It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, November 24, 2006
Won't Happen
This won't happen if we are stuck in Afghanistan till 2021.
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Canada Forces Palestinans Into Poverty
This is economic war on the Palestinian people. It benefits Israel in eliminating another of their regional economic competitors.
Canadians should be ashamed of our Government directly contributing to the economic poverty and oppression of the Palestians in the occupied territories, while the same Government praises Israel unconditionally. While lecturing China on human rights violations, the Harpocrites remain silent on the economic and military war the Israeli State is conducting against the Palestinians in Gaza.The Harpocrites have failed to criticize the Isreali State for its continuing war against civilians in Gaza.They are as guilty as the Israeli State for the continuing plight of the people of Palestine.
When you have no hope, then you become hopeless, and the actions of hopelessness are self sacrifice. The result is suicide bombers.
UN Reports Unprecedented Decline in Palestinian Economy
The report from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, known as UNRWA, says there has been a 64 percent increase in the number of Palestinians living in what the U.N. describes as deep poverty or on about $2 a day since 2005. According to the report more than one million Palestinians live in deep poverty.
The report also says there has been an overall household decline in income of more than $300 million in the past year, accelerating a trend which began in 2000 when the second Palestinian intifada began. About 30 percent of Palestinians are unemployed - a figure that has also more than doubled since 2000.
A U.S. economist who compiled the report for UNRWA, Salem Ajluni, says the rise in so-called deep poverty and a sharp drop in manufacturing, have been especially noticeable in the Gaza Strip.
"When you reduce household incomes from the public sector alone by about $330 million you are going to get an increase in deep poverty, there is a result there. It is always the case that there is a disproportionate impact on the Gazan economy," he said. "If the public sector takes a hit they get it magnified there. If there are movement restrictions it affects them more."
The U.N. report says the current economic crisis in the Palestinian territories has largely been induced by a cutoff of customs and tax revenue that Israel turns over to the Palestinian Authority, and a suspension of donor aid from the international community, especially from the United States and the European Union. The revenues were suspended months ago after the militant group Hamas took control of the Palestinian government and refused to modify its stance of not recognizing Israel, renouncing terrorism, or recognizing previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
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China's Trickle Down Economy
A critique of capitalism in China from the voice of Capitalism; The Wall Street Journal. The irony being is that they denounce their favorite argument for unbridled capitalism, the trickle down theory of economics. Their argument could equally apply to America.
In China, Growth at Whose Cost?
Nation's Poorest Seem to Be Getting Left Behind,
Raising Sticky Questions for Communist Party
As long as the country's newfound wealth eventually trickled down to everyone, the reasoning went, the benefits outweighed the problems.
But now, as the Chinese government worries about social stability and amid questions about the social costs of China's rapid growth, new figures suggest the poorest of the country's 1.3 billion people are getting even poorer.
From 2001 to 2003, as China's economy expanded nearly 10% a year, average income for the poorest 10% of the country's households fell 2.5%, according to an analysis by the World Bank that has been presented to the Chinese government. Those roughly 130 million Chinese earn $1 a day or less, the World Bank's global benchmark for poverty.
Meanwhile, the nation's total income rose sharply, and other income groups saw gains, suggesting that the rich are getting richer at the expense of the poorest.
In this period of 'great economic growth', according to the delusional Bush administration, these recently released facts by the Census Bureau are quite telling of the real America:
-In 2003, 2004, and 2005, the percentage of the poor living in deep poverty stood at 42-43 percent, higher than in any prior years on record.
-The percentage of the poor who are below half the poverty line has risen steadily over the last two and half decades: from 34 percent in 1980 to 39 percent in 1990 to 43 percent this year.
-The actual percent of the population who lived in deep poverty in 2005 rose to 5.4 percent!
-The poverty rate is higher in the fourth year of an economic recovery (2005) at 12.6 percent, than it was in the previous height of recession (2001), when it stood at 11.7 percent.
-The median income for non-elderly households was $2,000 lower in 2005 than in the 2001 recession year.
These developments in a so-called 'economic recovery' are unprecedented in economic recoveries (with data going back to the 1960s). They are bad news for the poor, indeed.
It is the shame of the republic!
On Congress’ responsibility for poor Americans:
What does it mean to be poor in America?
For many of the 37 million Americans trapped in economic bondage, it means work, often backbreaking work, for little pay. Illness, car trouble, a rent increase — any of these can spell disaster, sending a family into economic meltdown.
For seniors struggling to live on a fixed income, an increase in a power bill or at the gas pump can send a monthly budget crashing. More seniors are now relying on their adult children for financial help. And for the 13 million children living in families with incomes below the poverty level, it sometimes can come down to challenges as basic as having enough food.
Recently, Congress has done less and less to help Americans hanging onto the ledge of the nation’s prosperity. That should change.
... Congress could fix the broken reform effort by doing more to give families a way up and out of poverty. Congress cut $55 billion from programs that help the most vulnerable, including food stamps, employment training and child care. Putting this money back would ensure the best chance of success. An increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit also would help families climb out of poverty. ...
— Daytona (Fla.) Beach News-Journal
China
Poverty
Capitalism
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Our Republican Finance Minister
Flaherty's promise raises eyebrows
Bill Robson, president of the C.D. Howe Institute, said the net debt figure isn't really a true indication of public debt because the Canada and Quebec pension plans also have major liabilities in the future when Canadians retire. "You can't start adding the Canadian Pension Plan money into the overall debt figure," Robson said. "There is a big liability out there for the Canadian Pension Plan to pay those pensions. That's what that money is for. It's not available for other uses."
See:
Harmonizing the GST
Social Insecurity The Phony Pension Crisis
Retirement Reverse Discrimination
CPP
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Harmonizing the GST
Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty has said one of the ways of lowering the net government debt in Canada (that is the total debt of ALL levels of government, federal, provincial, municipal and the CPP) would be to have provinces harmonize their Provincial Sales Tax with the GST.
Hmm in Alberta we don't have a sales tax except the GST.
Does that mean we should eliminate the GST payments from Alberta to be in harmony with being sales tax free, or is he suggesting, as some have before, that we introduce a 5% sales tax to match the pending 5% federal GST.
Enquiring minds want to know.
And I thought the Conservatives opposed having the Federal government tell the provinces what to do when it came to their jurisdicitional rights. Must be another broken promise.
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That's How They Got Capone
Taxmen join Mafia probe
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Dion Kennedy Merger
Explains this: Dion says Canada should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan
See:
Liberal Leadership Race