tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897479481146623890.post5148848123227196455..comments2023-12-27T09:39:29.958-07:00Comments on Brian Dell: the hazards of populismBrian Dellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15277892651810185583noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897479481146623890.post-54283801151616070762010-07-22T23:57:01.830-06:002010-07-22T23:57:01.830-06:00Hi there. I would argue Simpson, like the media o...Hi there. I would argue Simpson, like the media on the left, have got it wrong about Harper's census decision. It's not ideological. Harper doesn't want it widely disclosed that the middle class has suffered huge setbacks post-recession and that the divide between the rich and poor has grown exponentially under his governance. The census data is the only reliable public data that could be used to prove the broad demographic changes in wealth that have occurred in the last decade. I'm surprised that so many pundits and journalists don't bring this out.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03018851822195812978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897479481146623890.post-77801339016302116822010-07-22T16:55:04.909-06:002010-07-22T16:55:04.909-06:00Goodness, imagine the riots if the Tories didn'...Goodness, imagine the riots if the Tories didn't replace the mandatory with voluntary and instead scrapped the long-form completely!Stephen Taylorhttp://www.stephentaylor.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897479481146623890.post-36854663428009578092010-07-22T16:52:00.024-06:002010-07-22T16:52:00.024-06:00The Economist article on the decreasing use of the...The <i>Economist</i> article on the decreasing use of the census in Europe arguably supports the position of Ivan Fellegi, Sheikh's predecessor, as much as anything since Felligi has said,<br /><i>"It would have been a heck of a lot better if this long-form census was cancelled because at least we would have saved $100 million — that would have had a rationale"</i><br /><br />The facts are that instead of just cancelling the long form (never mind the short form), the govt is undertaking a change that StatsCan says will cost $30 million more than the status quo.Brian Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987594019787137564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6897479481146623890.post-38727877177088768182010-07-22T16:42:11.181-06:002010-07-22T16:42:11.181-06:00I would only criticize Munir Sheikh if he were a p...I would only criticize Munir Sheikh if he were a partisan. He doesn't appear to be one.<br /><br />Further, Chambers of Commerce are against the census change because the alternative is buying unsubsidized market-rate data elsewhere.<br /><br />Also, you should not quote the Economist so heavily to illustrate the Tories being out of step when on the census, the Economist agrees with the Conservative position: http://www.economist.com/node/16590962Stephen Taylorhttp://www.stephentaylor.canoreply@blogger.com