Craig Read

Putin meet Stalin. Stalin meet Putin. My you both look like brothers ? How wonderful that the KGB is back in power in Russia. Maybe we can call you Putalin ? Smack in the midst of an economic boom, Putalin decides to nationalise Yukos the biggest firm in Russia 25 % owned by US shareholders [sorry boys BAD investment]. This week markets are down 25 % and capital is fleeing. WHY ??? From the WSJ: "Greed is one very plausible motivator. The Kremlin has always been a great source of personal enrichment. Many in the Putin Kremlin -- viewing a much richer Russian market and a giant company whose CEO openly declares that he's worth $8 billion -- are no doubt mindful of the opportunities control of Yukos might afford. Reinforcing this is the cultural background of the so-called siloviki, those mostly former KGB officials who followed Vladimir Putin's coattails into the Kremlin, who think the state should be the final arbiter of most things. What these people saw, and most likely feared, was the "Khodorkovsky Effect" -- the influence of a hugely successful, internationally recognized, and transparent company in the Russian economy. "This [the seizure of Yukos stock] just shows that whole KGB-prosecution faction has run amok," says Christopher Granville, chief strategist and political analyst at United Financial Group, a Moscow investment bank. "All assurances that property won't be touched will be called into question again." There's also the matter of the message it sends the local business community. Whatever his past behavior, Mr. Khodorkovsky, as his own spokesman puts it, "went transparent," something a growing number of Russian businesses have sought to do. "The Russian business community will conclude now that it's not worth doing that," says Mr. Granville. Yep, Putalin wants no opposition, more money for his friends and state ownership of oil. Hey Putalin, if you get bored over there come to Canada and run things here. We like all this stuff.

Right, you are right on. In Canada rich is defined in Ontario at above $60 K per annum income for a single income earner. In the US the highest tax rate kicks in at above U$290K per annum. In Canada it is US $90 K. This is ridiculous. In Canada you are not incentivised to work, if you do, you lose your money. The 'progressive' income tax levels are really regressive. People find ways in both personal and business affairs to move money around and avoid the higher tax bracket. Under the table, shell companies, and moving money between companies is the result. A flat tax is better. Case in point - Russia [not a democracy, but a one man Stalinist regime still apparently] had a progressive tax structure in the 90s and it failed. Putin put in a flat tax of 13 % and revenues are up over 35 %. Flat tax is the only fair tax and let each make and keep what is lawfully and morally theirs. This redistribution of money by 3-4 levels of gov't is immoral, unsustainable and a massive drain on wealth. And btw PPP for Canada is about now due to the currency revaluation about U$24k. Take the GDP for Canada which is about $750 Billion US divide by the population of say 32 millions and you have about 24 K US per capita income. The OECD has a PPP algorithm that can be used and the $24 K might move up or down depending on the variables in this calculation. According to the Economist in 2002 it was about $21 K. But let's say it is $25 or 26 K per capita. It still does not make a difference to the core argument I am making. Currently US GDP/capita is slightly above $37 K US. Let's even revise that down to $35 K. It is still quite a Gap, and the Gap keeps growing not shrinking if you look at it historically. Canada is actually 10 YEARS behind the US on a PPP basis. This means the US achieved our PPP ten years ago !! And Canadians tell me their standard of living is higher ? [it is not, it is now 75 % of the US level and dropping]. Ah but still let's Rah Rah Rah !! [Don't forget to mention socialised medicine as the key factor of being Canadian. This was er one of the main points of Hitler's National Socialism as well. See the Nazi Charter of 1935, free health care, free education, forced full employment...more living space.]

