Smart Links 11 June 2012

Paul Summerville • June 10, 2012

Tags: Canada, Europe, India, Inequality, Science, United Kingdom, Yes

Commentary on India’s stalled economy, the physics philosophy debate, the great British 60 year contrast, slowly Europe federates, why Michael Bloomberg is mean, and the incredible lightness of politicians.

Why India has slowed. (ed’s note – actually persistent levels of illiteracy are more important particularly for women).

Project Syndicate -- What Happened to India?
Emerging markets around the world – Brazil, China, India, and Russia, to name the largest – are slowing.

Chalk and cheese yet ...

New York Times -- Physicists, Stop the Churlishness
A KERFUFFLE has broken out between philosophy and physics.

Goodbye Commonwealth hello Europe.

Telegraph -- The cloud that darkened this 60-year reign was Europe
The source of the biggest changes in British life over the 60 years of the Queen's reign went unmentioned during the Jubilee.

Federating slowly.

Independent -- Peter Popham: Amid the bailouts, a United States of Europe takes shape
Never mind details of rescue funds, Eurobonds and the like, moves towards a federated Continent are now unstoppable, says veteran Independent on Sunday correspondent.

Vetoing the ‘living wage’. (ed’s note – the minimum wage is poor social policy but in the absence of world class education and health …)

Guardian -- Why Michael Bloomberg vetoed the living wage
New York's mayor enjoys a reputation as a liberal centrist, but his record shows the iron fist of a free-market fundamentalist.

Running scared hurts us all.

Toronto Star -- How political gridlock condemns us to traffic gridlock
When two veteran politicians met downtown to discuss congestion in the GTA, one of them got stuck in traffic.

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Twin Virtues: Inequality of Outcomes & Equality of Opportunity©

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Ultimately, the most successful societies find the balance between the twin virtues of inequality of outcomes and equality of opportunity.

The new politics must marry the twin virtues of unequal outcomes and equality of opportunity.

When too few get too much everybody ends up with less.

Can it be that striving for equality of opportunity however imperfect the process not only benefits the individual but also creates benefits for the society as a whole that are unintended but wonderful?

Economics must be a 'moral enterprise' as much as politics claims to be. Economic outcomes need to be framed in terms of right and wrong not just efficiency if only because these often align in surprising ways.

My vision of Canada is that any Canadian child from a family of limited circumstance can expect to have a chance at lifetime of unlimited opportunities.

Tax policy should be founded on the principle of generating steady tax revenues sufficient to maximise environmentally sustainable economic growth in order to fund fair government.

Public policy should be designed to decrease inequality before the law and increase equality of opportunity.

Capitalism is not the problem; the problem is what we do with capitalism.

Content is always more difficult to argue than conspiracy.

Let the state regulate and the market operate (most things).

Welfare strategies are best designed as a hand up not as a hand out.

Political debate should not be fact free fighting.

Explanation lasts longer than eloquence.

Always favour empowerment over dependency.

The most enduring public figures are embraced for the causes they fought for and not the concept of themselves they hoped others would remember them by.

Find your voice and don't be the echo of somebody else.