"Venezuela's and Canada's Very Different Approaches to Oil"
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1913
Energy Bulletin - "National energy policies"
[Russia, Canada, Venezuela, Austrailia examples]
http://www.energybulletin.net/23402.html
These articles tell a very different tale than most Canadians are used to hearing, especially in Alberta. The Canadian NEP was just lightweight compared to the successfull Venezuelan nationalising policies!!
The question is Nationalising the natural resources for the benefit of the entire nation, or Privatise for the benefit of both Capitalist economic ideals and personal fortunes? [capitalism ideal of 'free market forces to determine prices and markets for the product' [oil]. ]
There are those who admire what Chavez has done for the poor of Venezuela, but that is very different from Alberta's situation.
The hot economy of Alberta is being partly fueled by the tar sands investments - capitalist ideals at work. However, the 'other workers' in Alberta are seeing high prices for food and housing, which is squeezing them hard despite the higher wages being paid for sevice personel [burger flippers getting $14/hr]. Those wages would have to go a lot higher than any burger joint could afford in order for the burger flippers to flourish financially in Alberta now. In fact, almost all job sectors in ALberta are seeing their workers being squeezed by the high prices there now.
So the conclusion might be that the wealthy oilfield workers and investors are creating problems for the rest of the people. Chasing inflation with higher prices and wages is not an economic strategy that will workout okauy for the majority. This is why Capitalism and Democracy have become incompatable. [woof!!]
The author of "Venezuelas's and Canada's Very Different Approaches to Oil" , Jonah Gindin, putsup a very convincing arguement for Canada to nationalise their oil industries. Alberta will have a ****-fit of course, but I suspect it would only be the wealthy Elites of Alberta ['Friends of Ralph Klien'] that would be shouting the obsenities. The social programs in Alberta have yet to get back to the 1993 levels when Klien cut them back so harshly... whereas Venezuela's 50% poverty rate has been eradicated in just 4 years.
Maybe the NEP was judged too harshly for a program of compassion [a word that is not in the lexicon of the neo-cons], or maybe it was just too soon, but as things look now, it's time has really come.
Alberta should no longer be allowed to continue to transfer the oil-wealth [that belongs to all Albertans] to the Wealthy Elites. Drastic changes could be made to correct that injustice, like nationalising our oil industry, or Alberta could simply raise the royalty rates [etc] back to 1970 levels. Something should be done...
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1913
Energy Bulletin - "National energy policies"
[Russia, Canada, Venezuela, Austrailia examples]
http://www.energybulletin.net/23402.html
These articles tell a very different tale than most Canadians are used to hearing, especially in Alberta. The Canadian NEP was just lightweight compared to the successfull Venezuelan nationalising policies!!
The question is Nationalising the natural resources for the benefit of the entire nation, or Privatise for the benefit of both Capitalist economic ideals and personal fortunes? [capitalism ideal of 'free market forces to determine prices and markets for the product' [oil]. ]
There are those who admire what Chavez has done for the poor of Venezuela, but that is very different from Alberta's situation.
The hot economy of Alberta is being partly fueled by the tar sands investments - capitalist ideals at work. However, the 'other workers' in Alberta are seeing high prices for food and housing, which is squeezing them hard despite the higher wages being paid for sevice personel [burger flippers getting $14/hr]. Those wages would have to go a lot higher than any burger joint could afford in order for the burger flippers to flourish financially in Alberta now. In fact, almost all job sectors in ALberta are seeing their workers being squeezed by the high prices there now.
So the conclusion might be that the wealthy oilfield workers and investors are creating problems for the rest of the people. Chasing inflation with higher prices and wages is not an economic strategy that will workout okauy for the majority. This is why Capitalism and Democracy have become incompatable. [woof!!]
The author of "Venezuelas's and Canada's Very Different Approaches to Oil" , Jonah Gindin, putsup a very convincing arguement for Canada to nationalise their oil industries. Alberta will have a ****-fit of course, but I suspect it would only be the wealthy Elites of Alberta ['Friends of Ralph Klien'] that would be shouting the obsenities. The social programs in Alberta have yet to get back to the 1993 levels when Klien cut them back so harshly... whereas Venezuela's 50% poverty rate has been eradicated in just 4 years.
Maybe the NEP was judged too harshly for a program of compassion [a word that is not in the lexicon of the neo-cons], or maybe it was just too soon, but as things look now, it's time has really come.
Alberta should no longer be allowed to continue to transfer the oil-wealth [that belongs to all Albertans] to the Wealthy Elites. Drastic changes could be made to correct that injustice, like nationalising our oil industry, or Alberta could simply raise the royalty rates [etc] back to 1970 levels. Something should be done...