On a Saturday, the best part of the The Moncton Times and Transcripts is the Whatever Section, to which middle school and high school students contribute columns. Today, those columns are the best ones I have seen - even from that group. It's hard to believe that these students are products of those same public schools that editorials of the Moncton Times have so often condemned as inferior and incompetent. If this is what inferior schools can do, we need more inferior schools.
The columns, though on seemingly simple topics, bring fresh, thoughtful and thought-provoking views to them. This is one of the few sections of the paper that is enjoyable to read, and leaves you with something to think about.
Section A is the usual small-town boosterism. Baseball World has eyes on Metro? Come off it. Most of even the baseball world has never heard of the Canadian Cup under 17 competition. And, in most of the world, referring to a city of 160,000 as "Metro" would just raise a giggle. Luckily, 9 of the 14 pages of Section A are ads. So that's a break.
NewToday feartures four pages on a kite flying exhibition, mostly pictures. This over-coaverage has been going on for a week. I cannot think of another daily newspaper in the world that would do that.(But then, I seldom read The Gleaner and The Telegraph-Journal.)
A newspaper should be giving us information, not running page after page of what is, in effect, free advertising for events. It shouls be telling eus xactly how much new money these shows actually bring to Moncton (Can we seriously believe people are flooding in from all over North America to see a kite festiival?) How much NEW money is there? How much of it really comes from people who live here? Who gets that money? (Yes, yes. I know it provides jobs for all. But exactly how much of the money is ending up in the hands of the rate payers who underwrite these shows? Are we allowed to consider whether there might be more effective ways to spend our money?
Their story on othe riots in Britain was outdated before it went to press. The British prime minister has now admitted that the riots were not simply acts of criminals. They happened because of government failure to deal with profound social problems ( - a result of the Thatcher and Blair years).
This week,Obama received a report by government experts saying that fracking for shale gas is poorly regulated and very dangerous. That report did not make The Moncton Times&Transcript. Understandable. They would have had to drop a kite picture to fit it in.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
August 12: Transparency in New Brunswick
Obviously, the new tactic of The Moncton Times&Transcript is to report on public activities of the anti-shale gas movement; but not to provide any information on what it is all about. There are many questions that could be aksed of our "transparrent" governments.
1. What study did Shawn Graham's government do before approving eploration for shale gas?
2. Why were regulations not immediately drafted?
3. Why are they still not in place?
4. What research has Mr. Alward's government done? (it wouldn't be expensive. Don't we have google on government computers?)
5. Why have some juisdictions banned fracking?
6. Don't we have geologists in our universities? How come they have not been interviewed?
7. How come there have been no reports of the problems with Fracking in the US?
8. Why aren't we told, as a matter of democratic routine, how mucdh money corpprations and unions donate to the parties - and how much each party gets from such donors?
9. How much of our money went into the U2 concert?
10. How much went to the band? How much to hotels and restaurants? How much found its way down to the pockets of ordinary rate-payers? How many of the concert and restaurant goers were native Monctoners; and, therefore, did not represent any new money at all? (That's rather important since claiming a profit with money that was always here in the first plact would be more than a little fraudulent.)
Not one of those questions has been addressed by the politicians; and, certainly, no politicians have been pressured by the Montcton times to answer them. Nor have Times editors bothered to select a reporter to get answers.
Hedard Albert, MLA from Carquet offers a column critical of the Alward government on education policy. The criticism is valid. But he offers no sign that his party has learned anything about education after its disastrous period in government - and still has no policy at all.
The only column of substance is Alec Bruce's. So I'll indulge myself in criticizing it. He argues that the US was engaged in making this a better world. It never was, and cerntainely not in the period of the 1945+ that he cites.
American policy has been consistent since 1775, to make its wealthy even wealthier by the use of military force. It has been at war almost continuosly since that time. (Indeed, with well over 200 wars on its record, it is surely one of the most aggrewssive counjtries in history.
It fought its native peoples, and took their land and resources. It tried to take Canada. It fought Mexico to steal one-third of Mexican territory. (The war began when the Mexican government attempted to stop American settlers from brining in slaves, since slavery was illegal in Mixico. (Davey Crockett, who became an American hero at the Alamo was, in fact, a slave trder.)
War with Spain gave the US much of Central America where it promptlyly established the dictatorships that were so useful in maintaing a level of poverty that ensured cheap labour,, to this day, for Chiqita Banana, Fruit of the Loom, and Levis. It took Hawaii to make the Doles happy. It took The Phllipines in a particularly brutal war because it wanted a military base to make profits fromcheap labour for American companies, and to challenge the British, French and Dutch looting right s in Asia.
