Condemning scare tactics about socialism
By Letter to the Editor on November 20, 2020.
After receiving an email from MP Rachael Harder, I confess to being both flummoxed and appalled that during an international pandemic, a Canadian representative would borrow rhetorical flourishes from American conservatives, especially the Republican Party and conservative wings of the Democratic Party.
Given the aggressive undermining of the health-care system in Alberta by the UCP, the recent fiscal mismanagement amounting to more than a billion dollars in lost funding, and the sneaky, underhanded tactics used to fire teachers’ assistants prior to that, perhaps one should not be surprised by fear-mongering about socialism.
A party that somehow thinks it can resurrect the old days of oil wealth with sheer force of will, regardless of the environmental impact, should perhaps not be trusted with one’s ideological leadership and direction. This is also the party responsible for creating a local health-care crisis by shutting down the supervised injection site without creating any type of stopgap or replacement – even after this very representative spoke out in the local newspaper about the humanitarian concerns of “encouraging” addicts.
And yet, I find myself faced with McCarthyist tactics such as this scaremongering about “socialism.” This Cold War-era preaching against the fearful dangers of socialism signals the type of rapacious politics this party truly endorses.
It is, of course, the CPC and Ms. Harder’s right to believe and support whatever they like, as long as it doesn’t amount to hate speech or violence.
But the death by inches inflicted upon the most vulnerable members of this province is very cohesive with “anti-socialist” propaganda. We must push back on this dog-whistling and dehumanizing line of thought.
The AUPE and CUPE members who are striking need to be supported, and the cuts to our health care reversed. The sheer fiscal mismanagement from a party ballyhooing spending from the NDP is the height of absurd hypocrisy. Further, it suggests dangerous tendencies borrowed from American politicians.
If I wished to live in America, I would move there. Since I value our supportive infrastructure, I will instead condemn and excoriate the UCP’s actions, and the CPC and Ms. Harder’s support of them, with the sharpest words I can command.
Michelle Browne
Lethbridge
-1
Well said Michelle and as my true conservative friends know they aren’t conservatives they are reformers and don’t give a damn about anyone but themselves and their rich friends.
Now they want to pay for blood donations but of course don’t have the money so you know where that is going. Albertans who need it will have to pay or do without. This alone could cost many people their lives.
If radical right-wingers were receiving state funding for political operations disguised as university courses, as the radical left-wingers clearly are, the uproar from progressives across North America would be deafening. – Jordan B. Peterson
This coming from a guy who supports Liberal , turned Reformer Jason Kenney and believes every lie he feeds him just like he did with Liberal Ralph Klein.
Quoting “the [dangerous] professor of piffle” does little to support any argument you thought you were making in response to Michelle Brown’s letter. In fact, it accomplishes the very opposite, and sets you up as a mirror of Peterson’s conspiracy theories and his crude interpretations/distortions of topics entirely outside his expertise.
On the contrary! Jordan’s quote/quotes expose the “Dangerous” indoctrination of socialism at a state funded level. This obviously is very unnerving for you!
johnny 57, in your own words, just exactly what is ‘indoctrination of socialism at a state funded level”? Without gaslighting, please elaborate.
Why do you ask?
Because you quoted Jordan Peterson. Please elaborate on what is meant in the quote you selected and what you mean by the ‘indoctrination of socialism at the state funded level’. If you are unable to elaborate in your own words it raises the question as to whether or not you understand what socialism is or understand how Jordan Peterson is framing his assertions.
I CLEARLY understand what Jordan’s quote means! I also CLEARLY understand what socialism means and its many pit-falls. As Jordan has said many times before “Show me one civilization that has thrived under socialism.”
I have bad knees so I can’t descend down your rabbit-hole.
Well now. Another science fiction story from MB. First of all, where did MP Harder borrow fluorishes? No examples given, just slander by allusion. Nobody has the time and patience to reply to the lies, half-truths and illegal proposals that comprise this letter from MB so I will not bother. And FuC, IMO and like will endlessly argue black is white and good is bad unless it supports their goals anyways.
I prefer to live in a caring, free Canada of opportunity, guided by minimal but enforced laws and a government that supports and protects its citizens rather than controls and owns them. That is apparently not the writer’s Canada. Nor of the progressives represented by MB here, that work to divide and destroy Canada’s unity and our culture that has delivered us to the highest quality of life in the history of mankind. The PCP and UCP that MB rails against assuredly are imperfect but they are at least aiming that direction. Can anyone claim that for the current Liberal, NDP, and US Democrats?