Yes those stupid Americans. They are so dumb. Besides doing all of the work in the war on terror and in Iraq and paying for the world's security even while they hand over 25 % of the monies needed for that democratic and accountable Useless Nattering Org, headed by a Ghanaian, a country of course that epitimizes Western enlightenment values, the US has produced the strongest economy in over 20 years. Let me see Q3: Exports up 9 % Business investment up 15 % [thanks to tax cuts] Consumer spending up 11 % And the kicker that the Cdn media never discusses because facts and details do not matter in Canada, is that inventory levels are far lower than demand. This means that in the next year, US GDP will rise by at least an extra 2 % GDP as inventories are created. It also means an extra few hundred thousand jobs per quarter. The news is so good south of the border that even I can hardly believe it, though 2 months ago i posted that the US would grow at 6 % in Q3. Q4 should be 5 %. This means jobs, as profits and investments climb. I disagree with China bashing, currency management and subsidies, but on tax cuts, supply side stimulus and investment reforms, the US is perfectly right on track. Stupid Americans, why can't they be more like Canadians?

RonR, I am glad you are on this forum. Some common sense. According to the UNO, assorted Liberals and the wonderful CBC the Iraqi people must immediately take over the administration of Iraq [to make France happy, god knows that is a priority], must take command of all decisions on oil and resources [to keep those democratic Russians happy], and one supposes pay immediately their odious debts [to keep both France and Russian happy and on side since they lent money to a fascist regime to make profit]. No example exists historically of a broken country leaping into a market-orthodox liberal regime within 6 months, managed by the local population who after 50 years of fascist rule, have no real experience with such institutions and processes. The Lie-berals and CBC lovers expect that all Iraqi's must now have BelAir mansions, Manuel tending to the pool, and Barbie jetting off to Harvard to start University. Somehow magically a shattered country is rebuilt 6 months after a war and all is good. How about the utter negativity of the press ? I have met some Iraqi's doing business in Baghdad and not one had a bad thing to say about the Americans and all said things are much better and the country is going the right way. The main thing to do now, is to keep on message, keep on track, and to kill Hussein to stop these recent attacks. After his demise security will become less of an issue.

Well the Dumbo's better hope that the economy tanks or they have 0 chance in 2004. For those who doubt supply side economics, how to explain the 7.2 % GDP growth in Q3 ??? FASTEST growth in 20 years. Oh but i get it, the Lie-berals and Cdn politicians believe that tax increases and spend spend spend will achieve economic growth not tax cuts. To coin Churchill - taxing one's way to prosperity is akin to man standing in a bucket trying to lift himself by the handle. US Economy Latest Data Period Latest Prev. • Consumer Confidence Oct.* 81.1 77.0 • Retail sales Sept* -0.2% 1.2% • GDP Q2 3.3% 1.4% • ISM Index Sept 53.7 54.7 • Factory Orders Aug* -0.8% 2.0% • Unemployment Rate Sept 6.1% 6.1% • Employment situation Sept* 57,000 -41,000 • Consumer inflation Sept 1.2% 1.3% • Housing starts Sept* 1,888,000 1,826,000 • Home sales Sept* 7,835,000 7,607,000 Especially encouraging was the 15.4 percent growth rate in spending by businesses on equipment and software in the third quarter. That marked the largest increase since the first quarter of 2000 and was up from a 8.3 percent growth rate in the second quarter. Sustained turnarounds in capital spending and in hiring are crucial to the economy’s return to full throttle. Economists said business wants profits to improve and wants to be sure of the recovery’s vigor before it goes on a spending and hiring spree. The US economy is ROARING.

Funny it lists the Federal Surplus as an 'Asset' - they do mean of course over taxation ? How about using this money to build up the military or ensure the safety of our borders or reduce the debt ? Let's face it, on bald comparisons, not using UNO left wing sloganeering, and exempting the sneers of the academics, Canada has some serious economic and tax issues to sort out vis a vis its position with the US - which is the only comparison that matters. Reforms must strike at the heart of the issue - the abusive nature of Confederation and of taxes.

Now today, more capital flight and stock market devaluation. "The legal problems of OAO Yukos, Russia's largest oil producer, reached crisis proportions Thursday as state prosecutors sequestered more than half of the issued shares in the company. The news marked a watershed in a campaign by law-enforcement agencies against the officers and shareholders of Yukos, inasmuch as it represented the first attack on assets as opposed to people. As such, it brought the specter of a general revision of the privatizations of the 1990s one step closer to reality. The freezing of the shares follows the detention of Mr. Khodorkovsky, Russia's richest businessman, at gunpoint Saturday." This is ridiculous. First arrest the man at gunpoint, second STEAL his private property and shares, and third no doubt, hang him in Kangaroo Court. What the hell is Putin doing ????

