FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Nov 9

Do Current Democratic Presidential Candidates Have Billionaires On The Run?

by bcurry

Well, now we have one Michael Bloomberg interested in perhaps running in the Democratic primaries. For those unaware, Mr. Bloomberg is a 77-year-old former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman who has been outspoken in his criticism of President Trump, even prior to the last election. Bloomberg’s entering the race would make him the richest person to ever run for president, beating out billionaire Ross Perot who ran as a third party candidate in the 1990s.  Bloomberg is considered to be a centrist policy-wise.  One of the main reasons he is considering running is his stated belief that he doesn’t think that former Vice-President Joe Biden or Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders could beat Donald Trump.

I have another theory. Bloomberg may not like the left-leaning Democratic candidates Senators Warren and Sanders, who are among the top performers in early primary polling. One of Warren’s signature policy proposals is a wealth tax that would require the rich to pay 2 cents for every dollar over $50 million in their personal fortunes. Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, has also proposed a version of a wealth tax and is famous for railing against “millionaires and billionaires” in his campaign speeches.  Now this has made a number of multi-millionaires nervous, including Bill Gates, Tom Steyer and John Delaney to name a few.

Although it may be that the Democratic Party believes it is the party of working people and people of colour, there is always the danger of its policies being taken over by the super rich. Allowing an ultra-wealthy centrist to dominate its platform would be an unhealthy turn of events.  Indeed, one could argue that the 2020 Democratic primary is a referendum on billionaire control of the Democratic Party.  I strongly believe that working-class Americans would prefer to see a clear delineation between the corporate stooges in the Republican Party led by Donald Trump and the more progressive policies supported by the likes of Biden, Sanders or Warren.

Make no doubt, the Democratic Party has its supporters among the .1 percenters. No political party in the U.S., as in Canada, can ignore the influence of the super wealthy. However, it is a perilous move to allow a billionaire or multi-billionaire take control of its platform.  After all, it was many of these same people who got us into the worst recession since the great depression, from which many ordinary Americans and Canadians are still recovering.  In any democracy, one needs some clear choices.  With Mr. Bloomberg’s candidacy, we would only be muddying the political waters.

Presidential Election 2020 US

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Nov 1

November Is Here, Leaves Are Falling And So Is The President

by bcurry

There’s a cold wind blowing here, but not as cold as the one in Washington, D.C.  Congress has voted to proceed with the impeachment hearings over the President’s dealings with the Ukraine and consequential national security concerns. Just to remind us, the Ukraine has been fighting against attacks in eastern Ukraine by Russian-backed forces after Russia took over Crimea. As a result, NATO allies, including Canada and the U.S., agreed to supply the Ukraine with military aid and training. Apparently, President Trump delayed the transfer of American aid to the Ukraine on the condition that the Ukrainian administration investigated business dealings by Joe Biden and his son. Such activities would have occurred during Biden’s stint as vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. This request was made despite the fact that the current Ukrainian administration had earlier investigated matters related to state corruption and found no evidence of any direct link to the Biden’s.

Although the President has denied that there was no “quid pro quo” arrangement with the Ukraine concerning the matter, closed-door testimony by white house officials before the congressional committee appears to contradict the President. Hopefully, the upcoming public hearings will help clear the air as to what actually took place.  The American public needs to know the truth one way or another.

Yet, here’s the clincher. With Trump, his intervention in Ukraine appears to have been an abuse of his powers, but, conceivably, not a crime. The debate about the criminality of the President’s behaviour with regard to Ukraine, on some level, will always remain a theoretical matter.  Trump’s lawyers will argue that such dealings between heads of states are just a normal part of foreign policy initiatives. Nevertheless, Trump proceeded to use his position as President to have a foreign government look into what is obviously a matter of politics in light of the upcoming presidential election.  Does such a move represent an abuse of presidential power and a real threat to American national security?  That will be up to Congress to shortly decide and American voters to eventually judge at the polls.

Whatever comes out of the impeachment hearings, there is little doubt that Trump and his administration and the Republican Party are on the defensive. Congress has a right to defend the constitution and no president is above the law.  The rest of the world is closely watching and is deeply concerned about the subsequent consequences and greater instabilities.  Things most likely will get nastier and partisan divisions will grow even wider in American governance.  God help the United States of America!

