In my youth, I was embarrassed by Canada’s (seemingly) anachronistic constitutional monarchy. Why must we have a Queen, I raged? She doesn’t even live in our country. Why can’t we be a republic, like the United States? It wasn’t until recently that I began to question this view. Looking south of the border, I’m reminded…
Total automation, capitalist or communist, removes the very purpose of human existence
Since the publication of Fully Automated Luxury Communism in 2018, a manifesto by Aaron Bastani, millennials across Canada and the United States have embraced a new Marxism for the 21st century. This new socialism is based on the concept of a post-scarcity economy that embraces automation, the reduction of working hours and a universal income.…
Modern monetary theory advocates argue the government should have a magic wand to conjure up money out of thin air.
Left to their own devices, politicos every now and then come up with a theory that allows them to promise free lunches. Modern monetary theory (MMT) is all the rage in the United States and Canada among starry-eyed social engineers who see no limits to their intervention. Rather than arising from academic inquiry, debates concerning…
The Nordic countries, particularly Sweden, are often trotted out as great examples of superior social systems. But a closer look at the details raises concerns
Referring to American millennials’ purported fascination with socialism, someone recently cracked that perhaps they’re confusing the term with social media. But wickedly irreverent though that crack might be, it fails to do justice to millennials and their aspirations. However, the question remains: What exactly do these socialism enthusiasts have in mind? Unlike left-wingers in the…
The dangerous, violent seeds of the communist revolution were being sown in Canada
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike, the most dramatic moment in our nation’s labour history and one highly romanticized ever since 1919. All of this romance seems to have caused people to forget what was really at stake. In 1919, the communist movement was gaining ground in Europe and elsewhere.…
The U.S. senator is using baseball to decry the inequalities that crop up in capitalism. That’s just nonsense
Somewhere in heaven, baseball pioneer Curt Flood is smacking his forehead with his palm. The reason for Flood’s exasperation? Comments from avowed socialist and Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. On the stump, the Vermont senator is using baseball to decry the inequalities that crop up in capitalism. “If we are a nation that can…
If 7% of the Venezuelan population has fled, that must include some of the best and brightest
Western nations like Canada and the U.S. have watched the pressure-filled political situation in Venezuela with interest and concern. It’s a powder keg that seems ready to explode at any moment. And it may require our intervention. On one side is Venezeula’s presidential dictator, Nicolas Maduro. The former bus driver and trade unionist is a…
Taking wealth from one group and giving it to others just creates misery and strife
Nicolas Maduro was recently sworn in as president of Venezuela for a second six-year term. There are no signs things will improve in the strife-torn nation during this term. His first term was marked by hyperinflation, violent repression, flight of foreign investors, shutdown of businesses, bankruptcies, riots, food shortages, mass unemployment, widespread hunger, emigration of…
The federal leader seems unaware of key issues. That can hardly give party supporters confidence in his abilities
In only a couple of minutes, Jagmeet Singh showed why he’s not going to last in federal politics. The federal NDP leader had an interview on CTV’s Question Period with host Evan Solomon on Sunday. Near the end of their discussion, Solomon asked him about a Jan. 9 Hill Times opinion piece written by Lu…
Real communism has failed repeatedly to provide better living conditions. Why do countries like Venezuela persist?
Nineteen years ago, ex-general Hugo Chavez came into power in Venezuela, vowing that a “Bolivarian revolution” based on communist principles would improve the lives of his people. Today, millions of Venezuelans are fleeing their homes looking for food, medicine or employment in neighbouring countries. Inflation is out of control. In a country with perhaps the…