FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Dec 7

New Political and Social-Economic Realm of Diversity in America

by bcurry

Back in March of this year, the Biden administration ordered changes to a range of federal surveys to gather more detailed information about the nation’s ethnic and racial makeup.  Why is this important?  For example, most people of Middle Eastern and North African descent reportedly are currently classified as “white” in U.S. census data.  According to the Census Bureau estimates, this represented about 3.5 million people falling into that category.  They represent for example people whose descent is Lebanese, Egyptian, Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Israeli.  Under the new format, people of Middle Eastern and North African descent will have their own category.  Officials of the Office of Management and Budget, which oversaw the review of the current survey questions, said the changes were needed in part to make surveys more accurate.

The reason more accurate surveys are increasingly important is that America is increasing becoming more diverse.  The non-white population has nearly doubled since 1990 to over 40% in 2023, as the proportion of non-Hispanic whites decreased from 75% to 58%.  According to the USAFacts Team, the nation’s non-white population has almost doubled over the past four decades, growing from about 24% of the population in 1990 to over 40% in 2023.  Furthermore, according to the US Census Bureau, the multiracial population is projected to be the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group over the next four decades, followed by the Asian or Pacific Islander and Hispanic populations.  The non-Hispanic white population is expected to continue shrinking.

The above announced changes most likely have the potential to rankle conservatives who believe that the nation’s focus on diversity has already gone too far.  Interestingly, both the Republicans and Democrats during the recent election attempted vigorously to cater to Blacks, Latinos and Hispanics to have their votes which were deemed critical in several states.  This time around, the Trump campaign notably targeted those communities with diverse populations.  In many cases, the non-White populace was just as concerned about the economy and immigration as many of his White supporters.  Something that the Democratic Party failed to fully realize during its campaign — a startling factor given Pamela Harris being a Black candidate.

Now one has to ask is whether Donald Trump will allocate more positions in his cabinet to better reflect the nation’s diversity?  So far, the answer appears to be a resounding “no”.  Specifically selecting people from such bodies as Fox News certainly doesn’t help.  He may have to go outside his comfort zone!  In addition, federal policies will have to better reflect the importance of diverse populations.  Those who broadly support the new survey questions — academics, civil liberties advocates and racial and ethnic interest groups among them — say they would help promote greater fairness in schools, housing, hiring and other aspects of society where census data is used.  I’m not so sure that Trump’s immediate advisory body, made up mainly of rich White men, is going to facilitate appropriately dealing with such issues.

Favouring one group over another will lead to even more division within the country.  Hopefully, the Republicans in Congress will appreciate this matter in their deliberations.  Many marginalized groups are made up of persons from diverse communities, and are affected particularly hard by any reduction in socio-economic benefit programs.  Such policies would no doubt lead to increased hardships for these people.  Cutting such programs in the name of “efficiency” should not be an option in these dire times, accentuated by growing poverty, homelessness and inadequate medical care.  One has to question what Trump means when he proposes to make America great again?  Just who will actually benefit?

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Nov 26

Trump’s Tariff Threats Against Canada and Mexico Will Hurt Americans Equally

by bcurry

Here we go again, Donald Trump’s bargaining concept is getting in the way of economic realities.  Threatening to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican products entering the U.S. is simply nonsense, and most likely in violation of the current U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.  This agreement, by-the-way signed during the former President’s first term, is up for re-negotiation in two years. 

The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers.  Take for example the North American automotive sector which relies on integrative parts and components from both Canada and Mexico, whereby auto plants on both sides of the border and some production lines would most likely screech to a halt.  Not only can higher tariffs cause increased inflation, but they would also cause job losses in all three countries.  The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products.

For some reason, President-elect Trump believes that putting economic pressure on Mexico and Canada would force both countries to tighten up their borders against illegal migrants and the influx of drugs like the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.  Mexico’s efforts to fight drugs — which are manufactured by Mexican cartels using chemicals imported from China — have apparently weakened in the last year.  However, the new Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has argued that the flow of drugs is more of a problem of public health and drug consumption in American society, and rightly so.  On the other hand, both Mexico and Canada have an argument when it comes to the influx of weapons smuggled in from the United States, estimated to account for over 90% of arms smuggled into both countries.

