"Alex is clearly a world citizen who disseminates on a wide variety of issues with amazing clarity. His refreshing views on a wide range of subjects are written with elegance and a light touch that does not cloud the issues."
Veeno Dewan, Editor, Voice Newspaper
"Alex Sangha has an impressively broad range of knowledge on issues that affect the world, and challenges problems that most people have come to accept. Sangha doesn't just point out the troubles in this world, but thinks of bold solutions for them."
Jenny Uechi, Managing Editor, Vancouver Observer
If you could adopt a single step and make a small difference, what would it be?
What if you could cultivate multiple small steps that lead to a bigger, better, and brighter future?
In this one of a kind social discussion guide, Vancouver visionary Alex Sangha delivers straight-talk on socio-economic, environmental, political, and spiritual issues that anyone can put to use. His mission? Getting people to think for themselves. His tools? The hard hitting articles he pens which call it like he sees it.
This valuable volume is a collection of frank and insightful essays on the world in the 21st Century, through the eyes of a social activist immersed in it.
The Modern Thinker
Timeless Ideas, Inspiration, and Hope for the 21st CenturyBy Alex SanghaAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Alex Sangha
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4685-0885-7Contents
Introduction...................................................................................1Chapter I Economic Transformation.............................................................5Occupy Wall Street.............................................................................6Ten reasons to hold a peaceful protest.........................................................8The need for compassionate capitalism..........................................................10Government debt threatens quality of life......................................................12Ten ways to wipe out government debt...........................................................13Ten step job creation plan.....................................................................14Welfare reform.................................................................................16Chapter II Political Action...................................................................17Electoral reform...............................................................................18Campaign financing.............................................................................20How to guarantee gender equality in politics...................................................21Time for healing and respect for aboriginal people.............................................22An aboriginal parliament.......................................................................23An indivisible Quebec and Canada...............................................................25Can Canada benefit from more immigration?......................................................27Chapter III Social Affairs.....................................................................29Giving people with mental illness a chance.....................................................30What to do about the sex trade?................................................................31Employment equity..............................................................................33Tips for success for college and university students...........................................35A merit-based student loan program.............................................................37Five simple solutions for doctor shortages.....................................................39Growing up gay and brown in the suburbs........................................................41Chapter IV Environmental Impact...............................................................43Oil Spills.....................................................................................44The Law of Mother Earth........................................................................45Universal bus passes for all citizens..........................................................46Urban sprawl...................................................................................47The merits of a vegetarian diet................................................................49A holistic approach towards depression.........................................................50Does the environment play a role in sexual attraction?.........................................52Chapter V Spiritual Awakening.................................................................53Is there an afterlife?.........................................................................54Free will or fate and destiny..................................................................56A lesson in Sikh philosophy....................................................................58It's time for the world's religions to embrace sexual and gender diversity.....................60What would Jesus do about the famine in Africa?................................................63The Abraham Union: A peace proposal for the Middle East........................................65Reflections on the state of the world..........................................................66Conclusion.....................................................................................69Final Thoughts.................................................................................73In Love's Embrace..............................................................................74Share Your Ideas...............................................................................75Step-by-step guide.............................................................................76Summary Notes..................................................................................113Feedback for the author........................................................................114Chapter Resources..............................................................................139Online Resources...............................................................................140Endnotes.......................................................................................143About the Author...............................................................................147Index..........................................................................................149
Chapter One
Economic Transformation
Occupy Wall Street
Is this the beginning of the end? Perhaps industrial capitalism is hitting the wall. The 99% that Occupy Wall Street represents is demanding change and is gaining supporters from all walks of life.
In the past, the North American and European economies were dependent on a thriving automobile sector, decent wages, and population growth. Not to mention a need for consumers to keep on spending to keep the economy going.
What is happening now is literally the opposite. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing dramatically. The population is aging, and there are less working people to support the government and society. Wealthy countries are tightening their immigration rules. This limits the number of people who can settle in Canada and help create new opportunities and economic growth.
