Monthly Archives: February 2021

The divisiveness that permeates the country today impacts the way we look at various institutions and occupations. People are characterized by what they do for a living and how they act, where they live and vote.

Perhaps nowhere is the occupational categorization more apparent than at the nations colleges and universities. College professors are often pointed to as one of the most liberal groups in the country. Some surveys have verified these attitudes. A recent survey conducted by an ideologically diverse group of scholars at the University of North Carolina found that two in every five UNC students had engaged in self-censorship out of fear of being ostracized by peers or professors.

This survey seems to suggest that those who disagree with commonly held beliefs on campus, often identified as political correctness, suffer discrimination. Some students believe that this discrimination is actualized in lower grades if they express their views in class or in papers. Faculty whose positions differ from the politically correct views of peers, report that they are often overlooked in the awarding of higher rank and/or tenure.

If this is the case, it leaves those who genuinely have a disagreement with the popular views on campus wondering if they will be alienated from friends and colleagues.

Citing the North Carolina survey results and similar pending legislation lawmakers in some states are considering bills that would requiring colleges and universities to conduct surveys to determine the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented to see if students, faculty and others feel free to express their beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom.

As might be expected, there are those who oppose such a bill. The United Faculty of Florida worry that the information collected by the survey might be used against them. Faculty feel that there is some danger in using information from a survey to determine if faculty are exposing opinions as fact or simply interpreting circumstances or ideas from the perspective of their disciplines.

We already know that professors in the U.S. do not exactly line up with the more middle-of-the road thinking of most Americans. Although dated, the most definitive study on the subject completed in 2007 by Neil Gross of Colby College and Solon Simmons of George Mason University found that among faculty 46.1% considered themselves moderate, 44.1% think of themselves liberal and 9.2% consider themselves to be conservative.

In 2016 the Econ Journal Watch reported a study that traced the voter registration of university faculty. They found that there was a ratio of 11.5 Democrats to every one Republican in the social sciences and history departments of 40 leading American universities. However, the ratio drops to 4.5 to one in economics departments.

Critics of higher education point to these studies and others as proof of the inherent bias at universities. They ask how universities which seek diversity in many aspects of their mission can neglect the concept when it comes to the political leanings on campus. This is part of the reasoning that Senator Rodriguez used in building a case for this bill.

But the accusation that university professors have great influence in changing students political views or that conservative professors are discriminated against is probably overstated. As a case in point interviews with 153 conservative professors summed up the recent book by Jon Shields of Claremont McKenna College and Joshua M. Dunn at the University of Colorado, found most are succeeding at their institutions and are happy there.

And as to whether liberal faculty have an undue influence on students by discriminating against them in grading and other ways also seems not to be the case. And finally, a study conducted by the University of California at San Diego reported that among conservative students there was a sense that being in an environment that was perceived to be overwhelmingly liberal was positive for students who thought differently. It made them clarify their values and ideas more profoundly. Is that not what an education should do?

An annual survey of faculty to determine their open mindedness will only reap havoc among faculty and students alike. As the political disposition of most campuses seems to matter little, it is best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Michael A. MacDowell is President Emeritus of Misericordia University in Dallas, PA.

Original post:

College is where students learn to defend their ideas, whether conservative or liberal | Opinion - pennlive.com

It garnered just a fleeting mention in the early days of the Liberal election campaign a reference to public long-term care insurance that merited one line in a press release, and one sentence in the party's platform.

The Liberals have downplayed the significance of the reference, declining interview requests initially sent 10 days ago.

A campaign official did indicate that the system in Japan is what caught their attention here.

But given the fact it is in the party's platform, CBC News decided to have a deeper look at the idea,even though it is something that may just be explored at some point in the future, with no commitment to enact it.

In Japan, the institution of public long-term care insurance marked a sweeping change to how the nation takes care of its elderly.

Meanwhile, back in Canada, another province almost launched its own version of public long-term care insurance about eight years ago, but those efforts were scuttled when an election shifted the reins of power.