Unfortunately, neither Mexico nor Canada like to be bullied into adherence to some needless policies by an American president, past or present.  President Sheinbaum has already declared that the introduction of new tariffs would result in retaliatory measures by Mexico.  The Canadian government is already examining the ramifications of increased tariffs, hoping to open up a further dialogue with the new American administration.  Hoping to avoid a trade war, both countries have indicated that they are willing to engage in talks on the issues at hand. 

What’s obviously a shot across the bow, Trump appears to think that these threats are an effective manoeuvre as part of some form of future negotiating tactics.  However, the resulting consequences will be dire for all parties concerned.  Canada in particular has clamped down on the flow of fentanyl both into and out of the country.  More aggressive attempts have also been made to deal with the influx of weapons from the U.S.  There is little doubt that these are security issues on both sides of the border.  Canada is also concerned about the potential influx of migrants from the U.S. as a result of Trump’s talks about a “massive deportation” program of illegal migrants during his second term.  Northern border security is just as important to Canadians as it is to Americans, and is nowhere close to American concerns over its southern border security.

I believe that the Canadian government will take a more cautious and respectful approach to Trump’s threat than the Mexican government which has warned the U.S. against any blatant attempts to subjugate its sovereignty through such threats.  As noted, Sheinbaum’s bristly response suggests that Trump faces a much different Mexican president than he did in his first term.  As for Canada, time will tell.  In addition, federally there will be an election next year and Trump’s administration will have to face a new Canadian government.  Unfortunately, the entire situation does not look good for the future of all three countries, both economically and politically.

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Nov 21

Angry Young Males Revolt In America

by bcurry

Back in 2013, I read a very interesting book by Michael S. Kimmel entitled: “Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era.”  In it, he described an increase in anger in the seismic economic, social and political shifts that have so transformed the American landscape among young white men.  Downward mobility, increased racial and gender equality, and a tenacious clinging to an anachronistic ideology of masculinity left many white men feeling betrayed and bewildered.  “Angry white male” is a term for white men holding conservative or right-wing views. Today, the term is often used when talking about the politics of the U.S. The term mostly refers to a group which emerged in the early 1990s. They reacted to what they thought were injustices created by “affirmative action.”  An angry white male is opposed to anti-discrimination policies (such as affirmative action) that benefit racial minorities and women.  Supporters of Donald Trump are sometimes said to largely include angry white men.  Today, one might add young Black and Hispanic men to their numbers, especially now that affirmative action is no longer in play.

Back in the 1960s, when activists pushed for laws to equalize opportunities for women, girls had been much less likely than boys to graduate from college.  However, a recent study indicated that by 2015, the situation had flipped.  Boys were much less likely than girls to make it through college and reap the premium jobs that came with degrees.  Young men were not just getting lower-paying jobs than young women, they were also more likely to leave the job market altogether.  This left many of them living with their parents and gave them lots of free time to spend on video games and in chat rooms.  One research team looked at national time-use surveys and found that young men between the ages of twenty-one and thirty spent 12 percent less time on paid work in 2015 than they had ten years earlier — a much sharper drop than was seen in any other demographic group. The newly freed-up time was spent largely in front of a computer.  The amount of time that men under thirty dedicated to video games and “recreational computer time” rose to 520 hours a year in 2015, 99 hours more than what it had been ten years earlier; a significantly greater amount of time and a sharper increase than was seen among older men and women of all ages.1

Even when it comes to investing and playing the markets on-line, young men dominate the scene, preferring to gamble in day trading in order to possibly become wealthier as well as clearly attaining a high out of risk-taking.  Normally, these men are between 20 and 30 years old and live at home with a lot of time on their hands.2  This phenomenon was particularly exasperated by the pandemic, which also continued to have negative impacts on men with respect to  the post-pandemic labour market and low wages.

The results of the American elections illustrated a clear statistical divide between more educated males and lesser educated males, with the majority of the prior supporting Kamala Harris and the latter Donald Trump.  In particular, young men in the so-call working and middle classes are unhappy with the way the economy has gone for them.  They are also still angered over what they perceive to be as unfair and unequal treatment when it comes to women, whether real or not.  This placed Harris at a clear disadvantage during the election when Democrats obviously failed to address the issue.  The Republicans used conservative social media effectively to appeal to the grievances of young working, unemployed and underemployed men.  Policies pushed by the Democrats, including reproductive rights and gender-based ones, did not appeal to most young men.

