The idea of an excesses index is brilliant.  But what is excess? There are
the true piglets who earn the 4k within one day; but there are also the
others whom you mention: the well meaning but greedy.   Two cars? ( public
transport: me?).  2000 or 3000 thousand sq. feet of heated housing space per
person? (need MY space)

But the MOH's are still stuck in the H1N1 craze, so I'm not sure they would
respond at this time...unless a letter (very careful) were crafted for them.

mk

-----Original Message-----
From: Social Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Scott A Wolfe
Sent: 07 December 2009 17:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SDOH] [SPAM] Re: [SDOH] A new way to overstate poverty -
article

This sort of drivel from the Post is exasperating...but it does point to the
way a lot of Canadians think, and how low-income earners are often
perceived. Indeed, this is something against which our public health units
and Ministries of Health (among others) should be taking a stand,
particularly where commitments have been made to address the impact of
poverty and low-income (e.g. Ontario). 

Dr. David Butler-Jones (PHAC)...Dr. Cory Neudorf (Saskatoon)...Dr. David
McKeown (Toronto)...you have been among the most vocal MOHs over the past
couple of years on health inequality (and sometimes health inequity). Are
you prepared to make statements countering misleading articles such as the
National Post's? 

We should all be asking this of our MOHs, Ministers of Health and MPPs/MLAs.

For those who wish to do so, there is a Press Release from the MOHs of all
of Canada's urban centres, from November 24, 2008, that accompanied their
report on the impact of poverty and low-income upon health in Canada. The
press release includes contacts for all MOHs. You can find this at:
www.uphn.ca/public.htm 


On a related note, I wonder whether it isn't perhaps time for us to also
establish an "Excess Index" to accompany the "Deprivation Index". Rather
than continue to funnel energy exclusively into this battle over the
definition of 'poverty' and "how much is not enough", perhaps we should also
be dedicating some of our attention to the question: "how much is too
much?"...akin to Hugh MacKenzie's CCPA report, in January 2009, on Canadian
CEOs' earnings and the growing income gap in Canada. It pointed out that
each year Canada's top 100 CEOs earn the average Canadian income ($40,237)
by about 9:04am of January 2nd...one day's work, in other words (assuming
they showed up for work on January 1). 

I'm no class determinist, but there is definitely something to be said for
the fact that middle and middle-upper income earners continue to be
distracted from the problem of excess among many execs and a few hands full
of wealthy families. Those who work hard and invest wisely (ethically is
perhaps a separate matter) draw from articles such as the Post's article,
and direct their frustrations, and their longing for more, and their gaze
toward those in the lower-income bracket. I feel we need to spend a little
more time re-directing this attention toward individuals and groups who
would be at the top of a so-called "Excess Index", but to do so in a manner
that demonstrates we are not advocating total income equality, but rather, a
modicum of reason, humility and social good-will when it comes to earnings. 

Could we calculate such a thing...an "Excess Index", even very
conservatively, to draw attention to many of the real culprits here?

What about establishing a "High-Income Cut Off"...say at household earnings
of $2.5 million per year or more? Rather than place the onus on those who
are defending the right of lower-income families to afford a healthy food
basket, why don't we up the pressure on the highest-income earners to defend
why they need their 5th car...or their 3rd vacation property...or the 30
seat home theatre rather than the 8 seat home theatre.

Of course, I am musing to a certain degree...but it is interesting how
infrequently we ask such questions about "excess", isn't it? Or is that just
me?


Scott

**************** 

Scott A. Wolfe
Health and Social Policy Analyst
Principal, One World Partners
Tel: 416.839.0531
[log in to unmask]  
 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

-----Original Message-----
From: Social Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bob
Mather
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 2:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SDOH] [SPAM] Re: [SDOH] A new way to overstate poverty -
article

the national post dosn't even have the integrity to fix the credit or
discredit on a specific journalist

On 12/7/09, Diana Daghofer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dennis,
>
> Do you have a list of MOH's? Maybe you could ask for their comments, and
> report back to the National Post on what they say.
>
> Diana
>
>   _____
>
> From: Social Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Dennis Raphael
> Sent: December 7, 2009 7:00 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [SPAM] Re: [SDOH] A new way to overstate poverty - article
>
>
>
> wouldn't it be nice if medical officers of health responded to this.
>
> dr
>
>
> Dennis Raphael, PhD
> Professor of Health Policy and Management
> York University
> 4700 Keele Street
> Room 418, HNES Building
> Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
> 416-736-2100, ext. 22134
> email: [log in to unmask]
> http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/draphael
>
> Of interest:
>
> *NEW*  Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives, 2nd edition,
> edited by Dennis Raphael
> Forewords by Carolyn Bennett and Roy Romanow
> http://tinyurl.com/5l6yh9
>
> Poverty and Policy in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life
by
> Dennis Raphael
> Foreword by Jack Layton
> http://tinyurl.com/2hg2df
>
> Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care,
> edited by Dennis Raphael, Toba Bryant, and Marcia Rioux
> Foreword by Gary Teeple
> http://tinyurl.com/2zqrox
>
> See a lecture!  The Politics of Population Health
>
http://msl.stream.yorku.ca/mediasite/viewer/?peid=ac604170-9ccc-4268-a1af-9a
> 9e04b28e1d
>
> Also, presentation on Politics and Health at the Centre for Health
> Disparities in Cleveland Ohio
> http://www.case.edu/med/ccrhd/education
>
>
>
>
>
> "Beattie, Tanya" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent by: Social Determinants of Health <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
> 12/07/2009 09:54 AM
>
>
> Please respond to
> Social Determinants of Health <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
> To
> [log in to unmask]
>
> cc
>
> Subject
> [SDOH] A new way to overstate poverty - article
>
> 	
>
>
>
>
>  <http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=2301837>
> http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=2301837
>
> sad article from Friday.
> Tanya Beattie, BScH
> Public Health Promoter
> KFL&A Public Health
> 221 Portsmouth Avenue
> Kingston, Ontario  K7M 1V5
> 613-549-1232, ext. 1293
> Fax: 613-549-7896
> www.kflapublichealth.ca
> P Please consider the environment before printing this email / Avant de
> faire imprimer ce courriel, veillez à l'environnement
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