In Canada the more affluent provinces pay a subsidy to help the more impoverished parts of the country...which is mainly the Maritime (Atlantic) provinces. The reason for that is...those areas have always been disadvantaged economically, and are now in SERIOUS trouble, because their traditional industries (fisheries, primarily) are in very deep trouble, because the fish are dying off. The fisheries are in that trouble because too many people have caused too much pollution and destroyed too much of the ocean and eaten too many fish. In other words, we have soiled our own bed, and are paying the price for it. We are all responsible for that, not just the maritimers, so we all share in the cost.

Things are already bad in the Maritimes and would be a lot worse without the subsidies.

Now the point is, this country Canada is one family...and a family takes care of its own. A family that doesn't help a sick child isn't deserving of the name.

And that is why I favour the subsidies. I would also favour subsidies to an embattled agricultural sector in any country if they were needed. I'm not too selfish to share, and the whole country benefits in the end if we do.

Socialism is a system that tries to help everyone who is genuinely in need. Capitalism is a system that doesn't basically give a damn about that...survival of the richest and most aggressive is what it is...and the rich perpetuate and enlarge their share of the loot generation after generation, while terrorizing the middle class with lurid tales of "communism", and keeping them pacified with TV and consumer goods, like fat little hamsters in cages. The cages are mostly built by utterly impoverished 3rd World labourers.

I do not call that a moral system, but a barbarous one.

It is not the system that Jefferson, Washington and Franklin sought to create...nor was the American constitution designed to protect such a system.

- LH