Corporate Taxes, Canadian Content, and Competition

The myth that Canada has really high corporate tax rates is still out there. Take a look at this. The image is from the Economist, who got their data from a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. Our corporate tax rates are lower than that of most Western countries; even the US.

Here's something that irked me when I saw it this morning. It's a Dart from the Toronto Star's "Darts and Laurels" section: "Buffalo Bills - For interference; the NFL team wants to play at least three games in Toronto in coming years, a move that could spell disaster for the Argos and the CFL."

Really? Is the Argos' fan base that fickle and disloyal that they'll abandon their team in droves when an NFL team shows up? And even if this happened, I don't see how it's a bad thing since it's a case of consumers choosing one product over another.

Protectionism exists everywhere, but the cultural protectionism that some Canadians engage in is often baffling. They're so convinced about the inferiority of our own product that they'll do everything to keep competition at bay. We apparently need to keep NFL teams away from our country because Canadians might like them better. We apparently need to keep American TV channels and radio stations away for the same reason. Please. I want my HBO, my MTV (with music videos), and a lot of football fans I know would love it if an NFL team played for Toronto. Let consumers decide. As crazy as it sounds to protectionists, competition might force people on our side of the border to improve the product they put out. And then, maybe more of us would choose Canadian content willingly. Which would you rather have? A strong Canadian product that not only competes but also wins? Or a weak product that constantly needs protection via antiquated laws?

Ontario Election

I have a few thoughts on it, and yes, it's late, but whatever.

There's one theme that really struck me during the campaign (and within politics in general): people with good intentions who don't realize that they're patronizing minorities.

John Tory (apparently) assumed that his school proposal would get him more votes from minorities. Here's how I think about it: We leave other countries and come here for many reasons, one of the main ones being the education system (which has its flaws but is still great, especially compared to what we've left behind). A lot of recent immigrants (and/or minorities) are secular. Like myself, they don't want (more) public funding for religious schooling. You can't assume that a lot of us want this just because a vocal minority (within the minority) is demanding it. When I read about the proposal, I did a double take, but I was even more surprised after learning that Tory somehow thought it would get him votes from people like me.

Note to politicians: Minorities will vote for you if you have good policies. You don't need to target them specifically. It makes some feel special, but most of us feel like we're being singled out and separated from other voters (and thus other Canadians).

MMP was overwhelmingly defeated, as it should have been. One point its proponents constantly made is that we could use it to put more women and minorities in the legislature. I don't know how most women feel about this, but as a brown guy, I was quite offended. I don't care how well intentioned you are, but you're patronizing and insulting me if you're telling me that people who look like me are not capable of being elected under the current system. Apparently a back-door (like MMP) is necessary to get more of us into the legislature. Thanks, but no thanks. If I want to be an elected politician, I'll go about it the normal way. I don't need special policies enacted to make it easier for me; all I need is equal opportunity.

I'm really curious as to what would've happened if Tory had proposed making all of Ontario's schools secular. Just as the Liberals abolished religious arbitration in the legal system, they should abolish funding for Catholic education. Note to D-Mac: If you try and use your new majority to do this, you'll win over a whole lot of minorities like me.

Danny's Peeps

I have a lot to say about the election, but I'll save it. Instead, you should enjoy this very entertaining and informative article by an Economist writer who spent a couple of days in Newfoundland.

Love song for Ahmadinejad

You may have heard that Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently claimed that "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."

He was speaking at Columbia University.

SNL's Andy Samberg (of Lazy Sunday and D**k in a Box fame) has made a new love song for the president, with an assist from Maroon 5's lead singer. Check it out.