#IndependentMind

Equalization, Lougheed & The Engine Without a Wheel

/ charleshowarth1962 / Leave a comment

Let’s talk about a truth that doesn’t get enough daylight: money.

The West—Alberta in particular—has been Canada’s economic engine for decades.
Oil. Gas. Agriculture. Innovation. Industry.

But for all we contribute, we’re stuck in the back seat—watching the East steer the vehicle we pay to fuel.

Equalization: What Was Supposed to Be Fair…

Equalization payments were created to level the playing field. In principle?
Fair enough. Every Canadian should have access to a base standard of services.

But in practice?
It’s a pipeline of Western wealth flowing East—with almost no say in where it goes or how it’s used.

And here’s the kicker:
The very provinces who cash the cheques are often the first to block pipelines, lecture the West on emissions, and rally against the industries footing the bill.

Lougheed Saw It Coming

Peter Lougheed, Alberta’s Premier in the 1970s and 80s, wasn’t just a politician—he was a prophet.

He fought like hell to keep control of Alberta’s resources. He knew what was coming:

  • Federal centralization
  • Eastern interference
  • Economic dependence disguised as national unity

He wasn’t wrong.

A System That Restricts While It Collects

Decade after decade, the West has poured money into a system that doesn’t even pretend to represent us fairly.

We get:

  • Policy restrictions
  • Energy roadblocks
  • Environmental lectures

They get:

  • Transfer payments
  • Political leverage
  • The moral high ground

We produce. We build. We give.
And we get told to be quiet.

The Lesson?

“Unity” was never about balance. It was about managing the West while squeezing every drop of economic value from it.

Lougheed warned us.
Ottawa ignored it.
And we’re still footing the bill.

Further Reading:

The Algorithm Thinks for You – Do You Even Notice?

/ charleshowarth1962

💀 You think you’re in control.
💀 You think you make your own decisions.
💀 You think you consume information freely.

But do you?

Step 1: The Death of Choice

🚨 Every time you open your phone, you aren’t choosing what to see.
🚨 The algorithm decides for you—what you read, what you watch, what you believe.
🚨 Your attention is being directed, manipulated, and sold.

🔹 Your search results aren’t neutral. They’re ranked based on what makes you stay longer.
🔹 Your news feed isn’t unbiased. It’s filtered to fit your engagement patterns.
🔹 Your recommendations aren’t random. They’re designed to reinforce what you already think.

Step 2: The Illusion of Thinking

✔ Google doesn’t give you answers—it gives you the most clickable answers.
✔ Social media doesn’t inform—it reinforces what you already believe.
✔ Every platform wants one thing: your attention. Because attention = money.

🚨 The more predictable your behavior, the easier you are to control.

Step 3: Can You Break Free?

💡 Can you think for yourself when everything is designed to make you stop thinking?
💡 Can you question the narrative when the algorithm keeps feeding you what you want to hear?
💡 Can you see past the illusion, or are you just another programmed reaction?

The internet was supposed to make us smarter. Instead, it just made us easier to manage.

So, are you still thinking, or is the algorithm thinking for you?

There we are then.

The Death of Critical Thinking: How We Got Here

/ charleshowarth1962

🚨 We are witnessing the death of critical thinking in real time.
Not because people can’t think—but because they no longer know how.

How Did We Get Here?

💀 Headlines replaced reading.
💀 Memes replaced research.
💀 Feelings replaced logic.

We don’t seek truth anymore—we seek confirmation.
We don’t challenge ideas—we attack the person who holds them.

The result? A society that reacts, rather than thinks.

What is Critical Thinking?

/ charleshowarth1962

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, evaluate, and form reasoned conclusions rather than accepting information at face value. It requires:

✔ Questioning assumptions – Not just believing what you’re told.
✔ Examining evidence – Looking for facts, not just opinions.
✔ Recognizing biases – In yourself and in the information presented.
✔ Thinking logically – Separating emotion from reason.
✔ Considering different perspectives – Understanding before judging.

🚨 Why does it matter? Because in a world of clickbait, propaganda, and herd mentality, critical thinking is the only way to see through the noise.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” – Christopher Hitchens

This Is Just the Beginning

/ charleshowarth1962

If you’ve made it this far, you’re already different. You already see what others refuse to. And maybe that’s enough. Maybe it isn’t.”

“Because the world isn’t getting smarter. It isn’t getting better. It isn’t waking up.”

“The only question is—do you?”

This space won’t just stop here.

💡 Technology and control.
💡 Power and manipulation.
💡 How we got here, where we’re headed, and what they aren’t telling you.

The topics will keep coming. The questions won’t stop. The thinking will continue.

More to come.

There we are then