Federal Government & Politics II

[Build.It]

On another topic, the article below is fascinating - I was told yesterday by someone that the same thing happens in Canada. Apparently companies like McKinsey, Bell, Rogers, and their industry groups write most of the bills, then send it to the politicians to review/debate. If true then this would explain a lot - for example how Bill C11 and Bill C18 got introduced - and in hindsight doesn't surprise me at all. I guess this is what Kyle Kemper meant by "Justin isn't actually running things". If true then this means Canada and the US are run by corporations.

You elected them to write new laws. They’re letting corporations do it instead.
https://publicintegrity.org/politics...do-it-instead/

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Build.It

"Justin isn't actually running things"

If true, that's probably a good thing. I wouldn't trust him to run a lemonade stand.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Here's what techbros believe:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TESCREAL

Good essay here on how dangerous this philosophy is:

https://aeon.co/essays/why-longtermi...-secular-credo

Elon has used this BS to try and justify why the government should take over leading AI efforts (away from his competitors), why collective climate action (like public transport projects) should be avoided, why COVID policies were unnecessary (to preserve his profits), etc.

Good marker of gullibility, is anybody who buys into techbro bullshit, when it's so clearly against the public's interests. Lots of bitcoin bros inevitably fall down the rabbit hole.

Thanks for sharing this. I’d never heard of longtermism before. What a horrible, pseudo religious cult! I can see why Elon subscribes to it. Ironic how it claims morality but justifies selfishness, inaction over Climate Change and even genocidal behaviour. How anyone can find the prospect of posthumans living in a virtual reality exciting is both strange and terrifying. I’m sure Zuckerberg (who already seems like a robotic posthuman) imagines Meta this way eventually.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Korea and Japan are the case studies to show that even when fertility drops the major cities do not depopulate; It's the countryside that depopulates. Seoul and Tokyo continue to grow as the countryside (where housing has always been affordable) completely withers and dies.

Population reduction is not the solution to big city housing prices, I'm afraid. It's never that simple.

No it really is that simple. Japan and Korea are both among the best for income to price ratios. Despite haveing huge population density. Canada is now the worst by this measure along with Australia, New Zealand, Sweden. Hmmm what do they all have in common?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

No it really is that simple. Japan and Korea are both among the best for income to price ratios. Despite haveing huge population density. Canada is now the worst by this measure along with Australia, New Zealand, Sweden. Hmmm what do they all have in common?

I don’t think that is true. Seoul’s ratio is 15, Toronto’s is 12, Tokyo is 15.

[flar]

Originally Posted by Build.It

On another topic, the article below is fascinating - I was told yesterday by someone that the same thing happens in Canada. Apparently companies like McKinsey, Bell, Rogers, and their industry groups write most of the bills, then send it to the politicians to review/debate. If true then this would explain a lot - for example how Bill C11 and Bill C18 got introduced - and in hindsight doesn't surprise me at all. I guess this is what Kyle Kemper meant by "Justin isn't actually running things". If true then this means Canada and the US are run by corporations.

You elected them to write new laws. They’re letting corporations do it instead.
https://publicintegrity.org/politics...do-it-instead/

You're just figuring this out now

It's even worse under the Conservatives

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I don’t think that is true. Seoul’s ratio is 15, Toronto’s is 12, Tokyo is 15.

It's hard to accurately compare the true cost of homes to households between countries as far apart as South Korea and Canada, but if you just take average prices and median HH incomes at face value, Seoul looks abysmal and makes even Toronto and Vancouver seem somewhat affordable.

Take these stats with a grain of salt, but:

(1) Average household income in Seoul: 52 million KRW = CAD 52,619. (Toronto = CAD 84,000)
(2) Average home price in Seoul: 819 million KRW = CAD 824,000

A typical "home" in Seoul is probably completely different to one in Toronto, so here is the price per square meter/foot:

(3)Average price of a home per square meter in Seoul: 12.7 million KRW/m2 = CAD 1,189/ft2.

Or, put another way, a 500ft2 condo would cost roughly $600k.

I always wondered why Koreans would continue to emigrate from their country when, from our pov, they have a dynamic economy with really innovative companies and a cultural output that is the envy of the world. In many ways, their strengths are Canada's weaknesses. But then you talk to Koreans who emigrated here and they just describe Korea as a dog-eat-dog, sick society with misogyny, alcoholism, no work-life balance and an economy where young people can't get ahead.

[P'tit Renard]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I don’t think that is true. Seoul’s ratio is 15, Toronto’s is 12, Tokyo is 15.

What's their reference area for Tokyo though? Tokyo's public transit system is so advanced, that they have a massive commuter zone that's significantly larger than the GTA.

You can live a lot further out in Greater Tokyo and still have a reasonable commute, which is next to impossible in the GTA. Once you're outside of the most expensive zones near the Imperial Palace/Shinjuku/Shibuya, prices are quite reasonable and a lot cheaper than Toronto.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

.