The only democracies ever permitted by the US were those that were US puppets. That's why Aristide of Haiti waas sent into exile. The fool was going to raise the minimum wage from $3 a day to $5. There was also loose talk about building schools and even hospitals. After a century of american control, Haiti remains the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
More commonly, the US has overthrown democratic governments to iinstall dictators - as it did in Iran and Guatemala.
Today, the US stands where Britain stood in 1945. It's empire is too expensive in money and life to hold onto. Britain wisely gave up on the empire game. But the greed of American corporations is so great, it will not permit any retreat, no matter how great the cost in money and lives and suffering. I mean, presidents of Exxon are not suffering. Indeed, the incomes of the very rich have gone up even as some 50 million american live on food stamps.
The US is determined to gain world domination. But it's not to help the world. Make a list of the democracies the US has created. Make a list of how much foreign aid is given out in the form of weapons rather than food. Make a list of the billions in aid that are publicly promised but never delivered. (Sart with Haiti.)
No. I would not look to othe US for leadersup to a peaceful and prosperous world. The American people are as victimized as all of the rest of us by this. The problem is not hte pople. It is a coporate leadership in the western world gone made on greed, a sense of entitlement, and a militatnly anti-Christian/Judaic, Islamic phi8losophty that makes greed and indifference to the suffering of others into virtues.
They also own all the major private news mecia in North America.
1. What study did Shawn Graham's government do before approving eploration for shale gas?
2. Why were regulations not immediately drafted?
3. Why are they still not in place?
4. What research has Mr. Alward's government done? (it wouldn't be expensive. Don't we have google on government computers?)
5. Why have some juisdictions banned fracking?
6. Don't we have geologists in our universities? How come they have not been interviewed?
7. How come there have been no reports of the problems with Fracking in the US?
8. Why aren't we told, as a matter of democratic routine, how mucdh money corpprations and unions donate to the parties - and how much each party gets from such donors?
9. How much of our money went into the U2 concert?
10. How much went to the band? How much to hotels and restaurants? How much found its way down to the pockets of ordinary rate-payers? How many of the concert and restaurant goers were native Monctoners; and, therefore, did not represent any new money at all? (That's rather important since claiming a profit with money that was always here in the first plact would be more than a little fraudulent.)
Not one of those questions has been addressed by the politicians; and, certainly, no politicians have been pressured by the Montcton times to answer them. Nor have Times editors bothered to select a reporter to get answers.
Hedard Albert, MLA from Carquet offers a column critical of the Alward government on education policy. The criticism is valid. But he offers no sign that his party has learned anything about education after its disastrous period in government - and still has no policy at all.
The only column of substance is Alec Bruce's. So I'll indulge myself in criticizing it. He argues that the US was engaged in making this a better world. It never was, and cerntainely not in the period of the 1945+ that he cites.
American policy has been consistent since 1775, to make its wealthy even wealthier by the use of military force. It has been at war almost continuosly since that time. (Indeed, with well over 200 wars on its record, it is surely one of the most aggrewssive counjtries in history.
It fought its native peoples, and took their land and resources. It tried to take Canada. It fought Mexico to steal one-third of Mexican territory. (The war began when the Mexican government attempted to stop American settlers from brining in slaves, since slavery was illegal in Mixico. (Davey Crockett, who became an American hero at the Alamo was, in fact, a slave trder.)
War with Spain gave the US much of Central America where it promptlyly established the dictatorships that were so useful in maintaing a level of poverty that ensured cheap labour,, to this day, for Chiqita Banana, Fruit of the Loom, and Levis. It took Hawaii to make the Doles happy. It took The Phllipines in a particularly brutal war because it wanted a military base to make profits fromcheap labour for American companies, and to challenge the British, French and Dutch looting right s in Asia.
The only democracies ever permitted by the US were those that were US puppets. That's why Aristide of Haiti waas sent into exile. The fool was going to raise the minimum wage from $3 a day to $5. There was also loose talk about building schools and even hospitals. After a century of american control, Haiti remains the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
More commonly, the US has overthrown democratic governments to iinstall dictators - as it did in Iran and Guatemala.
Today, the US stands where Britain stood in 1945. It's empire is too expensive in money and life to hold onto. Britain wisely gave up on the empire game. But the greed of American corporations is so great, it will not permit any retreat, no matter how great the cost in money and lives and suffering. I mean, presidents of Exxon are not suffering. Indeed, the incomes of the very rich have gone up even as some 50 million american live on food stamps.
The US is determined to gain world domination. But it's not to help the world. Make a list of the democracies the US has created. Make a list of how much foreign aid is given out in the form of weapons rather than food. Make a list of the billions in aid that are publicly promised but never delivered. (Sart with Haiti.)
