CREA sees $1-billion hit to economy next year as home sales fall + MORE Dec 14th

Donald Trump’s policies represent a particular attack on American youth and children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Henry Giroux, Chaired professor for Scholarship in the Public Interest in the Department of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University
Fascism is all too often relegated to the history books.
The word conjures up a period in which civilized societies treated democracy with contempt, engaged in acts of systemic violence, practised extermination and elimination, supported an “apocalyptic populism,” suppressed dissent, promoted a hyper-nationalism, displayed contempt for women, embraced militarism as an absolute ideal and insisted on obedience to a self-proclaimed prophet.
But the seeds that produced such fascist horrors have once again sprung to life, returning in new social and political forms.
Today, a culture of fear dominates American society, one marked by massive inequities in wealth and power that not only uphold structures of domination, but also view differences as threats, compassion as weakness and shared responsibilities —if not the common good itself — as pathology…

Many fixed-income investors are acquainted with the concept of “laddering,” whether it be ladders of guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), or bonds with different maturities. Maturity dates are staggered over (typically) one to five years, so each year some money comes due and can be reinvested at prevailing interest rates. This minimizes the likelihood of investing the whole amount at what may turn out to be rock-bottom interest rates, only to watch helplessly as rates steadily rise over time. Buyer’s remorse results: “Why didn’t I wait to invest?”
The same applies when it comes time for retirees or near-retirees to annuitize. At the end of the year you turn 71 you must decide whether to convert your RRSP into a RRIF, cash out and pay tax (few do this), or thirdly to annuitize.
READ: RRIF or annuity: Which one is right for you?
Mind you, as Warren Baldwin, a senior vice president with T.E. Wealth points out, the analogy is not perfect, since GICs mature and annuities do not…

FCA assembly workers attend the celebration of the production launch of the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan at the FCA Windsor Assembly plant in Windsor, Ont., May 6, 2016. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook – S1BETCNEVUAA
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his party miss no chance to pledge their commitment to “the middle class and those working hard to join it.” Mentions of those in the centre of the income curve have soared lately—the phrase “middle class” was used in parliamentary debate 1,790 times in 2017, compared to just 391 references in 2014. But another segment of the citizenry may be in line for some attention in the run-up to the next election. Rhetorically at least, “working class” is on the rise.
The personal financial foibles of Liberal cabinet ministers and associates have given their opponents plenty to talk about in recent months, and the opposition parties have used the phrase to create maximum distance between team Trudeau and voters. In November, chief Liberal fundraiser Stephen Bronfman’s name showed up in the Paradise Papers, a compendium of leaked documents related to tax avoidance…

Canadian Real Estate Association says it expects home sales to fall more than 5 per cent in 2018