Canada is not immune to the lure of conservative policies which tend to attract young Canadian males to their political thinking, all of which will have a direct impact in the federal election expected to happen next year.  Unless there is a drastic change in the economy and labour market, one can expect a similar backlash against the current Liberal government whose social policies will no doubt be a major target by conservative groups.

1. Richard V. Reeves and Ember Smith: “Boys Left Behind: Education Gender Gaps Across the US” (The Brooking Institution, October 12, 2022)  https://www.brookings.edu/articles/boys-left-behind-education-gender-gaps-across-the-us/.

2. ”The Trolls of Wall Street (How the Outcasts and Insurgents are Hacking the Markets)”: Nathaniel Popper (HarperCollins Publishers, New York, N.Y., 2024) p. 53

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Nov 9

Environment Was Barely Mentioned By Presidential Candidates

by bcurry

Despite being the hottest issue on our planet at this time, issues concerning the environment were barely mentioned by either presidential candidate during the debate or while campaigning.  Indeed, what we heard was a continuous slogan about “drill baby drill” and the need to increase the output of the American oil and gas sector. 

It has just been announced that this was the hottest year on record.  Across the U.S. and Canada, one has had to deal with extreme weather events, including hurricanes off the gulf states, wild fires in California, New Jersey and Alberta, drought across all American states except Alaska and Kentucky, flooding across the North-eastern states, heat wave records this past summer, etc., etc.  This left Americans and Canadians with billions of dollars in damages, especially to communities and their infrastructures. 

Nearly 200 countries will gather next week for the U.N. climate summit, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan.  As usual, reaching a consensus for a deal among so many can be difficult.  29

China produces the most energy from climate-warming fossil fuels and also from renewable energy sources.  China retains the developing country designation in U.N. climate negotiations that began in the 1990s.  As such, it says the United States and other industrialised countries should move first and fastest with climate action.

The world’s second largest emitter and largest historic emitter, the United States, comes to COP
29 following an election that will put Donald Trump back in power in 2025.  Trump’s victory has reduced the chance of a strong deal on a new global finance target, or an agreement to increase the pool of countries that should contribute.  President-Elect Trump has promised to again pull out of the 2015 Paris Agreement and has labelled efforts to boost green energy a “scam”.

The most immediate concern will be over how the least developed countries will cope with the impact of recent severe weather patterns associated with climate change, including those in Africa, South and Central America and in Asia.  Moreover, this group’s 45 nations are also highly vulnerable to climate change but have contributed little to it. They are asking for significant funding from developed countries, preferably in the form of grants. They also want more money to flow into the loss and damage fund.  The question of how to deal with potential migrant movements from these countries will also have to be dealt with.

Both Canada and the U.S. are failing to meet their emissions reduction targets set out in 2015.  There is a real danger that both countries will return to supporting the fossil fuel sector in order to meet short-term economic goals.  President-Elect Trump has made it very clear that he wants to see more fracking across the U.S., and federal lands and protected areas will be more open to drilling.  He is particularly non-supportive of renewable energy initiatives and will cut back a number of federal programs and policies in support of that sector.  Canada, and Alberta in particular, will more than likely seek to encourage the U.S. to import more of our oil and gas with new pipeline construction, something denied by previous Democrat administrations.  Even Kamala Harris changed her position on limiting fracking in order to garner the support of states such as Pennsylvania.

All of these developments tend to lessen one’s optimism about finding ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, despite a lot of unsubstantiated rhetoric by industrialized countries.  When Americans were polled and asked which issues were the most important to them in the election, the environment and climate change was way down the list.  They obviously gave more import to the immediate state of the economy, jobs and immigration.  Once again, the issues surrounding climate change will have to take a back seat to such issues, despite growing concerns over its evident impact on our lands, agriculture and the oceans.

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Oct 21

2024 Predictions For Key Canadian Political And Economic Issues

by bcurry

Predicting the eventual outcome of political and economic matters in any year is pretty difficult, and 2024 has been just as unpredictable in various ways.  Relations with Canada’s biggest trade partner and political ally are about to change as a result of the U.S. elections next month.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that a second Trump presidency would be difficult for the Canadian government, as there are many issues on which he and former president disagree.  However, who would have guessed earlier in the year that President Biden would be forced to drop out of the presidential race in favour of his Vice President, Kamala Harris.  Should the outcome result in a Harris administration, things could certainly be different and hopefully perhaps less antagonistic. 

