================ IMNSHO this is because the politicians and bureaucrats no longer work for the long-term best self-interest of the people of their country [as in *MAJORITY* ] but rather: a) the pols because of the huge campaign donations [and possibly outright bribes] made by the transnational corporations and elites; and b) the bureaucrats/functionaries because of their "higher" loyalty to some abstraction such as the WTO and "world peace."
When was the last time you can recall that a decision was made that would adversely affect the interests of a transnational corporation and/or "the greater good" in the global sense, even though it devastated huge areas of the local economy and/or significant numbers of the citizens?
These people will not change, and the only solution is replacement, with limits on tenure, as in "term limits." For un elected officials, the only cure I can think of is mandatory relocation within the bureaucracy, much as the military requires a change in assignment every three years. More direct action simply makes martyrs, and further solidifies the grasp of power of those remaining.
It would also be helpful to transfer Canada's capitol from Ottawa to Moose Jaw, and the US's capitol from DC to Hill City, Kansas.
Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
Wanna look into NAFTA? Try to figure out why, if there is such a problem with the softwood lumber industry, I cannot find Canadian lumber here in Canada. The few sticks of "made in Canada" wood I can find, are from an American company. What Canadian lumber made it into the US, got tarriffed up the hoop, and the consumer footed the cost, though they did not see any changes in their own industry, which is doing about aas well as the Canadian one.
The schools. That has come about because manual labour of any kind is (was?) not valued by the kind of people that went to university and became teachers. They push kids to go to The U, instead of learning something useful.
I put the "was" in there, because those are the same people that are happy to pay $100 an hour IF they can get a plumber to come fix what they cannot!
Canada's number one issue, as I see it, is that we, as a country, have relied on the export of raw materials, rather than finished goods, for a lot of the major industries. Wood, Grain, Ore, Fish. If you keep buying at retail and selling wholesale, you starve yourself, whether fast or slow.
trevor - please don't tar all of us who went to college with the "didn't learn anything useful" - first, it isn't just going to universty, it is pretty much everyone, second I and my children did go and we repair our own stuff. make stuff, build stuff and design stuff, though I do admit to hiring a roofer to do my house after my wife and I did the garage - more to save my back than anything else. It is not the fault of the schools either, it is the fault of parents who would rather watch sports than play them, who would rather buy their son a new scooter than work with them to build one (even if they had a clue), who would rather read about a celebrity's sobriety problem than about anything involving technology, and who as a result have the intellectual capacity of a gnat. Education makes you curious, popluar culture and television makes you passive and apathetic.
This is true not only in the US and Canada, but globally, among rich and poor - those who do are distained over those who display - why should a star athelete earn the salary of 100 teachers(or 1000 teachers) or 50 skilled engineers or 50 skilled mechanics? Because people don't value teachers, engineers and mechanics - they value things that they can understand without thinking - big breasts, stupid games of strength, and public displays of stupidity. Put YOUR money and time in the right place, teach your children to distain celebrities and YOUR brood will be better off.
======== Terrific insight. Its all about "value added" processing/manufacturing.
Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
There are exceptions to every generalization. You are in a pretty small minority, of the whole.
I can presume that, along the way, you did not have as many teachers that used the term "ditchdigger" as a term of derision for those that work with their hands. I heard it often enough to recognise the general feeling conveyed by it.
I was neither in a position financially, nor inclined from any sort of motivational sense, to head off to college or university. No regrets on that, nor any jealousy towards those that did. Just not a lot of perceived value in the investment, to me.
I still look over the course catalogs of a couple local and distance learning establishments, and see little on offer that would do me any good, as much of it is either of the "ticks inna box" collecting points towards something that would not get me a job I'd bother to apply for, or they are trades related courses that are directly aimed at certified tradesmen, mostly industrial, like welders or construction. These latter, though of interest, represent an investment in time, energy, and money, that would never return to me.
Knew too many that did the U thing that still ended up broke and working dead end jobs to make their student loan payments, because they had zero for a clue as to where it was all to lead. Some of them now have seniority at said dead end kobs, so I guess if it's workin' for them...
Me, I had no more clue than most, and less than a lot of them, but didn't think that $40K worth of student loans was a real good idea either. I joined the military after high school. Been since.
No kids. No patience dealing with them.
As to the "star" thing. Who said "nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the buying public!"? They are just going where the money is. None of it is my money, though.
Top posted in response. It wouldn't hurt to teach your children how to spell "disdain" either. And to capitalize a proper name. And a few other rules of grammar. (those *whom* it annoys, etc.) A little education never hurt anyone.
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