spread of hate literature and personal assaults on our Asian citizens.  As one Asian American activist recently noted, “Who marches for us?”

Canada Extremism Race Relations Racism US

Leave a comment »
Mar 14

U.S. has tended to prioritize private wealth over public resources

by bcurry

Kids are sitting in front of fast food outlets trying to do their homework on their note books or lap tops because they have no access to the Internet at home.  This has been a major issue during the pandemic because of school closures and children being forced to do full-time on-line learning.  This is happening in the same country that just put another rover, fresh off its flawless landing, on the surface of Mars — an extraordinary engineering feat and once again proving that when it comes to space exploration, no one does it better than the U.S.  Yet when it comes to maintaining its public infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this month gave the country a C-minus for the overall quality of its infrastructure.  Then there was Texas’s  failure to properly weatherize and maintain power generation systems which led to the most recent massive power crisis and subsequent water crisis which lasted for weeks in some counties.

Take the American health care system which is among the most advanced in the world, but only for some.  Remember that the U.S. is the only major industrialized country that doesn’t have a universal healthcare system.  Instead, a significant proportion of the population lack sufficient health insurance and have to depend on publicly under-funded hospitals and clinics that in turn lack adequate resources to treat their patients.  Even in good times the U.S. records higher mortality rates and earlier deaths than other countries, especially among Black, Latino or Native American citizens.  Unfortunately, the pandemic highlighted this tragic situation whereby the U.S., accounting for just four percent of the world’s population, had 20 percent of worldwide coronavirus deaths.  While, American scientists, laboratories and pharmaceutical companies helped in record time to develop effective vaccines, the country has consistently lagged behind other developed nations in the more elementary tasks of coronavirus testing and prevention.

The U.S. once was at the forefront of advances in green technologies, much like it had been in computer technologies.  Unfortunately, the Trump administration ended American participation in the Paris Accord on Climate Change and set back American initiatives in tackling the causes of global climate change.  Although the Biden administration has indicated that climate change is once again a priority issue on its agenda, it will take time to repair the damage inflicted by Trump on the Department of Environment and its programs related to air, water and soil quality.  Instead, numerous federally protected lands were opened up to pipeline construction, mining and drilling by the private sector.  The negative impact on valuable non-renewable resources will no doubt take time to be reversed, much to consternation of Americans.

If anything, the pandemic has drawn attention to the need for the U.S. to adequately invest in upgrading, maintaining and expanding its existing public infrastructure.  This applies not only to energy sources, public roads and bridges, but also to Internet access and the public health care system.  Failure to do so will only further lead to great inequities among Americans at the expense of their livelihoods and health and safety.

Cimate Change Economy Health Care US

Leave a comment »
Mar 7

Canada’s Prisons Are Broken — Whole Systems Need To Be Fixed

by bcurry

Back in the early seventies, I came across a report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that placed Canada among the worst countries for recidivism as it pertains to its prison population.  “Recidivism” is defined as the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend.  What the report pointed out is that the system is primarily one of incarceration and not rehabilitation.  When I questioned the Solicitor General at the time, whose department was responsible for administering the prison system, he acknowledged that there were serious problems with high levels of recidivism.  The OECD could not find any evidence that Canadian prison sentences reduce recidivism and concluded that prisons should therefore not be used with the expectation of reducing criminal behaviour.  A fairly recent report by the Office of the Correctional Investigator found that more than 40 percent of all inmates released in Canada are returned to custody within two years, usually on parole violations.  About a quarter of all those released from prison are convicted of a new offence within those two years, although most charges are non-violent.

To make matters worst, one is dealing with increasingly large prison populations.  Since the 1970s, OECD countries have experienced steady increases in prison population.  The U.S. has witnessed a huge jump in the prison population that bears no historical comparison, with a prison population in 2000 four times as high as in the early 1970s.  When comparing prison populations in 2000, the U.S. stands far above the norm with an incarceration rate five times as high as the OECD average.  More than 1.2 million convicted American adults are in prison.  Canada’s rate is also far too high with an incarceration rate of 107 persons per 100,000 of national population, ranking 17th among countries surveyed in 2020 (Statista.com).  The U.S. ranks first with an incarceration rate of 655 persons per 100,000 of national population.

