Linda McQuaig's Shooting The Hippo: Causes and Results of Debt
Linda McQuaig's most recent book, "Shooting the Hippo" is about the causes and results of the debt. It is a look at both the factual causes and the arguments which are merely presented to us through the various elements of the media.
McQuaig delivers an insightful overview of the extensive media coverage which has bombarded us over the past few years. "With the excitement of a mystery writer, McQuaig tells the real story behind the debt." . This book explains the history of the deficit myth, and enables people such as myself who are not experienced in these types of problems to get to the heart of the arguments presented so frequently about our financial situation. I found her book an inspiration which will hopefully help us all to devote ourselves to the enormous challenge which we will face in the future. We are responsible to inform and educate ourselves, our friends, our families and neighbours in the difficult days ahead.
To explain McQuaig's title I'll briefly describe the beginning of the "mystery."
A baby hippo, born in a zoo, is to be shot because of recent government cutbacks which leave nothing to feed or care for the hippo. This image grabs the attention of the reader and leads to numerous other examples which McQuaig uses to break down the popular myths about the deficit. McQuaig, determined to expose one by one, several of the current myths about the state of the Canadian economy, backs up her arguments with interviews and publications. These include: a chief statistician at Statistics Canada who has been working on the statistics of social spending since the middle '60s; the man at Moody's bond rating service in New York who is in charge of setting the credit rating on our federal debt; and noted economists, among others.
The book goes on in its investigation as to why the recession in Canada was the worst of the world's most powerful nations. It is noted that if there is a simple way to explain the reason for most of the recession then it will in turn account for most of the increase in the debt. McQuaig also presents a bit of history of banking, monetary systems, and the struggle of the conflicts between the rich minority and the rest of us. All of this is presented in a very readable and interesting manner.
McQuaig asks an intriguing question to all of us. Are we prepared to see our social programs sacrificed in order to reduce the deficit?
Science fiction stories are a very effective way of conveying a strong point. In “Harrison Bergeron” the strength of this short story is its ability to make you think. Not just about the societal structure, but also the abuse of power, and repression. The intentional significance of this story is if people accept oppressive measures in the name of fairness. No one really benefits from these foolish attempts to enforce equality. The tyranny of the majority stifles any sort of freedoms, gifts, individualities, and strengths. If an action must ...
Remember that comment I made earlier about first impressions? If you were to enter and view this play without any prior knowledge, would you question it’s historical accuracy? Would you question the existence of characters such as Falstaff? For many of us simple answer is no. That’s because Shakespeare is in a way, rewriting history. He is taking facts, and turning them into fiction. Therefore this whole play, ever since the beginning can be said as a representation of the people and politics during Shakespeare’s time, manipulating audiences to look at history through a different lens. For example, Shakespeare chose to make Hotspur and Hal of similar age, whereas Harry Percy of Shakespeare’s time was probably closer to Henry’s age. Now this is to either create a rival for the character Hal, or it is making a political statement regarding the two figures who are of different nature clashing until only one remains. Similar to the idea how there can only be one ruler, this political rivalry had to end with only one as victor. Remembering scenes such as Act 4 Scene 4, a small yet powerful act. The audiences gets a small yet insightful scene where the religious figures are conversing and taking sides for the upcoming battle. This again is Shakespeare referring to the religious
Being unique is a necessary part of life. People are told from being children to adults that they need to be themselves. They are told to do what they love and love what they do. What if the world didn’t allow this? Kurt Vonnegut ponders the idea of a life in which the government enforces complete equality. “Harrison Bergeron” takes place in a future society that hinders people with skills to make everyone equal. This society makes everyone worse instead of better. People having skills and differences is key to life. Equality should be for all in the eyes of the law, however people must be allowed to be unique and have different skills.