No. I would not look to othe US for leadersup to a peaceful and prosperous world. The American people are as victimized as all of the rest of us by this. The problem is not hte pople. It is a coporate leadership in the western world gone made on greed, a sense of entitlement, and a militatnly anti-Christian/Judaic, Islamic phi8losophty that makes greed and indifference to the suffering of others into virtues.
They also own all the major private news mecia in North America.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
August 11: A newspaper is supposed to carry news......
....but not The Moncton Times and Transcript.
The front page, for the second day in a row features a picture of people jumping in the water. Pages A8 to A11 were about kites (and mostly just pictures of kites).NewsToday wastes a large space on the colour picture of the nose of a seal. There is no story. It's just the nose of a seal. Another page has a photo of a rainbow in France. Again, there is no story. It's just a picture of a rainbow. In France. With a paper already limited by the enormous space committed to ads, this deliberate waste of space in cutesie pictures is an insult to readers who are paying to get news.
There is almost no information to be had from this paper. There is almost nothing to read. If I had to name the greatest forces in encouraging illiteracy and ignoance in New Brunswick, the leaders would all be from Brunswickmedia.
There were spots of good reporting. For the second day in a row, the coverage of the anti-fracking demonstration at Stanley was covered with reasonsble fairness. The problem now is that the T&T while recognizing opposition to shale gas development (at last) has still not given us any information on the subject. Quebec has a moratorium on such development. Doesn't the T&T have a telephone? Couldn't they call Quebec to ask why?
France has banned it. Why? Are we allowed to know? Surely an e mail requiest could be sent without breaking the bank.
There is an amusing comment by Premier Alward in the story. He refused to talk to the demonstrators who were blocking the road to the drilling site because he doesn't talk to paople who are breaking the law. (Actually, he rarely talks at all, probably because he recognizes he has nothing to say. He prefers to play to his strength, standing still with his eyes open as though he's listening..)
So, he won't talk to demonstrators who are breaking the law....I can't help remembering how Mr. Irving broke the constitution by publicly delcaring he was a member of the government. Mr. Alward agreed that Mr. Irving and his friends, without being elected, would do the the major job normally done in a democracy by our elected members - planning the economiy. I guess it all depends...
The editorial is the usual blather of ignorance and bias. Apparently, the editor is of the opinion that the way to fix the problem of people out of work is to put more people out of work.
There is a hilarious opinion piece by Alec Bruce. It also, like much real humour, carries s a chilling message if you think about it.
Norbert Cunningham seems more comfortable now that he picks his topics in areas that interest him. Today's is worth a read. So, as ever, is Jody Dallaire's column on why so few women become economists. I think, though, she leaves out an important element. Of all academic fields (with the possibly exception of Political Science), Economics is the one with the lushest growth of biased ideologues and academic prostitutes for whoever has the price..
Assistant Managing Editor Rod Allen opened his op ed page columns with the statement that he is going to talk about the U2 concert, even though most people are fed up with hearing about it. Like most people, I suspect, I was fed up with the mindless jabber weeks before the show even arrrived. So I didn't read his column.
The front page, for the second day in a row features a picture of people jumping in the water. Pages A8 to A11 were about kites (and mostly just pictures of kites).NewsToday wastes a large space on the colour picture of the nose of a seal. There is no story. It's just the nose of a seal. Another page has a photo of a rainbow in France. Again, there is no story. It's just a picture of a rainbow. In France. With a paper already limited by the enormous space committed to ads, this deliberate waste of space in cutesie pictures is an insult to readers who are paying to get news.
There is almost no information to be had from this paper. There is almost nothing to read. If I had to name the greatest forces in encouraging illiteracy and ignoance in New Brunswick, the leaders would all be from Brunswickmedia.
There were spots of good reporting. For the second day in a row, the coverage of the anti-fracking demonstration at Stanley was covered with reasonsble fairness. The problem now is that the T&T while recognizing opposition to shale gas development (at last) has still not given us any information on the subject. Quebec has a moratorium on such development. Doesn't the T&T have a telephone? Couldn't they call Quebec to ask why?
France has banned it. Why? Are we allowed to know? Surely an e mail requiest could be sent without breaking the bank.
There is an amusing comment by Premier Alward in the story. He refused to talk to the demonstrators who were blocking the road to the drilling site because he doesn't talk to paople who are breaking the law. (Actually, he rarely talks at all, probably because he recognizes he has nothing to say. He prefers to play to his strength, standing still with his eyes open as though he's listening..)