What is most troubling for the Trudeau minority government is the current state of the economy, particularly as it relates to high inflation.  While inflation has come down from a year ago, Canadians are still faced with continuing high costs associated with housing, food and fuels.  In addition, his government has lost the previous mandated support of the New Democratic Party which assured him of being able to withstand any non-confidence motions in Parliament and the need to call an early election.  However, both the Liberals and NDP cannot afford to have an earlier election at this time, particularly since the opposition Conservatives continue to hold a twenty point lead in the polls.  The Conservatives, knowing that general public opinion is unfavourable to Trudeau, would be more than happy to have a federal election sooner than later due to their expectation to form the next government.  In addition, Trudeau has recently seen several Cabinet ministers resign and will not run in the next election, as well as a revolt in the Liberal caucus seeking to replace him as party leader.  Among Canadians in general, he now faces the lowest approval ratings ever.

While the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre could become Canada’s next Prime Minister, he isn’t personally liked by most Canadians.  Some have compared him to Donald Trump, but this is somewhat an over exaggeration.  However, he does represent an increase in the presence in Canada of right-wing politics, similar to what has divided Americans politically — nothing out of the ordinary here.  What was hard to predict was the rapid decline in support for Trudeau and the increasing massive support for the Conservatives, whose platform remains much as it was a year ago — alluding to the high cost of living, crime rates and the carbon tax. 

The province of Quebec has itself moved away from past strong support for the federal Liberals and more toward dealing with its own political and economic issues surrounding greater protection of the French language, its lagging fertility rate, immigration targets and financial support for asylum seekers, many from the U.S.   Quebec Premier François Legault’s aggressive francophone-first policy has been controversial in Quebec, where business owners say the new requirements will add more barriers to hiring.  The current and future position of Quebec voters is difficult to predict.

The rapid growth of ultra-conservative movements in Canada, similar to those in the U.S., has surprised many political experts.  There is no doubt that the economic difficulties experienced by lower-income Canadians has certainly contributed to this outcome, especially as it pertains to the influx of immigrants and their impact on housing costs and social services.  Critics predicted, and rightly so, that Canada doesn’t have the housing, public resources or resettlement services to absorb the projected half a million newcomers in such a short period of time.  The war in the Middle East has also exacerbated the growing level of hate-related incidents against ethnic groups in the country.

What makes predictions next year for Canada even harder will depend on the outcome of the U.S.
elections, and the eventual policy changes that the new American administration will introduce.  One thing is clear is the importance of a more vibrant economy to both countries, despite the fact that inflationary trends appear to be on the decline.  Both countries will shortly have new administrations in power for 2025.

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Oct 7

Is a Potential Leader of the Free World Mentally Unstable?

by bcurry

Needless-to-say, most readers would immediately know that I’m talking about Donald Trump, who at 78 is beginning to display certain characteristics associated with senility and cognitive decline.  His recent speeches and social media commentary appear to indicate that he is ever more confused, forgetful, incoherent or disconnected from reality.  I declare this not with any malice against the former president, but with a great deal of concern over his ability to fulfill presidential responsibilities.  It’s also pretty bad when you have his vice-presidential candidate attempting to explain or interpret what Trump meant in his nonsensical remarks. 

There is no longer anything particularly funny about the situation as it stands — despite late night talk show hosts using Trump’s commentary as fodder for comedic purposes.  His campaign has refused to release medical records, instead simply pointing to a one-page letter apparently released in July by his former White House doctor reporting that Mr. Trump was “doing well”, particularly after being grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt.  I believe that that unfortunate attempt and subsequent second attempt may have indeed affected his outlook and temperament.  Concerns about his age have also heightened now that he is trying to return to office, concerns that were not alleviated by his unfounded debate claim about Haitian immigrants “eating pets” in Springfield, Ohio.  After his debate with Kamala Harris, his poor showing raised a number of vital questions about his cognitive capabilities.

