FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

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!

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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. 

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Feb 28

Once Again, We Have Forgotten About Afghanistan

by bcurry

Yes, the primary news today and during the past year in North America is all about the pandemic and how governments are attempting to cope.  However, loss in all of this is the deteriorating state within Afghanistan.  I have previously blogged on issues surrounding the survival of the current American-backed government in Kabul and the past tremendous investments that Western countries, most notably the U.S., made in that country as noted in: Afghanistan-good-investment-or-sink-hole-and-lost-cause/.  In the meantime, the Taliban have been encroaching on key cities around Afghanistan for months, threatening to drive the country to its breaking point and push the Biden administration into a no-win situation just as the United States’ longest war is supposed to be coming to an end.

Under the deal struck by President Trump with the Taliban last year, all foreign troops — including the remaining 2,500 U.S. service members who support Afghanistan’s army and security forces — were scheduled to have withdrawn by May 1, 2021, leaving the country in an especially precarious state.  As talks between the Afghan government and Taliban continue, the reality is that insurgents already hold much of the country.  The Taliban is back to using terror and fear tactics to control the population in those parts of the country occupied by its forces.  They have a loose network of prisons wherein many people are being tortured.  They also operate a parallel network of civilian courts in which religious scholars adjudicate land disputes and family disputes, much like they did when they ran Afghanistan’s government two decades ago.  Supported by the local tribal officials, Taliban courts also try murders and suspected moral and religious offences. 

It has been argued that if the U.S. delays its withdrawal deadline, the Taliban would likely consider the 2020 deal with the U.S. void, likely leading to renewed attacks on American and NATO troops.  The result potentially could draw the U.S. deeper into the war to defend Afghanistan’s beleaguered army and security forces, whom the Taliban could still retaliate vigorously against.  Unfortunately, many Afghans see the current government as corrupt and its justice system as crooked. 

Then, there’s the ongoing cost of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.  According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the total military expenditure in Afghanistan from October 2001 until September 2019 was $778 billion.  In addition, the U.S. State Department – along with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and other government agencies – spent $44 billion on reconstruction projects.  Then there were the American lives lost.  As of July 2018, there were over 2,300 U.S. military and over 16,000 civilian deaths in the Afghan war.  In addition, over 20,000 American service members had been wounded in action up until then.  There were also over 1,700 U.S. civilian contractor fatalities.

All of this leads one to understand the American hesitancy to simply pack up and leave Afghanistan as it did during the Vietnam war.  Much has been sacrificed in a cause that was a no-win from the outset, demonstrating the dangers associated with trying to impose democratic ways in a poor country which has only known authoritarianism.  Unfortunately, without U.S. support, the current Afghan regime obviously cannot stand on its own.  It’s a difficult decision for President Biden to make, but it’s one that has to be made sooner than later given the daily costs, human and financial, associated with sustaining the current regime in Kabul.  Afghanistan is certain to be back in our headlines once again.

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Feb 24

When It Comes to COVID-19, the Cure Could Be Worse Than the Disease?

by bcurry

I just heard a radio interview with a so-called expert on infectious diseases who proclaimed that he viewed government prevention actions are worse than COVID-19 itself.  He suggests that health authorities are being overly cautious and that the extent of lockdowns and restrictions on openings are overkill.  His views are especially disconcerting, particularly as they are presented just as the U.S. has surpassed half a million COVID-related deaths.  He seemed to imply that the worst is over, even though numerous other experts have expressed serious concerns about a possible third wave due to the disease and its variants.  Indeed, it has just been disclosed that a coronavirus variant emerged in California and has surged to become the dominant strain.  This California variant not only spreads more readily than its predecessors but also apparently evades antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines or prior infection.  Not good news!

Yes, there is little doubt that lockdowns of businesses, events and schools hurt a lot of people.  However, what is the alternative?  How many deaths are we willing to accept as a consequence of remaining open and removing our masks?  If one takes the Swedish example where schools and businesses remained open for a substantial period of time following the pandemic’s emergence, there have been many times the number of deaths compared to other Scandinavian countries where more restrictions were quickly introduced.  We now know that the Swedish economy did not do any better than other economies who implemented lockdown practices.  Swedes became increasingly fearful of going outside and eating in restaurants in light of the high death totals.  In addition, there has been no herd immunity until now and Sweden will have to rely on vaccines and continuing precautions to contain the coronavirus, including the variants. Just like the rest of us!