So, he won't talk to demonstrators who are breaking the law....I can't help remembering how Mr. Irving broke the constitution by publicly delcaring he was a member of the government. Mr. Alward agreed that Mr. Irving and his friends, without being elected, would do the the major job normally done in a democracy by our elected members - planning the economiy. I guess it all depends...
The editorial is the usual blather of ignorance and bias. Apparently, the editor is of the opinion that the way to fix the problem of people out of work is to put more people out of work.
There is a hilarious opinion piece by Alec Bruce. It also, like much real humour, carries s a chilling message if you think about it.
Norbert Cunningham seems more comfortable now that he picks his topics in areas that interest him. Today's is worth a read. So, as ever, is Jody Dallaire's column on why so few women become economists. I think, though, she leaves out an important element. Of all academic fields (with the possibly exception of Political Science), Economics is the one with the lushest growth of biased ideologues and academic prostitutes for whoever has the price..
Assistant Managing Editor Rod Allen opened his op ed page columns with the statement that he is going to talk about the U2 concert, even though most people are fed up with hearing about it. Like most people, I suspect, I was fed up with the mindless jabber weeks before the show even arrrived. So I didn't read his column.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
August 9: The word "fracking" appeared, and in Section A!
Page 2 carries a "fracking" story At last. It's even a truthful and journalistically respectable account. It's too brief to be really useful. But it's a huge improvement on the asence of any news we have been getting on the issue.
It has finally dawned on somebody that the strategy of withholding information about facking has been a big mistake. We still haven't had enough (or honest enough) information on the issue - and the Moncton Times&Tribune and Mr. Alward have been scandalously reponsible for that. Nor do I think we're going to start getting it from those worthies. What is more likely is that this signals some change of strategy, an attempt at a soft sell (perhaps with more interviews with collaborative "experts",)
Section C shows the T&T is beginning - though just beginning - to recognize the seriousness of the riots in Britain. Relying on Pestmedia for its news. the T&T is still trivializing the riots as "gangs of crminials". Maybe. But given the size and spread of the riots, that explanation sounds simplistic. It is surely more likely that these riots are a sort of "British Spring" that are showinig up profound social problems made worse from the days of Thatcher through Tony Blair and now to Cameron. Police cannot solve a problem that was caused by a greed and indifference that has been inflicted on a society already crippled by class snobbery. The problem is not rioters. The problem is rulers.
There is another story from Postmedia which, as Postmedia usually does, try to shift discussion from the real causes of the problem, and to aim all our concern and anger at straw men. In this case, the problem is the recent stock market turmoil. The straw men are the politicians. Yes, it's all because this is the "sillyy season" in US politics; and business has lost confidence in the politicians.
Yessiree. If big business were running the show, if we could just get rid of those politicisns, then the markets would be fine. That's a childish anlysis.
1. It was big business that caused this recession in the first place. Unregulated capitalism, with all its greed and its lack of concern for anything but short-term profit, is what began the recession and is what is driving making even worse.
2. The politicians in the US are cerntarinly acting silly. But that's because big business bribes them to act that way. And what helps big corporations to get away with that that sort of corrupt behaviour is corporate ownership of newspapers - as in the case of Bunswickmedia. And Postmedia. It is not a coincidence that The Moncton Times buys much of its national news from Postmedia.
3. The Tea Party movement, which makes any usuful action by the US impossible, is a direct result of the propganda, fear, and lies generated by privately owned news media.
Yiu will notice that very little of our news is devoted to what is happening to the poor in all this, and to what we should be doing about them. That's because a)corporations and most news media don't give a damn about the poor, and b) they intend to blame the poor for causing the recession.
Sure. In fact, most of the wealth produced in the US and Canada has been has been going into the pockets of the super rich - and it has stayed there so that almost one-third of Americans now live in poverty. Combined with their greed, the super rich have been financially reckless, have plunged us into expensive wars, and have corrupted our politicians. That's why we have a recession.
But you'll never see a hint of that in Postmedia or The Moncton T&T. They'll be taking aim at old age security pesnions, health care, and other frivolous luxuries. Watch Obama's budget cuts. You'll see them in social spending. You won't see cuts in military spending. You won't see any rise in taxes of the super-rich, even though their real tax payments are very low. Watch for the same behaviour in Canada. Alward has already cut spending for schools. But he hasn't raised the cost of energy for those favoured interests who get special rates.
In short, there are only two reasons to buy today's Moncton paper. One is that the T&T has at least attempted to write an honest report about an anti-fracking deomonstration.
The other is Alec Bruce's column on the economic crisis, and how it is also a social crisis.. It is a piece of writing that combines fire, anger, realism - and the common sense we have not had from most of our news media. I would urge everyone to buy The Moncton Times and Trnascript just for that column.
