This week on Open Sources Guelph, we’re going international, and then we’re coming around again all the way back to local affairs. So we’ll go Dutch on the German election and talk about our great expectations, and greater disappointments with the vote. Then, in Canada, your boyfriend Justin Trudeau’s having trouble with tax reform, and if you thought maybe Chelsea Manning can help, she’s not allowed into the country apparently. To wrap up, we’ll talk about the non-fun had by Guelphites following this year’s Homecoming frivolity.
This Thursday, September 28, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) The Good German. Well, here’s some good news. Yes, Angela Merkel and her party secured a victory in last weekend’s German election, ensuring that the leader of the free world will be staying right where we want her. On the other hand though, far-right wing nuts the Alliance for Germany scored a major victory of their own with 13 per cent of the vote, ensuring them a sizeable voice in the German parliament. As for Merkel, she’s now got to consolidate her power by forming a coalition with another party, but the pickings are slim, and the Social Democrats aren’t playing ball. So is this good news for Germany, or bad?
2) Tax Burden. In an effort to close tax loopholes, the government of Justin Trudeau is aiming to stop rich Canadians from incorporating themselves to protect their income from those vultures at the CRA. There’s just one problem, all those other legitimate small businesses. From main street, to doctor’s offices, to the family farm, there are a lot of small businesses out there for whom these changes might have a negative effect, and Trudeau has been hearing it from all sides. So how do we catch the scofflaws and protect the small businesses at the same time? And how long can Trudeau stand against the klaxon?
3) Chelsea Banning. Looks like Harvard isn’t the only one that doesn’t want Chelsea Manning. The former solider turned whistleblower, who’s 35-year prison sentence was commuted last year by outgoing President Barack Obama, was barred from entering Canada at the now infamous St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing because of her conviction for releasing classified information to Wikileaks. Now, a lot of people are fine with not letting Manning into Canada because, after all, she is a convicted felon, but is there a greater ethical standard? Did she not help expose war crimes being done by the so-called good guys? And are people a little too eager to make it so that Manning can’t move on with her life?
4) Home is Where the Mess Is. This past weekend was Homecoming for the University of Guelph, but you’ll be damned to find anyone talking about that embarrassment (the Gryphons lost to McMaster 29-9). Instead, all eyes were on the neighbourhoods around U of G and the downtown as a mess of litter and vandalism aggravated the tempestuous relationship between town and gown. People were screaming mad about the mess and the loud parties on the “Overheard at Guelph” Facebook page, it got a lot of local media coverage, and Mayor Cam Guthrie posted a public statement via YouTube (so you know it’s serious). But where does the fault lie? The university? The bar owners? The students themselves? And what went wrong after years of positive progress with the Safe Semester program?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
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