Citizen Economists

We are an inclusive & independent community dedicated to learning about & creating healthy economic policy for #PWD #BIPOC #LGBTQ2SPIA+ & all marginalized folks

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

Justice For Seb - Sebastian Moore - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/rCmO1v9vOz via @CdnChange

[F-Stop Pictures 📷 @Fast50sfotos]

I came across this on TikTok and I felt so compelled. I saved it and made a YouTube video. #pwd. @CitizenEcon @patriciaflsd @nejsnave I hope we all retweet and shares the hell out of this. Please don’t feel shy to leave a comment. Her message is global

https://t.co/C264aDBDXy

[Patricia Scrafield (she/her) 🇨🇦 @patriciaflsd]

Dear voters of Ontario,

Please know that, today, lives are LITERALLY on the line. This election isn’t about who you like or who represents your interests. Today’s election will ultimately determine who, in this province lives and who dies.

Please ensure that when you go to the ballot, you remember that. I implore you to not vote Blue.

[Patricia Scrafield (she/her) 🇨🇦 @patriciaflsd]

Dear Ford Voters: I am writing directly to you. To ask you how the Conservatives have affected you and why they have won your vote. Again. A last minute appeal.

Let me tell you, first, about my own political and fiscal ideologies, so that you know that this tweet, is in no way a form of rhetoric. It's an honest and open and real conversation. Something that, as people who engage in the civic right from which so many around the globe are limited, we are afforded.
I am a social leftist and a fiscal centrist. That means that I believe the job of society is to do for each of us what we always tell each other from infancy, to take care of each other. Why have ground rules if we have no intentions of following through into adulthood? It also means that the role of money is to act exactly as it's intended: a currency. Anthropologically, the human race has always had a form of exchange, pick your favourite, we've placed a value on it and we've used it to trade for goods and services. The Mayans, as an example, used Cocoa Beans and they were so evolved in their fiscal policies that they literally had a way to detect fraud. We can trace Capitalism all the way back to the Silk Road. These are not new ideas.
It's what's become of them and how they've been corrupted which is new and also very, very dangerous. To be too fiscally conservative, these days, I feel, means to cut too many corners and to be to fiscally liberal means to waste a great deal of money on... the things. We don't need that grief.
So fiscal centrism is a harmonious balance: it recognizes that Commerce is centralized on the fact that the consumer dictates the Market, not the profiteer. When the needs of the consumer change, the Market changes. At the moment, the rules don't follow that algorithm. In addition to that, it also recognizes that, for a full and robust economy to thrive, it requires the full participation of it's members.
Money doesn't have a class war with it's participants. People do. Money couldn't care less about your problems, your ambitions, your exercise of power: all it wants is to be exchanged.
And the issue is, it's like most things- it's FINITE. It can devalue.

So, I support Basic Income because the VALUE of money increases when the whole of society is involved in it's usage and are judged less for having it.
To be socially leftist has a logical integrity which balances this scale.

This is who I am. This is who I have always been and this is who I will remain. It has very little to do with my community, or the fact that I am disabled, or the fact that I am an advocate, or the fact that I am a serial entrepreneur. Those are all excellent reasons, but they are not THE reasons. I care about the world I live in, the world we all live in, how it's affected, I care about how it evolves.

So, let's talk about you. Who are you? Why are you voting for Doug Ford? I'm curious because we are living in a critical time now, a time when every penny- literally- counts, a time where statistics for how bad things are getting are going up (disability is on the rise, hallway medicine is on the rise, inflation everything is on the rise, corporate profits are on the rise, poverty is on the rise, homelessness is on the rise, rights are being limited); and statistics for how good things getting are plummeting (death due to MAiD is so high that studies show that the cause of death for many cases are being turned from MAiD to the root condition- terminal or not, recovery time from surgeries are down, more people are leaving the Province to get NECESSARY, life saving surgeries because of massive wait times because our healthcare system is so compromised).
What is the attraction?

During the debates, Ford stipulated that no Premier had built more Medical Schools than he had. There are SIX MEDICAL SCHOOLS accredited in Ontario:
- McMaster: established 1969
- Northern Ontario School of Medicine: est 2005
- University of Ottawa: established 1945
- Queen's: established 1854
- University of Toronto: established 1843
- Western: established 1882

Maybe he could stop lying about that and that would be great.

He went on a televised absurd rampage about people are at home watching the Flintstones being lazy, and this is pretty near to my heart. It's a hot button issue that really needs airtime and deep analysis.
The disability community has, naturally and rightly so, been truly hurt and dismayed but this comment. It's an egregious thing to say.
Naturally, though, he wasn't just referring to the disabled. He was referring to all those who live in poverty. I will come back to the disabled since they are my community and I deeply love and cherish them so.

