Making the long form of 2011 Census voluntary - a good start

By now if you live in Canada and keep up with the news you have heard about the announcement made by the Harper Conservatives with regard to next years Census. Federal Industry Minister Tony Clement announced that the "long form" of the Census called the National Household Survey (see left) will be voluntary rather than mandatory as it has been in the past. Clement said that this was actually recommended by StatsCan, but rumours within StatsCan spin this story a different way. Whatever the truth it seems to be a tiny positive step that the Conservatives should be commended for.
Of course that's not what the opposition thinks and Clement's statement has been criticized (not surprisingly) by a large number organizations that claim they need the information from the long form to do proper planning. Many groups brought out there big guns, the C. D. Howe Institute brought out its President, William Robson.
In the Globe and Mail last week Robson admits that the long form is intrusive - "Knowledge comes at a price". But he goes on to show that's OK and he has no idea how the term "libertarian" fits into the politics of Canada or anywhere else. Let me quote one of the juicier bits:

"If you are one of the many Canadians who would like government to do less but do it better, this spectacle risks making you tear your hair. The state’s role in our economy and society has grown prodigiously over the past century – and not only radical libertarians worry about the resulting cost to prosperity and freedom. As governments’ reach grows, however, so does the need for information with which citizens can hold them to account. In eliminating the census long form, the libertarians have taken out the wrong target."

I've read that paragraph a few times and I can't believe Robson does not see the contradictions. He sort of laments the fact that the "state’s role in our economy and society has grown prodigiously over the past century" - it's a "worry", but as it grows it needs more information so citizens can hold government to account. Huh, it's the citizens that will suffer? Does he think libertarians would want more information from government to keep an eye on government? I'm shaking my head, but that is only part of why Robson thinks we need the long form. He mentions education, we need the long form to sample graduating students to see if they comply with the government mandated curriculum in the government mandated schools. On immigration, we need the long form to better plan the Canadian labour market. Then there is health care:

"The state plays a huge role in Canadian health care: Good information on personal and neighbourhood characteristics can help us know if we are healthier or sicker as a result. It redistributes income on a colossal scale: The long-form census can reveal much about the successes and failures of these programs. In all these areas, good information helps Canadians hold their governments to account."

Is that a great quote or what? I'm certain the next Census is going to give us the required information so we can fix health care, shorten those queues, improve the technology and justify that "colossal" redistribution of income right?

Just one point on the immigration. My parents came to Canada 62 years ago with virtually nothing but me. There was no government program for immigrants, no English classes, no co-ordination with skills and the labour force; my parents figured it out with help from various charitable agencies, family and friends. It worked amazingly well, my family and the thousands of others that came from war-torn Europe managed without government central planning, detailed statistics, charts and graphs and all that Statistics Canada does with more than half-a-billion dollars a year of our tax money.  

 

The problem with democracy

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 11, 1947

Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame.

Laurence J. Peter (1919 - 1988)

On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.

Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.

And

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.

H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

All those pithy quotes come from this very helpful site - it is interesting browsing.  There is truth in all of the quotes and my favourite is the first one from

 Churchill, 

often misquoted.  I have always had trouble with the idea of democracy, even as a young boy I realized that the two words "wisdom" and "majority" are not always correlated.

For libertarians democracy is problematic much like Churchill's quote. In the present day, those countries that are democracies tend to have the most freedoms available to its citizens. When problems occur freedoms are often "suspended" even in democracies and frequently under the guise of protecting the majority. Those of us in the Toronto area recall how the recent G20 debacle interfered with daily life, freedom and commerce in the downtown core.  Clearly democracy and liberty are correlated but sometimes not guaranteed in practice. In fact, just the presence of the G20 meetings and the security disruption caused, was to me neither democratic or in any way advancing freedom no matter what local politicians said.

Democracy is also intrusive. If allowed, governments that are democracies, will grow by claiming responsibilities that rightfully belong to individuals or groups. When this happens, governments that claim they know best will confiscate resources (taxes) and spend them often inefficiently. When taxation becomes too intrusive governments will amass debt, with the promise of repayment underpinned by the 

future 

productivity of the population. Expanding the debt while increasing government responsibility is characteristic of almost all of today's democracies and it is unsustainable.

This week Neil Reynolds writes in the Globe and Mail about the disintegration of the welfare state in Europe, democracies that are living beyond their means and it's a warning to us.     

God and the Charter

So last week I suggested that the Queen (British Crown) be phased out of Canadian law. As unlikely as that may seem, given the constitutional changes required, here is another windmill I'm going to tilt at.
Yesterday the National Post highlighted a discussion that occurred because of an unusual interpretation of the Charter by a Superior Court judge in Quebec.  The judge defended a private (sort of - they are funded 60% by Quebec) Jesuit high school of its right to teach Roman Catholic ethics and religion rather than the mandated Quebec provincial curriculum. The judge used the Preamble to the Charter ("Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law") to make his case.
This presented an opportunity for CFI to get some publicity and its executive director Justin Trottier to point out that the Preamble is inappropriate for about 25% of Canadians who are agnostics or atheists. Bloody right! Furthermore the Preamble and section 2 of the Charter are a bit contradictory. Section 2 states that everyone has fundamental freedoms including "freedom of conscience and religion" which of course does not preclude atheists but I hope you see what I mean.
Again this is not a big deal and nothing will happen as a result, but the last phrase in the Preamble is what makes Canada what it is. The rules are important and need to be tested and sometimes tweaked, and this document (as imperfect as it might be), and others need to be part of the fabric of daily life. 

