IN the seminal Economics in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt wrote that bad econo- mists present their errors to the public better than good econ- omists present their truths. Appearing recently on Counterspin, economist Jim Stanford of the Canacian Auto Workers, bolstered Haztitt’s observation. Indeed, when Stanford, who regularly champions eco- nomic wrecking balls like government regulation and spending, took the seat oppo- site John McCallum, Chie! Economist for the Royal Bank, there was little ques- tion as to which of the nwo was the better man. It’s not that McCallum has exciting observations; he only just issued a warning about precipitously declining per-capita income in Canada. But he, at feast, did noi join Stanford in claiming the brain maibox _ Students leave pos Dear Editor: Recently I saw the pre- micre performance = of Impressions at Carson > Graham theatre. The play was a college of scenes depicting teenage life — teenagers dealing with _ teenage issues in a dynamic, sincere, and highly entertain- fair comment drain was fiction. fa that, Stanford dovetails with PM Jean Chretien and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), which self- identifies its mem- bership as “some of the brightest minds in Canada.” Incidentally, the concept of cognitive dissonance is useful in explaining why the likes of Stan‘ord, the PM and the CAUT deny the brain drain: Assuming someone has been selected for the team but it is not you, depending on your degree of personality integration, you can either accept you don’t measure up, or deny thet a selection has taken place. The feeble will deploy self-deception to ward off the tension of cognitive disse- nance: No one wants my brain, ergo, no brain is being drained. [30 happens chat Stanford's distnissal comes at a bad tine. Last week, Sean, my husband, ieft for a high tech company in Washington state. [ stay put; cantankerous scribes, like bad economists, are not in high demand south of the border. To the pull facters: It’s not so much the wagz offered by the U.S. company, although the greenback is preferable to our peso, and being on the cutting edge is enticing. Neither is it the stock options and the whop- ping lucre of an initial public offering. Granted, these perks are decreasing in Canada due to high tech disinvestment, but they are still to be had. For those with the Protestant Work Ethic, the competitive- ness of U.S. companies is heaven on earth, but that’s not it. You can, albeit with difficulty, get all the above in Canada. Bui vou CANNOT keep the proceeds. Leaving is the only way to shed the Sisyphean Canadian tax bur- den. The Nanny State wants to deal with the defection of individuals by offering collec- tive pacifiers in the form of R&D grants and subsidies to companies, or, at the most, some loose change — as the imminem budget will bear Out — as personal and busi- ness tax relief. It refuses to respect pure unadulterated individual acquisitiveness, nainely, the right to keep what is yours. Federal industry minister John Manley has finessed the role taxes play in emigration by offering the half-truth that taxes in Silicon Valley are similar to those in Ontario. Indeed, in what is one of the highest taxed U.S. states, 2 high earner may have a marginal tax rate of about 45%. What Manley conceals is the flexibility of the U.S. tax ieee enema eRe Atte NA, UOTE NIN Stet AACE REA Son. SNYQEET ARE CANAL RANA AD A YT tebe Mrtraendnte AfamY EM ing way. Besides, that, both the actors and the audience havda lot of fun. The entire show was run by teenagers from the writ- ing of the script, the chore- ography, the lighting, the music, the selling of uckets, you name it — they did it ail, and with class. Every minute was engaging, from the cre- ative way they initiated the play, to the unique recap at the beginning of act two. The teenagers gave the audience a sense of joy and hope. Life is tough out there; often, adults forget thar. But A&A FURNACE DEPOT “FACTORY DIRECT” A NEW DIVISION OF A&A GAS FIREPLACES LTD. SALES, SERVICE AND INSTALLATION OF a ARMSTRONG Air Conaiitioning inc. NATURAL GAS FURNACE GAS TO GAS FURNACE CONVERSIONS SX 80E Unflow/Horizonial Gas furnace tive impression these teenagers are honest and genuine. This was a first-class per- formance in every way. li was exhilarating to see and believe that “teens” can “make a difference.” And they do! Rae Schidlo Counsellor, K.L.A.S.S. Friday, February 25, 2000 —- North Shore News - 7 und brain drain is far from fi system. As a colleague who recently mailed me from the Valley explained: a mortgage, preperty taxes and depen- dants make up considerable tax deductions. The upshot? He takes home 74% of a hefty wage. What siift of logic then induced the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to write uiat “making mortgage interest payments tax deductible” is “dumb public policy,” as it creates “an entitlement ro government could ever scrap.” This provision was avail- able to Canadians, but it was scrapped. Besides, since when are tax reforms to be evaluat- ed by their rescinding proper- ties? Dewn to brass tacks: In Washington state there are n> state taxes. Purchase a home —- an unachievable feat in Vancouver — and the total tax burden can whittle to about 23% on a six-figure income. Medical insurance 1s reasonable considering the absence of backlogs and wait- ing lists, Juxtapose this with giving the Canadian govern- ment 49% of carnings once clion CPP, ED and personal taxes are confiscated, to say noth- ing of forteiting the lion's share of company stocks when these are cashed in. In terms of the net worth of the human capital we transfer co the US., we are not recovering our costs through immigration. Trac to its mandate, StatsCan has ignored the U.S.-bound drain by failing to tally temporary NAFTA visas, which account for 90% of the exodus and are routinely converted to per- manent residence. Doubtless, the nattering nabobs will continue the wholesale dis- missal of Canada’s departing sons and daughters because they don’t embody “Canadian values.” Theirs, however, is pre- cisely the kind of unbridled individualism lacking in Canadian society. — gnome@attcanada.net a f ay werresity ” 21 pt. 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