I'M WoRRIED. f LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR
OF BEING LAID-OFF, PAY MORE |
TAXES , HAVE. A SHRINKING DISPOSABLE
INCOME. AND ENJOY FEWER SERVICES.

. YET, THE DEFICIT GROWS AND GROWS.

UH -HdH... a
re
Ou; KNOW...

& ‘Y'KNOW... By GOLL a
YouRe ABSOLUTELY

OCTORS. OPTING ou “vot the.
| Medical Services: Plan are’. mistak

“by: risking: ‘the loss: of public: goodwill. in
* their wrangle ‘ “the: provincial govern
‘ment over. an imposed: $1. 27 bitlion cap on ;
doctors’: 1992-93 billings to the. proving

Medical Services Plan’ (MSP).. we
Financially stressed © British » ‘Columbians:

are. still recling.,/ from ‘the. Teceat’ ‘federat .

opted-out: ‘doctors ‘who charge for’ medical -
services .at rates ‘higher . than. those set by’
the MSP: represents‘a, further: -weakening. of
the: ocial security , net-iman Canadians 5 are’.

Mayor Murray © Dykeman, to Coun a
Joan Gadsby. as: she-left a council 3." ally, it's"
meeting early, Gadsby: had :éatlier. ©

criticized. the ‘Thayor ’s! erformance

: “Holy. cow
do now??? 2's

4

THIS MAY SOUND SILLY, BUT... How
ABOUT YOu TAKING ALITTLE LESS
IN! SALARY, PERKS , UNRECEIPTED
ALLOWANCES , EXPENSE ACCOUNTS,
FREE AIR TRAVEL , SEVERANCE
PACKAGES AND THOSE. LIFE-LONG
PENSIONS You GET FoR A FEW
YEARS OF . PUBLIC SERVICE: ?

THAT DOES
SOUND SILLY.

While : some. - doctors pass: ‘the bill . on. to
their ‘patients, the government piles : up: “the

bills in’a’ senseless media‘ campaign to ‘win :

the: hearts: of. the public: and position itsel
"as the reasonable party in the dispute.” a

The’ sad “truth. ‘of. the situation is that, we,
are moving to a. point” where «an aging.
| population, inherently in. heed of medical.
‘services, . will be hit:hardest. by direct billing |:
and ‘the! ‘other. possibility. looming - on: the.
horizon - — health-care rationing. |

“ Premier .Mike Harcourt calls’ his” gov- :
“ ernment’s - decision to, impose a-cap.on |

doctors’ fees a form of-‘‘rough justice.”
Opting-out doctors are ‘Showing. us: their
version of rough justice.
‘on Meanwhile ‘it is ‘the, patients’ ‘who: are bee
ing rougited up. vs

occasionally Bobi isn, "t with it.

“‘It,’? in this case, being the ©
safeguarding of our vastly superi-’.
or form of democratic government

— invented 732 years ago when a.

bunch of barons forced King John
- to.sign the Magna Carta; - :

Forget. for a moment about the
Queen’s wayward offspring and
their. dysfunctional marria ges."
What we're talking about here are
‘the vital cheéks and balances that.’

.shield democracies fram ‘periodic’

scheming madmen — dictators

disguised as Messiahs who may

wheedle enough votes out of an-

unsuspecting: electorate to later,

tyrannize it. «..
-In the U.S. the shield i is ‘the:

three-way division of powers, or,

Other republics depend ‘dna much

more dicey two- way split.between |

the government's chief executive a

(prime minister, chancellor or ,/

whoever) and an ‘appointed, fixe:

ed-term head of state ( 3 . democracies tate —in Scan-

dent). , : ~ ‘dinavia, Holland, Belgium and
- In most casts, however. the lat- latterly Spain

ter is little more than’a plippet : their. hereditary roya al head of:

“ figurehead —:himself.a political ° "State. : :
hack paraded for purely ¢eremo: * Go you begin to at it Bob?.

nial purposes ina top hat! ‘and "5 Your psychologist once told you "

~~ tails until his five years are up... that you had a problem with |i"

-His-“‘powers”’ vis-a-vis ‘the. ~. authority .., didn’t like “being told
head of governmenit often are Vir-". “what to do.-I share your problem:
tually’ nil. This, combined with his: ‘That's why I m a staunch mo
limited term, can make ititemp-,”” chist..