Suicide, politics and economics

A study that appeared in the British Medical Journal this week suggests that the $6-million state-of-the-art suicide barrier built over the Bloor Street Viaduct in Toronto works wonderfully. No one has jumped from that bridge in the 4 years since the barrier was constructed, however those who wanted to jump went to other bridges. That's right, the number of suicides by jumping has not changed in the city (56.4 per year pre-barrier vs. 56.6 per year post-barrier). The entire very readable report is posted here.  On average 9.3 people per year jumped from the Bloor Viaduct, but in the macabre economics of suicide that number did not change. Interestingly the overall number of suicides in the city has decreased significantly over the same time span.
Hindsight is 20/20 sure, but politics in Canada on a city scale or a national scale is fairly predictable. The construction of the bridge barrier is a perfect example of how other people's money is misallocated daily by elected officials at all levels of government. To me this illustrates a phrase commonly used among Austrian economists "what is seen versus what is unseen". If you go to the Ludwig von Mises Institute's website (a wonderful place to explore) and type that phrase into the search box you will see it produces almost 150 results. It is a common theme in Austrian economics that refers to misappropriated resources. Yes, the $6-million solved the problem for the Bloor Viaduct (seen), but did not solve the overall problem of jumping from bridges and has left the city with fewer resources to solve other real problems (unseen).
As this story circulates through the media and gets bounced off a few "experts", you can be sure that no politician involved will admit this was in any way an error, but rather that more money needs to be spent going after the root problems of suicide prevention. Count on it.

The Royal Visit is a royal pain.

Imagine your young child asking about the visit of Elizabeth II to your hometown. What would you tell her?  Would you say this is an important person and then try and list off all the Queen's accomplishments? That list might present a problem, because the Queen's most outstanding accomplishment was being born into the right family at the right moment in time. Your child might ask why is the Queen important? Your answer might sound like this: Elizabeth II is important because she is the Queen; a lot like saying she is important because she is famous, like Paris Hilton only with more followers. Your child may or may not see through the circularity of this argument, but think about what she learns here, the Queen is important because people say she is important and people grant her that importance. You probably won't tell your child that she herself could never become the Canadian Head of State, because that position is reserved for the Queen or her progeny, not deserved, not earned, just because.

The Queen was in Toronto these past few days, probably not enjoying the heat and humidity much like the rest of us, she is human after all. She is also an anachronism and an expensive frill.
Sure I know why we have a Queen but as she has pointed out herself during this trip, Canada has grown up in her lifetime and I think its time to cut the umbilical with the Brits. The fact is Canada works, by-and-large so why mess with that? Many would say "it ain't broke" so leave it alone. Not only that imagine what the cost in stationary changes would be alone?  So no, I'm not advocating a referendum just yet, or looking for a more republican form of government yet; and then of course there are the constitutional issues. I'm getting a headache just thinking about what needs to be done.
So lets be economical here, cut the ties along the way as the Queen herself fades. That has been happening very, very slowly but it needs to be more deliberate.

The War on Drugs goes on "Take 2"

My previous post referred to the passage of Bill C-15 in the House of Commons. Apparently Bill C-15 has been reintroduced as Bill S-10 in The Senate. Here is the backgrounder from the Dept. of Justice regarding Bill S-10. The purpose of this legislation is to curtail the production and trafficking of all "illegal" drugs and particularly if it involves "organized crime". Below, I will present some of the arguments for and against these Bills and the prohibitions against drugs.
First let me be clear, I don't give a rat's ass about drugs or drug use. As far as I'm concerned people have the right to do whatever they like with their own body as long as they harm no one else. I personally do not advocate, use, promote or even like the fact that people use drugs. I don't see drug or alcohol use as virtuous, noble, fun or desirable and I would just as soon not have anything to do with the issue.    Furthermore, if users become dependent on the use of drugs or alcohol - so what?  It is still not my issue, I expect users to be responsible in their use and not affect those individuals who wish not to be affected. I have no right to tell people how they must live and neither does the state. There is no crime if there is no victim. Of course crossing that fine line between drug/alcohol self-abuse and the rights of others is a very different story, but not for now.
So why do I bother writing about this? All of us who live in this country and pay taxes are involved, all of us who pay for the police, the prisons and jails, the legal system; we are all involved whether we like it or not. The policies and laws implemented by the state determine to a large degree the safety of our streets. Look at what drug laws have done in Mexico and the United States, we don't need to copy those mistakes.
My problem is that I'm not onside with the anti-prohibition people in Canada or the US (from the evidence I see). Their opposition to prohibitions seem to be more pragmatic than principled. In Canada the people against Bill C-15 and S-10 point to empirical evidence - the science, that suggests that more Draconian policies and laws makes criminals of many and misspends scarce resources. Obviously I can't disagree with that, I just don't think the science is the reason to reduce or eliminate the prohibitions. Having said that, we can be allied in moving the policies in the right direction, so here are two videos that present arguments care of an anti-prohibition group:


Part 2:
   

The War on Drugs goes on

I first wrote about the War on Drugs in March of 2009. My view is that Alcohol Prohibition created criminals of American citizens in the 1920's and 30's and today drug prohibitions are doing the same to both Canadians and Americans as well as citizens of other countries around the world. The illegal drug trade and the laws against it has created violence that endangers the lives of innocent citizens rather than protecting them.
Contrary to good evidence the Harper Conservatives have introduced and passed (195 to 54) Bill C-15 that provides for Mandatory Minimum sentencing for so-called drug crimes even though more policing has been shown to increase violence. The violence threatens to spread into Canada and has grown worse especially in the border area around the US and Mexico. Bill C-15 will impose a minimum 6 month sentence for possession of between 5 and 201 cannabis plants. Though C-15 has passed in the House it has yet to become law awaiting passage in the Senate and signing by the Governor General.
The anti-prohibition group called LEAP has organized some opposition to Bill C-15 with this petition and the following video:
  

To my American friends and relatives:

Happy Fourth!

