Alberta • Health
Vaccine encourages health, not sex
Hell has frozen over, the sky is indeed falling, and we are, no doubt about it, in the End Times now.
No, we’re not talking about the financial crisis in the United States — although we’ll get to that soon.
Ron Liepert deserves a nod of support. There, we said it.
We’ll continue to give the privatization crusader and health minister a big thumbs-down on the public-private-partnership school-building scheme, and the de-regionalization of the health boards, but we have to give him a nod for saying Calgary Bishop Fred Henry was irresponsible for calling on Catholic schools to refuse immunization against cervical cancer to Grade 5 girls, as reported in the Calgary Herald. 
The Calgary and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic boards both decided against offering the vaccine, a move that shows they value ideology over real-life health concerns.
SEE also applauds the Edmonton Catholic Board for allowing the shot, with permission from parents.

North America • Economy
Growth for growth’s sake
Is the economic meltdown in the United States the end of capitalism? Probably not, but let’s hope it’s the end of unregulated capitalism.
Certainly, the United States and Canada must both look at better consumer protections and monitoring of the financial industry, but there are also some big-picture problems visible in the current crisis.
North Americans focus too much on growing the economy rather than on creating a stable economy. And Albertans, with our insanely high inflation and desperate fear of another bust, should know that better than most.
The key to that is the other big-picture problem — we aren’t taking care of each other anymore.
As the Centre For Policy Alternatives blog notes, quoting the International Labour Organization: “Hardly anyone argues that the massive income redistribution towards the rich during the last 25 years might be a root cause for the current problem.”

Canada • Election
The Despair-O-Meter tips up
Maybe it was the local candidate forums, or perhaps the promise of the leaders debate tonight (Thu., Oct.2), but SEE has finally found the election spirit this week. (News from other parts of the country helps.)
Green leader Elizabeth May’s participation in the leaders’ debate tonight indicates that Canada is at least willing to consider a wider range of political ideas. And that’s a good step towards coalition governments and broader consensus-building. Let’s hope that’s the message Stephen Harper’s Conservatives take away from the debate.
Seeing Jack Layton finish in second place in CPAC’s polling certainly spiked adrenaline levels. According to Nanos Research, 18 per cent of those polled think the mustachioed leader would make a good PM. That’s another indication that Canadians are moving beyond two-party thinking.
Maybe, come Oct. 14, none of that will mean much, but it is encouraging.