by some_math_guy » Thu 18 Dec 2008, 17:05:39
DeMoley,
I would not consider anything produced by The Fraser Institute in a fact-based discussion. The Fraser Institute is a well-known 'junk science' publication with an overt American-style privatization agenda trying to make headway in Canada. Government jurisdictions in Canada as a rule do not respond to media inquiries around statements made by the FI, similar to how celebrities often don't bother to respond to claims made by the National Enquirer magazine.
If you read the headlines of their 'scientific articles' on their website, they read like a right-wing neocon's policy wishlist. Here are some excerpts copied directly from their website:
"[we] support greater choice, less government intervention, and more
personal responsibility."
(read: US style individualism)
Healthcare
The number 1 bullet at the end of every
presentation telling how bad healthcare is in Canada, under the 'What Can We do?" slide is
1. Privatize hospitals and other health facilities
The methodology used to claim 'increasing wait times for healthcare in Canada' is to (get this) survey surgeons across Canada periodically and ask them what they 'think' their wait time might be right now based on...their feelings (the real data does not exist yet because implementation of electronic tools to measure wait times are in their infancy in Canada).
Looking a little deeper, under other topics at the Fraser Institute
website we see:
Taxes
· ...Canada’s tax rates, both personal and business, continue to
hinder economic progress and competitiveness. This is because they
discourage the very productive behaviour we need more of – hard work,
savings, investment, risk-taking and entrepreneurship - ie. (US-style
sink-or-swim capitalism)
Immigration
· ...Consequently, it is estimated that the arrival of recent
immigrants has been extremely costly to Canadian taxpayers (racist
anti-Immigration rhetoric)
Climate Change
· Scientific evidence about the extent and cause of climate change
continues to advance, but significant uncertainties remain. In
attempting to pressure policy decisions, some activist groups risk
exaggerating the certainty and the damages of human impacts on future
climate change (debunking of climate change by carbon-producing industries including Big Oil)
Pharmaceuticals
· Public drug programs are inferior to private sector drug
insurance (healthcare privatization agenda)
Education
· ...This is particularly apparent...where it is difficult for
lower-income parents to choose private schools (education privatization agenda)
The Fraser Institute also hosts their own in-house web/TV station putting out their own one-sided, junk science stories/propaganda! Sort of like how infomercials are sometimes staged as 'interviews' to seem legit, where both the 'reporter' and interviewee are paid by the promoter of the product.
This is exactly what I've read about how big corporations fund thinktanks like these to get propaganda messages put
out there, seemingly from 'legitimate' sources like this junk-science
outfit!!
This outfit is very dangerous; I'm guessing they are funded by the
various massive for-profit outfits from the States looking to dominate new markets in Canada.
Last edited by
some_math_guy on Thu 18 Dec 2008, 17:09:12, edited 3 times in total.