Bigger government equals poor economic performance - The Rahn Curve

From The CATO Institute here is a video that correlates the size of government to economic performance. Canadians should be reminded that the size of government in the mid-1990's was over 50% and that the Chretien/Martin austerity cuts of the mid-late '90's brought that down to a smaller (but still unacceptable) 42-44% in recent years. Relatively speaking that has made Canada look like a model for economic achievement compared to other Western democracies during the Great Recession.
Dan Mitchell of CATO explains the Rahn Curve:

Ideology vs. Ideology - How I celebrate my freedom.

Happy Canada Day!
By now most people have heard about the new "conservative" SUN TV NEWS channel slated to begin broadcasting on cable in the new year. It is owned by Quebecor Media Inc. and it will broadcast from downtown Toronto under the leadership of Kory Teneycke once of the PMO in Ottawa. Media pundits have already dubbed it "Fox News North", and I'm certain Quebecor would be thrilled if it was as successful as its supposed American version. Of course the website of the new station says nothing about "conservative" just "straight talk opinion journalism at night". I guess thats code for conservative. I'm not even sure what conservative means, - would commentators advocate the status quo? Does that mean that other broadcasters are liberal, socialist or don't advocate the status quo? While I welcome the new station I have real doubts that it will be any different then the others.
If Sun News reflects conservative values, does that mean it supports Harper's gang in Ottawa? If that is true how would it give a new ideological spin to news that differs from CBC, CTV or Global? Does that mean Sun News would advocate fiscal conservatism? That would be good but in my view Harper's Conservatives are less fiscally conservative than Jean Chretien's Liberals. Or is it going to be socially conservative, is it going to rail on gay marriage, abortion, drugs and gambling? That will not get me to watch. So you can see my problem, their ideological spin would likely be pretty much the same as the ideological spin I get every day in the supposed neutral news broadcasts on the other networks.
There is a prevailing ideological bias in the Canadian media and it colours all the broadcasters almost all the time. A good way to describe the pervasive ideology is to contrast it to mine, not that mine is the "right" (no pun intended) ideology but it is the only one I've got and it is my blog so here goes. I'll write a topic or issue in no particular order, first give my view of the prevailing media propaganda, then follow that with my own propaganda or bias.

The G8/G20 talks in Muskoka and Toronto:
Media propaganda: Important to get the leaders together to solve the world's problems with concerted action and unity of purpose.
My bias: A huge waste of money, an anti-democratic exercise of "back room boys" playing at sorting out the world's problems. These pseudo-governmental bodies (Gx) have no mandate from individuals in the representative countries, and have the ultimate effect of wasting resources and reducing freedoms around the world.

The G20 Protest Mess in Toronto:
Actually I can't argue with the media bias here. Most of them saw it for what it was, and it wasn't pretty. The bottom line is that our police act like police everywhere and it is most certainly not to protect the rights of citizens. It seems that civil rights are most often jeopardized during stressful events, just when they need to be protected the most.

The Queen arrives in Canada:
Media propaganda:  Wonderful to have her back "home", isn't that a nice hat?
My bias: Ugh! A huge waste of money, talk about anti-democratic; it's 2010 and time to shed the concept of "royalty" except in its economic meaning. The lesson taught to our children is that a privileged birth entitles one to be treated with special rights. This is not the lesson that should be taught in a society based on liberty and individual rights, not a Canadian value.

The Afghan War:
Media propaganda: For Canada a NATO obligation, necessary to prevent the resurgence of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, plus an attempt to create a democratic situation in Afghanistan (so they can be just like us). Many in media would advocate staying beyond 2011 and "finishing" the job. 
My bias: I was not against the initial "Get Osama" reaction in 2001, but since then too many lives have been lost for too little gain. At least 150 Canadians have died "defending Afghanis" - a waste of lives and money. We have done nothing lasting in Afghanistan but piss-off the natives, prop-up a corrupt government and there is no way to fix the problem or any reason to, so we should leave NOW.

The World Economic Crisis:
Media propaganda: The world was on the edge of disaster in late 2008 and quick government action saved us. The stimulus money/bailouts saved us and the economy is recovering slowly but surely and the future in bright. Canada is in pretty good shape in all this mess because we have relatively low deficit/debt problems.
My bias: How could Canada be in "good shape" if all its "customers" (we are a trading nation) are in dire straits with huge deficits and bigger debts? Who are we going to sell to? Are they going to purchase on credit and how can we trust them to repay? Several European countries are on the verge of defaulting, their bonds are junk, they must cut their costs likely resulting in mass (government worker) layoffs and unemployment or at best reduced salaries for many. All this austerity will sharply reduce consumption/trade and a recessionary or deflationary situation is likely. The same is true in the States (our biggest customers), if individual States default (or need bailouts) their situation mirrors the European countries. The bottom line is that the medicine must be taken or federal banks will print money to "fix" the problem resulting in future inflation which is a silent stealth tax on us all.

Climate Change/Global Warming:
Media propaganda: An urgent global problem that must be addressed before it is too late with concerted world action effectively creating a new world psuedo-governing body that tracks and trades carbon production with the intent of saving the planet for the future.
My bias: The planet has been warming since the most recent ice age (10-12,000 years ago), and if we are in any way aggravating the rate of warming, we certainly cannot and should not fix the problem without huge costs in money and freedoms. Let the future deal with any problems that may arise if and when they arise.

An article I read by Mark Steyn in MACLEAN'S a couple of weeks ago prompted me to write this piece. Steyn's article (worth the read) talked about  Don Newman's (CBC) view of FOX NEWS, and how biased it was. Of course bias works two ways as I hope I've pointed out.
One other little note. You may know Penn Jillette, illusionist and libertarian host of one of my favourite TV shows: Penn & Teller's BULLSHIT (seen in Canada on TMN). Well, there is an article in a mid-June issue of Vanity Fair where Jillette is interviewed by an obviously biased reporter, it too is worth a look.
Enjoy your freedom, Happy Canada Day!

G20 Fallout - J.M.Keynes Lives

Want proof that the G20 meeting was money well wasted?
Harper got the G20 members to sign off on cutting their deficits 50% by 2013. So slow their rate of borrowing to half in three years. Neil Reynolds thinks they are operating under a delusion here.