It has finally dawned on somebody that the strategy of withholding information about facking has been a big mistake. We still haven't had enough (or honest enough) information on the issue - and the Moncton Times&Tribune and Mr. Alward have been scandalously reponsible for that. Nor do I think we're going to start getting it from those worthies. What is more likely is that this signals some change of strategy, an attempt at a soft sell (perhaps with more interviews with collaborative "experts",)
Section C shows the T&T is beginning - though just beginning - to recognize the seriousness of the riots in Britain. Relying on Pestmedia for its news. the T&T is still trivializing the riots as "gangs of crminials". Maybe. But given the size and spread of the riots, that explanation sounds simplistic. It is surely more likely that these riots are a sort of "British Spring" that are showinig up profound social problems made worse from the days of Thatcher through Tony Blair and now to Cameron. Police cannot solve a problem that was caused by a greed and indifference that has been inflicted on a society already crippled by class snobbery. The problem is not rioters. The problem is rulers.
There is another story from Postmedia which, as Postmedia usually does, try to shift discussion from the real causes of the problem, and to aim all our concern and anger at straw men. In this case, the problem is the recent stock market turmoil. The straw men are the politicians. Yes, it's all because this is the "sillyy season" in US politics; and business has lost confidence in the politicians.
Yessiree. If big business were running the show, if we could just get rid of those politicisns, then the markets would be fine. That's a childish anlysis.
1. It was big business that caused this recession in the first place. Unregulated capitalism, with all its greed and its lack of concern for anything but short-term profit, is what began the recession and is what is driving making even worse.
2. The politicians in the US are cerntarinly acting silly. But that's because big business bribes them to act that way. And what helps big corporations to get away with that that sort of corrupt behaviour is corporate ownership of newspapers - as in the case of Bunswickmedia. And Postmedia. It is not a coincidence that The Moncton Times buys much of its national news from Postmedia.
3. The Tea Party movement, which makes any usuful action by the US impossible, is a direct result of the propganda, fear, and lies generated by privately owned news media.
Yiu will notice that very little of our news is devoted to what is happening to the poor in all this, and to what we should be doing about them. That's because a)corporations and most news media don't give a damn about the poor, and b) they intend to blame the poor for causing the recession.
Sure. In fact, most of the wealth produced in the US and Canada has been has been going into the pockets of the super rich - and it has stayed there so that almost one-third of Americans now live in poverty. Combined with their greed, the super rich have been financially reckless, have plunged us into expensive wars, and have corrupted our politicians. That's why we have a recession.
But you'll never see a hint of that in Postmedia or The Moncton T&T. They'll be taking aim at old age security pesnions, health care, and other frivolous luxuries. Watch Obama's budget cuts. You'll see them in social spending. You won't see cuts in military spending. You won't see any rise in taxes of the super-rich, even though their real tax payments are very low. Watch for the same behaviour in Canada. Alward has already cut spending for schools. But he hasn't raised the cost of energy for those favoured interests who get special rates.
In short, there are only two reasons to buy today's Moncton paper. One is that the T&T has at least attempted to write an honest report about an anti-fracking deomonstration.
The other is Alec Bruce's column on the economic crisis, and how it is also a social crisis.. It is a piece of writing that combines fire, anger, realism - and the common sense we have not had from most of our news media. I would urge everyone to buy The Moncton Times and Trnascript just for that column.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
August 9: They noticed the economic crisis!
It didn't make section A. Page A1 was reserved for a picture of girls jumping into the water, a kite fest, an article on how rainy it is (for those who haven't noticed it); and the rest of the section is just as good.
But the big story of the day make the NewsToday section - as "World markets rattled". Rattled, though, is surely an understatement as in - "Hiroshima day marred by atomic bomb".
As well, the story reassures us that it is " unlikely the US well reenter recession amd drag Camada along with it". Cute. Very cute. The economist who said that is defining recession as a time when the rich are losing money. They aren't so, by those terms we're in good times. The reality in the US is that aome 50 million people are living on good stamps. Over a quarter of all American children are living in poverty. True enough, that's not a recession. That's a depression. And the suffering will grow to be much worse as the US cuts spending for the poor to give lush contracts to the defence industry.
Watch for the next stage of the Times and Transcript reaction as we feel the recession more keenly. It will demand cuts in provincial services to most New Brunswickers, but insist on welfare for coroporations, welfafe in the form of tax cuts, energy prices, subsidies, "stimulation" projects.
The argument will be that welfare for the rich will revive the economy. The paper may even call on a trusted authority like professor Savoie to asssure us that cutting taxes to the rich will pull us out of the slump.
