We have argued elsewhere that a strong economy and social justice are two sides of the same coin feeding on each other to create wealthy and sustainable societies.

A wonderful exchange between Jeffrey Sachs and Niall Ferguson about the role of the state and the market and some related articles, and commentary on what is wrong with politicians, rethinking taxation, watch out Google Siri is coming, and income inequality in Canada.

Sachs and Ferguson square off. Sachs' key point is that the political process in the United States has ‘amplified’ the unequal outcomes that globalisation produces. Ferguson became disturbingly personal, guess Sachs hit a nerve. Thanks to David of Victoria.

you tube -- Heated discussion on the '1% ' -- Fareed Zakaria with Jeff Sachs and Niall Ferguson

Related.

Financial Times -- Why America is embracing protest
When the Tea Party erupted in the spring of 2009, both US political parties were quick to define it. Democrats depicted the anti-tax agitation as “AstroTurf” – faux populism staged by conservative millionaires.

Related.

Project Syndicate -- The Instability of Inequality
This year has witnessed a global wave of social and political turmoil and instability, with masses of people pouring into the real and virtual streets: the Arab Spring; riots in London; Israel’s middle-class protests against high housing prices and an inflationary squeeze on living standards; protesting Chilean students; the destruction in Germany of the expensive cars of “fat cats”; India’s movement against corruption; mounting unhappiness with corruption and inequality in China; and now the “Occupy Wall Street” movement in New York and across the United States.

Quote worth quoting.

“Any economic model that does not properly address inequality will eventually face a crisis of legitimacy. Unless the relative economic roles of the market and the state are rebalanced, the protests of 2011 will become more severe, with social and political instability eventually harming long-term economic growth and welfare.”

The 33 pound tumour. Thanks to Gordon of Victoria.

rsn -- Pull Your Money Out of Bank of America -- My good friend Nomi Prins has a great new piece out that I just caught on Zero Hedge, chronicling 10 reasons why depositors should pull out of Bank of America.

Not authentic, not interesting. Thanks to David M. from Victoria.

New York Times -- Why Our Candidates Disappoint Us
AS a psychotherapist for more than 25 years, I’ve never been fond of boilerplate formulations.

Quote worth quoting.

“THE ability to “read” the emotions of the electorate and to speak to those emotions in a compelling way do more for both electoral success and legislative success than I.Q. Similarly important is the ability to articulate a vision and a set of values, which is a far better predictor of voting behavior than positions on “the issues.”

Related.

Added Samara to our blog roll. Samara is an independent charitable organization that studies citizen engagement with Canadian democracy.

America thinks about taxation.

Forbes -- A Flat Tax Would Be Fine, A Consumption Tax True Perfection
The intensity of the ongoing Republican presidential debates has a very uplifting silver lining. Specifically, the competition ensures a much needed discussion of the proper mode of federal taxation.

In the ‘disruptive technology’ category, the importance of voice recognition technology, and Apple’s got it.

Forbes -- Why Siri Is a Google Killer
It’s now been a couple of weeks since Siri debuted as part of Apple’s (AAPL) 4S.  The response from most people has been very positive.

Canada and income inequality.

Globe and Mail -- Why aren’t we talking about income inequality?
Equality is fitfully in the news. Demonstrators demand higher taxes on the “rich.”

Related

Conference Board -- Canada gets a “C” grade and ranks 12th out of 17 peer countries.