Conservatives Just Have that Schizophrenic Tendency

This is not anti-Tory rant; my neighbour is a PC, he's a good guy but, well, timing. Stephen Harper, former conservative, endorsed Pierre Pollivere as new conservative party leader. Literally, the day after the endorsement, 70% of Canadians polled said they would NOT support him as Prime Minister should he win party leadership. The same week, Doug Ford, Ontario PC Premier, TOLD his cabinet members via the House Leader whom to vote for Government Speaker. Instead, everyone, opposition and government members, united and selected the current Speaker for another term. conservatives are clearly NOT united philosophically; not in terms of how they want the country's largest province governed, not in terms of how they want the country governed. Stephen Harper was an advocate of Fredrich Hayek, a German economist who won the Nobel Prize for economic theories which became the foundation of neo-liberal economics currently in vogue. The philosophy has been proven to be a spectacular failure, most obviously in Medicine, but it infected the Canadian conservative political party and caused a rift between old PC type conservatives and Stephen Harper conservatives. Pollivere of whom is one, Ford another. Neither of them has ever run a successful business nor been independently employed. Pollivere has been in government since he was 25 and prior to that worked for a conservative think tank; Ford has always worked for the family business, ultimately failing in leadership of its expansion south. Stephen Harper has also only worked for think tanks or been in government. The point being for a political philosophy that advocates the market govern everything, it has consistently been led by people only ever employed by government. You'd think that would be a sign. The Progressive Conservatives, PCs, were the forerunner of the conservative party. Whereas the best Prime Minister Canada never had was a PC Judge who believed in Women's Suffrage, current conservatives are socially conservative people whose idea of business is the current privatization of Canada's Healthcare system. The evolution of political economy included the recognition that for business to function best healthcare and education had to be the responsibility of the government; the free flow of capital does not happen with Medicine for the simple reason illness is not a choice. A Medical responsibily is not a chosen financial burden; the fact it has become a way to profit means most current economic thinkers are ideologues, not at all familiar with why supply and demand work in balance. Someone with a chronic illness is ALWAYS in need...that has become equated with demand in a free market. An ill person is not free, so the whole premise of balance cannot be achieved and it is ridiculous to act as though it can. Hence, the Ford government's attempt to privatize Healthcare follows on the Medical catastrophes the pandemic wrecked on Seniors' Long Term Care Facilities; it's not like there is an example of a successful business in privatized Healthcare. Need is constant, so money is never made. But, Ford like Harper and Pollivere is an ideologue and believes financial balance can be achieved in Medicine because he's never had to face the consequences in business of when it can't. The free choice of conservatives choosing NOT to follow Ford's government speaker choice is a forshadow of Ford's ineptitude in business. Rather than recognition there is a problem in cohesive party support, Premiere Ford has chosen to punish government caucus members via mandatory Queen's Park attendance and reduction in interational travel for their disobedience.PUNISHING people is not likely to ENCOURAGE fidelity. Ford does not know or understand the value of earning respect. It's a dividing factor between people who actually work and theorists who think they know what to do. People representing business interests do not understand business. Why Hayek was a failure, why the conservative party is.

I Think David Graeber Would Find it Ironic

David Graeber was a very important anthropologist; I really admired him. He's deceased, and I have read 2 of his most popular books, 'BS Jobs' and 'The Dawn of Everything.' Graeber was an anarchist, very political; he was involved with the American MMT movement and 'Occupy Wall Street.' The thing is 'anthropologists' staff a lot of think tanks. Left wingers identify them as CIA agents trying to drive the political agenda; apparently, right wingers see them as credible staff for economic and social policy research institutes. I suggest both see the career as inocuous. Hence, deceptive? Anthropologists by definition observe human society, past and present; they don't predict human social behaviours, but like historians investigate what human beings have already done. So, it's kind of funny to see them as staffing for think tanks which advise governments on future policy trends. Graeber would see it as ironic and clearly indicative of the reality think tanks are always wrong. People invested in the past are not interested in where the future is going; they are hardly predicators of what it will be. They're simply not interested. So, it's kind of funny both political groups identify them as harbingers of it. Graeber would find that ironic. But, also, in and of itself, indicator of where the world is going. Golden Age? Pre-Industrial Revolution? Crafting? I suspect a lot of corporations are in for a shock.