I always wondered why Koreans would continue to emigrate from their country when, from our pov, they have a dynamic economy with really innovative companies and a cultural output that is the envy of the world. In many ways, their strengths are Canada's weaknesses. But then you talk to Koreans who emigrated here and they just describe Korea as a dog-eat-dog, sick society with misogyny, alcoholism, no work-life balance and an economy where young people can't get ahead.

It's an interesting situation. Everyone I know who's visited Seoul raves about it. Yet I've known Koreans working here (in professional careers) that had to go back for various reasons and were pretty distraught to the point of depression in one case. It does not seem like a great place for the average worker.

[P'tit Renard]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I always wondered why Koreans would continue to emigrate from their country when, from our pov, they have a dynamic economy with really innovative companies and a cultural output that is the envy of the world. In many ways, their strengths are Canada's weaknesses. But then you talk to Koreans who emigrated here and they just describe Korea as a dog-eat-dog, sick society with misogyny, alcoholism, no work-life balance and an economy where young people can't get ahead.

It also doesn't help that Seoul is less than 100km from the DMZ, and the country is essentially always on a war footing (hence why culturally they push so hard on the economic front). Situation's even more precarious than Taiwan in a way, who has the Taiwan strait as a buffer.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I don’t think that is true. Seoul’s ratio is 15, Toronto’s is 12, Tokyo is 15.

I was using OECD numbers but I see they are comparing to 2015=100. Convient measure for this discussion but yes a bit unfair. It still shows the change as immigration ramped up. And if you compare our crowded Urban areas they compare favorably. Though cost per SQ FT also makes us look much better given the size of our housing.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I always wondered why Koreans would continue to emigrate from their country when, from our pov, they have a dynamic economy with really innovative companies and a cultural output that is the envy of the world. In many ways, their strengths are Canada's weaknesses. But then you talk to Koreans who emigrated here and they just describe Korea as a dog-eat-dog, sick society with misogyny, alcoholism, no work-life balance and an economy where young people can't get ahead.

My sister-in-law is a landscape architect in Seoul. She works 60-70 hours a week and gets a week of vacation.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Nite

both rents and home prices are stable or falling in Canada based on the month.

LOL, you're really going to try and slip that by? Yeah renters should feel really great a slight easing was regsitered last month in the rate of increase in rents. This after rents increased a huge amount across the country in the last year thanks to Trudeau's failed policies.

[MolsonExport]

Seoul (and Tokyo) is a great place to visit, but I would not want to live there. The dog-eat-dog characterization is spot on. For young people, getting ahead is very hard, and this is after engaging in 20 years-worth of arms-race after school curriculum (Hagwon, after-Hagwon Hagwon, piano lessons, etc., etc.). If you make it, you can enjoy a shoebox in the sky. Plus a lot of misogyny if you are female, and relentless pressure from in-laws.

Things are getting bad here in Canada in terms of affordability, but our quality of life is still much better for the average person.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by whatnext

LOL, you're really going to try and slip that by? Yeah renters should feel really great a slight easing was regsitered last month in the rate of increase in rents. This after rents increased a huge amount across the country in the last year thanks to Trudeau's failed policies.

It will be interesting to see whether the lower international student numbers in Septembe have any impact on rents, at least in some locations.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

It will be interesting to see whether the lower international student numbers in Septembe have any impact on rents, at least in some locations.

Population grew by another 125,000 in July. I would think that most international students arrive in the summer. The better question is whether we'll actually see lower international student numbers in September.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by theman23

Population grew by another 125,000 in July. I would think that most international students arrive in the summer. The better question is whether we'll actually see lower international student numbers in September.

Well this government has a horrible record on implementation so I wouldn't hold my breath.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Thanks for sharing this. I’d never heard of longtermism before. What a horrible, pseudo religious cult! I can see why Elon subscribes to it. Ironic how it claims morality but justifies selfishness, inaction over Climate Change and even genocidal behaviour. How anyone can find the prospect of posthumans living in a virtual reality exciting is both strange and terrifying. I’m sure Zuckerberg (who already seems like a robotic posthuman) imagines Meta this way eventually.

As someone who has worked with these guys all my career: the techbros have always been terrifying but they've always invested a lot in downplaying it. In a way I'm grateful to Musk has taken the mask off - he's calling attention to what these people really are.

Zuck is arguably even scarier than Musk because he still hides behind the veneer of respectability.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

As someone who has worked with these guys all my career: the techbros have always been terrifying but they've always invested a lot in downplaying it. In a way I'm grateful to Musk has taken the mask off - he's calling attention to what these people really are.

Zuck is arguably even scarier than Musk because he still hides behind the veneer of respectability.

Does Zuck actually fund politics or these TESCREAL think tanks? I don't get the impression, he genuinely cares about politics beyond its impact on his business.

Musk on the other hand genuinely believes he has an obligation to deploy his wealth to reshape humanity in his image. And that is both annoying and terrifying.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Musk on the other hand genuinely believes he has an obligation to deploy his wealth to reshape humanity in his image. And that is both annoying and terrifying.

Just a coincidence that he doesn’t care about curbing climate change (weird for an electric car pioneer), but is promoting colonization of Mars instead while trying to curtail all international laws for colonists.