Of course, corporate welfare in any form will do no such thing. You don't need a degree in economics to figure that out. For almost a century, Haiti has had close to no business taxes at all, no regulations, no social services - and it has produced considerable wealth, particularly in clothing and food exports. But all that wealth has stayed in the pockets of the very rich - Haitians who produce those goods remain the poorest in the western world.
But just you watch the Alward puppet government and the puppet T&T. Our masters haven't finished with us yet. Bad times are good for those who can make money out of cheap labour and low corporate taxes.
As well, the T&T has at last noticed the British riots, now spreading from London to other cities. The story resports that the British gtovernment has blamed the riots on opportunistic criminals. In fact, the British goveronment abandoned that version a day ago - long before the T&T went to press. Now,
Britain admits the riots have more to do with anger at the failure of government to deal realistically with the recession by taxing the rich and helping the poor. That would go a long way to revive the economy.Jesus didn't feed the multititude by keeping all the breat and fishses for himself and the disciples.
That explains why the US is not able to deal with its economic crisis. The super rich, who hold so much of the nationa's wealth that they could balance the budget on their taxes alone, are determined not to pay a cent. They are going to force the poor and what is left of the middle class to pay the price. Expect the same (actually, more of the same) from Alward - or from the Liberals should anybody be dumb enough to elect them again.)
There are two, solid columns by Alec Bruce and Gwynne Dyer. The top of the op ed page has its usual opinion column written by a staff writer. It could be titled, "Wow! What about that U2 show, eh?"
There is no mention of fracking in New Brunswick. No pictures. No explanation. No notice of where it's happening. No mention of local reactions.
But, of course, that's not as important as how great the U2 show was, and who we shoul get for next year to draw all those American tourists just looking for a place to spend their food stamps.
But the big story of the day make the NewsToday section - as "World markets rattled". Rattled, though, is surely an understatement as in - "Hiroshima day marred by atomic bomb".
As well, the story reassures us that it is " unlikely the US well reenter recession amd drag Camada along with it". Cute. Very cute. The economist who said that is defining recession as a time when the rich are losing money. They aren't so, by those terms we're in good times. The reality in the US is that aome 50 million people are living on good stamps. Over a quarter of all American children are living in poverty. True enough, that's not a recession. That's a depression. And the suffering will grow to be much worse as the US cuts spending for the poor to give lush contracts to the defence industry.
Watch for the next stage of the Times and Transcript reaction as we feel the recession more keenly. It will demand cuts in provincial services to most New Brunswickers, but insist on welfare for coroporations, welfafe in the form of tax cuts, energy prices, subsidies, "stimulation" projects.
The argument will be that welfare for the rich will revive the economy. The paper may even call on a trusted authority like professor Savoie to asssure us that cutting taxes to the rich will pull us out of the slump.
Of course, corporate welfare in any form will do no such thing. You don't need a degree in economics to figure that out. For almost a century, Haiti has had close to no business taxes at all, no regulations, no social services - and it has produced considerable wealth, particularly in clothing and food exports. But all that wealth has stayed in the pockets of the very rich - Haitians who produce those goods remain the poorest in the western world.
But just you watch the Alward puppet government and the puppet T&T. Our masters haven't finished with us yet. Bad times are good for those who can make money out of cheap labour and low corporate taxes.
As well, the T&T has at last noticed the British riots, now spreading from London to other cities. The story resports that the British gtovernment has blamed the riots on opportunistic criminals. In fact, the British goveronment abandoned that version a day ago - long before the T&T went to press. Now,
Britain admits the riots have more to do with anger at the failure of government to deal realistically with the recession by taxing the rich and helping the poor. That would go a long way to revive the economy.Jesus didn't feed the multititude by keeping all the breat and fishses for himself and the disciples.
That explains why the US is not able to deal with its economic crisis. The super rich, who hold so much of the nationa's wealth that they could balance the budget on their taxes alone, are determined not to pay a cent. They are going to force the poor and what is left of the middle class to pay the price. Expect the same (actually, more of the same) from Alward - or from the Liberals should anybody be dumb enough to elect them again.)
There are two, solid columns by Alec Bruce and Gwynne Dyer. The top of the op ed page has its usual opinion column written by a staff writer. It could be titled, "Wow! What about that U2 show, eh?"
There is no mention of fracking in New Brunswick. No pictures. No explanation. No notice of where it's happening. No mention of local reactions.
But, of course, that's not as important as how great the U2 show was, and who we shoul get for next year to draw all those American tourists just looking for a place to spend their food stamps.