Even closer to home, the care of the elderly is a particularly urgent issue in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"One in every five Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is over the age of 65, and they are the people who have worked hard their whole lives to provide for and take care of us their families," Liberal Leader Andrew Furey said in a press release Jan. 18.

"Seniors deserve our utmost respect and attention. Our government will explore innovative approaches to long-term care, such as public long-term care insurance, to make sure all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have the necessary support no matter what."

The program in Japan, which launched in 2000, is "very generous" compared with other European jurisdictions with similar initiatives, like Germany, according to John Creighton Campbell, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Michigan.

He has extensively studied social policy in Japan, and the country's long-term care insurance system.

Here are the broad strokes of how the system in Japan works.

First of all, there is a cost.

The program is funded half by taxes, and half by premiums paid by those aged 40 and above.

The benefits begin for everyone over the age of 65.

The process starts with a visit to an applicant's house for an assessment.

According to Campbell, about 95 per cent of applicants make it through this process, and are sorted into various categories of need.

"It's compulsory, so you have to pay the premiums," Campbell told CBC News in an interview from California, where he now lives.

"When people become eligible for the benefits it's been very popular. They've mostly applied, and gotten the benefits."

They are provided with institutional care or home- and community-based services.

Campbell said there are an array of benefits available, from help in the home and adult day care, to the rental of wheelchairs and home repairs, to respite care.

"Taking care of older people who need it is an expensive proposition. And so to really make a big difference, the way they did in Japan and Germany, you can't get away with just a small program," Campbell said.

"If you really want to deal with the problem, you're going to have to be prepared to spend money."

Quebec recently came close to enacting its own vision of public long-term care insurance.

Rjean Hbert was health minister in the province from 2012 to 2014, and introduced what was called "autonomy insurance."

But the Pauline Marois PQ government lost power before it came into effect, and the program was shelved.

"I almost succeeded," Hbert told CBC News in a recent interview.

"It would have taken six more months. But I think it's feasible to try to implement such a new funding mechanism."

Hbert has continued to promote the public long term care insurance idea.

He is currently a professor in the school of public health of the Universit de Montral, and has worked for decades on care for the elderly with functional decline. Hbert has also been the scientific director of the Institute of Aging of the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

Last year, he wrote in Policy Options, published byInstitute for Research on Public Policy, that "we must abandon the current institution-based funding model for long-term care" and governments should instead "put in place financing based on seniors' long-term care needs."

In an interview, Hbert said provinces should change the funding system for supporting home care, to allow people to stay at home as long as possible.

"Nobody wants to go to a nursing home if it's not absolutely necessary," he said.

Hbert called that particularly important in the time of COVID-19.

"Living in institutions and living in collective housing is not as safe as living in your own home," he said.

The Quebec program would have been funded by income tax revenues, and made economic sense, he noted.

"It needs an investment, but, you know, this investment is going to be much, much lower than the cost of the status quo," Hbert said.

Hbert said he is "very pleased" the idea has at least been raised in Newfoundland and Labrador.

He says any province considering this should look at the experience of continental Europe and in Japan and what was being considered in Quebec.

"I think it was a very good project based on the experience of other countries," he said.

"But my message is let's do it, because it's really important for improving the services and [making] it affordable for the next generations."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

Original post:

The Liberals will 'explore' public long-term care insurance. So what exactly is it? - CBC.ca

Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says Scott Morrison always has an eye on who will be the best possible candidates to help him increase his slender majority at the next federal election and this is the case for the seat of Warringah.The Liberals hope to defeat Independent Zali Steggall, Mr Clennell said on Sunday. Recently, the PM invited former NSW premier Mike Baird and his family over to Kirribilli House as I understand it, with several Liberals looking to urge Baird to run. This is more a personal outing though, with the PM keen to thank Baird's elderly mother for help she gave him and his wife when he entered the parliament. Baird, in an interview with me in January, ruled Warringah out this time around".Mr Clennell also said another name that has been spoken about in terms of Warringah was the NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean. Apparently Kean would be willing to go for the seat if Morrison prevailed on him and Baird did not wish to run. Several Liberals have urged Kean to run," he said.Kean himself has been working on colleagues to attempt to lobby Baird into the race.