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Oct 24

Canadian Federal Election Says A Lot About Canadians

by bcurry

Like the U.S., Canada is a country of many diversities — be they regional, cultural, urban or rural, or economic. The recent federal election results demonstrated once again a wide spectrum of diversities and issues among the Canadian electorate.  Firstly, we elected a minority government giving the incumbent Liberal Party another term in office.  Secondly, the division of the votes and seats was obviously split according to regional support, again a further recognition of diverse interests.  After all, Canada is formally a confederation of competing provincial entities. In addition, the majority of voters rejected populism and far right-wing and left-wing policies.  Most Canadians prefer to maintain a more centrist position.

One now has greater representation by a nationalist party, the Bloc Quebecois, in Quebec whose only platform is to federally support only those policies that benefit the province of Quebec. The western provinces, mainly Alberta and Saskatchewan, overwhelmingly supported the pro-pipeline Conservatives. In addition, rural areas in most provinces primarily supported the Conservatives while urban and suburban areas such as Toronto and Montreal supported the Liberals.

Having become disillusioned with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government over unethical behaviour and failures to fulfill certain 2015 promises, the electorate sent a clear message by voting for a minority regime. One part of the message was a concern that a Conservative government would proceed to cut services and programs to return to budgetary surpluses and reduce deficit spending.  However, Canadians are not prepared to support a government bent on a number of social and environmental policies promoted by the left of center New Democratic Party and Green Party.  Once again, voters preferred to make safer choices which maintain the ‘status quo’.

What is particularly interesting this time around is that all the political parties had more candidates representing women, minorities and indigenous persons. This reflected their adherence to the multicultural and socioeconomic elements of Canadian society.  The most populist-oriented party, the newly formed Peoples Party of Canada, made no significant inroads and won no seats.  Not surprising given their anti-immigration policies.

Yes, there is always a degree of dissension among certain regions over the outcome. Overall however, the election results gave Canadians the type of government that they preferred at this time, rejecting much of the negativity displayed during the campaigns.  A minority government will have to gain the cooperation of the other parties in order to legislate and to avoid being forced to call another election during its term.  In effect, the Prime Minister will have to display a greater degree of humility, something certainly lacking under his majority government.

Canada Federal Election Populism in Canada

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Oct 8

Trump’s Foreign Policy Is A Complete And Utter Flop

by bcurry

Just hours after President Trump declared that American troops were being withdrawn from the Syrian border, he warned Turkey that he would “totally destroy and obliterate” the economy of Turkey if he’s unhappy with how the country carries out its planned assault on Kurdish fighters. Indeed, what Trump has done is a betrayal and abandonment of the Kurds who, with U.S. backing, have been fearlessly fighting the Islamist radicals of ISIS in northern Syria. Both Democrats and Republicans have condemned the move as irresponsible and dangerous, leaving the Kurds to worry about a war with the more powerful Turkey and an inability to deal with the thousands of ISIS members interned in Syria. Some have even suggested that ISIS may re-emerge under the circumstances.

This is just another example of Trump’s lack of good judgement and his inability to appreciate the consequences of his foreign policies to date. Take North Korea for example, we now have a situation where nothing has happened since the talks between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un broke down. Indeed, the meetings only helped to legitimatize Kim’s regime on the world stage, while allowing him to continue testing missiles capable of reaching most Asian countries.  There are also suspected hidden nuclear fuel production sites around the country.

With respect to the European Union (EU), Brexit and the Ukraine, Trump has interfered on a number of occasions, upsetting his NATO and European allies. He has instead aligned himself with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and dropped out of nuclear missile treaty with Russia, which is what Russia wanted all along. Trump is far too close to Putin, particularly in light of the Russian invasion of Crimea and confirmed Russian hacking in the 2016 election.

In terms of the current disastrous Brexit negotiations between Britain and the EU, Trump is much too close to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who in an undemocratic manner tried to circumvent the British Parliament to get his way. Then there are the recent revelations about Trump’s unprecedented dealings with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky which have led to the launch of an impeachment enquiry in the House of Representatives.  Here we have the President trying to persuade the Ukrainian President to get involved in a political-inspired investigation of an American presidential candidate.  Trump’s request has been tied to the withholding of military aid to Ukraine, something everyone agrees is not normal and most likely illegal. He has even suggested that China should undertake a similar investigation. Go figure!

