Archive for the ‘Equality’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
Explaining the rich man’s misery
Psychologists, sociologists and other social scientists have discovered that money does not in fact bring happiness… the evidence suggests surprisingly high levels of joyless feelings among those who are materially well fixed… but… that spending money wisely on helping other people will probably increase happiness… the gap between rich and poor is more than a matter of justice. “It’s not just bad for the poor. It’s also bad for the rich.”
Tags: ideology, participation, philanthropy
Posted in Equality Debates | 3 Comments »
Vast inequality is the root of all evil
[Leaders] will have to address the mother of all root causes of widespread discontentment: income disparity and concentration of wealth in a few hands. The political parties should abandon this mantra of lower taxes, which benefits mainly the rich classes, close down the tax havens that hold trillions of dollars in hidden wealth, increase social spending… The cycle of violence, lawlessness and instability will escalate further if governments will not redress the economic grievances of the majority that is poor and deprived.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
New hope for First Nations
on Sept. 4, with a public announcement in Ottawa. Kakfwi was flanked by Martin, Clark, Mercredi, Fontaine, former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci, Mohawk composer and conductor John Kim Bell, CBC host Shelagh Rogers and a selection of highly regarded native chiefs and elders. “We are a partnership of equals pledged to reconcile historic wrongs, committed to mutual respect and dedicated to the eradication of inequities,” Inuit leader Mary Simon said.
Tags: Indigenous, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Power may not corrupt, but it sure does facilitate
… this combination of effects – power-related increases in testosterone, impaired risk perception, increased risk-taking, increased objectification, a tendency to stereotype, potentially decreased empathy – is a dangerous cocktail. It’s easy to see how it could facilitate unsavoury exploits… power does not cause unsavoury behaviour, but it may make it more likely for particular people to act in damaging ways.
Tags: crime prevention, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | 1 Comment »
Update Ontario’s Retirement Homes Act to protect seniors
Ontario’s Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority does not have the authority to “close or take over an unlicensed premise,” according to a spokesman for the agency… It’s time for some regulatory teeth that would permit regulators to go in and close down the home and transfer its residents to safe facilities. The province needs to amend its legislation.
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Income redistribution, Harper-style
… In all cases, tax dollars flow from the majority of Canadians to a well-off minority… Moreover, the cost of the package will increase Ottawa’s fiscal vulnerability. If revenues fail to meet the government expectations… Harper’s tax breaks and children’s benefits could tip the budget back into red ink… draining federal coffers precludes badly needed investments, not just in child care but in urban transit, affordable housing, pensions, help for workers supporting aging parents and sustainable energy.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, participation, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | 1 Comment »
Family Tax Cuts: How Inclusive a Family?
The study canvasses a range of alternative tax cuts and benefit hikes for families having the same revenue cost as the Family Tax Cut. It assesses their distributional impacts and other attributes. The study concludes that numerous policy options alternative to the Family Tax Cut could distribute the benefits more widely and effectively in support of a far more inclusive notion of Canadian families.
Tags: budget, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Income splitting not a wise investment for Canadians
Rather than implement short-term tax breaks for the wealthy, the government should be investing our surplus in those programs and projects that will best benefit Canadians both now and in the long-term…Canadians have sacrificed so our federal government can have a surplus. Now, it’s time it was reinvested properly for the benefit of as many Canadians as possible. Investments in innovation, higher education and health care will do that better than a targeted tax break for Conservative voters.
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Ontario’s expansion of legal aid funding is a step toward fairness
The system is complicated; there are several different thresholds, depending on the size of a family accessing help and the type of legal assistance required. But, in general, this 10-year plan constitutes important reform. Thresholds were last changed in 1996…the newly announced increase still denies legal aid service to a great many people living below Ontario’s poverty line – currently pegged at $19,930 for an individual…The province is also seriously constrained by lack of federal support.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Income splitting won’t help parents who really need a tax break
The federal government seems to expect single parents to live in poverty to raise children and to support them in that impoverished condition… Even with a $2,000 cap, the average benefits paid to the richest Canadians will remain unaffected; this costly tax benefit will not give any more help to those who desperately need child care so they can spend more time in paid work to get by… Parental income splitting will give shockingly expensive tax gifts to the rich while throwing small token payments to middle income families and nothing to those who need real solid programs they can count on the most.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, ideology, standard of living, tax, women
Posted in Equality Debates, Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Recent Comments