Not at all gaming related

I'm completely blown away by this story:http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/politics/story/2011/10/21/raitt-air-canada-flight-attendants.html

It's incredible to me that such a thing is even being suggested by the federal government. This is the kind of statement we always think is behind the decision making process of the conservatives, but that none of them would be brazen, or stupid enough, to suggest it.

Well now it's finally here. The conservatives want to have the discussion of what is more important: our rights as citizens, or the economy. Our rights as free people, or a system that favors fascism (according to General Smedly Butler).

It's been my belief for a long time that our political system-- constitutional democracy--and our economic system--"capitalism" (more like oligopoly)--are diametrically opposed to each other ideologically. One is a system that says (or at least strives to) say that all citizens shall be treated equally, and the other... isn't.

The short end to the discussion is "no, the economy is not more important than our rights as Canadians." A decision that would say otherwise calls the charter of rights and freedoms into question, as well as endangers the sovereignty of Canada.

Our day to day lives are being impacted more and more heavily by artifacts of our economic system than our political system. Our economy has been increasingly forced open to policies being set by other nations, and also increasingly being opened up to scrutiny and litigation by foreign nations (softwood for example... or the recent admission that Canadians don't actually want new rules for Digital Rights Management).

It's our responsibility to fight for the rights we've been given. If we're not willing to stand and take responsibility for them, that's when our governments give them to someone else to handle. Let's not let them make our economy more important than us.