Monday, August 8, 2011
August 8: missing the news - and hiding the news.
Last last night, I made up a quick list of major news items, suggesting we should look at today's Times and Transcript to see how many they noticed. What I found this morning was a mixture of missing the news - and hiding it.
Section A had nothing at all. The closest it came to a major story was one on the rise of power rates.It all depends, we are told, on the government's "vision" of the future of enrgy power in NB. Evidently, the reporter and the editor don't read their own newspaper. It was months ago the TandT reported that planning for the provnice's economic future had been handed over by Alward to a self-appopinted group, mostly of business leaders. (and that was just a recognition of how economic plans have always been made in this province.)
It's typical day at the Moncton T&T.
NB Power's Director of Corporate Relations said that the government would later be able to give a fulsome report on plans. No doubt. But before that report comes out, the, the director, the reporter and the news editor should check the meaning of fulsome. (I have no doubt the report will be fulsome.)
NewsToday, on its first page, put the economic crisis at the botton of the page - and discussed it only as game playing by the Democrats and Republicans.
PageC2 has two stories on the debt crisis, neither of which explains what caused it, who holds the economic cards, or what is being done.
The demonstations in Israel at last made the T&T - but in a way that journalists call hiding the story. The story is that Israelis have been protesting the impoverishing os the whole nation in order to make a handful of people very, very rich. This is exactly what has been happening in Canada and the US. The difference is that Canadians and Americans are a pretty passive lot. They will accept any kind of abuse. Israelis will not. This is a protest that strikes at the heart of Israel's economic system; and its dmands are not likely to be adequately met.
How does one hide such a story? You pu t it under a headline that gives it a positive spin. You don't say, "Quarter Million Israelis demonstrate to protest greed of the rich in Israel". No. you write a headline that says everying is under control. "Israeli leader sets group to address protester demands".
It's rather as if a man were the break a politician's leg with a sledgehammer; and the headline were to read "Hospital treats injured politician." You hide the story with a weak headline. Readers yawn, and turn the page.
On the same page, we have the helicopter crash in Afghanistan headlined "NATO investigates deadly Afghan helicopter crash." That looks propoerly sad - but not critical. The real story is this. Our leaders have been claining that the Taliban are on the run; and we can soon leave because the Afghan government is in control. The truth is the opposite.
The Taliban appear to be stronger and more popular than ever. The downed helicopter may have been shot down by Taliban. The death toll for NATO and the rate of civilian deaths are both ono the rise. You can get that reading the whole story. But journalists know that most people won't. They'll read "NATO investigages deadly Afghan helicopter crash"; and turn the page.
Pause for p. D5 for the comics, a world entirely populated by white people.
On D6, the editorial cartoon hos noticed there is an economic crisis on. Thank God for small blessings. (TGFSB).
Alec Brice's column is the only one to grasp how serious this is, and to give some esplanation of why it is happening. For decades, the super rich in places like the US, Israel, and Canada (even New Brunswick) have been sytematially impovershing us by avoiding taxes, expanding their access to cheap labour countries (setting up revolutions in those that don't go cooperate), using our taxes to fight wars that benefit them, corrupting politicians. As a result the greater part of our national wealth has ended up in their pockets. Now, they have no customers left among us. But not to worry. They'll still make profits by making us a cheap labour country, and by cutting off frills (like health care and food) for the rest of us. And in this venture they can count ono the full support of all the news media and politicans that they own.
Allan Abel contributes a useful piece in his story of the "recession" that is really a depression in most of the US..
What didn't make the news? Even in hidden form?
There was no report on a poll showing Conservative support nationally is going down the tubes.
There was no story of how Asian stocks went down the tubes yesterday because of the collapse of any hopes for the American economy.
There was no mention that Alward has given premission for drilling for shale gas along the Miramichi. I wonder how they could miss that. Don't some people get drinking water from the Miramichi? Quite a few people?
Section A had nothing at all. The closest it came to a major story was one on the rise of power rates.It all depends, we are told, on the government's "vision" of the future of enrgy power in NB. Evidently, the reporter and the editor don't read their own newspaper. It was months ago the TandT reported that planning for the provnice's economic future had been handed over by Alward to a self-appopinted group, mostly of business leaders. (and that was just a recognition of how economic plans have always been made in this province.)
It's typical day at the Moncton T&T.
NB Power's Director of Corporate Relations said that the government would later be able to give a fulsome report on plans. No doubt. But before that report comes out, the, the director, the reporter and the news editor should check the meaning of fulsome. (I have no doubt the report will be fulsome.)
NewsToday, on its first page, put the economic crisis at the botton of the page - and discussed it only as game playing by the Democrats and Republicans.