Let's examine poverty briefly. There's an expression from one of my favourite shows which says "The first step to solving any problem is recognizing there is one."
Sweeping away encampments or cutting funding so that people starve LITERALLY to death doesn't make poverty go away, all it does is amplify the fact that a class war exists and that the cruelty of society is evermore pronounced now than it has been. We have perfected the systemic cruelty of how we treat those who live in pain, suffering and who are marginalized is being mastered, now, by every vote we cast. We CAN AND MUST change that.

Believe it or not, encampments are where people, real people, live. If that bothers you, help to make it so that people can afford actual homes in real communities so that they're really safe. That means you, too. If you feel UNSAFE around an encampment, which can stem from any kind of personal trauma- who am I to judge, we all have had experiences- then advocate for people to find their own safe homes, as quickly and humanely as possible so that everyone benefits and that no one is left without a real home.
Communities are safe spaces. That's how the suburban neighbourhood became a thing, after a fashion. It's not wrong for you, but in that spirit, it's not wrong for ANYONE.

Let's talk about the grail upon which all classicism sits: "GET A JOB".
There are a number of reasons why this is harmful and fracturing social demand for anyone NOT earning.
1) Marginalization AWAY from work:
This is a systemic form of abuse where people who are capable, willing and trying to work simply are UNAFFORDED the opportunity to do so for many reasons:
- racism
- homophobia
- misogyny
- some people live in such extreme poverty (we call this legislated poverty) that they are unable to afford the transportation, acceptable attire, the needed devices, have limited access to personal hygiene that they literally CANNOT manage to obtain work.

2) Unattainable educational credentials:
If every job requires an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree and then is only willing to pay you $19.00/hr when the Market Basket Measure is $52,000/yr and your student loans are astronomical, it's beyond reason.

3) I cannot stress this enough: DISABILITY. Come the day WHEN (not if, but when) you are disabled, and your whole life is an 8-10 on the pain scale, you will look back on this time and you will remember that you could have done more for the PWD of Ontario.
The indignity of daily incontinence, the struggle to get out of bed, the shame of taking 20 mins to walk from one room to another room, the MEMORY of being able to dance and run and pick up your cat, the inability to tie your own hair back, the judgement you have to go through when the few comforts you have- like cannabis or psilocybin demerits you in the eyes of your peers because you DARE to enjoy a few pain free, fog free hours and for some reason this has become a Conservative Applause line- because since the 60s a racy group of activists had fun in a park is BEYOND me. GET. OVER. IT. It was a WAR, for god's sake. And an illegal one.
You have NO IDEA what it's like inside our bodies and our heads, and the minute you can tell us what it's like to be immobilized, to fall and shake without warning, to bleed for two weeks straight without dying, to be filled with the dread of death because cells clasped together and now you need to be filled with poison, to be so afraid to leave your home all you can think about is the sweet release of death- this and SO much more, then and only then will you be able to slightly comprehend what this era of Social Conservatism has been like. And the part which is going to trounce you when it comes: YOU are going to expect the world to treat you with equitable rights.
You will anticipate you winter vacays, you will expect your bi-annual checkups, you will demand all the things you currently have and YOU will be shocked when you are treated exactly the same way we are.
Will you sit in our spaces, expecting our full embrace? Because you're scared? Because you're hurting?

Because one of the first things that happens is that you find out who your friends really are when you become disabled. I can ASSURE you of that.

NO. YOU CANNOT WORK WHEN YOU ARE DISABLED. YES. YOU DO DESERVE FULL AND EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION IN THE ECONOMY. NO. THE FORD GOVERNMENT DOES NOT TAKE. CARE. OF. US.

It's as simple as that.
It should absolutely be a priority for you.

These items and so much more are reasons why so many people simply cannot work, and I can tell you now, nobody is paying Apple TV to watch the Flintstones.

So, Ford voters, tell me, what entices you? I need to know because tomorrow, MOST of Ontario casts it's ballot and another era falls upon us.

He failed Nurses. He failed teachers. He will NOT stand up to Trump and his tariffs and that's a conversation we can definitely have.

Tearing up the Greenbelt is a disaster is the making. One of the most important environmental safegaurds Ontario has, and Ford wants to rip it away from us. The biggest highlights are the fact that building the 413 on the Greenbelt means endangering one of the most important water sources- specifically for Toronto- in the province. It also means several species will go extinct. Is this not a critical issue to you? If not, why not? The 413 is a highway that will only save 30-50 seconds, LESS than a minute from the route it follows. Meanwhile, we could buyback the 407 for a much lower cost and make it toll free. Why isn't that the better answer?

