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The other day I was approached
by a gentleman in Osoyoos that politely told me that “they” (so-and-so)
don’t like me because of my writing published in Osoyoos Times. Well, I
politely told him to remind “them” about freedom of expression and
freedom of the press. Guaranteed in our Canadian constitution through
the Charter of Rights, because democracy and the standard of living in
the society that makes up a democratic governed mixed economy as our
Canadian, entirely depends on understanding produced by research that
emerges in society by free flow of information that is vigorously
discussed. In my research and in my practice, my concern is the
economy’s allocation mechanisms. Broadly, the political economic systems
that ration and allocate scarce resources that have alternative uses
between unlimited human competing claims. National economies are made
up of the society that makes up regional and local economies. One only
needs to study the behavior in a few local economies, to increase
understanding of a national economy’s allocation mechanism, and the
faults, which unsolved, causes social, economic and ecological
adversity. For the past ten years my research has included the Thompson
Okanagan, and a region in Sweden and the US. Research now organized in
the Canadian-Swedish IISRE Initiative, and information is available on
the net, at http://iisre-institute.org/index.htm. Sustainable social
satisfaction, good health, a sound environment and thus quality of life,
depend on sustainable economic production, in businesses that distribute
wealth in the community via employment - rather than welfare. In my
guise as member of the society in Osoyoos, I have addressed issues
related to economic development, some published, some not. I have
recommended the Town Council and government to do an independent
analysis of the Town’s economic development model and to increase
understanding in society. Circles among the social and political
establishment regrettably don’t like that, and knowledge is easy to
reject and destroy. Any student of the history of the Dark Ages or
Chinese History knows that it is destroyed by self-interest, censorship,
and by dogma that cannot be questioned. Ultimately the decision of
economic development is a decision for Town Council, government and
ultimately the voters - ultimately it is a test of democracy.
Osoyoos January 5, 2009
Kell Petersen
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