What is also interesting and something that I have noticed in various interviews given by Trump, he has a great deal of difficulty answering specific questions directed to him.  This is not just a political manoeuvre of avoidance of an issue, but also demonstrates on his part the apparent lack of ability to focus.  In his speeches, he rambles on about all kinds of weird things, from talking about sharks, malaria and Hannibal Lecter: none of which makes any sense from an issue and policy point of view.  As well, he’s has had some pretty noticeable moments of obvious confusion.

What does this mean for America’s allies?  Right now, countries such as Canada, the U.K. and France must be wondering what is going on in the American presidential election!  Out of respect for diplomacy and non-interference is another country’s elections, their leaders are not saying anything out loud.  However, in private, these allies are very concerned to say the least as to Trump’s general behaviour, and especially his continuing outbursts, blatant lies and overt conspiracy theories.  With a month left before the final voting in November, other countries must be holding their breath, wondering what will be the eventual outcome in what many have described as the most important election of this century.  Trump’s proposed economic, defence and foreign policy positions are being studied to death with much trepidation.

We live today in volatile world where strong leadership is essential and close cooperation among democratic countries is a must.  This requires forward and sensible policy and decision making on the part of all leaders.  It is time for younger leadership in order to support the many current and future needs of our new century.  We cannot afford to have leaders who are stuck in the past and without the necessary skills to move us forward into the future.  Surely, most citizens today recognize the need to be able to effectively tackle the important issues, everything from foreign wars, new technologies and climate change.  The most immediate danger however is that Donald Trump could become the next president of the United States of America!

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Aug 31

Why Urban Politics At Times Appears To Be More Important Than Even National Politics

by bcurry

Think about it.  How many things that your local government looks after affect city dwellers on a daily basis?  Sometimes they may seem fairly mundane, but there is little doubt that they have a direct impact on us.  These include things that have to do with schools, public transit, roads, sewer and water systems, property taxes, urban waste disposal, policing and crime, medical facilities, first responders, etc., etc.  Often local issues far outweigh even those issues under review at the national level, which can seem to be very distant and not always of any direct import to us.

We tend to put more trust in our local leaders, who generally are members of our communities and are easier to contact than one’s national government representatives.  When something is a problem locally, municipal council representatives and urban administrators normally can be more easily accessed in order to file a complaint or raise an issue.  Moreover, this ready access implies that one can trust local officials to respond to our needs and thus are more trustworthy.

However, this level of trust has been somewhat damaged in recent years.  Much of this has to do with the rapid development that most urban centers are experiencing; be it with respect to housing, urban transit, infrastructure, green spaces, and other local developments.  As a result, there is a large amount of possible profits to be made by developers.  This is particularly true in California where a real estate boom drove political corruption, particularly in Los Angeles.  Jose Huizar, a member of City Council had gained control of the influential committee that approves multimillion-dollar commercial development projects across the city.  Reportedly, F.B.I. agents caught him accepting $1.8 million worth of casino chips, luxury hotel stays, prostitutes and a liquor box full of cash from Chinese developers.  As reported by the New York Times, he will become the third recent Los Angeles City Council member to go down as part of corruption investigations. This is part of a much larger circle of staff aides, fund-raisers, political consultants and real estate developers who have been charged in what federal authorities called an “extraordinary” recent wave of bribery and influence-peddling across California .  It is also reported that over the last 10 years, 576 public officials in California have been convicted on federal corruption and racketeering charges, including in San Francisco, South Gate, Bell, Lynwood and Vernon.

Why is it taking so long to uncover such corruption?  Part of the answer may lie in the fact that fewer smaller cities and towns have local reliable media sources such as newspapers and radio stations.  In larger centers, cutbacks in local reporting capabilities have led to a decline in investigative reporting.  In addition, you may have large immigrant populations, largely marginalized communities that do not have the resources to watch their politicians closely.  Increasingly, we have seen the need to have independent auditors to oversee the budgets and financial activities of municipal governments.  Their duties are similar to what one sees at the state, provincial and national levels.  In the U.S., unlike in Canada, municipal politics often involves political parties, Democrats or Republicans.  When a political party controls councils for a lengthy period and enjoys uncontested power, there’s appears to be no real penalty for stepping over ethical or legal lines.

