“The disparity in income between the rich and the poor is merely the survival of the fittest. It is merely the working out of a law of nature and a law of God.”      —John D. Rockefeller, 1894.  During the first 70 years that followed this pronouncement by one of the 19th-century’s leading robber barons, […]

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is disappointed with the B.C. government’s management of the public purse and troubled by rising public debt forecast in today’s provincial budget. “This government would like everybody to cheer a $1.265 billion deficit for last year, because it’s lower than forecast. That’s not good enough. The real story here is $440 […]

 As tens of millions of Egyptians celebrated their victory over a brutal dictator and began the task of creating democracy, the story from Canada was of democracy going backwards. For five years under Stephen Harper, Canada has been subjected to a systematic erosion of democracy (as I document here). Canada is not Egypt and Harper is […]

Over the last couple of weeks I have heard several comments about a “mini boom” that will result from development projects such as the Waneta Dam, the expansion at Firebird Technologies in Trail, the new casino in Castlegar and some recovery in the forestry sector. Based on B.C. Stats data, we may have a long […]

On February 11th, the community of Nelson held a rally to support the Egyptian people in their struggle for democracy and freedom from tyranny.  The protestors were determined to make their voices loud enough so that Canadian leaders would hear and pressure Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down as President. Before the news of […]

 In watching the live streaming coverage of the Egyptian revolution on Aljazeera I am awe-struck by the incredible humanity of what is unfolding in that country. I imagine Jean Jacques Rousseau wandering amongst the throngs of people and being equally amazed and delighted. For the character of this uprising, this outpouring of frustration and joy, of kindness […]

 picture by Ali Farzat He copies phrases from foreign newspapers into a notebook. Then he copies his notes into a larger notebook with a flag and a band of gold on the front. His mouth imitates the words of the state TV channel, and the words of undead clerics, and the words of puff-eyed men […]

With all the attention focused on the BC Liberals and NDP leadership races, you may not have noticed: the next federal election campaign is already under way.   The vote will take place in late April/early May. The first visible sign were those negative TV ads launched by the federal Tories a couple of weeks […]

So, I must be the only person in town who doesn’t ski. Well, actually my father doesn’t ski either, so there’s two of us. My love affair with snow ended at about the age of 13, when it started to become more of a feeling of burden on my body and soul than the excitement I felt as a child when winter came. I resented shovelling....

Over the past few months I have talked to people who have experienced difficulties at the US border.  Often this involves having to leave one’s vehicle and being subjected to intense interrogation.  What has, in the past, been a routine “friendly” crossing has turned into a “negative” interrogation by abusive American border guards. There appear […]