for the year 2000
EYE VIEW
This page provides an Index to my Columns in the Kamloops Daily News
for the year 2000
Reduction in work time will create jobs, increase leisure time , The frantic drive to buy the good life is causing the overworked a lot of grief and depriving the underworked a decent living. Based on a book by Anders Hayden, "Sharing the Work, Sparing the Planet". January 18, 2000
Drop in Canadian worker productivity not a concern for Feds Worker productivity is higher in Canada than in the United States in the Automobile sector --and its not because of lack of unions. Productivity is lower elsewhere through lack of initiative from the federal government to make employer retention profitable. February 1, 2000
Belief that market forces will solve social problems is naive Increases in the minimum wage have been criticized by business leaders as harming the economy. Business should set wages not government, they say. But business does what's in its own self interest. Only governments can smooth out social disparities. February 15, 2000
No strike is pleasant, but at least UCC's labour dispute was civil As the percentage of unionized workers in B.C. has increased, the number of labour disruptions due to strikes has dropped. The provincial government has a lot to do with the tone of labour relations through its rhetoric and legislation. February 29, 2000
Suspicions of government, conspiracy beliefs have firm root Distrust of government has weakened democracy. Membership in the John Birch Society has dropped since the 1960s. The ideas of the Society have become ingrained in radical groups and through mainstream median to popular culture. March 14, 2000.
Don't look to marketplace to solve problem of global warming Global warming is increasing at an alarming rate due to the burning of fossil fuels. No one is able to control warming, not government, industry, or consumer. March 28, 2000.
What Liberals say, do on health care are two different things Sure, the federal Liberals talk about protecting our treasured health care system, but what are they doing about it? Nothing. In fact, I suspect that they have sold health care into bondage and signed the General Agreement on Trade in Services, part of the WTO deal. April 11, 2000.
Booklet sugarcoats real danger of genetically modified foods The Canadian Food Inspection Agency doesn't inspect foods. So, why has CFIA sent out a booklet on food safety to all Canadian households? They seem to be telling us not to worry, be happy. April 25, 2000.
Slide in wages , not taxes, to blame for plight of middle class The middle class are looking for reasons for the drop in their standard of living while the working poor slip into poverty. The rich class have promoted lower taxes as the answer, but this solution is self serving. May 9, 2000.
Road to prosperity isn't paved with reduced wages, labour unrest. The provincial Liberals point to Ireland and New Zealand as models for tax reduction through efficiency in government. Those governments have reduced taxes: one for better and one to the worse. What's the difference? May 23, 2000.
Politics of privatization left people of Walkerton high and dry. The little town of Walkerton, Ontario, found themselves victims of privatization. Massive industrial livestock grow operations, and lack of resources to protect themselves, lead to deaths of innocent townspeople. June 6, 2000.
Activists demonstrate that Canadians will stand up for their rights The most unlikely Canadians are becoming activists, and not because they are particularly radical. When governments stop listening to their legitimate complaints, it's the only recourse. June 20, 2000.
City residents need to turn up volume if they want CBC Radio 2 CBC Radio 2 service is available to 12 communities throughout Canada that are smaller than Kamloops and another 6 that approximately our size. Why not here? Also, the positive politics of the Council of Canadians is very suitable for Canada Day celebrations July 4, 2000.
Day's marriage of fiscal conservatism, social beliefs really is scary Stockwell Day preaches fundamentalist religion, but zealots hear a message of vengeance against whomever they don't like. Social and Fiscal conservatism is a dangerous mix. July 18, 2000.
Crime is down although perception of crime has increased Statistics show a decrease in Canadian crime but that perception is not in everyone's selfish interests August 1, 2000.
Paranoid pot law an example of U.S. domination over Canada Canadians want to placate their giant neighbour to the south, even to the point of emulating the puritanical fervor of their drug laws. It's time we had made-in-Canada Drug Laws. August 15, 2000
Low wages generate low-paying jobs, not a thriving economy Examine countries that have used low wages as an incentive to attract capital, and you find an economy trapped in a low wage cycle. High wages attract talented, inventive people, and that's the true value of an economy. August 29, 2000
Orwell was wrong: Big Business watches you, not Big Brother The triumph of the Free World over Communism has resulted in a new kind of tyranny -- capitalism. The New World Order propaganda controls its subjects in the same way as any totalitarian regime. If you don't have money, you're nobody. September 26, 2000
Trudeau stands tall above the nostalgia surrounding the '60s Pierre Trudeau put Canada on the map as a country based on principle and rule of law. But, flamboyant as he was, he wasn't a hippie. The hippie movement faded into an obscure notion, but Trudeau's legacy lasts. October 10, 2000
Study after study proves fluoridation is a health benefit A new review of 214 studies into the effects of fluoride treatment in the reduction of tooth decay shows that fluorides work to reduce cavities in rich and poor. They don't cause hip fractures or cancer. But they can cause fluorosis in high doses, a cosmetic problem at worst. October 24, 2000
Ottawa's surplus paid for by Canada's poor, unemployed The federal Liberals can only claim a budget surplus if they have paid all their bills, and they haven't. The surplus has been created as a result of underfunding programs that would give starving children a chance. November 7, 2000
Parliamentary system flawed, but more sound than referenda The guiding principles of the Reform Alliance party seem compelling at first glance. One principle is that private industry can do better than public. In the case of private electricity utilities, that's not true. Another principle is that citizen's initiatives, through referenda, provide better government. Instead, they provide a government based on the emotionally charged issue of the day. December 5, 2000
Share country's prosperity with guaranteed annual income A guaranteed annual income, more properly called a basic income, could renew Canada's social compact, which is sadly out of date. All Canadians deserve a stake in Canada, and a basic income would provide that stake, that dividend from Canada, that commitment to Canada. December 19, 2000
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