First let's get some facts straight. 1. International commitments and military alliances are necessary in an anarchic world. Retreating in blind appeasement is ridiculous. You sound like a Chamberlain apologist. 2. National govts have as their main priority national security including borders, immigration, military power and international alliances and the ability to protect their citizens. 3. The Arab world in the past few years according to The Military Balance 2002-03 -IISS, London, 2002-, collectively spent $51bn in 2001 on their military budgets, representing 8.22% of Arab gross national product and 6.11% of the overall world military expenditure of $835bn for that year. In 2000, the Arabs' military budget amounted to $50.4bn, or 8.24% of their GNP and 6.11% of overall world military expenditure of $825bn. Arab military expenditure thus increased by about $600m from 2000 to 2001, a jump of 1.34%. At the same time, Arab GNP rose by about $10bn, or 1.6%, from $611bn to $621bn. Israeli military expenditure by necessity has to take the above into account and Israel spends about 8 % of its GDP on military spend, which is more than its immediate neighbours, but less than the Arab nations in the immediate region in aggregate. Canada spends 1.5 % of its GDP on defence so your analysis that both nations spend the same is false. [Military expenditure as a share of GDP: SIPRI Yearbook 2003, Appendix 10A, table 10A.4; Income group: World Development Indicators 2002] If you want to post at least have the courtesy to: 1. Understand the topic. 2. Provide some facts. 3. Add some vallue. Otherwise don't post.

Your numbers are wrong. Economist world in numbers 2003, CD Howe Institute and others have quoted U$21 K. You are quoting C$ 29K which one year ago would be equivalent to U$21 k. As for income equality, 50 % of the bottom income earners in the US pay only 10 % of the taxes. In Canada it is 4 %. Income disparity is not a problem in and of itself. Investment capital, jobs, innovation and demand side spend depend on it. Outline in detail why a socialist, everyone receives the same wage society is better, wealthier and more prone to moral and economic success than a capitalist country. You can't.

Like i posted in the Cdn section, if you normalise the numbers here for military spend in Canada we would run a 2% + GDP deficit federally. The fact is that politicians have taken this $25 billion and bought votes, preached anti-Americanism, saturated the air waves with anti-Semitic/anti-US propaganda and told you that socialised programs are wonderful. It is pathetic when a nation has no interest in self defence.

HDI is NOT an adequate measure of anything. Canada is ranked about 15-20th on any independent scale of competitiveness. The Fraser Institute and the Cato Institute provide a detailed deconstruction on the SUBJECTIVENESS of the HDI studies. They and other institutes have modelled a hard methodology [not soft and fuzzy like the HDI study], and according to the FI Canada is somewhere in terms of where to live, in the 12-16 range. This is backed up by the WEF study ranking Canada about 16th in terms of its competitiveness looking at economic, social, and governmental variables. The HDI has been refuted by many people and is meaningless. In the last HDI study by the way Canada ranked behind the US so what is your point ? That Canada is a better place to live in than the Congo ? We don't compete with 3rd world rat traps, but only with the US. On a PPP basis Canada's per capita GDP is U$21 K vs. $34 K for the USA. Our tax base is 30 % higher on average, and our gross wages lower. This massive difference means a huge standard of living gap with the Americans. It also means more socialised programs that bankrutp future tax payers, pay as you go systems that transfer monies immorally from the young to the old and from one region to another, and a free riding mentality that disavows security, military protection and border control. An article in the Post today confirms that the seas, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence are all undefended and easy prey for terrorist attacks. Where is the moral goodness in such a set of policies ? Yes Canada is an ok place to live. It could and should be better, and has LOTS of work to do to reform itself.

