Author: Kim Siever

I live in Lethbridge with my spouse and 5 of our 6 children. I’m a writer, focusing on social issues and the occasional poem. My politics are radically left. I recently finished writing a book debunking several capitalism myths. My newest book writing project is on the labour history of Lethbridge.

I’m also dichotomally Mormon. And I’m a functional vegetarian: I have a blog post about that somewhere around here. My pronouns are he/him.

Politics

Liberals should stop splitting the vote

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 15 October 2019
No Comments on Liberals should stop splitting the vote

Let’s remember that during the 2015 federal campaign, the NDP were the frontrunners. Right up until about a month before the election. It was about that time that the Liberals started getting worried. Liberals don’t think the NDP are a viable party to govern in Parliament, so they assumed that NDP winning would actually result in a Conservative win. They use this belief to scare left-leaning voters to get behind them, saying that if people vote NDP, they will split the vote.

But it takes two to tango.

Tags canada, conservatives, politics

Sexism and women studies

Ram the daughter. Dodge the father.

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 12 October 2019
No Comments on Ram the daughter. Dodge the father.

In my neighbourhood, there’s a truck that has a decal on its rear window that says, “Ram the daughter, Dodge the father.” Does anyone else find this super gross?

Tags sexism

Politics

Canadian conservatives are a minority

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 11 October 2019
No Comments on Canadian conservatives are a minority

If the Conservative Party of Canada wins the federal election later this month, I think we should be careful about interpreting that as meaning that Canadian voters are conservative.

Tags canada, conservatives, politics

Lethbridge Politics

Lethbridge has a long labour history

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 10 October 2019
1 Comment on Lethbridge has a long labour history

Given its propensity to vote in Conservative representatives, Lethbridge is known as a conservative stronghold. But it actually has a significant labour history going back over a century.

Tags conservatives, lethbridge

Politics

Capitalism can’t combat climate change

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 9 October 2019
No Comments on Capitalism can’t combat climate change

Capitalism cannot be the vehicle to combat climate change.

Tags capitalism

Politics

Social change shouldn’t come from consumers

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 8 October 2019
No Comments on Social change shouldn’t come from consumers

In a free market economy, the law of supply and demand, rather than a central government, regulates production and labour. This is a flawed system, especially when it comes to implementing change.

Politics

Businesses manufacture market demand

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 7 October 2019
No Comments on Businesses manufacture market demand

Some time ago, I was talking to a homebuilder about a particular building material they were using for most of their homes. When I questioned them on it, they responded with something like, “We create only what the market demands.” Another homebuilder used a similar argument when I questioned them on their lack of multi-family housing options.

I’ve heard this argument from multiple businesses (not just home builders) over the years. Except it’s a lie.

Politics

Capitalism breeds more than just class inequality

Post author By Kim Siever
Post date 5 October 2019
No Comments on Capitalism breeds more than just class inequality

Inequality is inherent in capitalism. Of course, in capitalism, power is unevenly distributed, lying in the hands of the few individuals who manage to own businesses and amass capital. But that power inequity breeds inequity in other areas.