Return of the Maunder Minimum?

Last January 11 I posted an article called "Can scientists be AGW Skeptics" where I showed a satellite photo of the UK covered in snow top to bottom. It was a very cold winter over there and in much of Europe.
This week Neil Reynolds writes an interesting little piece about the "little ice age" of the late 17th Century which held the British Isles and  a good chunk of the continent in its icy grip. This was a real event for which historical writings exist, along with historical corroborating weather data from the UK which tracks back 350 years.
The little ice age corresponded with a solar anomaly called the Maunder Minimum which was an extended period of low sunspot activity. Sunspots (cooler areas on the sun) vary in cycles of about 11 years (give or take) and our sun is currently at a low in sunspot activity. All this of course suggests to me that the sun varies in its energy output over time which should have profound effects on Earth's climate and maybe a more satisfactory theory explaining climate change. There is good evidence that the sun is a variable star and that its energy production seems to follow cycles both long and short. If that theory explains climate change (even partially), than it is unlikely to gain support from the scientists of the IPCC because there will be no funding for their terrestrial research into anthropogenic causes of climate change; so solar variability is ignored or played down. Who can blame them?
Reynolds' article suggests that Britain and Europe may experience another prolonged cold spell and of course the University of Reading physicist who makes this prediction says it has no relation to the ongoing global warming which is caused by humans. Of course it doesn't. Or maybe global warming is caused by one of the longish solar cycles, who knows?   
  

Running out of other people's money

Summer seems to make it difficult to get concerned about anything. All those important causes whether personal or work related will wait for September. That's always been my attitude anyway and it seems to be true of the stock market and everything else as well. The media often sets the tone for what should be at the top of our collective agendas. Right now the World Cup is the big story here, but close behind is the impending G8/G20 traffic disruptions and security costs in the Greater Toronto area. Close behind that is the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, but all of it does not seem that important because its summer.
Everyone has forgotten the economic crisis of 2008/09 that created market turmoil, job losses, portfolio losses and on and on. Most people think the problem has been solved, the bailouts worked, good times are just around the corner, the governments of the world have things under control. The coming G8/20 meetings will be the icing on the cake and will demonstrate to the world that everything will be hunky-dory. Some people think that this apparent pause the economic crisis is just the calm before the real storm.
Johan Norberg is a Senior Fellow at CATO and he sounds like that TV ad Canadians are accustomed to viewing from the ING guy "Fredrick" who cautions people to "save your money". Norberg has some sobering comments in this CATO video from last month:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WEwy-uGKoI&NR=1

 

Obama is ready to kick BP in the ass

ReasonTV thinks Obama should be kicking himself first. The BP oil disaster is another clear example of how corporations can be vilified for their blunders. This is a shared blunder, it's not just BP.  The US Federal government is up to it's elbows in sticky brown goo because it is their fault almost as much as it is BP's. Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quk0tb2qUwY

Cutting Government spending...where to start.

Here is a nice piece of research done by Dan Mitchell at CATO: "There Are too many Bureaucrats and They are Paid too Much". Of course this refers to the American situation but we in Canada should not feel smug. I don't need to add anything except that the same goes for Canada's Federal, Provincial, Regional, and Municipal bureaucracies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xzd3puYmiM

Who is Ayn Rand? by Charles Murray

A daily email from CATO@LIBERTY (you should subscribe) prompted this posting. It comments on the fact that two biographies have recently appeared describing the life and times of Ayn Rand. Apparently neither of them were particularly complementary (I have not read either) to Rand and I was aware of that.
Rand is reviled in most academic and philosophical circles possibly because her philosophy of Objectivism seems so simple (it's not really) and compelling. Her books have sold very well in the past 50 years and are selling even better these days possibly due to the economic crisis around the world (I'll wager they sell better than any other philosopher).
Some would say the books, especially Atlas Shrugged, are even prophetic. I don't think there is any prophesy involved, I think what is happening (and will continue to happen) around the world is a logical consequence of many bad decisions by many people in power over many years. If economics is a science (which I think it is) then certain actions will lead to undesirable  and unintended consequences, much the same as crashing a car into a concrete wall will cause damage and worse.
Anyway, Charles Murray wrote an interesting piece "Who is Ayn Rand", where he talks about Rand and the new bios and I'm thinking its time to reread some of her stuff. Despite her negative portrayal by modern-day academics, her popularity runs circles around any other of her kind, and she remains a positive and important influence on me and millions of others.  

Heretics Unite, you have nothing to lose.....

I wish I could say that this will be my final word on Global Warming.
Frankly, I think that the Copenhagen Conference (Dec. '09) was a turning point for the entire issue as it coincided with the "e-mail debacle" in Britain (true or not). That is one reason, and the other is the realization by everyone lately that not only can banks default and beg for bailouts, but whole countries can default on their bonds (loans) and need to be bailed out too. Obviously the economic ideas that have prevailed in recent times across the governments of the Western world will need to be revised. I hope that happens soon, but I think more severe pain will have to be endured before the poop really hits the propellor.
So I give you The Great Global Warming Swindle, (found on Facebook) a rather lengthy piece of video (get the popcorn) that is a compilation of the other side of Global Warming. Is it true? Well, maybe it is or maybe it's just another point of view.  Some things are for sure, you don't have to watch it, and if you watch it, you don't have to believe it, and if you believe it, you can't force anyone to do something about it; because there is nothing to do. So gather your children........I don't think it's your fault.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5576670191369613647#
  

TIME looks at Rand and Ron Paul

The recent Senate primary win for Rand Paul in Kentucky is having repercussions throughout American politics. Apparently Kentucky Republicans like what Rand Paul is saying, much the same as Galveston Texas area voters have liked Ron Paul for a dozen years now.

