Wednesday digest

- A successful strike against al-Qaeda outposts in Somalia precedes President Bush's crucial speech tonight in which he is expected to call for a troop increase to quell the terrorist insurgency before exclusive responsibility for security is handed over to the Iraqi government. I have believed this is the right strategy for some time now, but will reserve further comment until after I watch the speech myself tonight.

- A lot of class warfare-style rhetoric being heard in the new Congress thus far. Here's a piece worth reading concerning the sloppiness of much conventional wisdom regarding increases to the minumum wage, an idea that makes people feel good but is ultimately harmful to those it is intended to help.

By the same token, a lot of knee-jerk reaction these days to the corporate bonuses being paid out to executives across America. A very, very good article right here argues against tax increases aimed at narrowing that income gap. The author makes and expands on the following three points:

1. Tax hikes hurt the economy;
2. Higher rates are ineffective in producing higher revenues, and encourage both laziness and sleazy strategies of tax avoidance; and
3. High tax rates are wrong and unfair – and only lead to the growth of government.

It's clear that even middle-class working stiffs like me ought to be in favour of keeping tax rates relatively low. (Although it's written through an American lens, the same lessons can apply to Canada.)

Despite common perceptions, those who are against tax and minimum wage increases aren't necessarily selfish and greedy "I'm alright, Jack"-types.

Now if only a frank discussion could be had on entitlements.

- Regardless of your views on global warming and the role that human-driven activity does or does not play on that issue, there's no arguing the following (original article here):

Even if one were one to agree that the scientific case for potentially catastrophic man-made climate change was closed, which it is not, there would still be three unavoidable facts about the pretensions of climate policy. Each of these facts is assiduously avoided by fans of draconian action. The first is that Canada could not meet its obligations under the Kyoto Accord without decimating the economy. The second is that if it were to achieve this suicidal goal, the impact on global climate would be zero. Finally, even if all the signatories to Kyoto were to meet their targets (which they won't), the impact on global temperatures would be minimal. Kyoto was just one draconian step towards a much more draconian future.

- Here's a novel idea - what about China as Africa's saviour?

- True to socialist form, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is muzzling dissent in ways that even the most deluded critics of the Bush administration could only imagine. Also can't wait for the next meeting of the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, millenium edition.

- I didn't catch the premiere of much-ballyhooed CBC comedy "Little Mosque on the Prairie" last night because Mrs. H and I were at Scotiabank Place watching the Ottawa Senators sleepwalk through two periods only to erupt for five unanswered goals in the third period on the way to a 5-2 win over divisional rivals Boston. However, I suspect that the bulk of the laughs come at the expense of hard working, patriotic, play-by-the-rules rural folks, who, although a little simplistic in their worldview, are the type of people who built this country by the sweat of their brow.

I also somehow doubt that issues like this will ever get touched on over the course of the series, nor do I think any Jewish characters will appear. Now THAT would be pushing the envelope - wouldn't it? - but I suppose real controversy rather than poking fun at caricatures of "rednecks" from Calgitoba certainly wouldn't be something that Canada's publicly-funded broadcaster would dare touch.

One viewer's review, here.