Public Values

High debt-to-GDP austerity arguments based on bad math

Apr 252013

Massachusetts University corrects the spreadsheets.

from Beat The Press

A blog in Beat The Press by Dean Baker, co-director of the Centre for Economics and Policy Research, reveals that the debt-means-slow-growth argument relied on questionable figures. A recent University of Massachusetts study reveals that, in fact, the opposite may be true — high debt-to-GDP ratios are because of economic troubles. The Reinhart and Rogoff book that has so influenced austerity-bent governments in recent years contains, it turns out, computational and transcription errors.

Source

Water is not a human right — Nestlé

Apr 252013

Public Values

Resource should be "managed by businessmen."

by Carl Jackers

American Livewire.com presents an interview with Nestlé CEO Peter Brabeck, for whom the fact that the global population is rising means that water should be privatized. Water as a human right is an "extreme view," says Brabek. Water should instead be regarded as a foodstuff with a price — as our "most important raw resource." Nothing, in Brabek's view, is more important than the continued profitablility of Nestlé.

The interview with Peter Brabeck

Source

Patenting the sun

Apr 252013

Public Values

Big Pharma claims our genes.

from The Tyee

Peter W Klein, writing for The Tyee, contrasts the view of Jonas Salk, famous developer of the polio vaccine, with that of today's huge pharmacy conglomerates. Salk thought the people owned his vaccine. Big Pharma, however, not content with their current megamillions, wants to patent naturally-occurring genes that predispose women to breast cancer.

Source

Alberta students and staff rally to support post-secondary education

Apr 222013

Public Values

Whopping budget cuts create turmoil.

from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees

Over 200 people attended a midday rally at the University of Lethbridge April 16. Students, faculty and members of AUPE Local 053, representing support staff, spoke out about the effects of cuts totalling $147 million on post-secondary education in Alberta.

“Advanced education has seen a significant cut in funding when it was already stretched tightly,” said AUPE Vice-President Glen Scott. “Lethbridge University alone has seen a reduction of more than $11 million, and that will without a doubt have an effect on students.”

"Advanced education has seen a significant cut in funding when it was already stretched tightly," said AUPE Vice-President Glen Scott. "Lethbridge University alone has seen a reduction of more than $11 million, and that will without a doubt have an effect on students."

"The University of Lethbridge was named Canada's Undergraduate Research University of the Year in 2012. And instead of rewarding the good work of the U of L's faculty and students, the government is slashing its budget. Do they really think that the U of L will be able to continue being one of the best research universities in the country that way?"

Source

Kingston votes 96 percent against hospital privatization

Apr 222013

Public Values

Almost 10,000 voters turn out for referendum.

by SGNews Staff

In what was called "a great day for local democracy", 9,855 Kingston and area residents turned out to vote April 13 in a community referendum organized by the Kingston Health Coalition on whether the region 's new hospital should be public and non-profit or P3 and for-profit. Ninety-six percent voted in favour of a public non-profit new hospital.

“It was a great day for Kingston and area residents and for local democracy,” said Ross Sutherland, chair of the Kingston Health Coalition. “Almost 10,000 people braved the cold, rain and wind to vote at 55 polling stations staffed by 180 volunteers to keep their new hospital public and non-profit.”

BC’s public sector the smallest in Canada

Apr 222013

Public Values

Reduced services increase inequality — CCPA.

by SGNews Staff

A report released April 9 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives states that spending cuts and staff reductions have seriously weakened BC's public sector, which is the smallest in Canada, measured as a share of the population.

Harper cuts funding to Health Council of Canada

Apr 222013

Public Values

National standards and universal access at issue.

from the Canadian Health Coalition

The federal government announced April 16 that it is terminating its funding of the Health Council of Canada.

Aircraft safety past and present

Apr 182013

Public Values

From regular inspections to operator-managed systems.

from Postmedia News

Postmedia's Sarah Schmidt outlines the shift in responsiblity for aircraft safety inspection from Transport Canada to air operators. While large commercial carriers have had safety management systems in place since 2005, the deadline for smaller operators has been scrapped.

Source

Care unit closure part of Redford’s privatization plans

Apr 182013

Public Values

Seniors unwilling participants in for-profit shuffle.

from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees

Alberta Health Services' plan to shut down Strathmore General Hospital's long-term care unit is just the latest move in the Redford government's plan to privatize seniors' care, says the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.

Staff and families of long-term care residents were told April 9 that the hospital's facility will be shut down by October and the 23 residents relocated to the nearby private, for-profit Sagewood facility, owned by AgeCare. About 19 nursing and support staff positions at the hospital will be affected.

“The government is playing a shell game with Alberta’s elderly,” said Glen Scott, AUPE vice-president. “On one hand they claim they’re committed to opening more beds for seniors’ care, while on the other they’re closing public beds around the province.”

Scott said AgeCare has received more than $21 million in taxpayer subsidies to build Sagewood.

"The government has handed out hundreds of millions in corporate welfare to build and operate for-profit facilities," he said. "To what end? All they seem to be doing is creating chaos for families and outsourcing responsbility for seniors' health."

"We've seen the same thing happen in other communities. In Carmangay, Bashaw, Stettler and Red Deer, AHS closed down its own long-term care beds and moved seniors to private, for-profit facilities. Albertans should be very alarmed. Wherever private facilities are opening up, public facilities seem to be shutting down."

Source

Outsourcing: the business in Canada and beyond

Apr 182013

Public Values

"If it can be digitized, it can be sent anywhere in the world."

from the CBC

Young, enthusiastic Indian iGate workers celebrate their opportunities. In Canada, RBC employees are furious at being forced to train iGate workers to take their jobs back to India. Anna Maria Tremonti, host of CBC Radio's "The Current," talks to Ron Babin of Ryerson University, co-author of "Sustainable Global Outsourcing," and Armine Yalnizyan, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, about offshore outsourcing and its consequences for Canadians.

Source

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