As mass inoculations occur globally, it will take several more months before one can safely say that the pandemic is truly under control.  In the meantime, ethically we need to avoid and limit the potential of future COVID-related deaths as much as humanly possible.  This may mean that certain societal restrictions, including those on travel, will need to be maintained in the coming months.  Yes, vaccines will help.  However, the reality is that it will take the remainder of the year to inoculate enough of the global population to eventually create some form of so-called ‘herd immunity’.  The science is always trying to catch up to the mutations associated with COVID.  Remember as Dr. Anthony Fauci notes: “If viruses don’t replicate, they don’t mutate.”  The greater transmissibility of the virus could cause hospitals to become so overwhelmed and healthcare resources to be stretched so thin that more deaths are the result.  This is why we need to stop the further spread of variants by getting vaccinated, wearing masks, physically distancing, avoiding travel and limiting exposure to others.  It’s a difficult cure, but it is a lot better than the consequences of having more significant outbreaks of the disease in our communities.

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Feb 23

Canada Also Has Its Own Right-Wing Extremist Groups

by bcurry

Just recently, there was an anti-lockdown demonstration in front of the provincial legislation in Edmonton, Alberta.  Interestingly, the province’s premier, Jason Kenney, associated several hate groups and racism to the anti-lockdown protest.  Now, Alberta is politically Canada’s most conservative province, having elected a string of conservative governments in the last five decades.  Nevertheless, the Premier openly declared that some prominent racists and white supremists promoted Saturday’s protest at the legislature, and individuals attended the event from known hate groups like the ‘Soldiers of Odin’ and ‘Urban Infidels’.  What these groups failed to mention is that Alberta had a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths compared to the rest of Canada.  Although somewhat late off the mark, the province eventually and somewhat reluctantly was forced to introduce lockdown measures and mandatory mask wearing, especially in its two largest cities of Calgary and Edmonton.  Once again during the protest, violence broke out when the police were forced to intervene.  Allegedly, several officers were punched by protesters while trying to make an arrest.  Premier Kenney correctly asserted that while Albertans value freedom of speech and assembly, the event’s connection to hate groups and any violence had to be condemned.

For a number of years, studies have shown right-wing extremist groups are ‘prevalent’ across Canada, including the ‘Proud Boys’ which has recently been added to the national terrorist list in Canada.  A number of Canadians supported Donald Trump when he was president and continue to support him even today.  As in the U.S., one place where right-wing extremists find support is online.  Sub-forums of the white supremacist website, Stormfront.org, are among the most popular.  It should be remembered that the Proud Boys was origionally founded in 2016 by a Canadian, Gavin Miles McInnes, a Canadian writer and far-right political commentator at the time.  Under its current American leader, Enrique Tarrio, many Proud Boys members stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th and several, including Tarrio, have since been arrested. 

The fact of the matter is that Canadian authorities will have to continue to assess and investigate all extremists groups in order to prevent associated violent activities, especially against minorities.  These groups have particularly emerged during this pandemic and have taken advantage of the anger, mistrust of government and general fears of some Canadians.  They tend to ally themselves with anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and those opposed to government lockdowns of businesses and services.  Don’t be fooled, these are not temporary movements and will be around for awhile in both Canada and the U.S.  There is no invisible wall between the two countries, especially in the age of the Internet.

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Feb 20

There is little doubt that Walmart is part of an oligopoly

by bcurry

As supplier of produce and goods, you don’t have much choice now but to deal with one or more of the large retail distribution firms in Canada and the U.S.  In recent years the choice of which retail outlets to deal with has greatly narrowed.  What the pandemic has highlighted economically is that certain sectors in both countries are basically controlled by a few large companies who make up oligopolies.  The Oxford English Dictionary defines “oligopoly” as “a state of limited competition in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers.”  Today, as a supplier, one has little choice but to deal with the likes of Walmart, Cosco, Loblaws, Amazon, etc.

These large enterprises in turn are increasing their sales through online ordering, a somewhat costly transition but a necessary one.  The pandemic and changing customer preferences for shopping have speeded up this process.  In the meantime, these companies have recently introduced new higher supplier fees, arguing that they are intended to help cover the cost of modernization plans, especially those related to improvements in e-commerce and to help pay for upgrades.  The introduction of these higher fees set off a prolonged conflict between manufacturers and supermarket chains, a few of which like Loblaws Canada sought to charge similar supplier fees.  Walmart for one said the fees were a fair trade-off for suppliers, since the proposed investments would lead to sales growth.  Walmart and Loblaws have now set a dangerous precedent in the sector by asking suppliers to help cover the costs of new investments.