Then, of course, the Ring of Fire. He believes that mining for resources in the Ring of Fire is the answer to an economic downturn. He's forgetting, of course, the environmental impacts AND the fact that straight up colonizing land that simply belongs to NINE DIFFERENT First Nations is, in fact, the priority. But these are 22 year old debates and have been ongoing since then. Billions of dollars having been already invested, dangers to the water supply, a chronic lack of housing and education, and the fact that this land is LITERALLY Indigenous Land- land which is rich in minerals, yes, but IS. NOT. OURS. TO. MINE. is kind of an important thing. Colonial Governments don't let things like Colonialism get in the way of profits. That's not how governing works.

Please tell me- you want more for Ontario's Indigenous Peoples and that when you're busy wearing Orange, it's because you really care about the fact that we, the colonizers, had Residential Schools open as recently as 1997.

So Ford voters, talk to me. Tell me why you're voting for Ford, and if this has made any impression on you whatsoever, perhaps you will look at the other Candidates in your riding. I appreciate not being invested in either the Liberals or the NDP. The Greens are a good option. They will protect the environment, they will look after the disabled, they will care about healthcare- an area that didn't get much coverage here but that I'm willing to discuss.

Thank you for your time. Happy voting.

#ONelxn #Ford #Vote #OntarioElection #OntarioVotes2025 #OntarioGreens #ONDP #OntLibs #OntCPC

[Patricia Scrafield (she/her) 🇨🇦 @patriciaflsd]

Yesterday’s debate. It was good to see the leaders engaged and ready to talk to the people of Ontario and the people of Northern Ontario.
I was particularly pleased to see that the leaders of the NDP, Liberal and Green parties not taking shots at each other, but rather targeting their energy at the intolerable inadequacies of Ford’s leadership.
Here are my critiques:
1) there was very little focus on social services. ODSP was mentioned ONCE and only by Bonnie Crombie. She mentioned, in passing while highlighting her litany of policies that she’s excited to get underway, that she will double ODSP, but at no point did the Greens or the NDP at all even float past it.
OW didn’t get discussed and Basic Income didn’t even get an honourable mention.
They did discuss housing and homelessness, along with addressing addiction and mental health, however the only real policy laid out was really citing housing.

2) taxation was overstated as though Ontarians are stupid. We’re not. Don’t insult us.
I genuinely believe that, while taxation is a topic which needs to be discussed and needs clarity, the time for talk about taxes raised or lowered is over. The discussions for who, for what and how they’re used are the real conversations needed.
Voters are not idiots and we deserve to have a say in how the revenue into which we pay is spent.
Paperwork is not supposed to complicate, it’s meant to create transparency.
The deregulation of these systems does NOT mean we are “cutting red tape”, it means we are cutting corners which means we leave people behind. What’s ACTUALLY needed is a finessed bureaucracy which makes the system more accessible, accountable and efficient.

3) Ford kept talking about the Ring of Fire. They were in Northern Ontario, he was talking about Jobs in Northern Ontario, he had a friend with deep roots at the debate platform and lots of their own friends present so he was well supported and the other three didn’t pick up on that AT ALL. They didn’t rebut, they didn’t talk about their own policies, they didn’t talk about Indigeneity and colonialism, with that being said, NOBODY talked about Indigeneity and colonialism AT ALL, they also didn’t talk about the environmental impacts. They just let Ford talk the way he talks all the time which panders to the working class, igniting it to line up under his flag of false promises.
We can say that he was baiting them and they didn’t bite- they NEEDED to bite, they needed to expose, deny, persuade, derail, invalidate & fact check all that ever comes out of his mouth- when he gets home from an international trip, after his been on international television, when he’s made a mockery of the disabled, when he’s made an abhorrent allegation about the impoverished, when he plants an insidious seed about incarceration, when he Lies. About. Jobs. And. The. Environment. When he tries to buy votes.

4) I was elated to hear the plans laid out by the other leaders. Again, it was refreshing to see them target their rage at Ford and not at each other, but there is much more for them to do.

If they don’t shut him down EVERY chance they get, every opportunity, every time he opens his idiotic mouth, he WILL win again, likely with a majority which WILL end lives and derail a fragile economy.

I implore you to get involved with your riding’s other candidates and at least look at their policies. Vote your conscience.
This election, reflect on the food banks (which also didn’t get mentioned), think about the rate of homelessness (234,000) and the fact that people have literally no place to go, consider the fact that there are 2.9 million people in this province who are disabled, a number which, over the past 7 years has increased from 2.1 and consider that, in that time, there are FEWER people with a family doctor, not more.