Rising prison populations, unless fully resourced, generally reduce the effectiveness of criminal re-education.  Upward trends can pull down the staff-prisoner ratio, a key component for achieving effective prevention of re-offending and promoting reintegration in the community. Moreover, prison overcrowding tends to exacerbate already high levels of tensions and violence, raising the risks of self-injury, suicide, substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.  Overcrowded prisons are more likely to act as “universities of crime”

In Canada, Black and Indigenous inmates represent a significantly disproportionate number of inmates compared to their percentage of the national population.  These inmates are notably more likely to be rated as a security threat, despite the data showing them less likely to reoffend than white offenders.  In the U.S., the same can be said for Black and Hispanic inmates who are disproportionately represented when compared the general population.  There is little doubt that the prison systems are plagued by systemic racism.

The pandemic has only exacerbated and highlighted the existing poor conditions in our prisons.  Resulting in the deaths of numerous inmates, COVID-19 has run rampant in prisons despite governments’ assurances that everything is under control.  Interestingly, in order to reduce prison overcrowding, many non-violent prisoners were given early release and parole in both countries during the pandemic.  There are so many continuing reported problems with prison life that one could write a book about them.  Indeed, several studies about deplorable and unsafe prison conditions are gathering dust on shelves somewhere.  Unless society develops new non-incarceration policies and implements initiatives aimed at supporting real rehabilitation, including alternatives to imprisonment, the recidivism rates in both countries will continue to be unacceptably high.

Canada US

Leave a comment »
Mar 4

There May Be Light At The End Of The Tunnel, But How Long Is The COVID Tunnel?

by bcurry

Today one hears a lot of spokespersons stating that we can now see a light at the end of the COVID tunnel.  However, I would ask just how long the tunnel is?  Yes, we fortunately have seen the incredible introduction of several effective vaccines in the U.S., Canada, Europe and elsewhere.  However, although the inoculation of people against the coronavirus, especially those who are vulnerable, is great, the slow speed with which the vaccinations are taking place is worrisome.  Then there are those who believe that it is alright to now remove the pandemic control measures, such as wearing masks in public, restricted business openings and social distancing.  Recently, the governors of Texas and Mississippi lifted state-wide mask requirements and have allowed all businesses to operate at full capacity.  In the case of Texas, this was done even though the state considerably trails the national average for vaccinations.  Texas recently recorded more than 7,000 new cases daily and, in recent weeks, ominous variants of the virus have appeared in the state.  Indeed, Houston became the first American city to record five of the COVID-19 variants circulating worldwide, including a number from Brazil.

When it comes to dealing with COVID variances, one can learn a lot from the current Brazilian experience.  No other nation that experienced such a major pandemic outbreak is still grappling with record-setting death tolls and has a health care system on the brink of collapse.  Much of this is due to the emergence of a variant that swept through the certain Brazilian cities.  The variant is not only more contagious, but also appears able to infect some people who have already recovered from other versions of the coronavirus.  Throughout the pandemic, researchers have said that COVID re-infections appear to be extremely rare, allowing people who recover to presume they have immunity, at least for a while.  However, in the case of this new Brazilian variant, it has been reported that some who recovered from COVID-19 months ago had fallen ill again and tested positive.  This suggests that researchers in the coming weeks and months will have to constantly be modifying the vaccines to deal with such variants, including that from Brazil.