The Thing about Values

Frank Stronach was in the Globe today advocating Canadian values be taught in schools. I wonder what he meant? I have to be honest and reveal I homeschooled my kids from grades 5, 3, and 2 because I thought I could do better; our family is not overtly religious and I don't know if I actually did better, but they all made it into university, if that's a measure of success. I don't know if it is. Did my children learn Canadian values from me? I don't know. What are they? They did learn Canadian history. That means they know the story of this country, the colonial changes, the value of French, and its Military history. Is it a value to treasure Indigenous history? Is it a value to consider the affects of colonialism, good and bad, on Canada? Is teaching the difference between French exploration of Canada and British domination a value? The Canadian Military did a lot in World War One and had Indigenous volunteers in the fight against nazis in World War Two. Everybody fought nazis in World War Two. Is that a value? Certainly, it is an easy principle. nazis hate and hurt everybody; Canadians fight them. Hence, our government and opposition parties are an embarrassment, right now. Ukraine has a lot of good people; unfortunately, till this Military action, Canada recognized it also had a nazi problem. Now, in contrary to our own history of fighting nazis, we are allied with them against Russia. Despite the fact they hate people of all religious faiths not Catholic, all non-heterosexual people, all non-abled people, including those with mental challenges. They are not nice people; so, it's weird Frank Stronach is advocating Canadian values be taught at this moment. Our government and opposition parties currently advocate for a group, our history has always fought against. What is a Canadian value? We're milquetoasts? Why have this discussion, now? Would people really be glad to look in the mirror knowing for whom our soldiers are fighting, our monies are supporting? Do people understand what we stand for? It's good to have a clear notion of what's important and define a Canadian value. But, now is definitely not a good time because I don't think Mr. Stronach would like what we are doing and what it means.

The Thing About Oil

This topic gets tiring because I keep posting about it and people just think I'm crazy. Before Christmas, oil was anticipated to hit $500 a barrel, in February estimates were $200; Bloomberg just wrote about Goldman Sach's anticipating $110 oil barrels, this year. The issue isn't oil demand collapse or too much of it around; the market has changed. Immediately, because of electric cars. Electric cars do not need an energy; some brands will need charging, but brands like Aptera can self-charge, for as long as 7 months, and this is the new reality oil companies don't want considered. Believe it or not, oil companies came up with climate change as a way of controlling the market focus on cars that needed oil rather than the idea to an alternative energy. Remember the film 'Who Killed the Electric Car?' Oil companies did.Car companies knew this was coming hence the development of subscription services for radios, heating. Heck, even offerring services to drive. Without a service to offer, oil companies cannot survive. If no one needs oil, why should fossil fuel companies exist? It's interesting to listen to the rhetoric about Taiwan and what China or the US is up to. China has 10 big EV companies, a network of electric trains, a substantial charging network. Taiwan is the world's largest semi-conductor maker (needed for electric vehicles) and has 1 large, domestic EV maker, so far. While the US has some, it is falling behind in the development of EV vehicles. Common sense, if you think about it, China, Taiwan, North and South Korea, most of Asia, invest in education. Actually, everybody else does--Africa, India. The Americans, just don't. While there are all kinds of justifications of why Americans are dumbed down, the consequent result is fewer Doctors, Writers, Scientists and Engineers. There are just fewer smart, American people around, and less of each apt to choose to develop a business, or develop skills likely to be beneficial to a business. I am not saying Americans are stupid, just ignorant. So, smart enough to know everyone else is smarter. And, that takes on exponential effects when demographics are added to the mix. There are just more Asians, Africans, Indians than Americans. Anyhow, more everybody else just means more of them are developing electric cars for the simple reason, oil cars, internal combustion engines, are too expensive. Car companies can handle change; fossil fuel companies cannot. It's so weird to argue the fact that the oil market is getting smaller, but that's what is happening. And, I don't think the oil companies like it. And everyone else is paying for their fury.

In Media Res

Having been locked out of mt other blog, I am back on this one. 76 Books read, so far, this year. Perk of disability. I read, exercise or do languages. Fluent,so far, in French and English, learning Chinese and Russian by myself,and impressing my neighbour, and my Nursing Assistants are teaching me Spanish and Tagalog. I am learning a lot about Phillipine History because Spanish influences Tagalog for colonial reasons. Hence, they're a lot easier to learn than you'd think. I was learning Yoruba but NO ONE in Nigeria seems to be fluent, anymore, which sucks because I was picking it up! Anyhow... The writing bug is upon me... Let's call this an on-line journal of sorts. I am middle-aged with progressive MS which also sucks! I can't do much but I observe and comment on a lot. Most days begin with exercise and languages or languages and exercise. And, then I read, usually for about two hours a day. My body is useless but I am keeping my mind sharp. I am really trying. I promise! I am not supposed to be political but, obviously, I am going to be and not tell my husband and adult children. I will not support nazis, and I question any government that endorses them. It's not religious. I know unequivocally they are bad; I was taught Canadian History and I think it's disgraceful we have a political intelligentsia that legitimates them and an uncritical press that supports them. Not one political party in this country said it was wrong to support the endeavours of such an odious ideology. Canada used to criticize Ukraine because of its nazis; now, Canadian Soldiers are going to Ukraine and training them? That is shameful! Anyhow, that means I can criticize all the political parties because none of them have a principle to stand on. Very liberating that! No more soap box. Also, I am tired of writing. But, I am going to try to editorialize my observations.