Why have democratic governments failed to take serious steps to reduce carbon emissions despite dire warnings and compelling evidence of the profound and growing threat posed by global warming? Most of the writing on global warming is by scientists, academics, environmentalists, and journalists. Kevin Taft, a former leader of the opposition in Alberta, brings a fresh perspective through the insight he gained as an elected politician who had an insider's eyewitness view of the role of the oil industry. His answer, in brief: The oil industry has captured key democratic institutions in both Alberta and Ottawa. Taft begins his book with a perceptive observer's account of a recent court casein Ottawa which laid bare the tactics and techniques of the industry, its insiders and lobbyists. He casts dramatic new light on exactly how corporate lobbyists, politicians, bureaucrats, universities, and other organizations are working together to pursue the oil industry's agenda. He offers a brisk tour of the recent work of scholars who have developed the concepts of the deep state and institutional capture to understand how one rich industry can override the public interest. Taft views global warming and weakened democracy as two symptoms of the same problem — the loss of democratic institutions to corporate influence and control. He sees citizen engagement and direct action by the public as the only response that can unravel big oil's deep state.
Alberta's most insightful political commentator is back with another essential book. Kevin Taft, together with economists Mel McMillan and Junaid Jahangir, follows the money to uncover why Alberta--one of the richest places on earth--still talks poor when it comes to public services. Do we really spend more than we can afford, more than we can sustain, on health care? On education? Why doesn't Alberta have enough hospital beds? Why have our schools faced teacher layoffs? Why are our city streets potholed, and why are rising numbers of Alberta children living in poverty? Where is all our wealth going? Follow the Money uncovers the truth behind the government's austerity slogans and cutbacks. The hard-hitting evidence of Follow the Money challenges Albertans to rethink the past and remake the future.
Alberta had the tightest controls on spending in Canada during the very period when the Klein government has claimed costs were soaring out of control. Now, public programs in Alberta-including health care-have become the most poorly supported in Canada. (6 weeks on the Financial Post national best-seller list!)
OVER 7000 copies have sold in 8 weeks Alberta's long-standing Progressive Conservative government has transformed Alberta into a virtual one-party province on its claims of openness, transparency and accountability. Democracy Derailed goes deep into the machinery of government to reveal how the Tories have methodically maintained their grip on power by dodging accountability, manipulating public opinion and stifling dissent both inside and outside of government. In doing so, the Tories have undermined the very foundation of democracy: government must be accountable to the people it is elected to serve. In this ground-breaking, first-person account, Kevin Taft exposes how Alberta's Tories derailed democracy and gives his prescription for putting it back on track. Visit www.democracyderailed.ca to see the web site set up for the book and and allows you to explore further into the issues it raises.
The Government of Alberta under Ralph Klein has asked a reasonable question: can health care be better provided partly as a private, for-profit product rather than as a not-for-profit public service? But-despite the claims of advocates for market-driven medicine-private hospitals are neither cheaper nor more efficient than public ones. Clear Answers summarizes the huge body of evidence showing that they are more expensive and less efficient.
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