Ron Paul is arguably the world's best know libertarian, and his son shares many but not all his father's views. Is Rand's win significant? Well, TIME magazine thinks so, and so does CATO. Many libertarians dismiss Rand as "libertarian-light" with some statist ideas, but for me close-to-libertarian is better than almost any other option. As the TIME article mentions Ron Paul's views don't seem so wacky now:

"Twenty years later, Paul's views no longer seemed kooky: government spending soared even under a Republican Congress and President, leaving many conservatives fed up. At the same time, the human and financial toll of the Iraq war, which Paul decried as an act of imperialism, left some Republicans angry with the so-called neocon wing of their party."

The CATO-at-Liberty article is worth a read, because coming from a libertarian perspective it places the Paul's in the American context and gives us all a hopeful message for the future.

Obama is responsible for BP oil disaster. Who knew?

Yup that's right: “I take responsibility. It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down,” Obama declared at a news conference in the East Room of the White House. Gee I thought it was BP’s fault. When Obama swore to “protect and defend….etc.” I don’t think this is what the framers of the US Constitution meant. In fact this seems to take some responsibility off the shoulders of BP, but Obama went on calling the spill an “unprecedented disaster” and pointed to the “scandalously close relationship” he said has persisted between Big Oil and government regulators. 

Well that does it; I can’t believe that government regulators had anything to do with this. Aren’t US government regulators supposed to be regulating stuff on behalf of the American taxpayer? I thought they worked for the government, the people, by the people and all that shit. I guess I was wrong. Of course NOW Obama is in charge, and yes he is part of that same government he just blamed a couple of lines back. So I guess we can trust them now because it’s a different branch of government. Don’t you feel better?

The good news is that it is oil, and there is lots of sun and heat down there in the Gulf. With the help of “oil eating” microbes the mess gets cleaned up….eventually.

Big Government Canadian style and the right questions

When political parties give up their principles, bad things happen. Of course once in power, the operating principle of almost any political party becomes hold onto power - damn the principles.
In Canada if you belong to the Conservative Party then you know the truth of that last statement.
This morning in the Globe and Mail, Tom Flanagan points to just three issues (I think there are so many, many more) that have created unnecessary debate and discussion, all of them related to the Conservative government's increases in the size and responsibility of the state.
Issue one: the Jaffer-Guergis affair involving alleged lobbying of the federal state to garner subsidies for "green" businesses. Flanagan dismisses the affair then asks the right question: why has a conservative government created a $1-billion Green Infrastructure Fund? Why indeed? Here is a giant plum ripe for the picking by lobbyists and insiders who would scam their own family for financial gain. How is creating this fund being fiscally responsible or conservative?
Issue two: Abortion in the Third World.
First let me say this to those who think abortion should be banned in Canada or anywhere. The only banning that should go on is your power to force anyone to do anything against their will as long as no one's rights are abrogated. If you think a fetus has rights over and above the mother that is carrying it, then you need to take that fetus and bring it to term yourself, good luck. Or should we lock up that pregnant female and force her to carry the fetus? Would you do that to your daughter? The current law in Canada on abortion is the one that is appropriate, that is, no law.
Now that you know my position lets see what Mr. Flanagan said. The Conservative government refuses to fund abortion in the health care part of Canada's foreign aid package. This angers many at home and abroad (including Hilary Clinton) and threatens to become an issue in the G8/G20 summits coming to disrupt your summer plans in Southern Ontario this June. Again Flanagan asks the right question: why is the Conservative government promoting government-to-government foreign aid? He points to scholars that have shown that government-to-government foreign aid (except for immediate disaster relief) actually impedes economic growth and good governance in the Third World. I hope Stephen Lewis reads Flanagan's article.
Issue three: Gay Pride. The Conservatives have decided not to fund this year's Gay Pride Parade in Toronto while continuing to fund a variety of other parades and festivals across the country. Is Harper pandering to the homophobic part of the Conservative Caucus? Probably, but again Tom Flanagan asks the right question: why should the federal state subsidize any parades or festivals anywhere? How is that being fiscally responsible? Well, it isn't and it's too bad that Flanagan stops at three, but it is a start and I recommend the article to you. Flanagan ends by suggesting that today's economic realities will of necessity shrink the size and scope of government, I can't wait.  

In defence of Climate Research; stop the criticism!

It seems that climate scientists are pretty thin skinned when it comes to criticism. They want it to stop; especially the political attacks on the climate change advocates. So they have published an "open letter" basically saying stop the criticism we're right, so there. They invoke names like Galileo, Pasteur, Darwin, and Einstein claiming association with these past scientists and implying that their theory of anthropogenic global warming is on the same level as those past greats. May be, may be not, I don't remember any of those past greats asking for special consideration, their theories spoke eloquently and survived decades (centuries even) of scrutiny and controversy.

Meanwhile Al Gore is doing really well, bought a new house, did you hear?  Yes, just a modest $9 million seaside villa; nothing special really. Back to the scientists, check this column from Libertas Post, I wish I had said this.  

Smart Urban Planning?

