Critical Perspectives and Reflections

BILL LEE March 30, 2020 Trump the Free Marketer                Donald J. Trump is, as we know, a true believing, committed-free market zealot. We must also know that this has implications for how the United States has attempted, and will attempt, to manage the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic in the USA. For example, David Leonhardt (2010: 14) reports in the New York Times that, people close to him have indicated that, "He does not want to direct companies to produce medical supplies because doing so would violate the administration's free-market economic Views". The venial stupidity of that kind of response would perhaps be startling if he were a different kind of man. But, we know that he isn't and it appears that Trump and at least some of his GOP minions, like Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, are having a go at softening up the public of the USA for the idea of a little triage of those who might become infected with the virus. The e...

BILL LEE March 16, 2020 BLOCKADES During and after (and continuing) the Wet'suet'en blockades in defence of their traditional lands in the face of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, there was a good deal of talk and some wringing of hands among the punditry that the various blockades in support of the Wet’suet’en campaign for recognition of their traditional land rights (See Foot Not. 3). The concern was that these were causing not just inconvenience, but serious disruptions for Canadian society and for our economy. It should be pointed out that the Parliamentary Budget Officer for the Canadian, Yves Giroux, reportedly said their reaction was exaggerated.1 The protests did negatively affected the economy “but not as much as some pundits were pretending. " Nevertheless, we can, and should, have genuine sympathy for the workers and businesses that truly were temporarily injured. On the other hand, Indigenous people have been enduring "serious problems...