Unfortunately, corruption is most often discovered through more indirect means or third-party observation, particularly when it comes to influence-peddling.  For the most part, representatives in municipal government tend to be trustworthy.  However, the evidence has shown that some developers and businesses are prone to offering certain incentives to local officials in order to influence their choices for major developments and services.  This is why it is so important to have independent oversight of matters related to urban policies, just as it is for those in higher levels of government.  Without it, one risks the possibility of inappropriate decisions being made that will affect all of us locally.  Given the number of critical services delivered locally, city governments do indeed have a good deal of responsibility and accountability.

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Aug 22

American Public Schools Are Failing Minority Students

by bcurry

A recent study out of Stanford University addressed the question of alternatives to affirmative action programs in colleges which were banned by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2023.  The study found that a total of only about 13 percent of students in the admitted class at a group of colleges studied were Black or Hispanic.  For context, Americans of high-school-graduation age today are about 38 percent Black or Hispanic.  In addition they noted that SAT scores often continued to be used as a simplified measure of academic merit.  This was despite the fact that test scores fell out of favour with many colleges during the pandemic.  However, several of the most selective schools, such as M.I.T. have recently returned to them.  Of course, higher income families can afford to have their children tutored in how to pass a SAT itself.

Let’s face it, low-income Black and Hispanic students are more likely than low-income white and Asian students to live in high-poverty neighbourhoods and attend high-poverty schools.  College admissions officials know that Black and Hispanic students are less likely to attend high schools where subjects like calculus, physics and computer science are taught.  Thus, limiting their ability and chances to be admitted into important disciplines such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Now we are seeing the impact of the loss of affirmative programs, which no doubt previously benefited Black and Hispanic students.  The Washington Post reported in July 2024 that many universities are abandoning race-conscious scholarships worth millions.  As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, they are forced to consider possible legal consequences in favouring any particular racial group.  Instead, college administrations are looking at possible alternatives to insure greater diversity on their campuses and provide some forms of income support to minorities.

The negative impact has been substantial.  For example, the New York Times reported in August that at M.I.T., Black, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander student enrollment for the incoming class of 2028 dropped sharply after the affirmative action ban.  Their enrollment represented 16 percent of all M.I.T. students compared with a baseline of about 25 percent of undergraduate students in recent years. The comparison to the class of 2027 was also dramatic. The percentage of Black students enrolled dropped to 5 percent from 15 percent, and the percentage of Hispanic and Latino students dropped to 11 percent from 16 percent.  White students made up 37 percent of the new class, compared with 38 percent last year.  On the other hand, the percentage of Asian American students in the class jumped to 47 percent from 40 percent.  This is very likely the result of Asian American students having better access to STEM programs in secondary schools.  As well, Asian American students score higher on SAT
tests than other minority groups, especially Black students who tend on average to score much lower on standardized tests.  These results are not happening just at M.I.T., but also at other universities where they banned affirmative action initiatives as far back as the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1996 and the University of Michigan in 2006.  Both saw significant drops in Black student admissions even as the number of college-age Black residents rose in their states.

The inability of minority groups to access higher education without some form of affirmative initiatives has become quite evident.  Much of the problem lies with the poor quality of primary and secondary education available to low-income neighbourhoods, often populated by minority families.  The way in which schools are locally and state funded has to change in order to offer more standardized and equitable education opportunities.  In the above noted New York Times article, Justin Driver, a professor at Yale Law School, was quoted as saying that the decline in Black enrolment was “as depressing as it is predictable,” with far-reaching consequences. “A paucity of Black students at the nation’s foremost colleges will ultimately have effects on the nation itself,” he said, adding, “What begins on college campuses will ultimately affect the nation as a whole, in every sector of the nation, from governmental leaders to academic leaders to business leaders.”

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Aug 12

The Comedy Hour In American Politics

by bcurry

Let’s get serious.  Anyone watching the American political scene now must be scratching their heads!  Since President Biden stepped aside and Kamala Harris became the Democrat’s presidential candidate, a relatively chaotic situation has emerged.  Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have completely gone off the rails.  In an obvious defensive posture, their attacks on both Harris and her V.P. selection, Tim Walz, have become ludicrous.  Any outside observer like myself can only laugh at some of the things emerging from the two Republican candidates.  Nothing really surprising about Trump and mini-Trump Vance!  Their accusations should become good fodder for the likes of Saturday Night Live.  Moreover, thankfully we have nothing comparable in Canada
at this time.