Have you ever felt out of step with the majority at a gathering?  Last night I was a town council meeting where I felt like the guy wearing shorts and a tee shirt at a black tie affair.
My town is finally coming to grips with an issue that has been brewing for years. The Province of Ontario has mandated my town as a growth centre - part of the Greater Toronto Area. The town still has a large component of zoned farmland that could be developed to accommodate this new growth. Let's put aside for the moment the issue that the Province can dictate where people should live and how towns should develop, I think that's wrong.
The town's councillors felt compelled to act on the provincial edict. A variety of special interest groups ranging from the David Suzuki Foundation, to all manner of ratepayers, farmers, and developers groups fought (in a civilized way) to convince the town councillors how to plan this future growth. There were public meetings, council meeting, special meetings and on an on for years. The essence of the debate focussed on rezoning the farmland. The developers and the farmers wanted the land rezoned for future development in accord with the provincial edict, the other groups, lets call them the environmental lobby, wanted to preserve 100% of the farmland (some of the best land in the Canada) for future food production (as a Food-belt) and concentrate any future growth within the existing urban developed land. That concentration is euphemistically called "intensification" or I prefer "densification". Councillors were prepared to apportion up to 60% of the future growth within the existing urbanized land and the rest on the rezoned farmland.
So yesterday was decision day and the environmental lobby had there guns out (metaphorically speaking). The mayor, who doesn't know the meaning of brevity, rambled on about the "process" and thanked all present (and those in the past) for the civil conduct displayed. A lot of "back-patting" followed, it is after all an election year.  Then came two hours of deputations beginning with a representative from the Suzuki Foundation who played this video which featured the guru himself. One after another people spoke, mostly on behalf of the environmental lobby, followed by raucous applause. Each repeated how the farmland was essential, even though our growing season is short and farmers are having difficulty competing with farm produce from offshore. Many of the farmers are nearing retirement age with no one willing to purchase their land and keep the farms going. For them selling to a developer may be a profitable out.
The environmental lobby would prevent this, farmers would be forced to continue or sell to anyone but a developer and take far less than the fair market value of the property. One eloquent speaker, the daughter of a farmer, spoke about how her father would like to do nothing else but continue his farm, but his age will make that difficult sooner than later.
Many from the environmental lobby spoke about "smart growth" in towns like Portland Oregon and wanted my town to be a model for smart growth in Canada. The problem is that smart growth has its share of criticisms now, after being around in the States for years. Portland and other cities have many of the problems, that were supposed to be avoided with smart growth. Smart growth is also supposed to be more conducive to beating climate change (if you think that's a problem), but studies have shown the opposite is true. Here is an interesting debate if you have an hour to kill.
All of this debate was going on during our Great Recession, which I fear is still in the early stages. The smart growth approach depends heavily on major governmental transit expenditures. These would need to be financed with increased debt, which could be a problem given the possibility of sovereign defaults in Europe. A default could cause money to stop flowing like those days in the fall of 2008.
Today in the Globe, our friend Neil Reynolds lays out one of the chief problems with Western society. All of this is related to how governments take on responsibilities they should not - smart growth, stupid idea.          
 

Why weddings matter

Last week at this time my family and friends were preparing for the wedding of my son to his fiance and former girlfriend. This event has been long anticipated, and even though they were living together we all knew that the marriage was a big deal.
By coincidence on the morning of the marriage, Margaret Wente (one of my "go-to" columnists) in the Globe and Mail published "Why weddings matter more than ever". I tried reading it to my family at the breakfast table and the emotions were very strong in the context of the day.
After the wedding I read comments about this column in the paper and online. I felt that many people missed one of Ms. Wente's most important points, so I wrote my own letter to the editor. Now that the kids are off on a honeymoon, the relatives have returned safely home, and the dust is settling in my house, I thought I would share with you what I wrote to the Globe and Mail:

Margaret Wente’s column (Why weddings matter… May 1^st) was published on the same day my son was married, so it had a special impact in my household that morning.

 Ms. Wente mentioned that wedding rates are in decline and that “No government, no matter how well-heeled or well-intentioned, can offer an effective substitute for the devotion and parental investment of two nurturing adults.” 

I absolutely agree and I believe that our governments in the last 60 years have usurped the position and responsibility of family, church and community. Who needs these institutions when strangers are coerced by government through a myriad of welfare programs, into providing for all our needs from cradle to grave?

It is no coincidence that rates of marriage have declined, and that rates of divorce and single parent families have increased in that span of 60 years.

My son’s wedding was wonderful!

The Globe editor did not publish this letter, frustrating yes, but that is one reason I blog.

  

 

Reactions to political words

A recent survey of Americans by the Pew Research Center shows that Libertarians have some work to do in defining what they represent.
The chart shows that among those surveyed the reaction to the word Libertarian is not screamingly positive, on the contrary. Yet the terms "States' rights", "Civil liberties" and "Civil rights" have distinctly positive reactions. All of these might be supported to a large degree in the libertarian idea. The disconnect between these terms and the term libertarian seems larger than is warranted, so maybe those ideas are not part of the libertarian sales pitch. They should be.
The article points out that Republicans take a dim view of libertarians, (so much for the term "right-wing" when applied to libertarians) while Democrats are evenly divided and Independents have a much more favourable view (44% positive/32% negative). The term "right-wing" which I just mentioned, would to me, more closely fit "fascist-authoritarian-socialists" who are Republicans, by and large (of course they would disagree).
Libertarians are in desperate need of better marketing strategies or they will be stuck with this negative view.

Ion Propulsion - The Next Generation

For all you "trekkies" or "trekkers" here is more evidence that Star Trek has changed the world.  A space probe called Dawn is travelling beyond the orbit of Mars and heading into the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn is supposed to achieve "standard orbit" (a Star Trek term - see picture) around the asteroid Vesta, staying and exploring a while then heading off to the asteroid Ceres later. These are two of the largest asteroids in this solar system. Why study asteroids? Well, the standard NASA answer is to gets some insights into how they formed and help scientists understand the formation of the solar system. Of course asteroids may be cholk-full of raw materials, so science may not be the only reason for such a trip.
This is not the first time asteroids or comets have been visited. On July 4th, 2005, NASA's Deep Impact probe intentionally collided with the comet Temple 1. In January 2006, NASA's Stardust probe returned samples of the Comet Wild and is on route to visit Temple 1 in 2011. In September 2008 the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe flew by the asteroid Steins.
But the Dawn visit is unique because it orbits two asteroids and if it had used conventional fuel it would have been too heavy to launch with current vehicles. Instead of conventional fuel Dawn uses Ion propulsion, a concept made popular during the original Star Trek series.  This clip helps explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjR36EAR_B4

  

Vote small, think big - can't agree more!