Interestingly, Resolute, for someone lacking time and patience, it didn’t deter you from committing the error you accuse Michelle Browne of committing and, together with johnny57, gaslight and make assumptions about people you do not know anything about. Moreover, your assertions regarding the quality of life in Canada represent a blatant exaggeration. For example, On January 14, 2020, Newswire.ca reported “that over 1,350,000 children in Canada continue to live in poverty, with Indigenous children, racialized and immigrant children, and children in female-led single parent families disproportionately affected. The national child poverty rate has decreased exceptionally slowly over the last 30 years, from 22% to 18.6%. At the current rate, it will take another 155 years for the government to reach the goal to eliminate child poverty.”
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/new-national-report-card-on-child-and-family-poverty-sets-the-stage-for-a-poverty-free-canada-856204601.html
https://www.newswire.ca/news/campaign-2000
Poverty is subjective.
Is poverty living on the streets and begging for food?
Is poverty living on the streets and eating at a soup kitchen everyday?
Is poverty renting a small room in a house and having to rely on the food bank and soup kitchen?
Is poverty renting a small apartment with enough money for food, but not much else?
Is poverty having a small house but you can’t afford a car?
is poverty not being able to afford the latest iPhone?
See what I’m getting at? There are no kids in Canada starving or freezing to death.
Of course, Seth Anthony! In your view, children in Canada must be starving or freezing to death in order to meet YOUR definition of poverty.
Excuse me?
I made a valid and rational point, yet your response is some bizarre assumption.
It’s also ironic that I did not define poverty (in fact I did the opposite), yet you tried to invalidate my position by claiming I defined poverty. WTH?
You are doing an excellent job of invalidating any of your claims, yourself, Seth Anthony.
I made no claim that can be invalidated. There are no kids in Canada that freeze or starve to death. That is irrefutable.
My point is, YOUR claims are invalid, as you have not defined “poverty”. Claiming X number of people live in poverty is meaningless due to it’s lack of context.
BTW- If you have some sort of argument that refutes my “claims”, then go ahead and post it. Otherwise, you’re just blowing smoke.
No logical reply from IMO.
“Blowing smoke” indeed.
Apparently you think that believing the lies of Liberals turned Reformers in Jason Kenney and Ralph Klein is what you like to support and don’t give a damn about what they have done and are doing to our fellow seniors , widows, widowers, those needing long term health care , single moms, or low income families, right? You certainly aren’t anything like the true conservatives in my world who do care.
They all point out how Kenney is deliberately dividing the people pitting one side against the other, making doctors, nurses and teachers look like the enemy while he fills the pockets of his Reform Party buddies with taxpayers money and making his rich friends richer with tax breaks. Can you prove he isn’t?
Maybe you can explain why we are hearing more and more Albertans saying that Kenney lied to them and they wish they hadn’t supported him and why he now has the lowest popularity rating in Canada of all the conservative governments?
still the ignorant lack of understanding that socialism is what china practices, and what the former ussr was. and most of these uninformed will applaud socialist practice when we turn over massive amounts of public money to the biggest corps whenever they “need” a bailout, which is often, too often. “socialist” kenney giving billions to big oil…or, is it oligarchical kenney giving billions to big oil. china, the ussr, now russia…they are totalitarian, oligarchical systems, not socialist.
where has socialism worked? it worked extremely well for the brunt of indigenous socities the world over, despite their lack of technological innovation. however, technological innovation has been a dual edged sword for the planet, as we have in a very short, blip of a time come to a point of unsustainability. loss of healthy ecosystems, loss of diversity, extinction of flora and fauna, pollution, toxic habitats, cancer – all have somehow come to be seen as normal. the dominant approach has further undermined and virtually eradicated cultures and social systems that thrived for tens of thousands of years.
socialism requires the virtues of compassion, heart, love…things that are sorely lacking and blunted in a corrupted capitalist approach. it requires that society uplifts itself considerably, for capitalism operates at a level that bounces between the development of 2-3 year olds, and self absorbed adolescence. it is not fully present nor operational because the crony greedmongers and power brokers do not want to lose their position.
however, we can ask where are some of the basic tenets of socialism working well, and lend hope to the idea that perhaps humanity may be close to being evolved enough to incorporate a fairer, healthier and sustainable approach.