Brian Arden and Ed Finn Thou shalt honour Me as your one true God and have faith in my religion of neoliberalism, globalization, free trade, and private ownership. Thou shalt accept the impoverishment of the many and the enrichment of the few, for in my religion avarice is to be valued over social and economic … Continue reading The Capitalist God’s 10 Commandments
Corporations
Outcome of the clash between Covid-19 pandemic and capitalist pandemic will shape our future
Earlier this year, I posted a piece on rabble in which I claimed that the global Covid-19 pandemic, though devastating for humankind, has not been nearly as pernicious as the social and economic plague of global capitalism. Many readers of this essay disagreed with my hypothesis, some quite vehemently. They thought I was exaggerating the … Continue reading Outcome of the clash between Covid-19 pandemic and capitalist pandemic will shape our future
Have business and political leaders decided to co-exist with COVID-19 instead of seeking its curtailment?
Politicians and corporations in the United States and Canada have started to open up their economies and relax strict safeguards against the spread of Covid-19. This is happening even though the coronavirus remains prevalent in both countries. In the U.S., the pandemic still proliferates in several states, where the rates of infection and fatalities continue … Continue reading Have business and political leaders decided to co-exist with COVID-19 instead of seeking its curtailment?
Bleak post-pandemic future looms as govt. keeps borrowing from private banks instead of from the Bank of Canada
Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer, Yves Giroux, recently estimated that the federal deficit incurred from funding pandemic virus relief measures -- now about $260 billion -- could soar as high as $900 billion by this time next year unless curbed long before then. “Such measures will have to be temporary,” he cautioned. “If they are maintained … Continue reading Bleak post-pandemic future looms as govt. keeps borrowing from private banks instead of from the Bank of Canada
Canadian governments have ignored abominable abuse of the elderly despite care-givers’ repeated alarms
Ten years ago, Pat Armstrong, a sociology professor at Toronto’s York University, released a study of long-term care of the elderly in Canada. She exposed the abysmal lack of staffing required to provide quality care. “Residents sit in soiled diapers because there are no workers available to answer their call. They often miss regular baths, … Continue reading Canadian governments have ignored abominable abuse of the elderly despite care-givers’ repeated alarms
Result of re-opening the economy will not create the “new normal” but just resume the capitalist “old normal”
As some Canadian provinces (and American states) relax their pandemic-driven social and economic constraints, many thousands of hitherto housebound citizens are flocking to stores, playgrounds, and beaches. Governments are urging these suddenly mobile people to maintain their self-distancing and keep wearing masks in crowded assemblies. But the enforcement of such restrictions is clearly impossible. Now … Continue reading Result of re-opening the economy will not create the “new normal” but just resume the capitalist “old normal”
There’s a much worse global pandemic than Covid-19: global capitalism
Is the coronavirus now encircling the globe Mother Nature’s desperate attempt to stop rampant capitalism from destroying sentient life on the planet? With most of the world’s political leaders still blatantly committed to abetting the reign of terror by the multinational corporations -- and with so many workers dependent on capitalism for their livelihood – … Continue reading There’s a much worse global pandemic than Covid-19: global capitalism
After Covid-19 passes, our future will depend on whether governments prevent or permit more environmental vandalism by large corporations
Recent photos taken by astronauts in the orbiting space station show an amazing improvement in Earth’s atmosphere. The sharp reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from factories, motor vehicles, ships, planes and fossil fuels reveals a planetary surface whose clarity had been obscured by industrial pollutants. This long-delayed abatement of global warming stems from the Covid-19 … Continue reading After Covid-19 passes, our future will depend on whether governments prevent or permit more environmental vandalism by large corporations
Is Covid-19 Mother Nature’s latest effort to rid herself of the virus of humankind?
Back in the 1970s, chemist James Lovelock, with his associate microbiologist Lynn Marguilis, developed what they called the Gaia hypothesis: the theory that our planet is a sentient organism dedicated to promoting and protecting all forms of life. Gaia is the ancestral name of the primal Earth goddess, whose regulation of all organic components of … Continue reading Is Covid-19 Mother Nature’s latest effort to rid herself of the virus of humankind?
Repeated failure of climate summits portends a bleak future under unchecked capitalism
Delegates to the recent Climate Change Summit in Madrid failed to muster a consensus on future action to curb global warning. Despite extending the meeting an extra day, desperate efforts to reach an accord were stymied by delegates from two of the largest countries: the United States and Australia. It’s no coincidence that both U.S. … Continue reading Repeated failure of climate summits portends a bleak future under unchecked capitalism
The Nonagenarian's Notebook 