–The CPI (Marxist) may leave the coalition it formed with Congress after the last election. Congress would be wise to yield to the communists’ demand of independent nuclear policy and rational economic policy.

–What they don’t want to tell people is that it is a regular crisis in capitalism. There is not much they can do that is different than what they are doing right now — except reject free-markets, increase public spending, etc. Of-course, this would be unthinkable of the neo-liberal governments that make-up the majority of the G8.

–Socialism continues to be the leading cause of hope in South America.

–Global monopoly capitalism continues to cause hunger around the world.

–Conservatives continue to be the leading cause of global warming.

–The Canadian economy.

–The UK may be heading for Recession despite all the efforts of Neo Labour giving away the bank to business.

Two weeks after a new contract in which GM bosses promised no more layoffs and no more plant closures until 2011, in exchange for a wage freeze and other concessions, they have now announced closure! The profit motive is stronger than any rotten deal the union tops can broker with the bosses and they are prepared to break the law to do so. Workers will be drawing some bitter lessons from this experience.

–The same solution that we (used to) use to fund our health care system will work to solve the environmental solution. Tax those that make a profit off of emissions and use that money to invest in green public infrastructure. We must not tax the poor and the working “middle class” to solve the problems caused by the rich. Carbon dioxide regulation needs to be sector specific, needs to be brought in progressively and aggressively, and need to make sure that the government can provide an alternative to the high emitters. Public investment in and socially own production facilities need to be built that have the input from the academic and union sectors to all flexibility for future changes and upgrade, but at the same time we need to be producing solutions now. We cannot wait for the market to fail once again. The risk has been born by the working class too long, it is time for those that profited off the exploitation of the environment to pay for the damages they have brought.

–More about the Liberal’s “green” flat-tax scheme.

–Duncan Cameron sets the record straight. The market cannot help us here, we must take the polluters and emitters on as a society.

The most obvious problem with the Green Shift proposed by Stéphane Dion is that the Liberal party plan will not reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly, if at all. The hidden assumption is that if the new carbon tax works, it will reduce the revenues available to the federal government (i.e. for needed investments in green energy). The biggest shortcoming is that the Liberal Green Shift relies on market pricing to fix a massive market failure that threatens the extinction of the planet.

–There are a lot of things that I could say about the MDG (one of which is that it is silly to think that these “developed” countries are developed enough to stick to their investment promises), but Salil Shetty outlines why he thinks they are not working.

–The new Finance Minister in Venezuela is moving the country along a path of transition from “state capitalist” to a truly socialist economy starting with increasing agricultural production. Have a read of how.

–Great news for all those that care about the wheat farmer. Independent farmers need the Wheat Board if they are going to survive in the face of the monopolies of the Agro-Corps.

–When the price of something is balanced in the markets by, on one hand, the price of an unrelated fuel and, on the other hand, safety concerns, then we should be very skeptical of its long-term prospects as an area of State investment. We should not look at it at all in my opinion as only the poorest places seem to produce it and only the richest places (with lots of subsidies) seem to be able to keep the reactors going. Long-term investment strategies must focus primarily on “renewables” and efficiency of hybrid central/de-centralized energy production.

–World food prices continue to have an effect on the lives of the majority.

–Canada’s Conservatives still doing everything they can to undermine talks at the UN between developed and developing nations.

–It is even more regressive than I thought it would be. How can they possibly pretend that this is not just a give-a-way to the most wealthy Canadians?

“Puts you in control of the amount of tax you pay” — what kind of statement is that? So, if I buy lots of “green” consumer products, I don’t have to pay taxes, or if I have money to invest in “green” solutions” I don’t have to pay income taxes? Where’s the connection between income tax and consumption? Doesn’t putting more money in the pockets of the most wealthy result in increased consumption of goods (green or not)? What kind of solution is that to the global climate crisis?

“A Green Tax Shift will provide a Carbon Tax Holiday by allowing income taxes and payroll taxes to be reduced, income supplements to low income Canadians to be increased, student loans to be cut in half…” — Exactly how will student loans be cut in half if the tax is revenue neutral? It is a move away from progressive taxation and towards a flat-tax on income — and all of it is revenue neutral which means poorer Canadians pay more. Poorer Canadians also end up paying more of their income on regular consumer goods because business will pass down the consumption tax onto the consumer. There is no solution here and it puts an unnecessary economic burden people who have not contributed to the crisis.

“Ms. May said the Green Party’s costing exercise shows how different types of families in Canada will be affected by a carbon tax. For instance, an urban, upper-middle-class family in Ontario would pay 1.2 per cent less income toward taxes while a low-income, rural senior would save 9.2 per cent every year.” –This is on income, but they will be spending more on gas, electricity, and every major commodity. Taken together, they are flat or even regressive tax figures. The Fraser Institute will be pleased.

It is the same criticism I have of the Liberal Party’s “green-tax the poor” plan — only more so. Makes me so mad that the “green” brand has been taken over by this group of neo-liberal opportunists.

–The funny thing is that the Canadian press seem to be missing these numbers.

–Complete and utter outrage. Just in case you forgot what to feel. We continue to deal with an economic system that cannot deal with the realities of the material world. If we allow these multinationals to pollute our environment so they can dig for profits then we truly have not learned from the massive environmental crisis that we are dealing with right now. It makes no sense; we must be mad.

–Just imagine what he would say about the massive underfunding of science and basic research in Canada.

–Slowly, the neo-liberal reforms remove all the protections the working-class worked a century to get. An opt-out clause? How about a state responsibility clause where the state has the responsibility to make sure wages are high enough so that people do not have to work 65 hours a week to survive?

–The Irish are among the most highly educated in the world (mostly because education is free even at the post-secondary level). However, it also ranks among the highest in inequality in Europe because of the aggressive neo-liberal reforms its working class has suffered under. Oppressed and highly educated workers, and they have rejected a bad treaty for Europe. No surprise here. What is interesting is that the media seem to acknowledge that the treaty is anti-worker while, at the same time, praise it. The people of Europe reject the treaty almost every time they get to vote on it. The governments know this and have, up to now, not allowed referenda on the issue. It just goes to show the anti-democratic bent to the whole process of instituting neo-liberal reforms.

–This includes Atlantica type policies.

–The Conservatives continue to aid a government that digs graves for trade unionists as a past time.

–Yep, it is all about the environment — unless it costs oil companies profit.

–A definite victory for the people of Saint John.

–Just more of a reason that we cannot trust the current Liberal government to do what is in the best interests of the working people of this province.

–Walden Bello writes about the food crisis.

–Even the so-called “middle class” (ie: working class) in America continues to be clobbered by the high price of fuel. Lenin’s Tomb has a video of those that are the American working-class now lining-up for food charity. But the economists for the elite will try to tell you that it isn’t that bad. These people beg-to-differ.

–Jobs are generally a good thing, unless they are jobs that don’t pay anything.

–Oh, the hypocrisy.

–A move in the correct direction.

–This wouldn’t happen if it was still run by the people. Call for the re-nationalisation of Petro-Canada and the company won’t pull things like this. In fact, if we re-nationalise Petro-Canada then we can make sure the company doesn’t pull things like this and the people can benefit from the massive oil profits that are being generated.

–Neo-liberals love flat taxes and tolls. They will use any excuse to implement them and their favorite reason now is the environment. There is nothing different about the solutions to the environmental question that requires a shift from progressive taxation to regressive user-fees and flat-taxes. We must not let these economic reforms pass because we want green solutions. The rich have benefited from the economy treating the environment as an externality, they should be paying for the consequences.