Corporations are outsourcing jobs to countries like China and India. `No strings attached' free trade agreements, that did not provide sustainable labor, social, cultural, and environmental provisions, are reducing the quality of life of people in the developed world, and even the developing world, whether it's long hours or low pay, or the dumping of toxic chemicals and pollutants to produce cheap goods.
People are no longer earning $30.00 per hour unless they work for the government. This is reducing consumer spending, savings, and increasing debt. The population is basically scrambling for minimum wage jobs that usually come with minimal hours.
The capitalist system is on the road to a head-on collision. Not many people can afford to buy a house or pay off their mortgage in this time of less job and income security.
Occupy Wall Street is an interesting phenomenon because it reflects this anxiety. Citizens are not going to stand by and watch 1% of the population suck up 99% of the world's wealth. If governments do not respond, there is a very high risk that protests, revolutions, and increased criminal activity to sustain and maintain basic survival for people will continue to spread like wildfire.
The rich will have to hide in their castles behind big walls and hire private security to protect their assets from the growing masses of the hungry and desperate poor.
Ten reasons to hold a peaceful protest
A peaceful protest requires a purpose. Ten reasons to peacefully protest to help make Canada a better place so that:
• Profitable corporations can redistribute a percentage of their profits to their employees.
• All levels of government can adopt a living wage policy.
• The government can introduce a national pharmacare, vision, and dental program as an investment in universal Medicare.
• The government can fly Canadians waiting for medical surgeries to top notch hospitals all over the world to eliminate waiting lists.
• Student loans can be replaced with student grants and a loan forgiveness program for all students who earn good marks and complete their course.
• Low-income families and single parents can receive a healthy family bonus of $300 per month per child or $10 per day per child to help lift struggling families out of poverty.
• First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people can set up an aboriginal parliament within Canada to more effectively manage and govern their lands, waters, resources, people, and develop national policies and standards.
• Local government can adopt a mixed at-large and ward system to gain the benefits of both citywide and neighborhood political representation. • Provincial and federal governments can adopt a mixed proportional representation and first past the post system where the candidate with the most votes wins the seat so the provincial legislatures and House of Commons are representative of how the electorate actually voted.
• All high school students can be required to take a course in media literacy to critically evaluate all the messages they receive from various sources whether through the press or social media. This will enhance our democracy with an enlightened electorate.
The need for compassionate capitalism
The world may be on the verge of a socio-economic crisis. The US and Europe are facing huge financial problems. Thousands of people have been protesting throughout the Middle East for fundamental rights, such as democracy, free speech, and an independent judiciary.
Countries all over the world, including western governments, are going to be forced to cut spending and balance their budgets during a time when a fiscal stimulus wouldn't hurt.
Social programs will probably be the first to be cut. This may compound social problems as citizens start to rebel. We have already seen England shaken by riots due in part to its government's economic policy and social program cut backs. Social programs are the glue that keeps people content with the status quo. If people are starved of their basic necessities, then they will find a way to get back what they have lost, one way or another. The strongest and smartest survive.
Any government policy that is seen as oppressing the majority of its people may lead to public backlash. Times are changing and some say for the better. So what is Prime Minister Stephen Harper to do? Well, he can shelve his love of right wing ideology and adopt what I like to call "compassionate capitalism."
Compassionate capitalism refers to a mixed economy with private and public ownership but still maintains the capitalist mode of production: promotion of human rights and ethical decision making including the creation of clean, green, environmentally friendly industries; continued investment in social programs; support protection for workers and the creation of new jobs; help to moderate the booms and busts of the free market with government interventions; the development of new government departments to provide national security in key sectors of the economy, especially food and water security.
This compassionate capitalism approach will help maintain a better quality of life for all Canadians and preserve the socio-economic base of the country. The wealthy also have to do their part. A recession is actually good for people with money because they can buy everything at fire-sale prices. The government needs to take steps to encourage the wealthy and the corporate elite to wipe out the debt and deficit and help stabilize the economy. This is in everyone's best interests, especially the rich who have a lot to lose if Canada defaults on its debt.