It’s understandable that suppliers are enraged by these new fees, wondering why they are being forced to subsidize the likes of Walmart and Loblaws to modernize their businesses.  Given the nature of oligopolies and their desire not to increase their retail prices to consumers, what’s frustrating is that the suppliers may not have any choice but to accept the additional costs and reduce their profit margins accordingly.  Several may even find it difficult to survive by doing so, including some of the independent grocers.  What’s even more frustrating, due to the pandemic’s impact resulting from the frequent closures of medium and small retail businesses, these larger companies have significantly increased their overall profits for the last year.  For example, Walmart reported record revenue worldwide of over US$152 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020, a 7.4 percent increase over the previous year. 

Governments have legislation regulating “monopolies” which inevitably reduce competition in the economy, affect the normal operations of the free market and increase costs to consumers.  Perhaps it’s about time that governments take a closer look at oligopolies as suggested by a number of industry organizations.  In addition, maybe corporations like Walmart and Loblaws could reintroduce or increase hazard pay to their employees as long as the pandemic continues.   Through the end of 2020, the total additional COVID-19 compensation Amazon and Walmart provided to their frontline workers represented only a small fraction of the companies’ extraordinary earnings, and an even smaller percentage of the stunning, pandemic-fuelled wealth created for their richest shareholders. 

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Feb 11

Split in Republican Party Worsens As Impeachment Trial Drags On

by bcurry

As it stands now, the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is for all intent and purpose over.  According to recent polls, the Democrats and those few Republican senators supporting a conviction have already won in the court of public opinion with a majority of those polled supporting Trump’s conviction higher than during the first impeachment.  While there are obviously not enough Republican senators to convict Trump, the damage from the January 6th riot at the Capitol continues increasingly to split the ranks of the GOP.  Those Republicans in Congress supporting Trump’s impeachment and the election of Joe Biden are now the target of several state and local Republican officials.  Since Trump left office, grassroots Republican activists and state parties have become his most vociferous defenders, often condemning and censuring elected Republicans who dare to deviate in any way from full support of the former president.  Whether or not one likes it, Trump remains the most popular national figure associated with the Republican Party.  State and local party organizations elect their own members and operate with considerable autonomy under the GOP system.  Many continue to believe that Trump was the voice for their agenda in D.C.  However, the reality is that Trump’s gang created his image and platform more than the GOP rank and file did.  Narcissist Trump simply used them and continues to do so after the election to support his nonsensical claim that the election had been stolen.

Now, you have dozens of former and current Republican officials who view the party as unwilling to stand up to Trump and his attempts to undermine U.S. democracy.  Apparently, some senior Republicans are even contemplating the formation of a center-right breakaway party.  As argued by certain party strategists, the problem is that the growing GOP split will undercut the party’s chances in the 2022 midterm elections to win House and Senate majorities.  As it stands right now, the possibility of quickly regaining party unity appears to be a long shot as long as Trump’s influence on the local and state GOP continues.  Many Republicans remain fiercely loyal to the former president, while exasperated others seek a new more centralized direction for the party back to its conservative roots.  Instead, they would run on a platform of “principled conservatism,” including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law.  They feel that the party’s integrity is at stake and Republicans need to distance themselves from Trump’s influence.

Emotions are running high among both pro-Trump supporters and the anti-Trump faction of the party.  Trump not only inspired a mob to storm the Capitol, he also brought the Republican Party close to a breaking point.  Whether or not Trump is convicted and thereby unable to ever run again for the position of president, the damage is already done within the GOP.  There is no other way to describe the GOP’s internal squabbles but that of continued ‘fanaticism’ and ‘disfunctionalism’.  Moreover, millions of Republican voters are seeking no such separation from Mr. Trump.  The House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, many of his House colleagues and state lawmakers around the country continue to express support for Trump.  For the moment at least, they are far more loyal to their lame-duck president than to the traditional party leaders who preceded him.

As part of the impeachment process, the House is currently laying out a very convincing case against Trump, branding him the ‘Inciter in Chief’.  Interestingly, in the unlikely case that the Senate were to convict Mr. Trump — finding him guilty of “inciting violence against the government of the United States” — senators apparently could still vote on whether to bar him from holding future office. That vote would only require a simple majority.  If it came down to party lines, Democrats would prevail with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie breaking vote.  This could help the GOP to begin to renew its fractured party, but don’t count on it.  It may also cause more backlash among Trump’s supporters, while further widening the existing spit within the party.  All of this makes for great political debate in the coming months, much to the growing embarrassment and consternation of the Republican establishment. 

