Kai Nagata

How refreshing it is to see that idealism still exists in this world of ever-growing cynicism, which cynicism has been well-earned through disappointment after disappointment, by the way.

This young man of 24 years recently quit his job as CTV Bureau Chief in Quebec after becoming disillusioned with what he realized was the difference between important news reporting vs. reporting fluff for the masses in the hopes of attracting more advertisers and a wider viewership.

This is a huge problem in mass media today. Newspapers, radio and TV stations are vying for the "lowest hanging fruit" creating a race for the bottom. What can you say when the visit of a young and photogenic couple trump every other news story in the world? And what better example of the rot in the media can there be than the reporters for the "News of the World" tabloid in the UK hacking telephone conversations of ordinary citizens and celebs alike to create their own news? (This is surely happening in other media and in other places.)
The mainstream reporting today is in a sorry state. The vast majority of "journalists" and "reporters" have abdicated their solemn duty to hold "[...] decision makers to account [and] are instead broadcasting useless tripe, or worse, stories that actively distract from the massive projects we need to be tackling instead of watching TV."

Kai Nagata's blog is well worth a read. It is clearly written, well thought out and a breath of fresh air in a room that is becoming increasingly oppressive. And... he hits all the bases:

Kai Nagata

Conservative Party Front Group Releases “Study” Promoting Privatization of Healthcare

Dear readers, I just came across a posting on an excellent blog, The Sixth Estate, which caused me great alarm. I paraphrase from the post:

A new "survey" purports to show that Canadians are unanimously enthusiastic about the privatization of healthcare and Harper’s welcoming stance toward the business sector.

This "survey", which has received appallingly credulous coverage from our nation’s media, was created by a firm called Ensight. Ensight is a lobbying firm; and it is a specifically Conservative one, with a staff chock full of Tory veterans and Harper loyalists.

This sort of report is plainly not trustworthy. This is it, folks - the opening shots of the final battle for public healthcare have now been fired.

Please click on the link to read more on this shameful shilling for the Harper Government™ by a firm disguised as a “pollster”.

Shit Harper Did

As Health costs Soar, business seeks a remedy

This article from the Globe and Mail further perpetuates the idea that health care costs are unsustainable. (See "The "Unsustainability" Myth"). Note also that the ones who say they want to help, i.e. banks and insurance companies have a vested interest. They are the ones who would make massive profits, (as if they don't already), from either complete or partial privatization of health care in Canada.

What do you wanna bet that the resulting report from Bay Street will recommend at least partial privatization or the sky will fall?

Oh, and of further note is that even before Harper entered politics he headed up the National Citizen's Coalition, whose sole raison d'etre was to privatize health care in Canada.

The "Unsustainability" Myth

This is a very interesting article from The CCPA Monitor, published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The author, Robert Evans, is a University Killam Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of British Columbia and a member of that university’s Centre for Health Services and Policy Research. He is an officer of the Order of Canada, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Services.

"The central fact is that apart from periods of recession, spending on Medicare - hospitals and physicians' services - has remained fairly steady, fluctuating between 4% and 5% of GDP since 1975."

Mr. Evans says the appearance of escalating Medicare costs has been manufactured by substantial cuts to personal and corporate income taxes by the federal and most provincial governments. Governments have deliberately, and unnecessarily deprived themselves of the revenue they need for all the social programs they fund, not just Medicare. Most of the benefits have gone to high-income individuals and highly profitable corporations, and not to needy Canadians. This is otherwise known as taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

Read more:
The "Unsustainability" Myth

Pension Panel, Part 1 & 2

Only 1 in 10 Canadians is financially secure at retirement age.

Watch this video  from the CBC News web site:
CBC.ca Player (Part 1)
CBC.ca Player (Part 2)

Pooled pension consensus reached

Finance Minister Flaherty continues talks with his provincial counterparts in Kananaskis in Alberta. Flaherty says he won't support any CPP expansion because not all provinces are on board, despite the plan being strongly supported by six provinces.

Instead Flaherty says he and his provincial and territorial counterparts have agreed to create a pooled private pension plan for small businesses, employees and the self-employed. The pooled pension plan "will make well-regulated, low-cost, private-sector pension plans accessible to millions of Canadians who have up to now not had access to such plans," he said.

Read more on CBC News:
Flaherty: Pooled pension consensus reached