Pat Condell is one of my favourites. He is British and speaks from the European perspective and his message is mostly anti-religious. That gets a bit tiresome sometimes, but he does such a good job of it, and his delivery is so smooth, that just to watch him is a pleasure. Maybe it's just because of his accent, he sounds so smart - I think he is.
Thursday, May 6th is the British election, an important one not just for the Brits but all of Europe and even us to some extent. In a recent post he spoke about the importance of this election. Condell is no libertarian, but his message is one that should be heard because it can be applied in Canada or the US. Have a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krybvOx-8Dk

GM (Government Motors) loan pay back explained

Remember "new math"? Neither do I, but I do know when I'm being scammed. The CEO's of GM in the USA and Canada are bragging about their loan repayment in contrived television ads being played in both countries. They are STRETCHING THE TRUTH, and if they can lie without consequences we're all screwed. Here is another more accurate representation of the lie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOaS2SymjQ4&feature=player_embedded

Canadian electoral reform

This week in the Globe & Mail Neil Reynolds writes about Canada's inability to elect majority governments of late, and how that could jeopardize our democracy.
Well, I won't start rhyming off the jokes about democracy and the tyranny of the "majority" and how democracy is three wolves and two sheep voting on what's for dinner.......OK, sorry, I said I won't.
Mr. Reynolds makes the point that very few (25 out of 308) of our Federal Members of Parliament (MPs) actually received a majority in their ridings in the 2008 federal election. That fact can be viewed this way: only 59% of the qualified electorate actually voted and 37% of them actually chose candidates that form our current Conservative minority government. So our current government represents just 22% of the possible voters, but that speaks to the issue that voters feel powerless to change the system so they don't bother to vote. That last point of course, is why we have many little parties, Libertarians among them.
Mr. Reynolds suggests that allowing a "runoff election" in ridings where no candidate has a majority, as is done in many countries, will rectify the situation. He further goes on to blame our multi-party system especially the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP for our inability to elect a majority now, or in the foreseeable future. All this of course is true, just as its true and ironic that many of the smaller special interest parties receive the bulk of their funding from the public purse. It just makes me shake my head, we are paying for the Bloc to block a possible majority and allowing them to disrupt the running of our parliament and split the country apart, only in Canada!
Anyway, the odds of this issue being addressed by the current government is nil. Their primary attempt at electoral reform is to create more ridings in areas where more Conservatives can be elected, that is, in rural areas and out west while improving representation by population (also a good idea). This may be our only hope, but its affects will not be felt for years.
In the meantime some groups are pushing for what is called proportional representation, an idea that was defeated in the last Ontario election in a referendum and would further fracture our already fractured parliament. If it weren't so serious, it would be funny.          

The Green Myth

Today thousands of children across Ontario and probably much of North America will be picking up garbage. It's Earth Day and Ontario schools will be demonstrating to their little clients what it means to be "stewards of the planet", the official propaganda of the Ministry of Education.  Students will don rubber gloves, go to local parks and be reminded that humans are a blight on the environment. Back in class they will be told that we use the wrong kinds of fuel, and we are melting the Polar Ice Cap causing thousands of innocent Polar Bears to drown. Students will be told that they must prepare to live more modest lives than their parents, reduce, reuse and recycle. Our collective guilt can only be assuaged if we are GREEN!

Thankfully most students will not take this to heart, and this lesson will have the same effect on school children as telling your own kids to clean their room - it won't happen. The temptations of technology, of having fun for its own sake, of living this life while you can, are the things that will drive this group of children. They will pay lip service to the new environmental religion but that's all. Either that or they could be driven to this sort of thing: No Impact Man. Ugh!

Unfortunately our governments do not just pay lip service. Pressure from within, from special interest groups and industry, have caused the Ontario government for example, to misallocate funds on our behalf (they are good at it).  A recent deal with Samsung Corporation will have Ontario consumers paying far more for wind and solar electric power than the market price for electricity. Up goes our electric bill! Who needs the Machiavellian "cap and trade" schemes that were being touted at the Copenhagen Climate Conference last December. The McGuinty government is doing it through the back door. Wind and solar look good, but cost lots and are somewhat intermittent, so conventional power generation must be built as well to ensure adequate power production. Nuclear is also climate friendly, but very expensive and prone to premature breakdown as we have seen from half a century of use. No one makes money on nuclear power, more government subsidy.

The McGuinty government will also give tax breaks (up to $10 000) for electric cars which have no emissions! if you happen to forget how electricity is produced. Oh well, it looks good and that is what is important.

We have been told in the media and by politicians that the new economy will be GREEN, thousands of new jobs will be created. Does this mean that entrepreneurs are rushing to invest in all things green? No, most of the money is coming from government coffers which are pretty empty these days, so the green future will be financed by debt, and those children who are being indoctrinated today will indeed have a more modest future. Happy Earth Day.  

Pandering to the electorate

It seems the government of Ontario is gearing up for the next election, already. There is just a year and a half to go and the Liberals of Ontario seem to be coming out swinging as protectors of the little guy - a traditional NDP ploy.
In the fuzzy economics of government, Premier Dalton McGuinty has made some fuzzy statements lately to "help" us all cope with rising costs and rising expectations.
McGuinty will protect renters from greedy landlords, protect the environment from....well... from  us, and protect us from greedy pharmacists, and its still early days. The National Post has a great editorial on the doings of Dalton here, it's a must read.  