» tingly easy for a ‘ruthless political ” . AS long as the royals are there

leader to eventually rollthetwo. | othe danger of-a power grab by, arly
separate offices into one and seize. . would-be Hitler.or Stalin. thrown
supreme power, Modern history’ gs up by the whims of. democracy i

‘textbook examples include Hitler’. that much less. ‘And so are the:

66 T he fogs br Crown is

he

cl ‘ances that you.and 1 will e
“True, Britain’s and Canada’s ave to. choose between ‘doin;

3 « monarchy: has also long since «;; ‘what we’ re told « ora concentra! on he

“tevels at ‘ideal reservoirs! “during a
. Greater’ Vancouver; “Regional
: District water’ committee meeting.

7 - “EE you dow’ (go shead and dine
“more” e, a .on a dish of Foray. 48B, in. front:
‘of a five’ television audience; you’:
Jase... your: credibility. Sob
i appeti eran
: Citizens Against. Aerial’ Spraying

hallenging ; UBC’s, 'Dr.:. Rick .
athias to. ‘drink: ‘some- of the’.

North. Vancouver | ‘District ‘Asian’ gypsy ‘moth ; insecticide be-»

Murray Dykeman, "ater: ing sprayed: over “ » the’ Lower .

‘Peter: “Speck”

i: Mainland.

i

980-0511 ‘Distribution: “906-1337

Managing "Editor. Timothy Renshaw .. Real Estate. Advertising; 985-6982 : Subscriptions 926-1337 -. . printed én So
‘Associate Edito: : Noel:Wright ’ Classified Advertising - (986-6222 Fax oes) 7: 985-3227 =f 10% tecycled . -

“Sates & Marketing Di

2 founded

‘independent suburban ‘newspaper. and - “qualified
“under. Schedule:111, Paragraph lil of the Excise
Tax’Act, is published ‘each Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday’ by.’North Shore Free Press Ltd. and
, distributed ; to “every “door: on_ the* North. Shore.
‘Second. Class: Mail Registration Number. 388
- Subscriptions North and West Vancouver, $25 per
year:’; Maifing®: rates 1, available ; on ¢ request.
Submissions are welcome but we ‘cannot accept
-tesponsibility> for unsolicited material including ;V7M 2H4
manuscripts sand. pictures - which’“should’ be

accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope.

North Vancouve

:. Administration 985-2131». PY”: newsprint
: wewaen ,'

ceased to exercise any tangible .
day-to-day powers. vis-a-vis our.

.elected governments..That's as it:
should be.‘But if it ever came to,
‘ the crunch; there IS one mighty ote SIGN-OFF Still got your tree? ”

_impran difference. j5- |, * From 10 a.m.to.4 p.m. today you
A hereditary head of state, mir- ean have it chipped ¢ on the Extra 3

% roring to a majority of citizens the.) Foods'parking lot;"17th and;

historic identity of the nation, is... Lonsdate — ~.courtesy of Dave’ s
‘far harder to displace than'a tran- Tree Care — in return for your :
sient political! appointee. This key. donation to the Canadian Cance
‘role has been expressed by consti- Society .; A $4,626 gift from Ot
tutional scholars i ina single, cogent ‘tawa will enable Bowen Island ::

‘sentences: |... ” “Seniox v5 Keeping Young’
spokesman Dianne: Wharton,»

“The signi ficance of the! Crown to participate. in'a comprehensiv
“is not in the power it wields, but in:.’- community, welltiess program fo
the power it denies to others.” =: the island’s Golden'Agers:.

Moreover, today’s monarchy i is Capilano-Howe Sotind MB, .

‘a highly professional institution. -"s °**Santa”’ ‘Mary. Collins,’ presented.

Schooling in the tricky art of’ . the welcome cheque shortly, before

_ head-of-state for a modern’) “=. Christiias ... Meanwhile, t
“3 democracy i is one of its full-time”. :. special happy birthday ‘cards to:
: jobs - _ continued from‘ one gen-",

eration to thie! next. AS George Vi wc Well-loved Province column

+ put it: We’ re not a family, we're. °-’ Himie Koshevoy on his 837:

coves, ac--'And the game again to 81-year:
‘This doesn’ i make the royals” old bowling enthusiast Trixie

_ any more “superior”? to the|mass “Snelgrove, a'41-year, West .Van

- of citizens than a brain surgeon or *.: resident’and founding member of

“a rocket scientist. It simply;means | 2 St David’s:Church

. ‘they undergo expert training for'a. 0% eh re

«. tighly, complex occupation: And °

"to be blunt; their recent troubles” ;
“stent Solely, t rom the addition to” WRIGHT ‘OR WRONG: Smar

-. the family of ‘‘commoners’), who © “husbands think twice before sa
: rejected that rigorous discipline. ,

Nori is it any, mere. accident that