Read more from the original source:

Warringah in the Liberal Party's sights - Sky News Australia

Delhi Police has arrested 21-year old climate activist Disha Ravi from Bengaluru in connection with the Greta toolkit that exposed Khalistani hands behind the global campaign against India. Since then, she has been remanded to the custody of the Delhi Police for five days. The arrest of the activist has triggered a meltdown in the liberal sections of social media.

Numerous liberals have cited the young age of the activist in order to mock the decision of the police to arrest her. It is particularly amusing because she is 21 years old, so not exactly a child. At 21 years, people have a say in the manner in which the country should be run. One would believe it is self evident that therefore, they ought to be liable for consequences for activism as well.

It is symbolic of the world that liberals wish to create, where people ought to be free from the consequences of their actions if they happen their ideological ally. Greta Thunberg is not too young to bully world leaders into addressing her tantrums. Licypriya Kangujam is nine years old but even she should be taken seriously in matters of public policy.

But God forbid a 21 year old, a legal adult, has to pay for the consequences of her actions. And suddenly, they are too young to face penal action. Consider this, a country with a population of 130 crores should make its laws based on the tantrums of a child but at the same time, liberals believe a legal adult is too young for arrest.

It is also pertinent to note that liberals always have some excuse or the other for their ideological foot-soldiers, as has been pointed out by many already. For Safoora Zargar, accused in the Delhi Riots case, it was her pregnancy. For Vara Vara Rao, it was claimed that he is too old. And now, for Disha Ravi, its that she is too young.

It appears that the Police should first ensure that the profile of the accused fits liberal requirements before making any arrest. Going forward, the Police ought to make an announcement that only Upper caste, preferably Brahmin, males in their 30s from non-farming background would be preferred for making arrests in high-profile cases.

The male should not be pregnant either, as liberals now claim that men can be pregnant too. Actual guilt does not make it to the list of priorities. Probably only then, liberals will be satisfied with legal proceedings.

Usually in Democracies, people acquire the right to vote when they turn 18. Thus, when they turn 18, people actually have the power to decide how the country is governed and the trajectory of the entire country. Liberals in the West, especially in the United States of America, also demand that the the eligible age for voting be lowered to 16.

Yet, when a 21 year old is arrested for alleged involvement in a global campaign against India, liberals want her to be absolved of all guilt due to her age. Its utterly bizarre. Should the same courtesy be extended to other young adults of the same age or is it a privilege that ought to be preserved for liberal activists alone?

Do liberals actually want 21 year old adults to have the liberty to indulge in all sorts of nefarious activities without the potential for any adverse effects? Should adults receive the same privileges as those under 18? These are serious questions that liberals must answer.

Instead of beating around the bush, they should come forward and just admit that they want Dish Ravi to escape the legal consequences of her actions solely because of her politics. Because stripped of the veneer of fancy humanitarian concerns, that is what it essentially boils down to. And then we must ask, why should only liberal foot-soldiers have such privileges?

Needless to say, such courtesies will not be extended for Hindu activists of the same age. In their case, eminent intellectuals will cheer for further prosecution. They will demand it and then cry if they do not have their wishes fulfilled.

One gets tired of saying it at this point and fears coming across as too repetitive but liberals do not care about principles. They only care about power. They are out of power currently and therefore, they are making flimsy humanitarian appeals to excuse the conduct of their foot-soldiers. When they have the power to inflict damage, they will enthusiastically persecute 21 year old Hindu activists.

Coincidentally, two years ago, on this very day, twenty year old Adil Ahmad Dar had massacred scores of our security forces through a suicide bombing. Would liberals argue that the Pulwama Terrorist be let off due to his age as well?

Read more from the original source:

21 year old Disha Ravi too young to arrest? Liberals want to create a world where actions do not have consequences - OpIndia

Do you know what it means to be Cuomosexual? Before you go educate yourselves about this new form of gender identity for fear of being cancelled, let me tell you it isnt like that. But all the woke kids are doing it anyway.

