libby.

libby. libby....

so, if you argue that we should not restrict the flow of people from africa because it would damage the economy, does that mean you think we should not restrict the flow of capital across borders because it would damage growth? well, you're citing the who. are you going to cite the world bank and the imf, too?

it's the same neo-liberal argument, applied to a different context. if the aim is the well-being of the local population, it's equally wrong across both contexts.

now, did the government actually do anything? no. are they playing politics in their reaction? sure. is the american right being laughably hypocritical in capitalizing on public fears? sure. so, is it a meaningless political response directed at harper's base? absolutely.

but it's a really bad argument, libby. it's a scary argument. and, it aligns snugly into the existing perspective on the left that we've lost the ndp, to the extent that we ever had it in the first place.

if you're serious about this, you realize the who is pushing market fundamentalism in it's position. this ought not be an issue where travelers from africa are given the opportunity to make the choice to be dishonest. the quarantine should be total. it's the kind of situation that the clauses in the constitution were inserted for - with an extreme public health crisis, the public safety dominates over individual rights. and if that means that sick people choose to stay in africa instead of come to canada - well, yeah, that's the point. sorry, africa, but you're contagious right now.

when a so-called socialist party can criticize a ruling conservative party for abandoning the principles of neo-liberalism without anybody batting an eye about it, you know you're living in a one party state.