PageC2 has two stories on the debt crisis, neither of which explains what caused it, who holds the economic cards, or what is being done.
The demonstations in Israel at last made the T&T - but in a way that journalists call hiding the story. The story is that Israelis have been protesting the impoverishing os the whole nation in order to make a handful of people very, very rich. This is exactly what has been happening in Canada and the US. The difference is that Canadians and Americans are a pretty passive lot. They will accept any kind of abuse. Israelis will not. This is a protest that strikes at the heart of Israel's economic system; and its dmands are not likely to be adequately met.
How does one hide such a story? You pu t it under a headline that gives it a positive spin. You don't say, "Quarter Million Israelis demonstrate to protest greed of the rich in Israel". No. you write a headline that says everying is under control. "Israeli leader sets group to address protester demands".
It's rather as if a man were the break a politician's leg with a sledgehammer; and the headline were to read "Hospital treats injured politician." You hide the story with a weak headline. Readers yawn, and turn the page.
On the same page, we have the helicopter crash in Afghanistan headlined "NATO investigates deadly Afghan helicopter crash." That looks propoerly sad - but not critical. The real story is this. Our leaders have been claining that the Taliban are on the run; and we can soon leave because the Afghan government is in control. The truth is the opposite.
The Taliban appear to be stronger and more popular than ever. The downed helicopter may have been shot down by Taliban. The death toll for NATO and the rate of civilian deaths are both ono the rise. You can get that reading the whole story. But journalists know that most people won't. They'll read "NATO investigages deadly Afghan helicopter crash"; and turn the page.
Pause for p. D5 for the comics, a world entirely populated by white people.
On D6, the editorial cartoon hos noticed there is an economic crisis on. Thank God for small blessings. (TGFSB).
Alec Brice's column is the only one to grasp how serious this is, and to give some esplanation of why it is happening. For decades, the super rich in places like the US, Israel, and Canada (even New Brunswick) have been sytematially impovershing us by avoiding taxes, expanding their access to cheap labour countries (setting up revolutions in those that don't go cooperate), using our taxes to fight wars that benefit them, corrupting politicians. As a result the greater part of our national wealth has ended up in their pockets. Now, they have no customers left among us. But not to worry. They'll still make profits by making us a cheap labour country, and by cutting off frills (like health care and food) for the rest of us. And in this venture they can count ono the full support of all the news media and politicans that they own.
Allan Abel contributes a useful piece in his story of the "recession" that is really a depression in most of the US..
What didn't make the news? Even in hidden form?
There was no report on a poll showing Conservative support nationally is going down the tubes.
There was no story of how Asian stocks went down the tubes yesterday because of the collapse of any hopes for the American economy.
There was no mention that Alward has given premission for drilling for shale gas along the Miramichi. I wonder how they could miss that. Don't some people get drinking water from the Miramichi? Quite a few people?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
August 7: What will not be in the Moncton Times on August 8?
I write this close to midnight on news picked up in a casual few minutes. It is all news that was available well before The Moncton Times and Transcript was put to bed. So here's a check list on some of the stires that should be in the paper on Monday, August 8. Let'a see how many make it.
1. Alward has given permission for frilling for shale gas by the Miramichi, an area highly sensitives if there whould be environmenatl damage.
2. Israel has had a second weekend of massive demonstrations against the government - much like those iwe called "the arab spring"' The Moncton Tand T didn't think the first one worth reporting. Will it report the second? NO clear numbers are available - but somewhere between a quarter million and a million.
3.Asian stock markets have slumped on news that the US credit rating has been cowngraded. That makes Monday a very important day for our markets, a day that could affect all of us. Will the TandT bother to mention that?
4. London has suffered to nights of violent rioting, a sign of the strain developing in Britain, as well as throughout Europe..
5. Conservative support is slipping badly in Canada.
So let's make a list, and check those that make it into the Tand\T.
1. Alward has given permission for frilling for shale gas by the Miramichi, an area highly sensitives if there whould be environmenatl damage.
2. Israel has had a second weekend of massive demonstrations against the government - much like those iwe called "the arab spring"' The Moncton Tand T didn't think the first one worth reporting. Will it report the second? NO clear numbers are available - but somewhere between a quarter million and a million.
3.Asian stock markets have slumped on news that the US credit rating has been cowngraded. That makes Monday a very important day for our markets, a day that could affect all of us. Will the TandT bother to mention that?
4. London has suffered to nights of violent rioting, a sign of the strain developing in Britain, as well as throughout Europe..
5. Conservative support is slipping badly in Canada.
So let's make a list, and check those that make it into the Tand\T.
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