On top of all this, one has the U.S. State Department in total turmoil. Its officials have little input into the Trump Administration’s foreign policy decisions and are daily loosing credibility abroad and in the U.S.  Once a highly respected and influential arm of government, one now has a Secretary of State who has become nothing more than a puppet for the President.  Mike Pompeo simply defends his boss’s mistakes, regardless of the international consequences.  One can only imagine what goes on in the National Security Council on a daily basis?

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Oct 5

Can We Believe Canadian Political Parties on Promises to Deal with Climate Change?

by bcurry

During the current federal election in Canada, four of the major parties are each suggesting that they have the answer when it comes to dealing with the issue of climate change. Years ago, Canada under a Conservative government signed onto the Paris Climate Accord. An assertion was made that Canada would reach certain reductions in carbon emissions by 2020. Recent studies have shown that this won’t happen.  The current Liberal government did introduce a tax on fossil fuel usage and greenhouse emissions, but is facing several court battles spearheaded by several Conservative provincial governments.  While Canadians in polls tend to support tackling climate change as an important issue, they appear to not be willing to pay much in support of policies directed at the issue.  Especially where jobs are involved.

The recent demonstrations held across Canada and the world highlighted the concerns of future generations about the impact of climate change and the abysmal efforts of countries to seriously address the issue. One could not help but admire the anger of today’s youth over the lack of real progress in reducing carbon emissions globally and our continuing reliance on fossil fuels.  Indeed, in Canada, it didn’t help that the federal government bought an oil and gas pipeline in the hope of completing its construction down the road. It is hoped that oil from the Alberta oil fields would be transported via the pipeline to the coast of British Columbia in order to be shipped to overseas markets. Somewhat hypocritical, yes!  Then you have the federal Green Party and New Democratic Party stating that they would cancel all pipeline construction, instead preferring to invest in green and alternative technologies.  Somewhat unrealistic, yes!  The Conservative Party’s environment platform is pretty much straight forward: kill the federal carbon tax.  However, its leader has little to offer in the Party’s proposed policies, given few details, timelines and costing.  Some Conservatives, like the Republicans in the U.S., still believe that climate change is a hoax.

All in all, the major federal parties are nowhere near meeting the foreseen needs associated with effectively tackling issues surrounding climate change. The Green Party which represents the main party with a holistic environmental agenda has little chance of ever forming the government.  However, should the October election result in a minority government, the Green Party could become a major player in supporting either the Liberals or Conservatives in forming the government.  Should this happen, then Canada may just have a national government willing to deal with the urgent issues concerning climate change and carbon emissions. Perhaps, this is what Canada needs at this crucial juncture in human history.

 

Canada Cimate Change Climate Change Oil and Gas Transport of Oil US

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Sep 25

Governments and Employers Have to Deal With the Implications of an Aging Population

by bcurry

According to Statistics Canada’s most recent population projections, by 2015 there would be more people in Canada over the age of 65 than under the age of 15. The number of seniors is expected to double over the next 25 years.  According to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), today there are about 44 million adults in the United States who provide unpaid care for a loved one who needs support. The numbers of seniors are increasing every day in each country.  People are also living longer due to advances in medical and health sciences.  This has serious implications for society in light of issues surrounding elder care, an aging workforce, old age income security, long-term care, the increase in persons with health issues such as dementia and Parkinson’s, the impact on health care systems, etc., etc.

A 2017 survey by the U.S. National Business Group on Health, a coalition of large employers, found that 88 percent of employers think care giving will be a big issue over the next few years.  Surprisingly, it has been determined that the average age of care givers is 33 years old.  Many of whom are members of the so-called “sandwich generation”, whereby they have both children and elderly relatives to look after.  Many care givers are experiencing stress as a result of the dual responsibilities. In addition, we are already experiencing serious shortages in long-term care facilities for those seniors who have major health issues.

Many of the millions of baby boomers have turned 65 and their parents are living past 85, joining the fastest-growing segment of the population. The boomers who have retired must now not only look after their own costs of living and their own income security, but also have responsibilities for helping out their aging parents.  As the baby boomers themselves age, their children may also have to help them to cope with continuing to normally function in today’s society.  For those care givers still in the labour force, there are few companies that subsidize elder care benefits, have written policies about elder care or provide for paid elder care leave.

