Re: Neo-liberalism

Re: From: ilagardien@worldbank.org
Date: Tue, 02 May 2000 15:58:19 -0400

And one of the ten commandments says "thou shall not murder." That means
thou shall not kill people via budgetary policy as well as with sticks, or
stones of knives.

On page A8 of The Globe and Mail for Aopril 27, 2000, the following CP item
appears:

"Calgary.

Premier Ralph Klein is not immune to civil litigation over his government's
cuts to health care, the province's top court has ruled.

The Alberta Court of Appeal, in a split decision released yesterday, said
Mr. Klein should be a party to three lawasuits claiming damages for
injuries or deaths caused by the cuts between 1993 and 1996.

During that perioid, the Conservatives slashed $750-million from the
system. CP."



This reflects a number of things. Above all else there is a growing a
concern for economic democracy. Economic democracy implies a struggle to
obtain real equality of citizenship (here, of course, the equality implies
freedom from being killed by political ideoiologists who are running
governments on behalf of business) beyond that provided by, in Canada,
Section 34 of the Constitution Act and political and social rights outlined
there http://www.pch.gc.ca/ddp-hrd/english/charter/contents.htm.

The concern for economic democracy is entirely consistent with article 25
of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/udhr.html of which Canada is a signatory.
http://www.HistoryTelevision.ca/humphrey/english/jph.htm and
http://www.pch.gc.ca/ddp-hrd/english/jhummem.htm.)

 Article 25

     1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the
health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food,
clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the
right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his
control.
     2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and
assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy
the same social protection.


So what about child poverty, homelessness, etc., etc., I doubt if there is
anything of human nature in poverty starvation and homelessness.  Adam
Smith said: "where ever there is great property, there is great inequality.
The affluence of the rich supposes the idigence of the many." That is
pretty clear to me but if it is not it means the poor are poor because the
rich keep them that way. With neo-conservative neo-liberal governments the
rich have found willing allies.


>Dear Paul
>
>I really don't have the time to go into your responses, suffice to say
>that your
>argument is weakened not by its substance, of which there is very little,
>but by
>your constant anti-communism. Using YOUR logic, if murder is bad, then
>rape has
>to be better; I can't be dragged into this now, maybe next time. Perhaps 
>you
>should try explaining why you think neo-liberalism is so good; unless you 
>are
>running direct comparisons, don't prop up your argument on the basis that
>it has
>to be better because it is not communism - that may be a sign of
>intellectually
>weakness.
>
>The problem with singling out one regime or system for its weaknesses and 
>or
>brutality is unfair; Human beings, communities, collectivities, 
>individuals,
>states, governments and others have historically been brutal, social
>scientists
>have grappled with this for decades. Saint Just wrote: Nobody rules
>guiltlessly.
>
>Also, I am a bit tired of the constant references to what the Soviet Union 
>did
>wrong - it represents such intellectual and ideological occlusion. For
>example,
>most of the more brutal murders of the 20th Century were not committed by 
>the
>Soviet Union. Most of the invasions of sovereign states during the 20th
>Century
>were not by the Soviet Union. Most of the economic sanctions that strangle
>economic growth in developing countries (from South Africa to Cuba to
>Iran) were
>not placed by the Soviet Union. The two Second World War holocausts
>(Hitler and
>Hiroshima) were not by the Soviet Union. The murder and repression in Chile
>during the eighties were not by the Soviet Union. The system of apartheid 
>and
>all its evils were not committed by the Soviet Union.
>
>Maybe your contributions will be taken a bit more seriously if they 
>weren't so
>myopic.
>
>I will make on point though. Your suggestion that neo-liberalism "orders
>society" is frightening and represents a kind of economic darwinism. Maybe 
>you
>should ruminate on what you said.
>
>Good luck with your intellectual endeavours. I look forward to your posts.
>When
>I have more time I will engage them; they remind me of those questions that
>befuddle you to the extent that you have no answers, to the extent that you
>stare at the questioner and say: How on earth can I engage this....?
>
>Ismail
>
>
>Ismail Lagardien
>Office of the Chief Economist and
>Senior Vice President of
>Development Economics
>The World Bank
>Washington DC
>USA
>
>202 473 9603
>
>Visit the World Bank Chief Economist page at:
>http://www.worldbank.org/knowledge/chiefecon/index.htm


Dr. W. Robert Needham
Director, Canadian Studies Program
St. Paul's United College
University of Waterloo
Waterloo Ontario N2L 3G5
http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/ECON/faculty/needham.html