Giving Belated Thanks

Harry Truman pardons the turkey--but too late.

Canadian Thanksgiving was a couple of weeks ago now. 

I usually take the occasion to express thanks for the good things in the world.

This time I did not have the heart. There are too many bad things happening. But now is not the time to mention them.

The world is always going to hell. We have been in the end times at least since Gospel days. Old people like me are more inclined to see it, because we have less to lose by admitting it. We'll be gone soon.

But, somewhere, the world is always being resurrected. Always, somewhere, in some obscure corner, perhaps a stable, something is being born.

Belatedly, here are some thing I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Brett Kavanaugh got confirmed to the US Supreme Court. We really dodged a bullet on that; the alternative would have been catastrophic for men, for the public discourse, for the rule of law, and for getting others to serve in public office. With Kavanaugh in, we can also be at least hopeful that the rules around abortion will be tightened. Although I read from those who seem to know that any overturning of Roe v. Wade is still very unlikely.

The result of the recent Quebec election, with CAQ taking power. Quebec politics returns to normalcy after fifty years. Quebeckers, in effect, get a say in government for the first time in fifty years. This should mean great good for Quebec and for Canada.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford's recent use of the notwithstanding clause. Courts in Canada, even more than in the US, have gotten into legislating from the bench, overruling the will of the legislature on frivolous grounds. This is poison to democracy. It was long past time for someone to legitimize the use of the notwithstanding clause. That is what it was there for. Now we may also be able to fix some other appalling precedents.

The signing of the C-TPP. This is a huge new free trade area. I believe it is the second largest in the world, after NAFTA. The US may be out, but Canada is in. Too bad for the US, but good for Canada, who gains a competitive advantage. And, perhaps more importantly, lower prices for Canadian consumers.

The signing of the new USMCA, replacement for NAFTA. It did look as though NAFTA was dead, and Canada might be left out of any new deal. A side thanks for a weakening of the Canadian supply management system. With this, I hope on balance it will be at least as good for Canadians as the original NAFTA. In any case, it will be better than the alternative of no deal.

A booming economy across North America. Low unemployment, stock values up. Regardless of any other specific policies or events, a rising tide raises all boats.

Fracking, and the end of fears about oil supply. Not a recent change, but its effects are growing. As a result, aside from greater prosperity, the funding for much Islamist terrorism should now over time dry up. And the funding for Russian adventurism.

Brexit. Not an obvious good in itself; but it frees Britain to enter into new free trade deals. Ideally with Canada and the US, perhaps India. The EU is a free trade zone, but it is also an obstacle for its members to make other trade deals. On balance, it may be a net drag on world trade. At the same time, the central bureaucracy of the EU has been increasingly autocratic and undemocratic. A corrective was needed.

Meaningful work.

The sound of a rooster crowing outside my window.

The kids I meet each day on my walk.

The rain.

Today's sunset at the end of the street. Pink and blue, with a sliver of moon visible.