Learnings

Covid-19 for all it's nasty features has also been a great learning opportunity for most of us. Like it or lump it we have had to come to terms with features of our characters that we might have been able to duck in kinder times. The nature of those things in my life will remain private but there are three things on my mind today that would not have generally arisen.

First off I am struck by how aware we may have become that essential services cannot be left in the hands of the profit sector. There is no room to siphon profit from our nursing homes or other essential services. I only hope we remember this when things calm down. We may have to hold some politicians feet to the fire.

I am no economist but in my view a closely related problem which I hope we can learn to avoid is our dependence on 3P project funding as in Public, Private, Partnerships. It sounds nice but in fact it is an expensive approach to developing infra structure. Our governments with their dependable funding base ( taxpayers) can borrow very cheaply but they have to have the courage to face down those who continually squawk about debt. The constructive use to which we have put debt in this crisis should help us deal with this. In the 3P projects the money paid to private entities for the use of their cash is considerably greater than the government would pay through bond issues.

Final issue for the day is we have to stop starving the CBC. That is a story for another day.