6 - Wednesday, March 5, 1986 - North Shore News a THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVEIT 1138 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 56,245 (average, Wednesday . Fuday & Sunday) Publisher: Peter Speck Display Advertising 980-0511 . ¥ Classified Advertising 986-6222 Editor-in-Chiet Noel Wright Newsroom 985-2131 Managing Editor Nancy Weatherley Circulation 986-1337 Operations Manager Bern Hulard Subscriptions Advertising Director Linda Stewart 986-1337 North Shore News, 19. fan Lt, avacgple sae ANE DCIULeS WHEN SHOUEE DE ae COMES by a Larped athe cend MICHAEL WILSON’S WEEK-OLD BABY — the 1986-87 federal budget — isn’t looking quite as healthy as its proud father claimed it to be in the delivery room last Wednesday. Everyone, including even those nasty foreign money-men, were sup- posed to be jubilant over the new in- fant’s arrival. As a result, the dollar would quickly strengthen, leading to lower interest rates and a solid boost to the whole economy. Hadn’t clever Mr. Wilson just cut the deficit by 14 per cent? Alas, just the opposite happened. The dollar promptly plummeted once more. Higher interest rates ‘loomed again as a possibility and, with it, the attendant threat of a fur- ther economic slowdown. Obviously, the big cold world out- side didn’t think much of Mr. Wilson's deficit-cutting efforts. When you get down to the small print, the reasons for such skepticism become clearer. Not that the small print isn’t im- pressive in terms of volume. The four-kilo package which thudded on to my desk Friday consists of four glossy-cover books totalling 635 pages in English and French, plus three pamphlets (another 64 pages), plus a 15-page news release. Con- sidering it’s gone to all the media in Canada and, presumably, to thousands of other influence- pedlars, heaven knows what the printer’s bill alone is like. The kit brims over with statistics, tables and charts supporting al! the cheery answers about the budget which Mr. Wilson wants you to have. Discreetly omitted, however, are the questions auy sane business owner or home bookkeeper whose spending vastly outstripped income would hasten to ask. Examples. Civil servants will be cut by 15,000 (five per cent?) over the next five years. How many do we have now? How mai: in each department? What are they paid? How do the numbers compare with similar-size operations in private in- dustry? How many are really needed? Future operating cost increases are to be held to two per cent per year. Why any increases at all while we're still in hock? Why not reduce casts until we get out of the red? Ditto with foreign aid. What true return do we get from the current $2 billion lavished abroad? Why must it rise to $3.1 billion by 1991 while Canadian peasants get slapped with a three per cent surtax? Entire contents 1986 North Shore Free Press Lid Ali tights reserved Qne can go o2 and on. You won't find information on any points like these in Mr, Wilson's budget library, as those foreign money-men have obviously noted. They’ve noted something else, as well. Most of Mr. Wilson’s vaunted cuts are merely cuts in year-by-year increases. In short, we continue to sink deeper and deeper into debt, even if not quite as fast as before. Canada’s total accumulated debt this year is shown as almost $263 billion. In five years, with over- expenditure still estimated to be run- ning at $22 billion annually, it will Noel Wright tack made outside the into the political arena. reach $360 billion. And that, mark you, is if everything goes according to plan, including a 31 per cent increase over the same period in the Gross Na- tional Product, the total value of e focus ® everything Canadians produce. The foreign money-men have ap- parently concluded that Mr. Wilson’s 14 per cent cut in the cur- rent year’s deficit is a weak joke compared to the rea/ need — which is to eliminate the deficit altogether and start paying our way complete- ly within two Co three years at most. By economizing, not by penalizing News Viewpoint ___News Viewpoint Spotlight killed ith court proceedings afoot, no further com- ment can be made on the Bank of B.C.’s libel suit against the CBC for the latter's news report last week on the bank's affairs. On pain of con- tempt, public debate on this highly important matter is suspended until the court brings down its ruling. Meanwhile, four other current cases raise the ques- tion of how far threats of fitigation or a sometimes misplaced urge to give the benefit of the doubt may harm very real public interests. From evidence st the (trail of child molester Robert Noyes it emerged that, over the course of years, more than one person had had the opportunity to blow the whistle on him. Because they refrained — whether from fear of possible libel action or from a hurmane desire to give him another chance — the public interest and far too many youngsters clearly suffered. Last month Premier Bill Bennett threatened a libel suit against NDP leader Bob Skelly for a personal at- Legislature. Two cabinet ministers have also vowed to sue anyone linking their names with the recent conflict of interest controversy. In a demociactic society all three cases are matiers of legitimate public concern, but pubiic discussion of them is now muzzied as the courts are, in effect, drawn Granted, the media can, and do, make errors of fact and judgement — though they’re usually swift to cor- rect them when shown to be wrong. But the media are also the ordinary citizen’s only means of keeping tab on public figures and institutions vitally affecting him. ‘The former must expect the spotlight to shine on them more harshly than on those they serve. Using the courts to kill it is an unhealthy trend. udget ‘answers’ dodge the questions the country’s job and wealth producers. Agreed, that would take political courage, the past lack of which has caused our present woes. But with no election to worry about before 1988-89, Prime Minister Mulroney could have let Mr. Wilson set about restoring Canda’s credit rating with much more vigor. He could have taxed back com- pletely that part of the $13 billion for old age security payments handed out to senior citizens with private in- comes over, say, $45,000. He could have slashed that portion of the $12 billion UI bill now claimed for up to a year by workers who voluntarily quit their jobs. And for a while he could have ended foreign aid entire- ly until we can afford it again. He could have saved millions by spewing forth less government pro- paganda and by throwing away mountains of paper and red tape which frustrate and hamper business, especially small en- trepreneurs. Above all, he could have taken an axe instead of a scalpel to the overblown federal bureaucracy, Tough thinking, Mr. Wilson. But that’s what the world — on which Canada depends for a living —- was seeking, and failed to find, in your lush budget presentation. LETTER OF THE DAY Bewley, Collins FOUGHT for freedom Dear Editor: Incompetence, NOT prejudice, finished off Les Bewley? I am sure there is at least ONE on the Sun editorial staff still salivating over the demise of Bewley’s column. The party I have in mind probably kept a file of some of the columns for ammunition. We need more writers like Col- *lits and Bewley with the“ gits’* to - our ‘rect: God-heip us if we have" speak out/up on controversial issues. And why not. Both served their countries with honour during the Second World War. Bewley SHOULD be able to say what is on his mind—that was one of the freedoms he laid his life on the line for, among others. We won that war by the skin of to face another. Where will we find REAT. men like them. Wimps will fight to have such writers removed by intimidation but in my opinion, would run for cover at the first sign of any suggestion of danger. In a recent Sun a woman praises Marjorie Nichols, a columnist | detest. But I have the freedom to read or- NOT read her-column. «+ Stop trying to muzzle our freedom of speech—we lost too many in all our wars to allow anybody to take away ANY of the reedoms they gave up their lives for. Please spare us your crocodile tears on November }ith, Phoenix will rise again (Collins dig) and [ shall purchase whatever paper his column appears in. Thanks (to veterans like Collins and Bewley, THAT is MY prerogative! You wimps who tried to have Collins removed should be thankful we had such men or you would not have been safe in your little beddy-byes during that war, and if any of you were not born then, you would not be here at ali because men like Collins and Bewley helped to keep your parents safe in their beddy-byes. Dorine Munn Melvor Richmond, : ve