Category Archives: Economics

We’re a nation of takers, not makers

What do Canadians do for a living? Surely by now the world knows we’re not all lumberjacks. We’re factory workers and store owners and software engineers and advertising executives. Oh, and public servants. Lots and lots of … Continue reading

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What’s a trillion?

As governments sling mind-boggling sums of money about in a misguided effort to revive the economy by doing stuff that would be unaffordably stupid in good times, this cute little graphic at least gives some perspective on what this “trillion” … Continue reading

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What’s $84 billion?

The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation has relaunched its federal debt clock. It doesn’t come with an alarm… it is one.

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More leeches!

Remember the jokes about medicine in the bad old days where they’d bleed the patient and he’d get weaker so they’d bleed him some more until, for instance, George Washington lay dead? Well, today’s news from the New York Times … Continue reading

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Measure it anyway

I’ve always treasured a crack by Rose Friedman about the illusion of precision in economics. Her husband Milton was half-way through declaring that if you can’t measure something you don’t really understand it when she interrupted with “If you can’t … Continue reading

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