Re: Imposing the US Dollar on Canada

["Alan G. Isaac" <aisaac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 20 Apr 2001 phillp2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Some time ago I took the decision never to debate Alan on any
> issue as it seems a thankless task.

Yes Paul, I recall it went badly for you last time:
  http://csf.colorado.edu/mail/pkt/jul98/0142.html

> Though no one on this list has explicitly championed dollarization
> for Canada, there are others who have (including I believe Mundell).

Primarily Canadians, I think.
(Including Mundell, of course, if he did so advocate:
could you provide a cite?)

> The two major groups of supporters in Canada are the neo-liberals
> who see dollarization as emasculating Canadian economic policy
> and forcing it to be much more right-wing in keeping with American
> government/central bank policy.  The other supporters are the
> separatists in Quebec who want dollarization to destroy the ability
> of economic and monetary policy to be made in Ottawa.  They
> would prefer to have it made in Washington since it would bring the
> breakup of Canada much faster.  Many of our national institutions
> have already been destroyed by NAFTA and many more are under
> threat.  The loss of power to make independent monetary and,
> effectively, fiscal policy on top would almost certainly mean the end
> of Canada as a viable economic unit and would propell the
> remnents to sue for entry into the US which would give the US
> complete control of Canadian resources.  This was the essense of
> Chossudovsky's op-ed that Alan obfuscated about.

As I recall
 http://csf.colorado.edu/mail/pkt/2001/msg01301.html
I simply questioned Harry's curious claim that
``Giving up OUR currency means abandoning OUR land, OUR heritage.''
I didn't comment on Chossudovsky's silly op-ed at all,
which appears amazed that banks wish to make money and claims
without foundation that ``Washington'' is pushing for dollarization.

Now let me see if I understand *your* claim above: separatists in
Quebec (whom you seem to equate with the devil, who I suppose was a
kind of separatist himself) want dollarization to cripple the economic
policy making ability of Ottawa and transfer it to Washington!  Being
far-sighted and cunning, however, they do this only because this will
give them grounds to sue for entry into the US, and turn over control
of Quebec's resources to U.S.  corporations (whom, I assume, you also
equate with the devil).  And presumably they do *that* because the
treatment of Spanish speakers in California persuades them that entry
into the U.S.  will add more security to their language rights.

Did I get that right?

Alan