There is no evidence that Muslims, Iraqi's, Iranians, Russians, Congoans, Brazilians or anyone else for that matter cannot build a democratic society if the institutions, capital, laws and processes are built soundly. This is such mind numbingly dumb hubris. What - Canadians and only Canadians understand REAL democracy ? Hmm let me see. Canada was just ranked 25th in corruption in the world, it is a one party state, taxes have rise 1400 %, and judges by pass parliament, and politicians increase their pay and pensions and sleep with corporate donors. Yep sounds like a well functioning democracy to me. The idea that only 'Western' peoples understand democracy or will embrace it, is so flawed, racist, and impractical that I am surprised anyone who has read a jot of history can state it. It takes YEARS to rebuild countries. The only successful quick reconstruction was East Timor, under the UNO, simply because only 750K people live there, in a small geographic area, with very little natural resources and divisiveness in the body politic. A country as large, complicated, poor, mangled and forlorn as Iraq might take a generation to rebuild. Same for Russia. If I were you guys I would be more worried about Democracy in Canada than in Iraq.

Canada has fallen hard in 2 recent surveys. Two weeks ago a German institution ranked Canada 25th in the world in corruption. Yesterday the World Economic Forum ranked Canada 16th - down from 9th last year. Main reasons; fraud, political interference, high taxes, high spend. Canada is just slightly ahead of Malta. This is Chretien's real legacy. The US was 2nd. Finland first. I am sure the left lie-berals will bleat out their usual panegyrics and bromides. Facts cry out for reform. Any takers in this country ?

I also need to add the following: Bankers report Capital Flight from Russia. Business Community is really vocally up in arms over this arrest. Voloshyn #2 man at the Kremlin just RESIGNED. Other tenders of resignation apparently being submitted to Putin. Stock market down again another 5 points today. This arrest smacks of the KGB [FSB] and has nothing to do with law, rights or due process. It is about politics, money and power, and Putin is engaged now in blatant autocracy.

I would not call Martin right wing. Anti-Nafta in the 80s and 90s, socially very liberal/leftist, and pro big gov't does not a conservative make. Taxes, program spend, military cuts, ethics scandals and the like all proceeded apace when he was finance minister - fully supporting Chretien while digging knives into his leader's back. Nice guy Martin. He is pro Kyoto and a Post Modern man - he erroneously stated that Canada is the world's first Post Modern nation. First if true it is an embarrassment, second hey Paul, ever been to Europe ? His tax cuts were slight of hand - reduce some personal income tax but take it back by increasing payroll taxes. Net effect, taxes have gone up overall not down. The CA has a good fiscal platform but I don't buy their social conservatism. The Tories are to the left of the Liberals - they are me-toos on spend and taxation. In fact I don't think the Tories know what they stand for. Canada is very left wing, none of these parties with the exception of the CA are to the right of centre. Taxes in Canada have risen 1400 % since 1960, Govts eat up 42 % of GDP, with Kyoto [if it goes through] and all the other programs that Martin wants to implement [go to his website, he wants to spend spend spend] increasing that, not to mention Howdy Doody here in Ontario and his 220 election promises, the march of gov't and control proceeds in a linear and unstoppable fashion. The Liberals are certainly not right of centre. Too many votes to buy, too many hands to grease, too many pensions to collect. Martin alone will collect $2.7 million in pensions. Not bad eh.

I heartily disagree. This is such a wilful waste of money, that I believe it cries out for criminal punishment - on both sides. The treaty system and the payments to the Indian bands need to be torn up and reformed. Billions are wasted with no accountability or audits in place, slums exist on the reservations while the Chiefs pay themselves on average $300.000 per year and jet set to Las Vegas for 'meetings', separate jurisdictions are set up that not only create a 2 tier judicial and education system but militate against assimilation and the appropriation of Canadian wealth and Canadian resources by one group is against the Constitution of the country. Diversophile systems are illogical and counterproductive. The entire Indian grants, transfers and land claims process needs massive reform. Without audits and accountability the budget should go from $7.5 billion to 0 overnight.

