Friday, September 19, 2008

Fear and Loathing

(Written for rabble.ca's election coverage)

The politicians have largely abandoned issues in favour of assaulting opponents with buckets of fear and loathing.

The local Conservative candidate has knocked on our door twice. The first time I told him politely, but firmly that I would never vote for his party or for him. Two nights later he was back to chat with my spouse. He asked her whether it was the Conservative Party she disliked or its leader. Both, she replied. Unfazed, the candidate went on to ask if she thought the party had a “secret agenda”. Yes, she replied. He tried to reassure her that the Conservatives would only win a minority victory.

The Conservatives have essentially succeeded in making Dion look like a hapless little man who should stay in the classroom (as a teacher I object to the denigration of the professoriate.) In response the Liberals have largely dropped the Green Shift---“You have said it was [the centerpiece of the Liberal platform], never me,” Dion said to reporters. They’re back to firebombing Harper.

In this First World War style battle of attrition, two issues are slipping from view: the environment and the war.

Most voters don’t understand either the carbon tax or cap ‘n trade and the Liberals and NDP have mainly given up trying to explain them. That matters, because after voting day the accepted wisdom in the mainstream media will be that Canadians showed no appetite for serious action on the environment and that the issue can remain unaddressed.

Same with the war. Jack Layton was good on the issue when questioned by Peter Mansbridge, but the NDP has made no effort to make it an issue. Despite the fact that most Canadians want the military mission to end now, the talking heads on Don Newman will agree after October 14 that the voters didn’t care much about it.

Those who are concerned about these issues need to make a fuss now.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to see a definitive plan to convert our Oil Resources, Reserves, and Futures into a Canadian Public Utility so that it can be unhitched from international cartels and the other concubines of commerce. We don't need a Canadian version of Hugo Chavez to realize our true weight on the balance of trade see-saw and our currency's ride through the slotmachine... played every minute of every trading day... we just need to act together. Please Mr. Laxer, walk us through what the process means... before we become the processed. sphereminglers@aim.com

Anonymous said...

The reason many voters do not understand the carbon tax or cap-and-trade is because the Liberals or the media have not released the details in depth.

On the other hand many voters do understand very well and just don't like it. The biggest political party cop-out is stating the citizens do not understand, when the understand very well and disagree with the pundits.

Dame said...

Disappointment?? well until we unite the left of Center lil' parties with egomaniac leaders we have to watch Harper's Cult To sell out all we built in the last century.

I see It this way
This election comes down to two Choices

One vision is what Harper offers : go for the gold for any price /the Black Gold / hell with the environment...
or
the vision of Dion who says : It would be Midas's Gold we should know better. steps toward for Green jobs and people oriented initiatives..

Here is the Story of King Midas


King Midas was a very kind man who ruled his kingdom fairly, but he was not one to think very deeply about what he said. One day, while walking in his garden, he saw an elderly satyr asleep in the flowers. Taking pity on the old fellow, King Midas let him go without punishment. When the god Dionysus heard about it, he rewarded King Midas by granting him one wish. The king thought for only a second and then said I wish for everything I touch to turn to gold." And so it was.

The beautiful flowers in his garden turned toward the sun for light, but when Midas approached and touched them, they stood rigid and gold. The king grew hungry and thin, for each time he tried to eat, he found that his meal had turned to gold. His lovely daughter, at his loving touch, turned hard and fast to gold. His water, his bed, his clothes, his friends, and eventually the whole palace was gold.

King Midas saw that soon his whole kingdom would turn to gold unless he did something right away. He asked Dionysus to turn everything back to the way it had been and take back his golden touch. Because the king was ashamed and very sad, Dionysus took pity on him and granted his request. Instantly, King Midas was poorer that he had been, but richer, he felt, in the things that really count.

/I am Going To build a small Video with this theme ./

marta

Anonymous said...

A national identity still awaits us... should we choose to accept it. A majority Harpista government will remove all hope of ever achieving it. Today, when you're back in the voting slingshot, you can only hope that you might be on your way to where everything needs to be going. The many rule the few; who will rule you?

Anonymous said...

Cap and trade is easy to understand. Here's a comparison. John and Mary go one a diet. Each morning they have breakfast at the local restaurant. John rides there; Mary walks. He orders sausages and eggs, toast and coffee -- double double. Mary has plain toast, tea and half a grapefruit. Mary walks off to work; John rides. At the end of 6 months, Mary sells John her diet credits and they both get lose weight.
Tis better to set goals enforced by regulations than to let the so-called free market decide. Haven't we learned by now the consequences of that?

Rahim Reshamwalla said...

To the last anonymous. Your example is flawed. According to the 'diet credits', the net weight stays the same, but while Mary loses weight, John's weight will increase. The cap and tax system does work like that, however. The intent would be to institute a cap of maximum carbon emissions per year, then use some formula to find out what each company (depending on their size and other variables) would be permitted to release.

Those that are well under their 'cap' can sell it as credits to countries that are over the same 'cap'. Sounds good so far, right? Well, without proper oversight and regulation, the system will fail. The following must happen if the cap and tax approach is to be successful:

1) Extensive monitoring during the initial implementation of the program with very heavy fines for non-compliance.
2) The maximum permitted carbon emission allowed per year must be reduced and the reduction should be scheduled in a manner that would encourage compliance.
3) Tax benefits should be made available to companies that are below the cap, regardless of whether or not they sell their credits.
4) Incentives should be made available for companies that are looking to lower their emissions.
5) A maximum 'buy' credit should be instituted for all companies. If our focus is to reduce overall emissions, we need to make it very clear that companies exceeding their permitted emission levels cannot buy their way out.
6) Investment into research programs that look into new, innovative technologies to improve efficiency, clean up the environment, etc.

Quite a costly venture when you sum all the parts.