This week we will pick on teachers

The Globe and Mail has just completed a nine month investigation in which it has discovered that the largest school boards in Ontario waste money. HELLO! What a shock! They should have asked me, I would have sped up their investigation. Look what the Globe decides to pick on.
The Globe discovered that school boards would rather hire experienced retired teachers than inexperienced new graduate teachers to cover for the contract teachers who have an extended illness or are on mat leave. This is absolutely true, but lets back up a minute to see if its crazy.
Most of you reading this are not, or have never been, a school teacher. Imagine being absent from your job for a day or two, the likelihood is that no one was hired to replace you for that time. Upon your return you catch up on the work back-log or even do some of the work from home. Not teachers; if the teacher is absent he/she requires a substitute, and that sub must be given instructions by the absent teacher. For short periods of time even freshly minted teachers may be able to handle such an assignment, hell a door stop probably could. What about extended absences? Would you trust an inexperienced teacher to deliver the program and manage the classroom for several weeks or longer? Well, neither do most contract teachers or their Principals. Realistic new teachers realize this, and accept being  paid on a graduated grid (when they get a contract) over ten years, because they are most incompetent when they start and become less so over time.
The Globe journalists seem to be hung up on the pay (no wonder), the retired substitute gets the vaunted teacher's pension, AND is paid at regular pay rates for the long term substitute job; not bad (to a point). The journalists are jealous because their jobs have been lately on tenterhooks, so who can blame them.
The issue here is not just double-dipping retired teachers preventing fresh young blood from entering the profession, its much deeper and wider than that. The issue is that public sector unions and governments have been in cahoots for years and now the chickens have come home to roost. Governments are looking for ways to save money and reduce their spending and the past deals based on old assumptions are no longer appropriate. The apparent waste in hiring substitutes needs to be addressed - but the unions/federations will not go quietly.
It's not just teachers, what about retired hydro employees who go on consulting contracts for their former employer? What about unionized LCBO workers who contract deals to sell liquor? Union people must sell liquor?  That's a skill?!
The crunch is coming folks, the public sector unions will be dealing with cash strapped governments at all levels soon and changes will be required. I hope the Globe does more of this digging, the voters need to know.        

A challenge to Canadian journalists

Tomorrow is income-tax deadline day in the United States. In Canada we follow two weeks later on April 30.
As a journalist, John Stossel does not hesitate to skewer both people and practices that he feels stray from the ideas of fundamental liberty. Today he writes about the complexity of income tax in the United States, read it here.
Income tax in both Canada and the US has become part of our daily lives - like brushing your teeth and taking out the garbage.  Most things that we do on a daily, weekly or even annual basis are fairly simple. You shovel the snow, cut the grass, paint the garage - stuff like that. You might even hire someone to do these things for you, but that is strictly voluntary.
Income tax has become so complex that many people MUST resort to outside help, like John Stossel. Lets put aside for a moment the size of the tax, the questionable value for money that it delivers, and the coercive nature of this obligation. Why does it need to be this complicated? Where are the Canadian journalists that might inject this issue into the daily conversation?    

Raising the minimum wage (Part 2)

In Part 1, I pointed out that by arbitrarily ignoring productivity and increasing the cost of production (by raising wages) the government effectively creates money out of thin air. No new wealth is created by producers, but costs have increased. Ultimately more money must be printed (injected into the supply of money) to adjust to this new situation which devalues the existing supply of money and adds to what we call the inflation of our currency.
As for employers (the creators of wealth), their labour costs have been increased by government edict, and in order to stay competitive they must raise their prices or reduce there input costs by releasing staff.  This effectively prices the lowest skilled workers out of the "legal" workforce. In Ontario this month, employers must decide to either pay their bottom rung of employees $10.25 per hour, let them go, or shorten their hours worked. Alternatively employers may keep wages for their more skilled workers lower than they may otherwise be, creating a class of under paid skilled workers that cannot secure a decent living wage (more about that later).
I'm sure this Ontario government action, raising the minimum wage,  is motivated by the best intentions of helping the working poor; the irony is that it may be doing exactly the opposite.
The people of Ontario are fortunate to have one of the most robust and wealthy economies in the world and as a result we have one of the highest standards of living in the world. And yet by my strictly unscientific measure, poverty seems to be increasing.
In my experiences living in the Greater Toronto Region (GTA), one of the fastest growing regions in the country, poverty was something I was always aware of. While my own family struggled as I was growing up, I don't ever remember being hungry. In 1983 one of the first food banks was created to address the problem of hunger in the GTA. Now 27 years later, this and other food banks have sprung up and food donations during key holiday periods has become a ritual in our society. The food banks have persisted during good times and bad and they don't just cater just to the unemployed. Today in the midst of the Great Recession over 30% of food bank users are employed earning an average $10.90 per hour working an average 20 hour week. Food bank users have increased in those 27 years (by the way inflation went up 103% in that time!!) despite government programs to address the issue of poverty, and despite raising the minimum wage. In fact Ontario began a poverty reduction strategy called Breaking the Cycle in December 2008 with a set goal of reducing poverty in children by 25% in 5 years. All of this in my view is the wrong approach.
In my view raising the minimum wage increases inflation, increases unemployment and creates an underclass of workers that cannot earn a living wage. To get a better understanding of some of these issues let me direct you to some of these sites:
The Ludwig von Mises Institute; Economics in One Lesson; and the Freeman Online.    

John Stossel - What Am I?

Yesterday I suggested that people should check out John Stossel's Junk Science program on YouTube. I also noted why I like Stossel, and why I continue to like his work. It's almost as if he were reading my blog (not likely). Today to publicize his FOX Business Network show he writes "What am I?". Perfect, have a look.

Junk Science - A refreshing look at things we believe

I've watched John Stossel's rants about "Junk Science" for years when he was a correspondent on the ABC program 20/20. As a former science teacher I've even used Stossel's program in video tape form to help teach or at least stir up some controversy among my students.
Today Stossel works for the FOX Business channel, which I don't even get, but thanks to the magic of the internet and YouTube I can share with you Stossel's latest foray into deflating some commonly held beliefs regarding science. There are few journalists that I know that have the enthusiasm and passion of Stossel. Better yet he has a libertarian fire in him that no one can seem to quench. This is in five parts and deals with everything from nuclear power to global warming to plastic garbage bags. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLRoeHXV-xo