6 - Sunday, September 6, 1998 - North Shore News EWS flash: council tackles the Big Bang theory. Fortunately, attempts to stick municipal noses deeper into the pursuits of pri- vate citizens fizzled. The bang here involved Halloween fireworks, Tt is an issue with annual legs that rises and falls with the approach of trick or treat time. This year, North Vancouver District Council was considering beefing up its Fireworks tion Bylaw. The iocal department had pro- posed requiring that al! district citi- zens get a permit to let off firewerks in all district backyards. ‘Safety first is the a ch from local firehalls. Few could argue with ‘But there comes a time when gov- . that sentiment. ernments and other official bodies - you said it _ , “After I saw it, I thought about charging the kids to north shore news VIEWPOINT Explosive issue need to give the pubiic credit for a modicum of common sense. As debate in council chambers on the issue revealed, the numbers back public common sense. Edgemont Village resident, Corrie Kost presented council with statistics showing that fireworks-related injuries in the United States have declined from 12,400 in 1990 to 7,600 in 1996. During the same period, fire- works consumption almost doubled. As feilow district resident. Brian Platts quipped after reporting that only one or two minor fireworks injuries are treated each year in Lions Gate Hospital: “More people are injured carving their pumpkins with sharp knives.” District wisely chose to shelve the fireworks permit issue for this year. Big bang or no. “tide it.” !- Jeff Harris, on the 7.5-cm longhorn beetle his family ., found on West Vancouver's Sandy Cove beach. (From a i , Sept. 2 News story.) aua i “Twoulda’t allow them to be armed unless I was con- fident in ‘theit abilities and I think they do a great job.” “North Vancouver RCMP Supt. Jamie Graham, com- menting on the issue of auxiliary police officers carrying ‘guns on duty. (From a Sept. 2 News story.) rs 000 ee tizens of planet Earth we all have these kinds of Capilano College instructor Bill Van Luven, on how stronomy addresses some of what mankind has always won- dered about. (From a Sepr. 2 News story.) ‘ (ost of.the time the female artists sell as much as artists, but they don’t the attention a man y?. Why should it be like that? ¢ Kidjo, on the need for women artists to es. (From en Aus. 28. This Week story.) . : vor ‘of sexual exploitation, but discussing ... corisider how many s lic in European cemeteries from. ; ver. City councillor Bob Fearnley, respond- an in the, same council debate. (From an Ang. 30 North Shore Ite, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and quaktiod under Scheduée 111, Paragraph 111 of she Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednenday, "Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Usd, and distributed to every Sor on the Mort. « ‘Shore. Canade Pos: Canadien Publications Mit ‘Dishibution Manages 908-1237 (128) Creative Services Manager 906-2331 (127) 61.582 (averag’ circwation, Wednesday, Friday & Suncay? government, except for all the others that have been tried. Alas, the great man did not elaborate on his thesis. Right now in Canada it would have been inter- esting to learn his views on one of the system’s most contentious aspects: the virtues or — if you prefer — the tyranny of the 50%-plus- one “majority,” the basis to date of all our cher- ished democratic institutions from parlia- ment to the Jocal bowling club. Sparking these ponderings was the recent Supreme Court decision on Quebec secession which, among other things, ruled that any future Quebec ref- erendum must pass by “a clear majority”. Bur the ermine-robed supremos tactfully left the politicians to interpret the precise meaning of that term. Since then the separatists and even . many federalists other than Prime Minister Jean Chretien have been insist- ing the historic 50%-plus-one principle is sacrosanct. Chretien — remembering the mere fraction of one percent that saved Canada in the 1995 referendum — has not yet defined his nurabers but is thought to be leaning cowards a mini- mum 60%-40% vote to validate separa- tion. For mathematical purists it’s obvious that even the slightest departure from se-7i31 (10 orth Shore Hews is published by Herth Shore Free Press Até., P bits MM, I'Li HAVE SOME OF HE OMR A LITTLE OF PAGE 18, WHAT'S YouR CATCH oF THE DAY7—NO, NEVER MIND, NOT REALLY INTERESTED —BuT THROW IN THE Tot OF PAGE 42, §0%-plus-one rule will rapidly land you in philosophical quicksands where you'll soon sink and drown. Once started, where on carth do you draw the line between 55%-45% and 95%-5%? . The problem with the 50%-plus-one solution is that it can leave vir- tually half the people affected seething with anger at the other half and determined to seck revenge at the earliest opportunity. To take a purely hypothetical case, consider an alil- Canada referendum on some vital national issue directly affecting and yon every citizen. With roughly 20 million voters it pass- es by 51%, meaning 10,200,000 votes. Opposed are 9,800,000 voters, forced to bow to the w'll of only a tiny fraction - more than one half oft the electorate by just 400,000 votes, or a mere 2% of the allots cast. That’s why democracies; while rich in individual freedom, are seldom: sich in universal happiness. But the downside to. monkeying with the 50%-plus-one formu- la is equally thought-provoking. The more you depart from 50%-plus- one, the harder it is to get anything at all done. If you set the formula at 67%-33% a 66% vore means the will of virtually iwo-thirds of the people is thwarted by a single percentage to 80%-20% and ever be enacted. . The only equitable answer is to adopt the principle of grading public issues most nothing new will int. Raise the barrier: - Democracy no easy way to go DEMOCRACY, said Winston Churchill, is the worst form of according to their long-term inspact all concemed. | ; i mo : ‘or many day-to-day govei “hoasekeeping” items dust can amended at a future date the 50%-plus: one formula is adequate and clearly the It. need, an clecréral lands! £ Ve least, say, 67%-33% — no miatte long, if ever, it takes to-achi ‘That stifl leaves us, of course, other little percentage, probler - size majority to upgrade, a public i " Fequiring — when p in North Van’s Kiwanis And wish:happy.79th birthday Tue: Scpt. 8, to. North Van's Bob Be> © oo. @O0 2 WRIGHT OR WRONG: have no peer pressures. LETTER? TO THE EDITOR ©. 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