The lack of existing elder care policies in the private sector leaves governments with the responsibility to initiate new approaches to tackling the issues surrounding an aging population, as they did with child care in the past. Canada is in the midst of a federal election. It’s time that all political parties propose how they plan to deal with aging population issues, including old age income security, long-term health and home care, tax breaks for elder caregivers, labour standards directed at those providing elder care, universal drug and dental benefits, etc., etc.  Seniors represent about a quarter of all voting citizens, thus representing a major voting group which political parties cannot continue to ignore. They need to influence employers and future governments.

Canada Federal Election Health Care US

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Sep 13

Why Is The Trump Administration Attacking Environmental Protection?

by bcurry

A recent article in the New York Times (September 12, 2019) noted that up until June of the year, 85 environmental rules had been rolled back under the Trump administration. Several rules, a number of which had been implemented under the Obama administration, were aimed at preventing pollution in air and water.  In addition, some were aimed at protecting endangered species and ensuring safer drilling and extraction related to the oil and gas industry.  A simple answer is that the rollbacks are aimed to please farmers, rural landowners, developers and the coal, oil and gas industry which make up a good portion of Trump’s support.

The most recent rollback by the Trump administration is the repeal of a major Obama-era clean water regulation, known as the Waters of the United States rule, that had placed limits on polluting chemicals that could be used near streams, wetlands and other bodies of water.  This rule was designed to limit pollution in about 60 percent of the nation’s bodies of water, protecting sources of drinking water for about one-third of the United States.  We all know about the repercussions from unsafe drinking water — just think of Flint, Michigan.

For years, one admired the work of the once highly-respected U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which often led the way in environmental protection measures that Canadian environmental agencies similarly adopted. Think of the bilateral work between Canada and the U.S. in areas such as dealing with “acid rain” and the clean up of the Great Lakes.  It’s a shame that under Trump the EPA is moving backwards in terms of protecting the environment and endangered species and away from its original mandate.  To reverse these measures may take years to accomplish and the country will see serious environmental repercussions.

In terms of dealing with carbon emission reductions — think climate change — the Trump administration has taken a “laissez fare” approach, and even aggressively attacks states such as California who are trying to do something about their carbon emissions. This includes Trump’s warning to the state that a recent emissions deal with several automakers may be illegal.  A letter from the EPA and the Department of Transportation is the latest sign of President Trump’s anger at California and car manufacturers that have bucked his plans to roll back regulations put in place to combat climate change. Inevitably, the matter may end up being decided by the courts — again prompting more delays and serious drawbacks in tackling air pollution and climate change issues.

Canada Cimate Change Climate Change Donald Trump US

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Sep 8

How Many More Mega-Storms Will It Take?

by bcurry

As I sit here, Hurricane Dorian has just hit the Canadian Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick) with 160 km/hr winds, downing hydro poles and trees and removing roofs and flooding homes and businesses. After devastating the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian continued up the U.S. eastern seaboard leaving further destruction along its path.

Scientists continue to warn us of an increase in particularly violent storms due to the impact of climate change on the oceans and across continents. Can we do something about its impact besides shoring up infrastructure, changing agricultural patterns, reducing carbon emissions, implementing more emergency planning and resources, relocating populations further inland or to safer locations, introducing new technologies, etc., etc.?  These are simply stop-gap measures.

Given the lack of global will of governments to seriously tackle the underlying causes contributing to man-made climate change, perhaps this is all one can do! A recent study, by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, shows that about 70 percent of Americans believe that the climate is changing, most acknowledge that this change reflects human activity, and more than two-thirds think it will harm future generations.  Yet the same study found that most Americans would support energy-conserving policies only if they cost households less than $200 per year — woefully short of the investment required to keep warming under catastrophic rates.  If an identical study involving Canadians were undertaken, it would probably indicate similar results.

Merely paying lip service to and recognizing the impact of climate change is no longer any good. Societies and nations have to act and act now in real and tangible ways.  Setting targets for carbon reduction is no longer enough if no real resources are applied and major societal changes take place.  Industrialized countries like Canada and the U.S. must help to lead the way.  The environment demands it, we all must demand it.  The impact of environmental issues will affect all economies.  Sustainable plans must immediately be put in place in order to ensure our economic future and that of the planet.  People must be convinced in order to recognize and support the necessary measures to effectively deal with this reality.  Moreover, we have to walk the talk.