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Feb 5

COVID-19 Vaccination Rates: Why Comparison of Canada to Israel is a Problem

by bcurry

Lately, certain Canadian media sources are comparing the high Israel vaccination rates for COVID-19, which rank number one in the world per 100,000 persons vaccinated.  The comparisons are being used to blame the Canadian authorities for the current low vaccination rates: Canada currently ranking 29th place in the world.  However, the comparisons may not be very fair given a number of critical factors and major differences between both countries.

For one thing, Israel was fortunate on January 7, 2020 to have struck an agreement with Pfizer to exchange citizens’ data in exchange for 10 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, including a promise of shipments of 400,000-700,000 doses every week.  Ten million doses are a drop in the ocean for Pfizer, which has pledged to produce 1.3 billion vaccine doses in 2021 — and is likely to produce more.  What was particularly interesting to Pfizer was that Israel was already capable of mass immunization and will provide details to Pfizer (as well as and the World Health Organization) about the age, gender and medical history of those receiving the jab as well as its side effects and efficacy.  Canada was not in the same situation given a number of other factors, including its more decentralized health care delivery system involving the provinces.

Out of necessity, Israel developed a “militarization” capability over the years and its infrastructure is designed to quickly implement prompt responses to large-scale national emergencies, including attacks by any of its Arab state neighbours.  When it comes to population, Israel’s population stands at about 9.2 million, compared to Canada’s at around 38 million people, four times that of Israel.  More importantly, the State of Israel is contained in 27,869 square kilometers or 10,760 square miles, just barely bigger than New Jersey.  Canada’s Vancouver Island alone is 1.38 times as big as New Jersey.  Canada is approximately 9,984,670 sq km and stretches from the Pacific to Atlantic Oceans and to the Artic Ocean in the north.  The simple geographic size of Canada is in itself a major concern with respect to transportation, isolated communities and weather patterns.  However, like Israel, Canada is primarily an urban society with 81.5 percent of the total population living in cities compared to Israel where over 92 percent of Israelis live in urban areas.

Even with an adequate supply of vaccines to immunize Canada’s population, the vaccination campaign will likely be unprecedented in scale, especially to more remote communities in the north and to the indigenous population.  Israel has a centralized system of government, a national health-system and a well-developed infrastructure for implementing prompt responses to large-scale national emergencies.  On the other hand, Canada has a more decentralized health care network with the ten provinces being responsible for the actual vaccinations.  This has raised the question as to whether the provinces will be ready to efficiently administer millions more doses when they finally arrive.  Moreover, there will be millions of doses to deal with since Canada has contracts with Novavax, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, and other vaccine manufacturers.  Despite delays with the arrival of first vaccines, Canada is expected to begin to receive millions of doses by the spring of 2021.

There is little doubt that some high-income countries like Canada and the U.S. are lacking several of Israel’s facilitating factors, apparently contributing to the current slower pace of the rollout in our countries.  However, the fortunate thing is that both countries will soon enter into a mass vaccination campaign likely to be unprecedented in scale and requiring all of the available resources needed to provide access to people wherever they are situated.  While some elements of Israel’s successful and timely vaccination campaign may be useful to duplicate, the vast differences between Canada and Israel reinforce the notion that “no one size fits all”.  As in Israel, Canada’s campaign will require well-tailored outreach efforts to encourage Canadians to sign up for vaccinations and then show up to get vaccinated.  This is the only way that any mass campaign can be successful in such a large and diverse country as Canada.

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Feb 4

Tragedy in Numbers of Accidental Gun Deaths in the U.S.

by bcurry

We occasionally read or hear about accidental gun deaths among Americans in our media. The fact is that a few instances of accidental deaths due to firearms do occur in Canada, but no where near the numbers recorded in the U.S.  Most Canadian gun-related fatalities or injuries are due to hunting mishaps for example, especially since the country has far fewer gun owners than what you see in the States.  Some of the American stories are nevertheless horrific.  There was one about an infant child who found a small revolver in her mother’s purse and accidentally fatally shot the mother.  Of course, there are several stories of members of a household shooting another member, sometimes mistakenly suspecting a night time intruder in their home.

