A question for readers of this blog
We may be facing an era in which Donald Trump is president of the U.S. and Pierre Poilievre is PM of Canada – with the environmental and human damage that will follow.
We can hope not, but we may have to deal with it.
Given this, what would be the best place to put personal and, if we have them, financial efforts?
Maxim Baru 11:30 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
My take is that roughly a version of this is true in Canada, despite a general perception that financial constraints on election spending exist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investment_theory_of_party_competition
In a nutshell, elections are expensive and individual ordinary people can’t afford to meaningfully engage the cost of time and money.
But “the Investment Theory of Party Competition does not deny the possibility that masses of voters can become major investors in an electoral system, and accepts that in cases where this does happen the effect may resemble classical voter competition models. For this to happen, however, generally requires channels that facilitate mass deliberation and expression, typically ‘secondary’ organizations capable of spreading the cost of acquiring information and concentrating contributions from many individuals to act politically.”
My two cents: create a union at your job or get involved in your existing union. Confront apolitical approaches to unions. Make them function again.
walkerp 11:31 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
Go hard on the stock market as these guys will be doing everything they can to move money from public to private and the Dow Jones/TSX are the biggest indicators of success with that strategy. At least until the real repression starts…
Jaye 13:15 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
Maybe if there’s a riding that has a candidate who you feel has a chance, and who you like, you can help go door-to-door?
That’s the trick. It has to be a seat in danger of flipping, where it’ll likely be a close race, and where you feel comfortable supporting a candidate.
walkerp 14:09 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
lol my bad, I thought you meant for your own personal finances, not how you could help fight against these fascists once they are in power.
Tim S. 14:16 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
Maintaining and participating in an online space that isn’t a toxic cesspit is already a good start.
DisgruntledGoat 14:46 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
The biggest impact any of us can make as an individual or household is:
1. Cast a vote in all elections
2. Volunteer at a homeless shelter and help prepare meals for the unhoused
There are giant political trends that we as individuals cannot nudge in the right direction a lot of the time, but making a direct impact on our communities and caring for the less fortunate is direct action and direct results
Kate 17:11 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
No, I didn’t mean by my post “where do I invest my money?”, I meant “where do we all invest our time and efforts – and where do we donate money if we have it – supposing we end up in a regressive regime for four to eight years (or more)?”
MarcG 18:32 on 2024-09-17 Permalink
Kinda in love with this misunderstanding
Ricardo 09:03 on 2024-09-18 Permalink
“Human Damage” ? “Fascists”? Have a missed something? Oh yeah, it’s another over reaction from a fearful left leaning person. I feel bad you guys/gals in that you live with such fear 24/7.
Kate 09:19 on 2024-09-18 Permalink
A lot of human damage. Consider the damage recently done to the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio after Trump’s claims that they eat other people’s pets. That man can do, and has done, vast damage by permitting his followers to feel and act in certain ways.
MarcG 09:41 on 2024-09-18 Permalink
Accusing people of being fearful of legitimate threats is peak masculine idiocy.
walkerp 10:35 on 2024-09-18 Permalink
Just remembering one of the first things that Harper did when he came to power was to cut science budgets and censor government scientists from saying anything was related to climate change. The majority of centrist Canadians who vote for the Conservatives who think they will somehow get lower inflation and housing costs and a good health care system will be in for a big surprise if they actually get in power. (Though to be fair, a similar phenomenon happened with the Liberals for people on the progressive side.)
Joey 10:54 on 2024-09-18 Permalink
@walkerp they’ll get lower inflation because inflation is down, regardless of what the federal government does. In hindsight, it might have been to JT’s advantage to lose the last election to PP and try and snap it back four years later. Risky move, though…