Meet Trevor Noah, host of the Daily Show. The other day, he posted a witheringcritiqueof how India is handling the so-called farmer protests. The other thing, Trevor is a self-confessed Cuomosexual. No, this is not an attack on his gender identity. This is an attack on his intellectual dishonesty. And how Trevor and the rest of global liberal media chose partisan boot-licking over the lives of human beings.

I will explain. First, remember this screaming New York Timesheadlinefrom August last year?

Good job, New York Times. Good job rubbing it into the faces of the brown-skinned people of a formerly colonized country. Without your amazing journalism, how would we know how bad our lives are? We are poor, we have weak healthcare systems, rampant corruption and a Hindu nationalist government, the last one being the worst of all. Over there in China, your newspaper calls it patriotism. Over here in India, you call it nationalism. Because Americans love the word patriotism but think that nationalism is associated with Hitler. Make it easy for you to demonize us that way.

So tell us New York Times, around the same time last year, how were things going under your nose?

Andrew Cuomo is the liberal governor of the state of New York. And his top aide just admitted, on tape, on a conference call with fellow members of Cuomos Democratic party, that they covered upthousandsof Covid deaths of nursing home patients.

And I literally mean thousands. They admitted 8711 Covid deaths of nursing home patients, when the real number is at least 15049 that we (now) know of. That is not too far from at least half of all Covid deaths being covered up.

And what was the motivation for this cover up? Listen to the damningconfessionfrom the governors aide:

right around the same time, [then-President Donald Trump] turns this into a giant political football, according to an audio recording of the two-hour-plus meeting.

He starts tweeting that we killed everyone in nursing homes, DeRosa said. He starts going after [New Jersey Gov. Phil] Murphy, starts going after [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, starts going after [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer.

In addition to attacking Cuomos fellow Democratic governors, DeRosa said, Trump directs the Department of Justice to do an investigation into us.

And basically, we froze, she told the lawmakers on the call.

They were worried that the federal authorities under President Trump might start an investigation if they revealed the real numbers. They were worried that the real numbers would allow Trump to attack Cuomo and other liberal governors everywhere from New Jersey to Michigan to California. With the election in two months, this would be bad for their party. And so, like any good banana republic, the liberals in charge of New York decided to freeze the data.

Dear New York Times, this happened right under your nose. While you were busy mocking and kicking India for our plight.

Trump is no longer in office. Biden is from their own party. Now, there is nothing to fear from federal agencies under him. And so, the liberals come out with the facts. By the way, the liberals apologized, but not to the families of the thousands of victims whose deaths they covered up. They apologized to fellow liberal politicians in their own party for making them uncomfortable against opposition attacks.

Dear New York Times, how close are you to being the official mouthpiece of the liberals who run the worlds most powerful banana republic?

Remember how the BBC wanted to know if India is hiding Covid deaths?

Same month of August, by the way, when New York liberals were covering up dead bodies to win an election. I have drawn a simple schematic diagram to help the BBC understand its mistake.

So, whats Cuomosexual, by the way? Even as liberals were tearing India apart with their investigative journalism, their cheerleaders were egging on the good work of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Apparently, his daily briefings on the Coronavirus were so informative that a number of people in media and American liberal intelligentsia decided to label themselves Cuomosexuals. In other words, they were turned on by Cuomos press conferences. Watch Governor Cuomo soak in the adulation.

Indeed, the first question from the interviewerwas: Can I say that I am Cuomosexual? You can click thelinkand check it. I am not making this up.

Yes, folks, this is what hard-hitting journalism looks like when a white liberal comes face to face with a white liberal politician. Now imagine the kinds of questions that global liberals have for us brown-skinned Indians.

Do you know what else Cuomo did? Hesent9000 recovering Coronavirus patients into New York nursing homes. Not fully recovered patients who might have then infected the others in those nursing homes. You know, already sick people, elderly people, the ones most likely to die from Covid. Imagine the blatant disregard for human life.

And dont forget the smiles of American liberal media as they declare themselves Cuomosexual. Their fingers are all pointed at India. Why use water cannon? Getting water out of your clothes can be such a pain.