What a sad answer 'varied and difficult country to manage'. Oh like the US has no variances, no differing degrees, no ethnic mix, and no time sizes and is the size of a Duchy in Europe. Please. Canada can't patrol its oceans, defend its rights in the arctic, or ensure its border security. It can send a few hundred men internationally to hand out parking tickets with no equipment and no transportation [with hysterical CBC docs telling you that it is the most dangerous mission since Dieppe. Ok if u insist]. It can't even pay war Vets pensions or other costs associated with army services. Its military budget is 10 % of health care and there are more CCRA people than military personnel. UNO and soft power is an illusion. As you might gather from the homicides against the Red Cross in Baghdad, many people in the world no comprende las reglas para la fuerza suave. It is the coward's and free loaders way out. The whole concept is 'listen to me since i am moral and better than you...' Yeah whatever. Normalise the #'s - Canada - if it was mature - would be running now a 2.2 % of GDP deficit.

Neal some good points. I work in Russia, have a Russian chick, and though not formally trained in Slavic history I have read numerous books on Russia, and would mention that Peter the Great is one interesting chap to study ! I don't find fault with Russian culture, history or even the tendency to centralise [Moscovy, the Ivans, the Romanovs including Peter, created far reaching bureacracies]. I find fault with the obvious political intent of Putin. I would submit that all the Oligarchs and many lesser businessmen made money illegally in the 90s. It was to be expected. Russia was not defeated in a 'Hot' war, and its gov't and the apparatchiks were basically in place as the system needed to transition out of bankruptcy. Result chaos. Yeltsin then Putin initiated some legal reforms which are still basic and need development. No problems there really. What I don't like about Khodorkovsky is that he is held without due process [for 2 months], arrested like he was a Chechnyan Muslim terrorist [commando raid], and the charges against him could be made against a 100 people. The motivation is pretty clear; stop Khod. from organising political opposition and a private pipeline. These are not crimes. If he is guilty of fraud and corruption then make it a due process and then go after ALL of the law breakers. Putin cannot just go after a political opponent. I feel this is a huge mistake and capital flight will follow. Putin's argument is that he needs compliance to grow the economy. My argument is that private propery laws, and due process trump autocratic control. We will see.

Sure, if you want reforms Lost you are a racist white bigot, who denies the white inflicted holocaust on the native civilisations. Revisionist history taught in schools inflict upon their children many myths, legends and white washing of the Indian stone age civilisations - they were neither noble, nor pure, nor in harmony oftentimes with their environment [large mammals hunted to extinction; atrocities in war; human sacrifices; huge land fires to replenish the soil and so on]. Diversity and reverse racism are inherently illogical and self defeating. The Indian affairs program is only the first step. Huge mineral and land claims exist all over Canada - and in Nunavut billion dollar mineral deposits are being handed over to Indian only or Indian managed consortiums or at the least firms will need to pay the natives a large royalty on any sale of any resource. Creating a multi-tiered society is wasteful and against the Constitution of Canada.

I can see by the posts that no one offers a defense of Islam that is coherent. Why then the media line that it is 'cultured' and 'peaceful'? There are marked differences in organisation, spirit and purpose between Christianity and Islam. The former is not monolithic, has factions that inquiry debate and reform, is interested in the synthesis of ideals and the meaning and purpose of physical and spiritual life. It has given rise to a whole plethora of philosophies about man, the universe and even science. Great discoveries were made by the Church or abetted by clerics even during great repressions of thought. The on going conflict within the Christian sects and between them, is a great strength. Very little of the above exists in Islam. There are sects, variances within the tent of Islam, but the ideal, goals, beliefs, values little differ. No curiousity, or beliefs in advancement innovation or debate exists. It is monolithic in that your life is your religion. Such mind numbing control and hierarchic ritual is stultifying. Victim complexes are easy to assume in such a state. The Christian churches are diverse and amenable to reform. Islam is not. In the modern world the violent expression of Islam kills Jews, Muslims, Christians, Aetheists and Buddhists. There is no logic, no reason, no attempt by the Islamicists to understand their own hatred, their own anger and their own failure. Easier to blame someone else.

