On greed, incompetence and conflict of interest.

Linda McQuaig has articulated an opinion about the current economic debacle that is rarely expressed in current analysis about what happened and who is responsible.

Let's imagine, for a moment, how different the public debate would be today if it had been unions that had caused the current economic turmoil. In other words, try to imagine a scenario in which union leaders – not financial managers – were the ones whose reckless behaviour had driven a number of Wall Street firms into bankruptcy and in the process triggered a worldwide recession.

Needless to say, it's hard to imagine a labour leader being appointed to oversee a bailout of unions the way former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson was put in charge of supervising the $700 billion bailout of his former Wall Street colleagues. .... how odd it is that the financial community has emerged so unscathed, despite its central role in the collapse that has brought havoc to the world economy. ...

But so influential are those in the financial elite – and their hangers-on in think-tanks and economics departments – that they continue to appear on our TV screens, confidently providing us with economic advice, as if they'd played no role whatsoever in shaping our economic system for the past quarter century.

Of course, we're told there's been a major change in their thinking, in that many of them are now willing to accept large deficits in today's federal budget, in the name of stimulating the economy..... In fact, financial types have always accepted deficits – when they liked the cause. Hence their lack of protest over George W. Bush's enormous deficits, which were caused by his large tax cuts for the rich and his extravagant foreign wars.

What they don't like is governments going into deficit to help ordinary citizens – either by creating jobs or providing much unemployment relief. .... So the Canadian financial community has been urging that the stimulus package consist mostly of income tax cuts – even though direct government spending would provide much more stimulus and do more to help the neediest.

What they don't like is governments going into deficit to help ordinary citizens – either by creating jobs or providing much unemployment relief.

And if you had any doubts about Stephen Harper's agenda and whether he governs as our Prime Minister, to protect and serve the public interests and not the interests of the privileged, his recent appointment of Sheila Weatherill says it all.

Also - go read Peace, order and good government, eh? now!

Business as usual

Beyond their smoke-screen tactics of "leaking" information about the budget, Harper and Flaherty are likely to provide Big Business with some hefty corporate welfare. Brigitte Bureau at Radio-Canada has looked at some classic behind-the-scenes Flaherty maneuvering.

Le ministre fédéral des Finances, qui présentera son budget mardi, a récemment créé, pour le conseiller, un conseil consultatif sur l'économie, composé surtout de chefs d'entreprises. Les compagnies de quatre d'entre eux sont inscrites au Registre fédéral des lobbyistes, ce qui fait craindre à certains que les conseils offerts ne reflètent pas les besoins de l'ensemble de la population. Des onze membres nommés par Jim Flaherty à son conseil consultatif en décembre dernier, neuf sont des dirigeants d'entreprises. Les compagnies de quatre d'entre eux sont inscrites au Registre fédéral des lobbyistes. Il s'agit de Research In Motion, le fabricant du BlackBerry, Woodbridge Company, de la famille Thomson, Corporation Financière Power, de la famille Desmarais et J.D. Irving. Selon le registre, ces entreprises font du lobbying, entre autres auprès du ministère des Finances, notamment sur la question des impôts.

Basically 9 of 11 places on Flaherty's advisory committee are CEOs. Four of those corporations have registered lobbyists who have met the minister of Finance with the intent of securing tax breaks for their clients. So the orchestration of timely "leaks" from the inContinent Harpercrats may have been a strategy to divert attention away from the generous tax cuts that will be directed to the private sector.

At the other end of the country, Chrystal Ocean's radar has been tweaked, too.

Update: Bio notes about the members of Flaherty's Economic Advisory Council.

Behold the face of the RepubliCons' perfect female.

"She can work 24 hours, no break, no pay and she won't ask for a raise," he says. "That's okay for a home budget." Also perfect for reactionary and retrograde Con ideologues.

Le Trung is an inventor who has been tinkering with robot technology since he was is Grade 3. Last week an article in the Globe and Mail covered his latest creation. Trung foresees that

Project Aiko, .... could lead to humanoid helpers for hospitals, retirement homes and even airports.

Does that not fit in beautifully with Harper RepubliCons' ploy to cancel pay equity for women? Many of the legal challenges regarding pay equity have been launched with respect to job categories, often in those employment areas that require little educational training but demand a lot of dedication, often in difficult and sometimes dangerous working conditions.

Pay equity was abolished from CPC policy at the November convention in Winnipeg. Its removal from government policy was fast-tracked and it became part of Finance Minister Flaherty's disastrous economic update.

Note that while some elements from Flaherty's contentious proposal were removed, the gutting of pay equity has remained on the table.