(03-27-2024, 02:59 PM)danbrotherston Wrote:(03-27-2024, 01:44 PM)westwardloo Wrote: I think the main reason expropriation is going to take place here is due to the tight timeline. Honda or more likely Toyota wants to start design and construction ASAP. They have already mentioned that the are more than willing to build the factory in the USA. If ontario wants this factory we need to act quickly. Does is suck that a large multinational corporation can hold this much power? Yes, but the alternative is no investment and GDP growth in the province continues to trend in the Negative direction while the Economy of USA and Mexico flourish, leaving canada as the forgotten northern neighbour.
Farm land was 100% expropriated for the original Toyota plant. This is no different. Personally I think our region is better off because we have Toyota, but I understand that a lot of people prefer things to never change.
The farmers are upset, but they now they are getting bank, I stand by this push to stop the land assembly is from the neighbours in New Hamburg that will be living next to a Factory.
IMO expropriation is an extreme measure. The land expropriated should be required to be used DIRECTLY for the common good, and maintained in common ownership. The idea that the government can take my house---even at fair market value---and give it to a private corporation for nothing more than the "promise" of jobs...is frankly, abhorrent. If the government really thinks that maintaining industrial lands is in the common interest, they can be a landlord and manage them.
This happening in the past does not make it right now...
As for alternatives...the alternative of lower GDP growth isn't exactly the horrific outcome that neocons would like you to think. Europe has had much lower GDP growth than the US and yet Europe is a far better place to live.
And that's before you even get into anything as radical as questioning capitalism...Europe is strongly capitalist.
Europe is also strongly protectionist and physically not connected to the US. We are in a rough spot and can’t be as independent as you would think, or else things get a lot worse. It’s already a significant productivity and growth gap between us and the US. We can’t cover that up by being physically distant from the US like Europe can. People will get mad if the quality of life gap gets bigger over time. Europe also gives a metric fuckton of subsidies to their own industry for better or worse…
Handouts to industry is annoying and yet here we are..
local cambridge weirdo