Last year when we had the opportunity to go to Hong Kong to visit family, we noticed something that we hadn't anticipated. Wherever we went, there was no place to sit. Whether it was the shopping mall or on the street or in an amusement park like Disneyland, there were hardly any benches, coffee shops or other places to just sit and rest for a short while. But after watching people for a while, it became very apparent that people native to that city weren't looking to sit either. The culture in Hong Kong moves very, very fast. There are no people just walking in Hong Kong. Everyone is walking somewhere - and judging from the pace, you'd think everyone was late for an appointment. No time to sit and rest.
Contrast that to west coast Canadians. In Victoria, there are over 150 coffee shops specializing in serving up the stuff. That's not taking into consideration the gas stations, restaurants and other places that also serve it on the side. If you walk anywhere around here, you can't hardly walk 10 steps without bumping into a bench or other place to sit and rest. That alone should tell us something about what we value here as compared to other parts of the world.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
made in China
Mattel made a HUGE recall of a couple million toys yesterday after finding out that their products - mostly made in China - were faulty and hazardous to young children. Many if not most of the merchandise that we use in our everyday lives here in North America comes from eastern sources - India, China, and other parts of Asia. In a global economy where profits are the #1 priority, it is important to keep manufacturing costs at a minimum so that a company can make money while still keeping their price competitive.
Undoubtedly, this toy recall will spark new legislation about needing new regulations around imported items particularly from China. The exporting industry from China will undoubtedly change and eventually, the cost of products here will increase as companies must now find other - likely more expensive - places to purchase their materials.
It's alarming to me that with all the talk surrounding this issue, it seems to predominantly focussed around us. OUR costs will increase. OUR safety needs to be the number one concern.
What about the widespread exploitation happening in these countries in order that production costs can be kept at a minimum? In Canada, we have no idea what working environments these countries have in order for us to have our luxuries. Very likely, not one of us would work their long hours in the dark, musty dungeons even if we were paid ten times what they made an hour.
What about the global human cost? What about THEIR safety?
And what a global economy does to us here in Canada - where we have regulated safe working conditions and rules around our labor - is that local small businesses cannot compete with their prices. It's visible everywhere that the big box stores open up. The small competition folds up around them.
It's not only up to the government to stop this from happening. Ultimately the reason that these practices continue is because we hold the value that cheapest is best. We don't care where it comes from or how it came to be. If we started buying from the local people trying to support their families with their small business, we become related to what we consume. And ultimately, isn't that what God wants to teach us?
Undoubtedly, this toy recall will spark new legislation about needing new regulations around imported items particularly from China. The exporting industry from China will undoubtedly change and eventually, the cost of products here will increase as companies must now find other - likely more expensive - places to purchase their materials.
It's alarming to me that with all the talk surrounding this issue, it seems to predominantly focussed around us. OUR costs will increase. OUR safety needs to be the number one concern.
What about the widespread exploitation happening in these countries in order that production costs can be kept at a minimum? In Canada, we have no idea what working environments these countries have in order for us to have our luxuries. Very likely, not one of us would work their long hours in the dark, musty dungeons even if we were paid ten times what they made an hour.
What about the global human cost? What about THEIR safety?
And what a global economy does to us here in Canada - where we have regulated safe working conditions and rules around our labor - is that local small businesses cannot compete with their prices. It's visible everywhere that the big box stores open up. The small competition folds up around them.
It's not only up to the government to stop this from happening. Ultimately the reason that these practices continue is because we hold the value that cheapest is best. We don't care where it comes from or how it came to be. If we started buying from the local people trying to support their families with their small business, we become related to what we consume. And ultimately, isn't that what God wants to teach us?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Caring for the poor
Affordable rental housing in BC is in a crisis mode and has been for some time now. With average and median housing prices in Duncan nearing 350k (Victoria over 500k and Vancouver nearly 700k), there has never been a more crucial time for our government to make opportunities for affordable housing alternatives. Let's say for example that someone wanted to buy an 'average' house in the Valley. Using $300000, let's assume that they managed somehow to save up the $15000 5% down payment. After the CMHC insurance, lawyer and other fees, they take a mortgage out for $295000. At a 6.5% interest rate over 25 years, that would make payments of around $2000/month. Add to that property taxes and heating each month and it's probably in the range of around $2300/month. The ratio that the bank allows for total housing costs is 32% of your gross monthly income. So doing the math, if you need $2300 a month, you must gross nearly $7200/month in order to comfortably make those payments. That is a household income of $86000 / year to start and live in a house right now here in Duncan.
It's safe to say that you need to be rich to live in BC these days (and arguably most of Canada). If you add to these figures the cost of living in terms of transportation, food, utilities, and education (which is around $5000/year right now at UVIC just for tuition alone), it's clear that BC has become a luxury province where the rich are getting richer only for the poor to get poorer.
