To the Editor:

An election is upon us and politicians are again doing what they do best — making gold-plated promises, evading hard-hitting questions, and smearing leaders of parties other than their own. Among – count them – some so-many-point plans like jobs lost during the COVID-19 will be recovered lickety-split and the country’s debt will, under their stewardship, be back under control. Problem is that Mother Earth is not listening.

Climate change is accelerating and the consequences are becoming apparent big time. Droughts punctuated by floods, our food chain attacked on several fronts — droughts, flooding of fertile lands, pollution, and prices we shall less and less be able to afford. Terrorism. Mass migrations. All good excuses for politicians not not to keep their promises and putting the blame on other politicians.

Recently in the news, a “promising” technological development, Tesla’s humanoid that aims to do away with boring, repetitive and dangerous work for human workers, something that it, quoting Elon Musk, a leading pioneering entrepreneur in our brave new world, “would have a profound effect on the economy” and “a universal basic income would be needed.”

My view I have come to over a long time: create a coupon economy alongside our money-based economy. To begin with, coupons for food that then can no longer be had for love or money. Coupons may be used as well for rationing polluting items and the raw materials that pollute, and so on.

Some time ago, I suggested in The Review that government be dual as well: a Commons with elected representatives and an upgraded Senate that is properly composed of a wide variety of expertise with a scientific mindset that can look ahead, consider options, and block dangerous measures proposed by the Lower House. In other words, a democracy married to a meritocracy. A meritocracy that understands Mother Earth as well as our human biases and needs. All of which ought to put an end to playing with such outmoded notions as six-point or any-number-of-points plans.

Let’s not let politicians get away with party propaganda. We need representatives who DO represent us.

Henry K van Eyken,
Lakefield, Quebec