The poverty line: it’s a handy propaganda tool THERE WAS a time when to be poor was to be poor. I remember it well. But now the welfare industry has almost suckered us into believing that anyone who doesn’t have a coun- try cottage is poor. My dictionary describes poverty as: ‘‘The state or condition of having litle or no money, goods, or means of support,”’ a defini- tion that no longer applies. What applies is a propaganda tool called ‘the poverty level,’’ which has little to do with being poor and is used to put the squeeze on us. Don’t get me wrong. No one begrudges a dolar to those hit by bad luck. But the more “‘poor’’ there ave the more the welfare in- dustry likes it and the more it 44...50% of those below the supposed poverty level have automatic dishwashers. If that is poverty I’m a commie. 9? pushes the poverty level. That’s one reason why B.C. has 283,000 on its welfare rolls. Professor Christopher Sario has exposed the situation in his book Poverty in Canada, published by _ the Fraser Institute. More “‘poor’’? means more clients, he says, more government funds, and more security for social workers and bureaucrats. “*High poverty lines are good business.” It is heretical to knack ‘‘pover- ty,”’ of course, even when you get six bums sharing the rent of a house, turaing up regularly at the food banks, doing very nicely, and having no intention of taking up minimum wage employment. Or indeed any employment. The news propaganda barrage on “‘poverty’” is constant. A re- cent example was a headline that read: “One in three will be poor, report szys.”’ Typical. Most media accept tales of polically-correct woe without question. But Poverty in Canada blows the tid off the hard-pinch nonsense. Sarlo shows there is very little real distress here. in 1988 — the last year for Drinking RECENT CONVICTIONS in North Shore courts have resulted in fines and penaltics, including a driving suspension, for drinking and driving related offences: WEST VANCOUVER: Rodney Sven Henriksen, 60, 4709 Laurelwood Pi., Bumaby (over Doug Collins ON THE OTHER HAND which full figures are available — one social welfare estimate had 3,3 million Canadians listed as “‘poor’’; another said it was five riltion. One “‘poverty level’’ estimate was $26,941 for a family of four; another was $22,37 In fact, he says, there are no more that one million genuinely poor people, and the actual poverty tevel figure in 1988 was $13,140. What is true poverty? When people don’t have enough money to cover their basic necessities — food, shelter, clothing, etc. “Prevailing poverty lines,’ he continues, ‘‘are in fact tools for measuring inequality and tell us nothing about poverty. “This clearly reveals that (in the minds of those who thought up the poverty levels) inequality is the more important problem. They are more offended by inequality than by poverty.”’ As in so many other cases, the welfare industry bureaucrats dom- inate the field through propagan- da and persistence. And few poli- ticians dare to question their ex- cesses. One who did was Norm Jacobsen, minister for welfare in the late Socred government. For his pains he was written off as an impossible low-life. As for the NDP government (I'm doing the talking here, not the author) it would rather hand out more dough to the poor who are not poor than it would buiid an overpass on the Upper Levels Highway. There are facts galore in this book, and plenty of supporting stories. Here’s one: A single mother of four is living in Toronto in a rent-subsidized town house. ‘The family’s clothing, fur- niture, food and other amenities .. gave all the appearances of a middle class standard of tiving.”” She readily admitted on TV that drivers -08, $500 fine). NORTH VANCOUVER: Geof- frey Milton Smith, 39, 1969 Kings Ave., West Vancouver (impaired, 30 days jail, 18 months driving suspension); Douglas Lloyd Rae, 39, 106-326 West Third Street, North Vancouver (impaired, 30 days jail). \ MOTORIZE YOUR SAX EN ERGY CORP. CALL TODAY 926-4728 MOUNTAIN BIKE $65” monthly ICBC $155 pla 150 mpg if she worked she would have to earn $35,000 to $40,000 to main- tain her fifestyle. Then there’s the case of the el- derly Montreal couple who didn’t even know they were poor. They own their own home, valued at $180,000. In 1990 their total income was $14,500. They pay no income tax and are entitled to a property tax refund. They have a car and go out toa restaurant about once a week. “They have been in the habit of taking one major vacation every two years (Florida, Las Vegas, France, Caribbean cruise, etc.) have a color TV, VCR, two bathrooms, and drink wine with most meals. “Their lifestyle is eminently middle class. Yet they are official- ly poor, falling about $2,000 below the poverty line.” According to the National Council of Welfare, 50% of those below the supposed poverty level have automatic dishwashers, 39% have freezers, 95% have tele- phones, 97% have radios, 60% have color ‘TVs, 34% have VCRs, 62% have cable TV, and 50% have at leest one automobile. if that is poverty, !’m a commie. You can get Poverty in Canada from the Fraser Institute for $19.95, plus GST (part of which tax will go to welfare and refugee aid?) | an tique pine liquidation save including all painted folk art plecesit Auqust 7-31 onlyt Second Time AROUND ANTIQUES Be 4228 Main St, Vancouver Im (across fram McDonalds Restaurant at 29th St) Call 879-2573 \ ARE YOU TIRED OF LOW | INTEREST RATES? Now is the time to look at diversifying outside Canada. We offer a wide variety of foreign currency government bonds, alt AAA" rated. * Rates subject to change without notice, $50,000 minimum. For more information, please call The North Shore’s only full Service Investment firm R8C DOMINION SECURITIES Mesther of the Royal Bark Grovp 925-3131 201-250 15th Street, West Vancouver reg. price 169.99 Wednesday. August 19, 1992 - North Shore News - s SUMMER CLEARANCE Spring 1 Tension Chair reg. price 9.88 Rubbermaid § Position Foiding High Back Chair reg. price 48.88 each each dJaquard Beach Tewel reg. price 5.48 each Thermos Portable Barbecue y reg. price 34.88 each Thermos Combo Pack with Jug 32 L—-reg. price 38.88 each Thermos 30000 BTU Barbecue each PLUS MUCH MORE IN-STORE. LIMITED QUANTITIES. ALL PRODUCTS WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. NO " RAIN CHECKS.PRODUCT SELECTION VARIES FROM STOR