In OT Israel, there was a concept of Sabbath, Sabbatical and Jubilee. Among many things, they were designed to help the poor. Being an agricultural/agrarian people, they relied heavily on the weather and land for their living. It was quite common for a particular tribe to have a 'tough year' or two because of one reason or another. But regardless of what happened, everyone knew that every 7th year, the land would grow wild. While this was good for the land, that was only one of the reasons for Sabbatical. It was also so that the poor could eat!
And every 40 years was Jubilee. During the 40 years, land would change hands and certain tribes may become indebted to each other because of rough luck etc. But at the 40 year mark, everything went back to its original owners. That meant no one could be in debt more than one generation!
The way we're going out here, it's become impossible to get a 'leg up' anymore. The latest figures I saw in the Cairnsmore area had the average individual income at just around $25000/year. If you assume two working people in the home both working full time and making the average (not taking child care into consideration either), that is still $36000 short to own an average home right now.
It's more than luck to live here right now. Is that how God would want it?
It's safe to say that you need to be rich to live in BC these days (and arguably most of Canada). If you add to these figures the cost of living in terms of transportation, food, utilities, and education (which is around $5000/year right now at UVIC just for tuition alone), it's clear that BC has become a luxury province where the rich are getting richer only for the poor to get poorer.
In OT Israel, there was a concept of Sabbath, Sabbatical and Jubilee. Among many things, they were designed to help the poor. Being an agricultural/agrarian people, they relied heavily on the weather and land for their living. It was quite common for a particular tribe to have a 'tough year' or two because of one reason or another. But regardless of what happened, everyone knew that every 7th year, the land would grow wild. While this was good for the land, that was only one of the reasons for Sabbatical. It was also so that the poor could eat!
And every 40 years was Jubilee. During the 40 years, land would change hands and certain tribes may become indebted to each other because of rough luck etc. But at the 40 year mark, everything went back to its original owners. That meant no one could be in debt more than one generation!
The way we're going out here, it's become impossible to get a 'leg up' anymore. The latest figures I saw in the Cairnsmore area had the average individual income at just around $25000/year. If you assume two working people in the home both working full time and making the average (not taking child care into consideration either), that is still $36000 short to own an average home right now.
It's more than luck to live here right now. Is that how God would want it?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A change of pace
Blogging every day is a weird experience. Like anything, some days are rich with ideas and content, while other days there is hardly anything that wets the appetite for comment and discussion. Tuesday mornings are especially tough. Today is Tuesday.
Rather than the normal commentary/discussion starter, I thought I'd take the opportunity just to comment on work itself this summer.
For those that haven't heard the Thursday night spiel, the coffee house/blogging idea is an experiment that I've never seen anywhere before but has been milling around in my head for a long time now. Most people in the world (Christian or not) learn their theology from their life experiences and then 'put' it onto God. Left on our own, that almost always results in some weird ideas about God. Most Christians that attend church and Bible studies learn their theology from their Bibles and then apply it into their lives. That usually results in a bit better thoelogy but sometimes the life application is tough and we struggle with how to deal with certain issues we encounter but aren't dealt with explicitly in Scripture (or from the pulpit on Sunday at least). The blog/coffee house idea was an opportunity to hopefully put those two things together. The early church was successful in part because it had handles in the culture and knew the climate of the world it was speaking into. The church today isn't so much a place that the North American church disagrees with. It simply isn't relevant.
So have we succeeded? The dialogue has started and that's good. But even if it ends at the end of the summer, it shouldn't end. The Bible is full of people that wrestled with God. Church history is full of people that wrestled together with God. If we're to become relevant again, we need to learn to wrestle better - with each other and with God.
Rather than the normal commentary/discussion starter, I thought I'd take the opportunity just to comment on work itself this summer.
For those that haven't heard the Thursday night spiel, the coffee house/blogging idea is an experiment that I've never seen anywhere before but has been milling around in my head for a long time now. Most people in the world (Christian or not) learn their theology from their life experiences and then 'put' it onto God. Left on our own, that almost always results in some weird ideas about God. Most Christians that attend church and Bible studies learn their theology from their Bibles and then apply it into their lives. That usually results in a bit better thoelogy but sometimes the life application is tough and we struggle with how to deal with certain issues we encounter but aren't dealt with explicitly in Scripture (or from the pulpit on Sunday at least). The blog/coffee house idea was an opportunity to hopefully put those two things together. The early church was successful in part because it had handles in the culture and knew the climate of the world it was speaking into. The church today isn't so much a place that the North American church disagrees with. It simply isn't relevant.
So have we succeeded? The dialogue has started and that's good. But even if it ends at the end of the summer, it shouldn't end. The Bible is full of people that wrestled with God. Church history is full of people that wrestled together with God. If we're to become relevant again, we need to learn to wrestle better - with each other and with God.
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