Want higher wages Ontario? Attract private sector investment Whenever some group claims that wages can be artificially boosted via government intervention, as one Ontario lobby group recently did, ask them this question: Can boats on a dry California lake float higher without mountain snow-packs first melting into rivers and lakes? If their response is “obviously
Mark Milke
The Folly of Protectionism
on July 2nd, 2015
Free trade creates many more jobs than it ever kills Years ago when I lived in Victoria, British Columbia and manned a small office, a salesman wandered in and tried to sell me his particular photocopier. He noted my current machine was Japanese but his was Canadian. So obviously, I should support Canadian jobs and
France’s Failed Tax And Spend Experiment
on November 18th, 2014
It is clear the French model is broken When French President Francois Hollande visited Canada recently, one hopes the Gallic leader looked around. If he did, he would have noticed a stark difference in the economic opportunities between the two countries with the advantages mostly on this side of the Atlantic. Dissimilarities between the two
Economic Opportunity May Be Antidote to Radicalism
on November 12th, 2014
Prosperity encourages greater calm between distinct ethno-linguistic and religious groups within countries The recent killing of two Canadian soldiers by self-professed, radicalized young men who became enamoured with a violent interpretation of Islam will bring up multiple assertions about the “root cause” for such attacks. Some will declare that battles and wars in mainly Muslim
Subsidies, Union Demands a Plea for Special Treatment
on June 5th, 2014
Subsidies, union demands a plea for special treatment at the expense of others Without the ideological justifications of the 20th century, special interests demands are blindingly obvious for what they are By Mark Milke Back in the 20th century, much of the world’s politics was shot through with deep-rooted ideologies that had a considerable, often
From The Welfare State to The Entitlement State
on June 2nd, 2014
Corporate subsidies talk about chutzpah By Mark Milke Question : If someone made $62,000 last year, had $187,000 in their bank account, and yet sought a $5,360 subsidy from government, what would the common sense response be? Most people would say that person possesses chutzpah – albeit a rather costly form of the affliction for
Status Quo Defined Benefit Pension Plans For Government Employees Akin To A Blank Cheque
When such pension plans face shortfalls, the taxpayer is left to clean up the mess Since the turn of the millennium the ever-increasing cost to taxpayers of government sector pension plans has been made evident time and again. Contribution rates have been hiked, often doubling in one decade, or the plans have been partly bailed