In fact, Cuomos press conferences became such a big hit that they gave him an Emmyaward! Again, Im not making this up. Look at thesmugnessas Andrew Cuomo touts his award winning leadership on CNN.

The anchor doing the interview? Thats CNNs top primetime host Chris Cuomo. Yes, same last name as NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. They are in fact, brothers. Same dad. Same mom. Thankfully, Chris did not tell brother Andrew whether he was feeling Cuomosexual. That would have been just plain weird.

Thats CNN if you are a rich, white privileged liberal. If you are an Indian Hindu, thats entirely different.

Bully the Indians. Grovel before the Chinese. And declare yourself Cuomosexual in front of white American liberals. Thats wokeness in a nutshell. The New York Times and all their friends were busy busting Indias handling of the Coronavirus, while their liberal gods back home were covering up dead bodies to win an election. Right under its nose, the New York Times could not see the suffering of their own people. The Cuomosexuals were far too turned on by their liberal governor and fantasies of poverty porn in India. Let that sink in.

You know who paid the price here? The common people of New York. The thousands of victims whose deaths were covered up. And their families. The thousands of recovering patients who were sent into nursing homes and the thousands more who contracted the virus from them. Yes, common people everywhere bear the brunt of wokeness and liberalism. Thats why nobody cares about the 28,000 political murders under Left rule in Bengal between 1977 and 1996. But ever since 2014,darr ka mahaul hai

See the article here:

Global media mocked India even as Cuomosexual liberals undercounted thousands of Covid deaths under the nose of New York Times - OpIndia

HALIFAX -- The next premier of Nova Scotia has announced a six-person transition team led by former cabinet minister Diana Whalen as he prepares to navigate the challenges of governing in a pandemic.

Iain Rankin was chosen as the successor to Premier Stephen McNeil at a virtual Liberal party leadership convention Saturday night.

Whalen is a former Halifax-area member of the legislature and was deputy premier and minister of finance during McNeil's first majority government between 2013 and 2017.

She will chair a transition team that will work with civil service leaders in the period leading to the swearing-in of Rankin as premier and his new cabinet, with their first meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

David Johnson, a political science professor at Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S., said in an interview Tuesday the leadership group faces the dual challenges of keeping a lid on the spread of COVID-19 and bringing in a budget that could be the last before the next provincial election.

The province had just nine active cases of the illness as of Tuesday.

Premier Stephen McNeil has formed a highly recognizable partnership with Dr. Robert Strang, the chief medical officer of health, in briefings through the past year, and Rankin will need to establish a similar comforting presence, Johnson said.

"It's like changing skippers in the middle of a storm. The previous skipper has proven quite good at keeping the ship steady and moving forward, and the new skipper has to take the wheel," he said.

He added it will be up to the new leader to maintain the plan to provide vaccines to the population through the summer.

The political scientist said the more difficult task will be to plan for a provincial budget in the fourth year of the Liberal government's mandate.

The pandemic ate away at what was a slim surplus, leaving the projected deficit at $778.8-million as of December. McNeil has said his successor would likely be dealing with a budget deficit of around $500-million by the end of the fiscal year.

Johnson said he expects that Rankin's team will have to develop a pre-election budget that takes this "budgetary hole" into account.

The 37-year-old premier-designate, who has billed himself as an agent of generational change, will face pressures ranging from calls for improvements in long-term care to cries from the hospitality and tourism industry for assistance.

"How much more money will be there for more public health measures? How much will be provided to hurting industries from tourism to ports?" asked Johnson.

"Meanwhile, what is the plan to paying down the deficit? Is it budget cuts or tax increases?"

McNeil told reporters on Tuesday that no date has been set for the swearing-in of the new premier and his cabinet.

"It usually takes two weeks, 10 to 14 days. Until that point, I'm still the premier and I'll be in my office making decisions on behalf of Nova Scotians. There's no lull going on here," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2021.

Read more:

N.S. Liberal Leader Iain Rankin names transition team led by former cabinet minister - CTV News Atlantic