we decide we like a party leader, we elect them
Maybe, if they are in your riding. The average riding has ~100,000 people, and there are only so many parties, so only a small percentage of the population ever have the opportunity to elect a party leader.
In a few countries the politicians are in control, but most countries put the control of the hands of the populace. The politicians are hired only as employees to carry out the wishes of the populace. Canada is one such country. As always, it's not the employee's fault when someone goes wrong, it's management's fault. And, indeed, management trying to pass the buck to the lowly employee is a sure sign of bad management. Hiring another worker to act under the same bad management will yield the same results. In fact, you know this to be true because we in Canada replace the workers every approximately four years, yet keep seeing the same problems over and over. The only solution is for management to get their shit together – but are they capable?
we buy plenty of canned and boxed food without being able to see the food itself
It is quite true that the upstream doesn't demand plastic for plastic's sake, it demands plastic only when it provides a real utility. Granted, even cans are typically lined in plastic and boxes often contain plastic bags to allow the product to remain self-stable and fresh. If the customer can't see the product, they expect some guarantees about its quality, and plastic can help with that.
They have downstream control, but not upstream control. It is the upstream that is demanding plastic packaging here, particularly plastics which have transparency. For some reason they want to be able to see the food before buying it.
Completely forgot that you guys have literal milk bags. lol
Packaged together in another plastic bag, then placed in yet another plastic bag at checkout. It is the Russian doll of consumer packaging.
Styrofoam cartons used to be common. Don't seem them much anymore, granted.
Supermarket chains have plenty of control and influence over their supply chain.
Absolutely. The customer holds all the cards. But, likewise, the supermarket chains are beholden to their customers, and those customers have shown a clear preference towards the use of plastics. How do you convince them to change?
The cure for high prices is high prices.
You don’t get retirement benefits until you retire
Yes, that's the nature of extending credit to a debtor – you don't get your money back until the terms expect payment. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
you can’t spend that money unil you do
One could always borrow to find immediate liquidity using the outstanding debt to be collected as collateral.
Teachers, being the owners of the fund, could also come to an agreement to change its structure. The fund doesn't have to create a debt to active teachers, that's just what its owners decided to do at one point in time.
What grand display are you talking about?
The one where someone went on some weird emotional tirade because of some meaningless words. An educated populace is able to comprehend information in a message without getting wrapped up in their feelings about it.
Places with education systems have better outcomes for their population than places that don’t
According to the OCED/Statscan, Ontario is the most educated province in the most educated nation. In other words, it is considered the most educated place in the world. By which metrics does Ontario display the world's best outcomes for its population?
they have an up front defined benefit they recieved calculated based on years of service.
Exactly. Literally a debt owed to the teacher, accumulated in commensuration with the service provided by the teacher. Or, more simply, payment for work.
The hookers and blow quip is shitty, first because it cheapens your argument, second because you shouldn’t tell people how to spend their money.
Cool. Now, on to something of value, let me remind you that the whole reason we have an education system is teach our youth how to separate such emotions from their thought, to ensure that feelings don't cloud judgment in life. Given this grand display of the education system not working, what do we even need more teachers for?
Yes, of course. Canada and its provinces stand as a democracy. The population at large are in charge. They can do whatever they want. The only thing that can get in their way is themselves.
And that population has tested the electoral reform waters numerous times, especially provincially where referendums have been hosted on multiple occasions to gauge opinion, but interest in change has struggled to present itself.