It all began with Trump questioning whether Harris is actually Black.  Of course, he had originally questioned whether or not former President Obama was actually born in the U.S. Vance then attacks Time Walz over his twenty-four years of military service.  Since when does one veteran attack another veteran over his service to the country?  Then you have Trump declaring that Harris in not “intelligent” enough to run the country.  As if Trump should talk about someone’s intelligence!  Vance’s comments suggesting that Democrat’s are “anti-child” tells one more about his state of mind than anything else.  Expect more name-calling and nonsense from both Trump and Vance.

The fact of the matter is that Kamala Harris has demonstrated that she can be a good campaigner.  She has reinvigorated the Democratic Party and now has a great start to the finish, which the polls and the huge increase in campaign donations have demonstrated.  The emergence of Harris is just what the U.S. presidential campaign needed.  Her crowds and momentum just keep going.  One now has a real race and a real choice.  Trump is now the old guy running on the same old same old ticket.  I can’t wait until the upcoming debates.  Everything indicates that Trump and his Republican Party are in real trouble.  This will no doubt lead to more of Trump’s extreme rhetoric and more and more lies.  Nothing will surprise me.  Unfortunately, this may no longer be a laughing matter. Too much is at stake for not only the U.S.
and democracy, but also for the rest of the free world.

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Aug 1

In Both Canada and the U.S., Things Will Have to Change in National Postal Services

by bcurry

With the advent of the Internet leading to the ability to communicate via social media and electronic mail, there has been a continuing decline in the need for hand delivered mail provided in both countries by national postal services.  Their entry into more express parcel delivery has also not blossomed as expected given the stiff competition by more cost-effective private sector providers.

In the U.S., the result is that its Postal Service reported a $6.5 billion net loss in the 2023 fiscal year for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, and has said that it will not breakeven next year as first-class mail fell to the lowest volume since 1968.  This deficit is despite the fact that the U.S. Postal Service aggressively hiked stamp prices and is in the middle of a 10-year restructuring plan announced in 2021.  The plan aims to eliminate $160 billion in predicted losses over the next decade, and had initially forecast 2023 as a breakeven year.  However, despite substantial planned reductions in its cost of operations and growth in package revenues, the service is still predicted to not reach breakeven results in 2024.

In Canada, Canada Post lost $748 million in 2023, and now warns of ‘critical’ financial situation. As a Crown corporation, it is projected that Canada Post could run out of money in less than a year, citing declining revenue and stiff competition.  Even with Canada Post’s recently proposed stamp price increase, the Corporation projects that, without additional borrowing and refinancing, it will fall below its required operating and reserve cash requirements by early 2025.  The company noted that the cost of delivering mail and parcels is increasing.  Canada Post has struggled to compete post-pandemic with the rising number of new, privately owned delivery companies that use what it calls a “low-cost labour” business model.  In its most recent report, the Corporation noted that competitors grew rapidly, leaning on their low-cost-labour business models that rely on contracted drivers to provide lower prices, plus greater convenience with evening and weekend service.

If you’re like me, I receive hardly any mail via the postal service.  Like most people, I do my banking on line, read the news on line, have funds directly deposited or withdrawn from my bank account, and correspond most frequently via electronic mail or social media networks.  As for parcels ordered on line (e.g. Amazon), the majority are delivered via private companies.  One can see such delivery vans pretty well every day on our block.

Given this situation and the loss of revenue of both national postal services, one has to ask if mail needs to be delivered directly to homes on a daily basis each week.  Perhaps, one could cut down to every two to three day delivery, accommodating those individuals who continue to rely on written mail for their dealings.  In many communities, notably in rural communities, there will continue to be a need for an outlet provided by a national postal service.  After all, a convenient outlet is most likely the only federal presence in the community.  In urban communities — especially new developments, there are increasingly postal boxes where people can access their mail, thus reducing the need for mail deliverers.  In both cases of Canada and the U.S., traditionally the national postal services were subsidized by the federal governments, and in turn by taxpayers.

Given the rising cost of doing business and declining revenue base, it only makes sense that both national postal services look at creating cost-cutting efficiencies in their operations.  In light of the expected political backlash, such a move will no doubt be tough for both federal governments to initiate.  However, it now seems like they won’t have much choice.

Canada US

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