AstroGeek wrote:
@Visagrunt
it's too long to quote all of that, but I'll address as much as I can. I apologize if I miss something
First, I'm not claiming that I'd do a good job running the country. It would probably be a disaster. For reasons such as the ones you pointed out. I'm just talking about the ideal that, as an ecosocialist, I'd like to do.
You can't really have a lot of competition among airlines and rail-lines. We only have three halfway significant airlines and 2 rail-lines. Also, nationalizing the rail-lines would allow the passenger trains in all of Canada to run more quickly. I suppose in the case of airlines, better regulation could work as well, although low prices isn't exactly what I want, because flying is very carbon intensive. But by nationalizing Air Canada it would give some control over CO2 emissions from aircraft, which would be useful. And profits would become government equity (or be used to pay off debt).
I'm pretty sure that banks and the other services I mentioned could provide lower prices to people, but in any case I just feel that stuff which is so important should be under democratic control. Which is why I am also very positive about cooperatives as a way to do this. For the farms, if I understand what you are saying about the "closely held corporations," turning them into cooperatives shouldn't make much difference. It would just distribute control among the shareholders more equally.
I hadn't thought of pension plans, I admit. I didn't mention it, but I would make sure to have advisers who know about these sorts of issues and be able to suggest solutions. I suppose agreements could be worked out where the government starts paying those dividends at some negotiated level, adjusted for inflation. Also, I would look at using the Guaranteed Livable Income as a way to replace pensions in part (although only in part).
I agree, probably the only places high speed rail would work for now is the Corridor and maybe Calgary-Edmonton. As much as possible, the rail would be built over top of some of the lanes of multi-lane highways. This would increase congestion, but it would also help to discourage people from driving private automobiles. Another strategy would be to build it on elevated rail over top of current rail lines, although that would be expensive of course. Still, it would be a good stimulus project.
Good comment about the GG. I suppose it would make more sense to just have Parliament elect him or her. As for the Senate, I suppose another possibility would be to just give each province 10 senators (and maybe 5 to each territory). Each province could vote based on a party and the ten seats would be distributed by proportional representation or the system (which is kind of weird) that they use to elect MEPs in Europe. Or something along those lines.
I do think that the current Free Trade Agreements need to be greatly changed. They do undermine some of our national sovereignty. And I don't really like globalization in any case. Obviously we can't completely get rid of trade, for the reasons you mention, and so much of our economy depends on it. I think it might be worth diversifying our partners, especially expanding trade (but not free trade) with the Commonwealth. NAFTA needs to be radically renegotiated if we are to stay in it. I think though that trade agreements should be negotiated sector by sector.
I should probably mention too that I would reverse just about everything that the Harper government has done. We would be back in the Kyoto Protocol, the gun registry would stay, the Wheat Board would be brought back, etc. etc.
Here's what I like about your thinking: you are willing to examine it critically.
I might not agree that your ideas are the best ones--but that's entirely irrelevant. The thing that matters, as far as I am concerned, is that you're willing to look at the impacts of your thinking, and change your thinking to accommodate unintended consequences.
I am not altogether persuaded that other people would have a similar response to challenges to their thinking. Bravo.
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--James
22 Feb 2012, 11:08 pm