When he is brought in to Fort Neal, Davenport’s race is a surprise to everyone. Upon meeting him, Captain Taylor tells Davenport that he is “the first colored officer” that he has met (Fuller 13). As a Black man, Davenport’s occupation of this position was not expected of him. This is further revealed when a black soldier, Corporal Ellis, tells Davenport that Taylor made special accommodations for him believing he was white (Fuller 18). There are racial expectations for the position that Davenport fills. Taylor even goes as far as to tell Davenport, “being in charge just doesn’t look right on Negroes” (Fuller 15). Taylor resists accepting Davenport’s position because he believes that it is one for white men. Thus, Davenport must fight against this defiance and the racial expectations that comes with his position. However, as the investigation into case continues, Davenport learns of additional expectations placed on him due to his
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
In the very beginning of Harrison Bergeron, the author, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., tells how his story’s world is like. How everyone is a carbon copy of each other. “everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the
In 1930, during the early stages of the Great Depression, the debt jumped up from $16 billion to $42 billion. The Depression hurt the income flow, which the government had used to gradually decrease the debt accumulated for the previous World...
The political parties continually blame each other in a never-ending cycle, while the state of the economy keeps falling and the national debt keeps rising. Along with that, many functions of the government, such as tax reform and Social Security, have ‘leaks’ in them, where money is being lost. As researchers look into the crisis more and more, they keep finding scary results, such as the predicted debt in 2035 being 185 percent of the country’s (GDP). Despite the work of economists, an economic problem of this seriousness has not ever appeared before. The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform worked to create a document that would lead Washington towards a solution, however this article has both advantages and disadvantages in it.
One of the most famous scenes in Henry IV: Part I is the scene in which Prince Hal and Falstaff put on a play extempore. This is often cited as the most famous scene because it is Hal’s turning point in the play. However, the scene is much more than that. The play extempore is a moment of prophecy, not epiphany because is cues the reader in to the play’s major themes, and allows readers to explore the possibilities of the play’s continuance.
By the same token Harrison is too rebellious for his own good, too strong for his own safety, and too forceful for his own goals. He shows this by breaking the 5000 pound handicap like celery, breaking out of jail to overthrow the government, and forcing the nation to be under his rule. Harrison Bergeron is just way too great of a person for this new and equal world. Ultimately Kurt Vonnegut is trying to show that true equality is unreachable and that a true utopia is where everyone is treated equal not everyone is physically and mentally
“Harrison Bergeron” is a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut and first published in October 1961. It is about a dystopia were everyone is equal in every way. Nobody is smarter than anybody else. Nobody is better looking than anybody else. Nobody is stronger or quicker than anybody else. In this brilliant short story Vonnegut really does change the meaning of what being a different individual is, and how important it can be, and how it leads to one’s personal form of freedom.
First of all, the story makes it quite clear that complete equality should not be pursued and that every person should be able to possess their own abilities and attributes. The setting of this story is key to the theme. The first few lines of “Harrison Bergeron” makes it extremely clear how the setting will be a defining part of the story: “The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law.
One thing that I have learned about college is that you have to sometimes talk about things that make you uncomfortable or scared in order to learn. I do not think I am alone in saying that the United States’ current debt situation is terrifying. Ten trillion dollars alone is an expansive and unimaginable amount of money, and since PBS produced Ten Trillion and Counting in 2009, the national debt has grown to twenty-one trillion. As stated, the documentary was produced during the first months of former President Barack Obama’s first term and focused on former President George W. Bush’s relationship with national debt during his eight year tenure. Ten Trillion and Counting explains some of the questionable decisions that former President Bush made, especially regarding fiscal policy.
First of all, “Harrison Bergeron” displays a social injustice because the government limits and almost completely eliminates individuality. In the first paragraph, the narrator describes the background of the story. The narrator states, “The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal. [...] Nobody was smarter [...] better looking [...] stronger or quicker than anybody else” (Vonnegut, Jr 1133). These lines precede the narrator telling readers about the Constitutional amendments put in place to equalize everyone and eradicate individuality. This quote
Mr. Bartlett ends his article by saying that we should stop worrying about debt and begin to focus more on Aggregated Demand. He then has one last quote from Bill Gross, “while our debt crises is real and promises to grow to Frankenstein proportions in future years, debt is not the disease – it is a symptom. Lack of aggregate demand or, to put it simply insufficient consumption and investment is the disease.”