One of my favorite topics, since the entire concept of creating a parallel national unit for aboriginals is so heartily illogical. More Post Modern diversiphile racism. From the Post: "Instead of improving the lives of First Nations people, decades worth of federal government spending has created an 'Indian Industry' that benefits corrupt chiefs at the expense of fellow band members, a leading researcher said yesterday.[she is from the CTF] ......Every year Ottawa allocates $7.5-billion toward services for Canada's 700,000 status Indians, with 80 % of that money being funnelled directly to the people who lead Canada's approximately 600 reserves. Exactly what happens to the money is unknown." Ms. Fiss [CTF} states that "If Canada were governed in the same way, we would have 295.000 politicians in Ottawa and it would cost us over $10-billion a year in salaries." Any reforms Jean ??

KK and Goldie, there is historically sound reasons to feel proud of a nation state that has accomplished quite a bit in its short tenure of organisation. However, post modern elites, lawyers, professors who have never worked, media pundits who understand little about the topics they report on, and a slew of vested interest groups have damaged irrevocably, the calibre, spirit and purpose of a once proud, respected and independent nation. The pendulum has swung so far to the left in this country, that restoring balance and reconfederating our political structure might nigh be impossible. If Canada does not restore its basic values and beliefs then the world will be a far poorer place. After living in Europe and working there a long time, i assure you, it is NOT the future that Canada needs.

Apparently when Putin assumed power from a red faced Yeltsin, he made a deal with the oligarchs that run Russian business: You will keep your spoils of business and money, if you stay out of politics. Otherwise Putin would go after them under Russia's new laws for corruption and fraud. 2 Oligarchs are in hiding abroad and a third Khodorkovsky is now a political prisoner. During the 90s as anyone will attest in the transition to a market economy, the spoils and assets of the state went to the well connected and ruthless. The problem I have with Putin's incarceration of Khodorkovsky is on 2 points: 1. For 2 month's he can be held without due process and without a formal reason. 2. Khord. was not only greasing politicians but also was planning to build a private pipeline to compete with the state owned pipeline. I bet #2 is the real reason he is being victimised. Putin maintains that Russia's GDP will double in size within 10 years. Not if this mickey mouse means of enforcing 'laws' and political compliance is the modus operandi that Putin and the Kremlin chooses to employ. Without private property rights Russia will flounder.

The current Economist has a good article on the oil cartel that might just be on its way to being broken up [another good reason to be in Iraq btw]. $7 trillion according to this article, has been transferred just from the US to the Arab countries in higher than market prices for oil. Time to bust this. As for the Democrats and the war on terror, given that Dean and Clarke are the front runners, and both have maintained that Iraq is a disaster, I expect fully, that IF [and they won't], but IF the Demos win in 2004 they will pull out of Iraq within 6 months [glittering applause will follow in the EU, the UNO and in Canada]. I don't see how Clarke can win unless he makes a deal with the Demo left wing on Iraq and increasing taxes. Dean is so far to the left he will fall off the map soon. Let's hope that Bush wins - I think he will - in fact he should win 35 states.

thanks Greg. I don't believe the US wants or needs world domination. Security and military concerns are not necessarily tied to land, resource or people exploitation. Military conflicts in past history were instigated in major part by the control of trade routes and primary resources as well as land [population pressures]. Today given trade patterns, cheap communications, and financial globalisation such desires are not rationale. Historically countries have needed a military to defend their self interests. One Canadian wrote to the Economist and asked the Economist to name countries that would attack Canada if Canada did not have US protection. This is disingenuous when Canada is bordered by 3 Oceans. Canada can be attacked in many ways numbering from an attack on its way of life; to terrorist plots in its cities; to its citizens being murdered abroad; to rogue regimes and fascists disrupting trade, society and alliance patterns. Not having an accountable and prepared military and to willingly free ride off the US is reprehensible. At the very least those who offer that Canada is better than the US need to normalise both their numbers and their opinions for this very large fact.