Government debt threatens quality of life
The quality of life citizens of Canada have enjoyed in the past is most likely going to decline. We are living beyond our means and on borrowed money. The Canadian government is billions of dollars in debt and is carrying a deficit. Interest payments alone reduce the financial freedom Ottawa has to support and sustain essential programs and services. The Canadian government needs to get its fiscal house in order. Social programs and social infrastructure keep this this country together.
Canada is the envy of the world because it takes care of its citizens. National programs, such as the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and Employment Insurance, inject millions into the economy and provide for Canadians when they are in need.
Universal health care and transfer payments provide Canadians with a competitive advantage over the Americans who have much more serious and endemic problems of poverty and poor health care.
The Canadian government needs to wipe out the debt and deficit to secure our quality of life. The poor do not have the money to pay sufficient taxes. The working class is already overburdened and overtaxed.
So who's left? The people who need to voluntarily launch a campaign to rescue Canada's finances are the banks, billionaires, corporate interests and the rich. The Canadian government can facilitate this rescue package by giving generous tax deductions to anyone who directly donates to wipe out the national debt.
It's time to get serious about national money matters. If the rich are making money from doing business in Canada, I am sure they would want to see their investments in good hands, with a stable, financially secure and debt-free federal government at the helm.
Ten ways to wipe out government debt
Here are ten suggestions Prime Minister Stephen Harper can use to wipe out the debt and deficit.
• Tax fairness – Ensure billionaires and the rich are paying at least the same proportion of their income in taxes as someone earning $100,000 per year or less.
• National lotto – Create a national online lottery with huge jackpots where 100% of the proceeds minus the winnings go to pay down the debt.
• Tax deductible donations – Allow citizens to make tax deductible donations to pay down the debt directly.
• Luxury taxes – Charge a luxury tax on sports cars, diamonds, gold, pricy real estate and other non-essential, high cost items.
• Targeted inheritance taxes – Introduce an inheritance tax on estates valued over ten million dollars.
• Lower interest rates – The Bank of Canada can reduce interest rates to stimu- late the economy, increase investment, and lower domestic debt payments.
• Junk food taxes – Tackle obesity and the debt by introducing a junk food tax.
• Pollution taxes – Introduce severe financial penalties for corporations and industries that pollute.
• Sin taxes – Increase sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and casino gambling.
• Small business tax relief – Abolish taxes on new small businesses during the first five years of their operations to encourage economic growth and job creation.
Ten step job creation plan
Here are ten ways Prime Minister Stephen Harper can get Canadians working again.
• Provide small businesses with access to government purchasing discounts on goods and services so they can benefit from economies of scale.
• Provide emergency loans and lines of credit with low interest rates to existing, established small businesses to help them grow and expand.
• Provide tax incentives for big business to create permanent, regular positions.
• The civil service should offer early retirement to older employees to free up jobs for younger employees, many of whom who have families to support.
• Employers should be encouraged to offer job sharing to double the amount of people working.
• The immigrant investor program should be expanded to include job creation provisions, not just the amount of money invested in the country.
• New immigrants should be encouraged to settle in parts of the country that have a need for workers to increase their chances of finding good jobs.
• Countries that want to buy Canada's natural resources should be required to set up manufacturing and production plants in Canada and hire local workers if they want access to these resources.
• The government should introduce short, six month, business entrepreneurship courses and support students with business idea exploration, high tech opportunities, market research, business plan development, and start-up funding. Students should also learn about social entrepreneurship, sustainable development, and the need for clean, green, business enterprises.
• The government can temporarily triple sales tax refunds and make these payments more often to inject money into the economy, stimulate demand, and create more jobs, not to mention help Canadians in financial need.
