Empires collapse usually due to a combination of military overreach and economic weakness, and, judged by these criteria, the U.S. imperial order seems headed for an imminent fall. Washington’s occupation of Iraq has been a disaster. Even after two years, the U.S. military has failed to subdue the Iraqi resistance. A recent report by Knight Ridder Newspapers declared the war “unwinnable.”
Economy and economic indicators
Inside this issue:
BC Budget 2005: A Missed Opportunity
Who Benefits? Revisiting BC’s Income Tax Cuts
The $150 Million Question: What Does New K-12 Funding Mean For BC’s Schools?
Is the Province Equipped to Tackle the Pine Beetle’s Long-term Impact?
BC’s Economic Recovery: The Role of Commodity Prices
Inside this issue:
Women's Employment in BC: Effects of Government Downsizing and Policy Changes
Rolling Back Pay Equity Gains: The Case of Health Support Privatization
Legal Aid Denied: Women and the Cuts to Legal Services in BC
Reality Check: The BC Economy in 2004
You do not have to scratch too far below the surface of BC Budget 2005 before it looks an awful lot like an election platform. The lofty promises of 2001’s New Era platform have been recast as The Golden Decade. Is this budget just cynical electioneering?Like any pre-election budget, new spending is at the forefront, with a $1.5 billion increase over 2004/05. Most of this—about $1.1 billion—goes to health care and education. Unlike previous years, however, there are no cuts outside health care and education.
Inside this issue:
Beyond "Haves" and "Have-nots": A Closer Look at BC and Equalization
Memo to BC: Ontario learned the hard way
Olympics Reality Check
Winnipeg— The Manitoba economy performed relatively well in 2004. But there are signs that 2005 will be a lacklustre year. A just released report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, The State of the Manitoba Economy, 2004, concludes with a call for an active government to stabilize the economy.
The Ministry of Finance’s second quarter update on the 2004/05 BC Budget deserves to be put in a museum as a wonderful example of the fine art of government spin. In case you have not seen the commercials on TV, the Ministry’s press release begins with four glowing paragraphs about the BC economy. According to Finance Minister Gary Collins, “BC is on the move.”
Nova Scotians are having a plebiscite on Sunday shopping and debate on the issue is in full swing. The proponents of Sunday shopping have portrayed it as a simple matter of providing choice to businesses and shoppers. In fact 7- day-a-week shopping will have an impact on all of us whether we chose to shop on Sunday or not.
The proponents of Sunday shopping would have us believe that Nova Scotia is a region stuck in the past that needs to catch up to the rest of the world. In fact much of the industrial world does not allow wide open shopping on Sundays.