| Cheer WITH APOLOGIES to those who may be finding that times aren’ quite what they used to be, I venture to ask a question: are times as tough as we are told they are? Do we really have 2 depression? You will notice that I do not use the word ‘‘recession.’’ Reces- sion is another of those public relations words trotted in instead of what is really meant. These days, it is an offence to say what we really mean. Thus housewives become homemakers, sodomites become gays, and pris- ons become correctional institutes. “Depression’’ has been ditched because the politicians’ PR hacks decided it brought up thoughts of the Dirty Thirties. But considering the all-encompassing gloom, I think it should be rescued. So do we have 2 depression? If you read the public prints or watch the absurdities on TV there is no doubt about it. We do. Recently, the CBC’s six 0” clock news gave us 15 minutes of bad news right off the top. More followed later in the same pro- gram. Not that most of it was news. It was a trudge through the Slough of Despond, something at which we have become expert. No sad source was left unstirred. No lamentation was left unsung. But | say it’s all wrong. Dr. Collins’ revolutionary thoughts on this matter began with a recent walk through West Van. There were five or six ‘‘help wanted’’ notices in store windows. When times are really tough you never see such signs. The store owners would be crushed in the rush. The answer is that lots of jobs don’t pay $20 an hour, sothe - calculating don’t want them. They’re better off on unemploy- ment insurance or welfare. 5 " arc ON THE GTHER HAND But in 2 real depression those crutches wouldn’t exist in suck generous form. And the country wouldn’t even be able to go into debt to pay for them. We therefore have a situation in which unemployment insurance actually increases unemployment. To a certain extent, so does welfare, Not that some welfare folk are actually unemployed. A fair number are on the rolls because they want to be. It gives them time to be professional pro- testers. If a count had been taken in the recent protest at the North Shore News, for instance, you would have seen that iheory proved, But that's all fringe stuff. If we had a real depression, who would allow snarling en- vironmentalists to cause Alcan to . lose a half a billion dollars by holding up its Kemano develop- ment? If we had a real depression, who would allow David Suzuki to bestride the national airwaves with his devious, job-destroying pro- paganda? Who would allow such people to win the battle for creation of a national park up at South Moresby, thus denying honest men employment — especially when the place wiil never be visited by anyone except Gureau- crats and prowling prudes of the environment? Who would allow grinning In- dians to blockade public highways in logging areas for weeks at a time? If we had a real depression, would the socialists in Victoria harass the forest industry by forc- ing it to scale back its cutting on southern Vancouver Island by up to 29%, thus taking $150 million out of the local economy? If we had a real depression, would teachers be able to demand — and get — increases that exceed the industrial average and must be paid by those whe are getting less? If we had a real depression, would we be spending a billion dollars a year on welfare, health care and legal aid for blatantly phoney refugees who laugh at the immigration ‘‘system’’? Would we be admitting a quarter of a million immigrants a year over the next four years, most of whom have no skills and know no English and will be a massive drain on the social and education services? With a million-and-a-half Ca- nadians already unemployed, only terminal madness can explain such things. But no politicians and few in the media have anything critical BC Rail passenger service booms NORTH VANCOUVER- based BC Rail passenger trains carried more than 102,000 passengers ia 1991, topping the 100,000 mark for the first time in 34 years, the Crown corpora- tion has reported. BC Rail spokesman Barrie Wall said the passenger count has been rising steadily since 1981 when the company began rejuvenating and -expanding its fleet of self-propell- Diana, formerly Raymond’s Hair Design would like to invite her | clients and new customers. to her new location at: Hairlequin Hair Design 3016 Mtn. Hwy. 988-9630 ed Budd cars and upgrading on- board comfort and service. The passenger count fell just short of 100,000 in 1989 with 99,763; in 1990 the numbers siumped to 88,684 as a result of blockaded rail lines and a 25-day strike. But between 1981 and 1991 fig- ures have risen approximately 37% overall, from 74,606 to over 102,000 last year. Wall said the increase resuits from renewed continent-wide in- terest in rail travel, more ag- gressive marketing and a growing awareness of the ‘‘spectacular scenery BC Rail's passenger trains have to offer.”’ in addition to scheduled dayliner service between North Vancouver and Prince George, the railway also operates scheduled and chartered Royal Hudson steam train excursions and Sum- mit Service. Summit offers the railway’s fleet of business, dining and sleep- ing cars for luxury private charter. om THE GREAT TRAIN SALE Attention: Model Railroaders Entire Railroad Stock on Sale Or OFF Example: 0 NOW $40.00 ATLAS ¢ ATHEARN ROUNDHOUSE & more. Mon-Sat. 9:30 to 530, Sunday 12 to 4 pm. Locomotive $50.00 Wednesday, January 15, 1992 — North Shore News - 9 up, there is no depression to say about it. So there can be no depression. If there were a rea} depression, would we have commissions on humaa reproduction roaming the country at enormous cost? Don’t we know how to do it? Not to mention all the other commis- , John Cruickshank Bsc., Msc., DV: Veterinarian sions. Any day now, I expect to see commissions on star-gazing and pot-cleaning. One could go on, but the evi- dence is conclusive. There’s no depression. SECRETE 9, a Ils pleased to announce the opening of PARK GATE ANIMAL & BIRD HOSPITAL Parkgate Village Shopping Centre 170 - 3650 Mount Seymour Parkway, North Vancouver BC V7H 2Y5 24 HR, EMERGENCY SERVICE House Calls Avaliable 929-1863 | 1C.B.c. Claims — repairs & replacement Keep Your Vision Clear! Get it Fixed Before the Snow With Every Windshield Replacement: @ Interior V.I.P. clean ft New Wiper Blades We are the Pros! 20 Years on the North Shore Wada Ltd, NORTH SHORE AUTO GLASS 980-7511 407 Mountain Hwy. eo PARTIPALTION