Welfare reform
It's time for one, main, income tax department to issue welfare cheques. There is no need for welfare offices in every city, in every province, throughout this country. This is expensive, inefficient, and stigmatizes the poor.
The federal government does a great job administering sales tax refunds, such as the GST or HST. Why can't potential welfare applicants apply online, attach their identification, receive their payment via direct deposit, and have a notification sent via email?
This would require Canada's poor to become internet, email, and computer literate. These new skills will make them more marketable for jobs. In addition, it may be a good idea for welfare recipients to learn about online banking, encourage them to learn more about their financial options, and track their spending.
A strong, national, welfare program backed by the federal treasury is better than thirteen provincial and territorial piecemeal programs. Shelter and support in most jurisdictions is shamefully inadequate. This program will stimulate the economy, increase demand for goods and services, and lead to more job creation. It will carry no more stigma than a sales tax refund, and will send a message that all Canadians deserve a basic quality of life that allows them to make the most of their potential.
This is a crisis situation. That thousands of children and families, in a country as rich as Canada, are living in dire poverty is wrong.
It's time to re-think ancient social policy. The modern welfare office evolved out of the old English Poor Laws. These laws espoused the concept of "less eligibility" which meant that any welfare payment must be less than the wage of the least paid worker. This, in effect, has created a race to the bottom and put downward pressure on wages. Not surprisingly, it turned out great for business but arguably hurt the health and well-being of the poor, and society in general.
Many children and families have been trapped for generations in a cycle of poverty. It's time to lift the needy out of impoverishment and put quality of life for Canadians, rich or poor, back on top of the political agenda.
Chapter Two
POLITICAL ACTION
Electoral reform
Surrey, British Columbia is the ideal place for a mixed "at-large" and "ward system" of electing city councilors and the mayor. This is because of its distinctive town centers and its history of using both political systems in the past.
In an "at-large" voting system, the citizens elect candidates to represent them citywide. In a "ward system," the citizens elect candidates to represent various neighborhoods.
So what would this mixed system look like? The mayor and three city councilors can be elected at-large to represent the interests of the entire city. Furthermore, seven city councilors can be elected to represent the following town centers:
• Ward 1: Surrey City Centre
• Ward 2: Whalley
• Ward 3: Guildford
• Ward 4: Fleetwood
• Ward 5: Cloverdale
• Ward 6: Newton
• Ward 7: South Surrey
This would total 10 city councilors and the mayor, totaling 11 voting members of Surrey City Council. This would provide Surrey with the same political representation as Vancouver, which is more than appropriate considering Surrey's growing size and stature.
So what are the benefits of a mixed system of local government? There are many. Residents would know who their city councilors are and who to turn to for help. If a resident did not like their local councilor, they could still have three other at-large councilors and the mayor to turn to. The ward councilors could focus on local issues in their town centre, while the at-large councilors could focus on major citywide issues. It's basically political specialization at work. It's a better distribution of the political workload.
This mixed system would also be more democratic. Potential political candidates would not have to raise thousands of dollars to run a citywide campaign. Independents would have a good chance of getting elected. Most importantly, there would be equal representation from all parts of the city.
Campaign financing
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken steps to remove federal subsidies to political parties. This will officially make donations from individuals, lobbyists, and corporate influence a centerpiece of how politics is done in Canada. In other words, political power will be shifted to the corporate elite and the rich.
There is a way to make federal politics more democratic, competitive, and accessible for citizens.
This four step electoral reform plan attempts to create a level playing field for all political candidates.
• Candidates can pay a deposit to a private bank in exchange for a campaign loan.
• Candidates can submit their campaign receipts to the bank after the election.
• The elections office can reimburse banks for all official campaign expenses up to a pre-set maximum spending limit for all candidates.
• The elections office can produce an elections website which would list the biographies, community experience, and qualifications of all the candidates. This would provide an unbiased source of information for the voters to quickly compare candidates.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Modern Thinkerby Alex Sangha Copyright © 2012 by Alex Sangha. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
