• ThePrivacyPolicy@lemmy.ca
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      5 hours ago

      IMO all government at every level should be mandated to support local and/or Canadian first when possible. I don’t why an entity that serves the people can’t also be directly supporting those they serve instead of putting that money into other countries - just seems backasswards to me.

      • moonbunny
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        2 hours ago

        I believe the issue would lie with the pressure for government procurements to always go for the lowest cost bidder possible, which would be more difficult for local and Canada-first companies to compete.

        While I believe that procurements should strongly prefer local/Canada-first companies, it would come at a price and provide an opportunity for one political party to cry foul over “wasteful government spending”.

      • theangryseal@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        I agree completely.

        Man I miss the days when my neighbors owned the local businesses. These soulless corporations have totally destroyed the small town “American dream”.

        I miss walking into our old hardware store and picking a Super Nintendo game every now and then because my mom talked the owner into stocking them. He had them hanging overhead behind the counter.

        He only got the big titles, stuff he knew the kids would want. He’d ask me and my brother when we came in, “What game are they talking about on the playground now, big guy?”

        That world is gone. Going to town is pointless unless you have to go to court for something.

        • AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca
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          5 hours ago

          That feels like such a cool and special relationship to have. Tangentially when I worked at a mall I got to know the owner of a local store not far from where I worked that sold all kinds of novelties (pop culture, games, TCGs, etc). I bought a few things to support him and we built a rapport to the point he offered me the employee discount. Felt like being welcomed to the family.

      • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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        12 hours ago

        Hell yeah. I would also hope as many engineers as possible resign from SpaceX, Tesla and the Boring Company, but sadly too many of them probably a) have no problem with their boss’s ethics or b) are financially stressed and are afraid to do so, or c) are addicted to the lifestyle enabled by their pay grade.

        The biggest trick capitalism pulled on all of us is keeping wages ‘not too low, not too high’ so we are all not starving, yet afraid to walk away from our jobs.

        • bayesianbandit@lemmy.ca
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          11 hours ago

          H1-B visas. They keep working there because they don’t want to leave the US. Often they have entire lives and family in the US and have not simply been there for a few short years.

          • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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            11 hours ago

            Ah, yes I forgot that angle – that period of indentured servitude (slavery) for the hope of being allowed to participate in the illusion of “The American Dream” …