If these things matter to you, the way they matter to so many, check out #PWDVote at https://t.co/shi8f4uN7T or contact @nejsnave

Be well, my lovelies ❤️‍🔥

[Patricia Scrafield (she/her) 🇨🇦 @patriciaflsd]

The wealthy may think to themselves that hoarding is good for their own personal fiscal health, the poor may think that money BEYOND survival mode is a selfish motive.
I have been studying economics for a few years and if I’ve learned ONE thing, it’s that money doesn’t care:
All it sees is a vacant SIN waiting to be useful.
- to pay taxes
- to invest
- to have a bank account
- to purchase AND potentially sell goods and services
- to contribute to capital health
It doesn’t give a damn about your motives or your problems.
It’s there to be used.
It likes to be exchanged.

In a weird way, money is like energy, it can’t be destroyed or created (not in an way where it does no harm), it can only be exchanged.
And when we try to change the RULES of money, (like, for example, creating a massive wealth disparity so large that we are capable of creating billionaires but not capable of housing everyone in the province/nation), LOOK what happens to society.
Look.

So let’s pay people a modest but decent wage to live real lives and in return, you will use that money
- to pay taxes
- to invest
- to have a bank account
- to purchase AND potentially sell goods and services
- to contribute to capital health

Poverty may be something old but billionaires are relatively new.

We can’t “create” billionaires without doing irreparable harm to the economic health of a nation.
Like physics, it must be an exchange.

Fine, we have billionaires. Now, we must have no more poverty so as to subside that event. Otherwise it’s cataclysmic.

We are watching the event unfold.

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

@DylanLineger @nejsnave That would be great!

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

Join us!

[jennifer evans 🇵🇸🇱🇧🇨🇦 @nejsnave]

ONE HOUR til our next Space ... join us! https://t.co/OAvJ2qan0y

[jennifer evans 🇵🇸🇱🇧🇨🇦 @nejsnave]

It's DO or DIE for #PWD in Ontario on Feb 27.

Many cannot go on under deep impact legislated poverty.

Thousands are already with us. Leaders are with us. Associations are with us. Are YOU?

REMINDER: our next Space for the #PWD Action Group is tomorrow at 7 pm

We're assembling a non-partisan group of PWD and supporters who agree to vote and agree to vote as a bloc

likely to support a UBI platform.

Our bloc will vote with whichever party adopts our model and implement a platform that includes measures to lift PWD out of poverty. We will use our numbers as leverage.

We'll be sharing our first numbers shortly. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

We've also set up a public Facebook group in addition to our private Signal organizing group where you can also register your support and intent to vote with us! Link to come.

Our ask:

1. Commit to vote (and let us know any obstacles you have to voting)
2. Commit to vote with the PWD voting bloc
3. Ask 5 other people to commit to vote
4. Ask them to ask 5 people to commit to vote
5. Register your intent privately on Signal or on Facebook
6. Share our comms
7. Volunteer if you can! #onpoli

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻💙🙌🏻💙💙

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

Please reach out to @nejsnave for more information!

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

Are you a PWD living in Ontario? This election will make all the difference OUR socioeconomic health. We’re working to unite & ensure that PWD are properly represented by manifesting themselves as a VOTING BLOC, ensuring accessibility for all & accountability for incumbents.

[Patricia Scrafield (she/her) 🇨🇦 @patriciaflsd]

Yeah, it true. I look at Basic Income differently than most.
It’s okay.
They’re based on the lessons I learned from all of you 🥰

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

It’s a good idea too. We really shouldn’t have someone leading the country who talks about the dollar like it’s an NFT. 🙂

[jennifer evans 🇵🇸🇱🇧🇨🇦 @nejsnave]

Basic income now. #cdnpoli

[Citizen Economists @CitizenEcon]

🫤

[Sarah Jama @SarahJama_]

To be clear, at this time the ONDP has not engaged in conversation about reconciliation. I am prepared to be election ready in this Riding.

[F-Stop Pictures 📷 @Fast50sfotos]

Please sign even if you don’t have a disability
Because anyone can become disabled i’m fully aware the people hate being tagged in these things so I won’t tag anyone , but if you see this, please click on the link

https://t.co/4a9t9JTFUJ

[#bullshitjobs @bullshitjobs]

The answer to climate collapse and inflation is #basicincome.

Backed by the wealth no longer wasted by billions of #bullshitjobs.

But we rather destroy our planet and society than to acknowledge it.

[Patricia Scrafield (she/her) 🇨🇦 @patriciaflsd]

Most important meme of the day

[Karl Widerquist @KarlWiderquist]

I'm speaking tomorrow in Saskatoon.
Here's the info.
If you're in Saskatchewan, meet me there.

https://t.co/PIKKrVHYsP