Overall, there were close to 40,000 deaths from firearms in the U.S. in 2018.  Sixty-one percent of deaths from firearms in the U.S. are suicides.  That same year, 24,432 people in the U.S. died by firearm suicide.  Accidental gun deaths accounted for 1% (458) of total gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2018.  Thus far in 2020, there have been unintentional recorded shootings by over 220 children.  This has resulted in 92 deaths and 135 injuries.  Most unintentional firearm-related deaths among children occur in or around the home; 50 percent at the home of the victim, and 40 percent at the home of a friend or relative.  It is estimated that there are roughly 430 unintentional firearm fatalities in the U.S. per year. The rate is highest for older children to young adults, ages 10 to 29, and the vast majority of the victims are male.  These numbers do not reflect the accidental gun-related injuries which can be life threatening and life changing.  These numbers also do not reflect the consequences of stolen guns being used in crimes.

Gun-related deaths are tragic, accidental gun-related deaths are even more tragic especially when they involve children.  If one has to have guns around the home, then one needs to employ numerous precautions in order to keep them away from younger household members.  Keeping a loaded gun in one’s unlocked dresser or kitchen cabinet is careless and unsafe.  In Canada, registered gun owners are required by law to first separate ammunition physically from where a gun is stored or in a secure place with the unloaded gun.  Secondly, guns are to be rendered inoperable by means of a secure locking device or the removal of the bolt or bolt-carrier.  Finally, the gun itself is to be stored in a locked container, gun rack or safe, preferably with a guarded combination.  The idea is that that the storage location is constructed so that it cannot readily be broken open or into.

The careless storage and use of weapons around the home is even more of a concern right now that many families and their children are isolating due to COVID-19.  The first rule of parenting is to protect their children.  One accidental death is far too many.  Remember, the data does not include hospitalized cases of injury due to firearms, composite statistics which are not gathered by agencies.  Whether or not one is a proponent of gun control doesn’t matter when it comes to the unsafe storage and use of guns.  The numbers speak for themselves, but each number represents an avoidable death or injury.  Indeed, one extensive American study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that guns kept in homes are more likely to be involved in a fatal or nonfatal accidental shooting, criminal assault, or suicide attempt than to be used to injure or kill in self-defence.

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Jan 30

Did the U.S. and Canadian Economies Hit Bottom in 2020?

by bcurry

Starting back in March/April of last year, economists began to see that the lockdowns and restrictions caused by COVID-19 were beginning to show a detrimental impact on both the American and Canadian economies.  The economic decline is clearly shown by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics which are used as a comprehensive scorecard of a given country’s economic health.  As a broad measure of overall domestic production, the GDP is defined as the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period.

The U.S. GDP shrank by 3.5 percent last year as the novel coronavirus upended American businesses and households, making 2020 the worst year for U.S. economic growth since 1946. Similarly, the real GDP in Canada decreased 5.1 percent in 2020 (from the 2019 annual level to the 2020 annual level), compared with an increase of 2.2 percent in 2019.  In addition, unemployment rates in both countries climbed and continue to climb to this day with new layoffs by major companies being announced daily.

The real question now is as to whether the economies have hit bottom?  Or will things just get worst as we continue to battle the current coronavirus outbreaks, especially the new variants, and the rate of vaccinations continues to lag behind?  Optimistically, economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal predict a strong rebound in 2021, with the economy growing by 4.3 percent.  Looking forward in the long-term in Canada, the GDP growth rate is projected to trend around 2.70 percent in 2021 and 1.70 percent in 2022, according to several econometric models.  Nothing really to brag about!  The Chinese GDP is expected to grow by over 6.0 percent this year.

While GDP projections are all good and dandy, there are several issues of concern when it comes to both economies.  The longer the pandemic reigns, the biggest concern continues to be the impact on small businesses.  Many small businesses in the retail and service sectors will not survive.  Remember that small businesses are still the biggest creators of new employment.  Travel, hospitality and recreational sectors have also been hit hard, and their survival will greatly depend on how quickly their customers feel safe enough to once again travel.  One must ask also just how well our health care systems will cope with rising COVID cases?  In addition, the economy will emerge in a very different form, especially when it comes to the make up of the labour market and the increasing use of new technologies.  We more than likely will continue to see high unemployment rates in the near future, especially among women, youth, minorities and vulnerable groups.  Given continuing job security concerns, will people begin to once again consume at normal rates?  My feeling is that our economies have not as yet really hit bottom.  Unfortunately, it may be months before one really sees any kind of actual turnaround.

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