Canada Cimate Change Climate Change US

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Sep 2

Where Has All The Humility Gone?

by bcurry

For those who are not familiar with the meaning of “humility”, the Oxford Dictionary describes being humble as “having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.” Thus, humility represents a “humble view of one’s importance.”  This characteristic used to be a desired or appreciated one in Western cultures.  Not any more!  Today, world leaders, sports and entertainment celebrities, rich people, etc. are anything but humble about themselves or their perceived achievements.  This is not to say that one should not be proud about one’s achievements, but there is a limit to how much one should brag about them.

Today more than ever, social media unfortunately puts on display a ton of bombastic, narcisstic and macho personalities. We tweet out how great we are and how much we should be admired and replicated. While men tend to be pompous the most, many women in order to get ahead in their profession appear to be under the impression that they have to be just as macho if not more so than men.  Being humble is not seen as a strength but as a weakness.  I’m sure that all of us can think of persons who display these traits.  Indeed, most Western cultures now openly promote these characteristics, often leading to mind-boggling confrontations among such people.  The “mine is bigger than yours” mentality.

Why then is our lack of humility a bad thing? For one thing, believing that we are always right can lead us to ignoring other contrary facts or opposing view points.  We become selective about what we accept as facts and only select those facts which support our positions — also known a “confirmation bias”. Unfortunately, this can lead to bad or misguided decision-making.  The defence of our biases can also lead to a lack of “civility”.  “Humility” and “civility” go hand in hand.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s time that we bring back an admiration for those displaying humility. One should never be afraid to declare that one is or was wrong and be stigmatized by society as showing weakness.  Instead, as a society we should be promoting humility as a good quality to be encouraged and praised.  In every stage of our lives, a lot of people have contributed to forming who we are in beneficial ways.  One should never forget to recognize these past contributions and those of the people around us today.  This is what humility is all about.  Our role models in the public eye need to lead the “humility” way for the sake of future generations.

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Aug 26

Companies Are Suspected Of Targeting Youth For Products Containing Nicotine

by bcurry

A number of new products containing nicotine have come on the market in recent years. Many are flavoured and are more or less marketed at young people as well as older smokers.  These products include pellets made of finely ground tobacco with mint or cinnamon flavoring, e-cigarettes and various battery-powered devices. They are packed with nicotine, and studies have shown that they can poison children and lure young people to start using tobacco. As we know, nicotine is a highly additive substance.  A 2017-18 study, led by Professor David Hammond of the University of Waterloo, found that among those 16-19 years old, vaping increased by a stunning 74% from 2017 to 2018, from 8.4% to 14.6%. In Canada and the US the use and sale to older adolescents and adults of e-cigarettes and vaping products is legal.  In most cases, it requires the purchaser of such products to be at least 18 and does not permit buying them for anyone less than 18 years of age.  However, it is evident that younger people are obtaining or are being exposed to these products.

This August, it was reported by American public health officials that a patient in Illinois was the first to die of a mysterious lung illness linked to vaping. The death occurred as doctors and hospitals nationwide report an increasing number of persons suffering vaping-related respiratory illnesses this summer, most of whom were adolescents or young adults. To date, 193 cases have now been reported in 22 states, including 22 cases in Illinois.

The companies argue that e-cigarettes and vaping devices using nicotine help exiting tobacco smokers to cut down on their smoking. However, we know that such products are also being marketed as safer than tobacco products, a selling feature which is attractive to youth.  The recent outbreak in vaping related deaths and illnesses tends to support the concerns of health experts that these products contain other harmful ingredients besides nicotine, comprised of potential irritants including “ultrafine particulates” and some heavy metals such as lead. The health effects of long-term use are not currently known. We therefore need to study whether their use tends to lead young people to eventually become tobacco smokers.

The Canadian Cancer Society and American Cancer Society are calling for immediate government action to address a significant and troubling increase in youth vaping in both countries and recommend that every effort be made to prevent the initiation of e-cigarettes by youth.  The American Cancer Society encourages the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate all such products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, to the full extent of its authority. It wants the FDA to determine the absolute and relative harms of each product, and to assess whether e-cigarettes really help to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Most importantly, both societies are asking governments for an extensive study of the impact of marketing of e-cigarettes on consumer perceptions and behaviour, especially among youth.  It is now time that the companies marketing these products are fully held accountable by governments in both countries.

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