Both Wings Are Required to Fly

Right wing? Or Left wing? If you ask a pilot to chose, chances are he will tell you it doesn't matter. You won't get off the ground without both. In today's political chatter we pigeonhole everything into left wing or right wing. Some things are more left than others while some things are a bit right of centre. Some people call themselves liberal and some conservative. In the US they are Democratic or Republican. Every time I turn on the news or pull up Twitter or Facebook these pork barrel beliefs are thrust upon me. It seems that we are not responsible citizens if we haven't chosen a side. There doesn't seem to be any common ground. How can we possibly solve any of our economic or social problems when we insist on having one group or the other run the show.
I, for one, find it more and more difficult to make a choice. We always have to choose, fiscal responsibility, social responsibility or environment protection. The strange thing is, most of us have found a way to work toward being more eco-friendly, more tolerant and accepting of people's differences and still find a way to pay our bills. Why can't we have a government that does the same?
How refreshing would it be if we had another choice? Would you vote for a party that focused on paying down debt, advocated support for our minority communities, developed responsible environmental policies and promoted economic prosperity, all with a solid understanding of basic human rights? I am going to bet that they would enjoy a pretty solid majority.
I can hear the arguments now.
"You can't have sufficient social programs without expecting to run a deficit. The only alternative is to pay higher taxes.", "You can't have an economy that is based on industry without harming the environment.", and on and on. I call bullshit! For this next part you will be required to follow, step by step, through to the end. You must suspend your right wing/left wing beliefs until you have the full argument.
There is an age old story about the billionaire businessman that, when asked how a man with no experience in business could be so successful, stated that the key was to surround yourself with people that know how to do the job, keep them happy, keep your mouth shut and let them do the job. A country full of content citizens that can gravitate to what they love to do and make a good living at the same time will be the most productive citizens you could hope for.
The alternative is what we currently have. Excessive pressure is brought to bear on the majority of the population to get whatever job they can find and work themselves sick in an attempt to gain enough income to support themselves and maybe a family. The middle class is struggling. Those below the middle are barely existing. Our minorities are marginalized and are not getting the services the rest of us take for granted. Efficiency in the workplace is at an all time low and the current economic outlook for many is grim.
Canada has had a strong tech industry that grew on the back of tougher environmental controls being put on industry. That growth has nearly ground to a halt as industry succumbs to our current world economic woes. The manufacturing and resource industries require an immense transportation infrastructure in a country the size of Canada. The ridiculous amount of money that the resource industry produces requires that we have a robust financial services industry to manage that money. Believe it or not, until now finance has been Canada's pride and joy, as well as one of the greatest contributors to our GDP. Canada's banking system is now losing the confidence of international investors as the industries that support it slowly collapse. Banking, tech, resources, manufacturing, transportation are the cornerstones of growth in Canada, all tightly reliant on each other. They account for nearly $600 billion of our
$1.6 trillion GDP. More than 37%! Without this revenue it gets pretty hard to pay the bills for all the social things we want.
As our population ages and is less able to retire, the strain on social programs is going to get worse. As the general stress level rises, so does the burden on our medical system. Environmentalism is pressuring governments to find alternatives to industry, making for an environment of mistrust between the three groups. Industry suffers, services suffer and in the end the population suffers. All because our two wings never seem to beat in sync.
Let's see what happens when the theory of flight takes over. A little research shows us that, when compared to other industrialized countries, Canada has some of the cleanest industrial and resource practices in the world. We also have some of the most stringent environmental regulations. Given the support to forge ahead with the development of global markets for our products we have the capacity to excel in world trade. Other countries are being put under pressure to trade with countries with solid human rights records and responsible environmental practices. That's us! Growth in industry puts money in the pockets of our services sectors and science and tech growth can't help but grow to keep up the demand to find greener and more efficient processes to satisfy the environmental constraints.
All this means more revenue available to the government to pay for the social programs that will support our lower and middle class. Guaranteed minimum income for ALL. Publicly funded health care and education. Infrastructure development for our marginalized communities so that they have access to the same basic services that those in the major cities enjoy.
By supporting industry, we increase the cash that they have available to spend on researching cleaner ways to do business. More cash also means better social programs. Industries of all types require an efficient workforce and happy, healthy workers are the most efficient workforce of all. By tossing out the labels and getting both wings beating together we can get Canada airborne. As long as we have the left wing and the right wing opposing each other we will never go further than the Dodo did.
We all want the same thing. The freedom to pursue the things that make us happy. They say money doesn't buy happiness. I say we don't need to buy happiness but we do need to be able to afford it. The effort required to simply pay the bills leaves most of too exhausted to follow our hearts any further than the mattress.
By stepping back and seeing how economics, environment and humanity are all intertwined, we will begin to understand that we cannot put one above the rest. As one suffers the rest will follow. A successful flight only comes from the realization that our happiness and prosperity relies on the successful management of all three.