What this developing situation implies is that, while taking tentative steps toward a semblance of so-called normalcy, countries will have to be very careful about lifting restrictions too soon.  In both the U.S. and Canada, health officials continue to plead for everyone to maintain social distancing and mask-wearing.  Simply by too quickly lifting official sanctions related to transmission precautions, governments are sending out the wrong messages that this pandemic is soon coming to an end.  There is little doubt that after over a year of lockdowns, economic costs and public restrictions, there is a degree of “pandemic fatigue”.  While vaccines offer hope, until a sufficient percentage of the population is fully vaccinated the danger of the re-emergence of the virus in new and more lethal forms is always there.  One only has to look at Brazil and the fact that Texas is seeing an increase in new COVID cases and emerging variants of the virus.  Yes, optimistically there is perhaps light at the end of tunnel, but the tunnel appears to be a long one!

Canada Coronavirus COVID-19 US

Leave a comment »
Mar 2

When It Comes To COVID-19, Journalists Need To Have More Analytic Skills

by bcurry

How the media analyzes statistics coming out of data bases in countries has in itself created confusion as to what they signify in terms of effectiveness in dealing with the pandemic.  Right now, the coverage of course is concentrated on the rollout of vaccinations among countries, particularly those in the industrialized groupings.  This is understandable given that countries are largely depending on vaccines to help them get through the pandemic economically and politically.  The problem is that when all is said and done, a broader assessment of the efficacy of each countries’ approach to tackling COVID-19 will be needed.  In some instances, a country will have better dealt with controlling the initial outbreaks more successfully than others.  Take for example, the U.S. and Britain.  With over a half-a-million COVID-related deaths, the U.S. ranks seventh in deaths worldwide per one million population as of March 2, 2021 (as per Statista.com).  With over 123,000 deaths, the U.K. ranks fourth in deaths worldwide per one million population.  The U.S. has had close to 29 million confirmed cases and the U.K. over 4 million cases to date — incredibly high numbers.  However, one has to recognize that big differences show up between countries when combining the number of deaths against confirmed COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 test rates can vary per country.  Eventually, epidemiologists and statisticians will have to investigate such anomalies.

Nevertheless, despite the obvious fortunate distribution of vaccines in the U.S. and U.K providing hope for an eventual end to the pandemic, the costs associated with recorded deaths has been far too high each country.  In particular, the coronavirus has disproportionately affected visible minorities, especially people of colour, and those in lower income neighbourhoods despite their numbers being less than half of the total population.  What has made matters worst is the fact that the large number of past and present cases led to the growth in COVID variances in both countries.  As we know, these variances are more easily and quickly spread from person-to-person.  This led to more cases of COVID-19 which in turn has put more strain on health care resources, leading to more hospitalizations, and to potentially more deaths.  Rapidly emerging variants became the biggest problem in the U.K. and states like California, something which perhaps could have been avoided had more stringent measures been put in place at the pandemic’s outset.

In Canada, lockdowns and other restrictions were implemented back in the early spring and resulted in the number of COVID-related cases and deaths levelling off during the summer.  Canada, although with a smaller population than the U.S. and U.K., ranked fiftieth in terms of deaths worldwide per one million population as of March 2, 2021.  Of the 22,000 recorded deaths, the majority unfortunately were disproportionately among seniors in long-term residences in two of the most populated provinces, Ontario and Quebec.  This unfortunate situation is why both provinces have targeted vulnerable seniors in both provinces as the country’s initial vaccinations begin to roll out.  However, with around 900,000 cases, analysts may conclude that Canada’s overall approach to the pandemic has been successful in limiting the number of related deaths and hospitalizations. 

Taking all the data into account down the road, I am certain that some countries’ approach to tackling the pandemic will have proven to be more effective than others.  In the meantime, many of the restrictions imposed by health authorities will have to be maintained in the coming months to avoid the emergence of a third and possibly more deadly wave of the virus.  This is despite the current rate of vaccination in all countries with which the media appears to be currently infatuated.  Given the evident concerns about the impact on economic growth in all countries, this proposition will not be an easy one politically to accept, especially now that more pandemic fatigue has set in. 

Canada Coronavirus COVID-19 US

Leave a comment »
Blog at WordPress.com.