PETER
-.Publisher
865-2131 (101)

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B Wnta Bitica Fan
ora thate eve, founded 1 1A as an
independen sataeben newspaper aed qualified
ges eek 111, Paregzephs UAL of be
Exziee Thx Act, is published
Fy ea rt Se Fe Pre

awe?

“GETTING TOUGH wita ¢ cueA

quotes of the

“My. view of electronic moni-

toring la that it is as difficult or

.. More difficult to serve time than
going to jail.”

Associate Chief Justice Patrick |
‘Dohm, on jail and electronic mon-
-: itoring, (From a March 8 North |
_ Shore News story.)

“He was induced to. break the

"Defence lawyer Henry Viug,
whose client was convicted of
. forging Canadian passports. (From
:@ March 8 North Shore News .
story.)

“You have a few soiled here
_ fer summer ‘jobs o- Militant.
“women’s groups who think that
their ex-hushends should be ;
Paying taxes on child'support.” ”

:;Capilario-Howe. Sound, Reform.
MP and finance critic Herb’

" Grubel,‘on the Liberal’ govern.

ment’ s new “vate-creation” bud-

‘THE FEDERAL ‘Depauisiese of.
» , Industry handed out $1,973,580,000
for the 1993-96 period, representing
the total tax x bill fer 407, 764 taxpay-

sit 117,000. of that

‘money’ was ‘spent by’ the regional

development figency for | Northern
Ontario...’
Here are come of those granis. (A

taxpayer, year. is the amount of total --

personal ‘i in¢ome tax an average tax-
“Bee00): pays: in one year — _ about

‘and another drunk teenager

week

get. (From a March 8 North Shore.
‘News story.)

“The kid spends all his time

getting clean aud sober and he is

finally getting his life together

kilis him.” .-
Susan Lewis; a counsellor at an.

., alcoholics’ recovery house, on the

death of a 16-year-old boy killed
in a tragic accident in North
Vancouver. (From a March 6

’ North Shore News story.) .

“1'm not disillusioned with’
the Reform party, .i’m dislilu-
sioaed with what has emerged
under the Reform banner. It’s a
facade.” ‘

West Vancouver resident

‘* Decima Newmann, former Reform.

party administrator in October
1995, expressing her disenchant-
‘ment with the party. (From a

March 6 North Shore News story.)

a onrret,

&3 $100,000 to establish an 18- tiole
" golf course in Sudbury QI taxpayer,
years).

$8 $70,000 to build an ice cream

‘ss (14 taxpayer years).
$97,250 to establish a hydropon-
ic’ tomato greenhouse ‘(20 taxpayer
ears).
“$82,500 to purchase tart manu-
‘facturing equipment (17 taxpayer
years).

oe From ‘Tales from the Tax

Trough IH, a National Citizens’
Coaiition publication.

| nawe viewpoint

_inflation (1% this year rising to'3% next year). But mos nef
promised don’t stzrt to kick in until'1997-98. By. then’ the next federal

boosting youth employment opportu
" ed over the long haul by a strong

IS A snap federal election loom-
ing by this fall? That’s the mest
intriguing question raised by
Wednesday’s budget.

Prime Minister Chretien has mused
aloud briefly in recent weeks about
such a possibility, presumably with an
eye to seeking a fresh mandate before.
the obligatory April 1997 constitutional
review brings the unity issue to anew
boiling point.
if he is still toying with the idea,
Finance Minister Paul Martin gave him -
everything he needed — not least, .
strong reasons for Quebec to choose the safe economic harbor of Canada
rather than a voyage into the unknown on the turbulent, uncharted seas of.
independence. :
It was a budget that hurt virally’ nobody except. child-support
their income tax returns, and promised better times for most folks some

"way down the road. As Martin stressed, it was a budget for the future
‘Much as for today — with the positives up front.”

.No new taxes of any kind; not even increased gasoli “gin”
Deficit reduction on track (down to $24.3 billion in in the coming fiscal year
and $17 billion by 1997-98). $1.9 billion in ‘goverment spending el
with defence, foreign aid and industrial subsidies hit hardest. Transfer
payments to the Provinces to be stabilized from. 1997 and inctease from

uo the year 2000. :

, cept
(the wealthiest of all will none). Further help for single’
and, tax-wise, for education.:A five-year, $65, iniilion study of ways to”
deliver health care’ more efficiently, :
To reassure us all that this is soberly reilistic, Martin based his proj
tions on slow economic growth. (1:8% this year, 2.6% in'1997) and iow

election-will, ini ‘any. case, have been held
‘For such an otherwise “feel- good"; budget

“thy omissions.: It still failed to implenient the : government’ Jong delayed

promise to replace the hated GST which, we're told,'is sti
on.” And most surprisingly it « ffered no unemployme

: for the immediate future...

This year $120 million witl go to encouraging studen si
openings. Over the next three-y her $315 million is.
tes,”
jebs is that they can ont :be ‘creat
ny based on Onawa’s 3 sound |
financial management.

And even with deficit reduction “on track” the federal debt -

But Martin’s underlying forecas

new total of $620 billion two years from now.’

Overall, however, it would be a’ gariible to eipectia y. potter badge ;
message next year. That's why a lot of smart money last. week was’
ing at a visit to the federal ballot bores before Christmas: °

MANY HAPPY returns of today, March 10, to ‘West Van' 's Eve Kemble.
. And happy 49th birthday this aay to to Avril Phaedra (Kim) Campbell
— yes, the Kim Campbell! aoe

WRIGHT OR WRONG: Tak to folks about themselves and youn never
bore them. ‘

FE’RE LOSING the war on
drugs, and we know it. Last

week the Vancouver morgue.
accumulated 14 fresh corpses between .

Friday night and Monday morning — 14
people who were alive Friday were dead
: by Monday, each killed by. heroin or

. other illegal street drugs.

Our war on drugs is distressingly sim-
ilar to the Vietnam.war in outicok: lots

; Of noise and thunder, : ‘many casualties

-and the certainty that,'in the iong run,
“we are going to lose.
_ No anrount of interdiction of ane or

drugs —a reality t the world over.

The resuiting chacs of theft, brutality
and prostituiien ts all about one thing: the

profitable drug trade. And the reason for
_ its profitability is that drugs are cheap to.

manufacture, they are. sold in an illegal

market at higi::yrices and mo‘ taxes’ aze «.
. paid on them at any stage along the way.

Two steps would eliminate B.C, ’s drag

. trade t in under ayean

“4. Legalize the controlled use of drugs.
Sell drugs of reliable quality and purity at
relatively low prices through B.C. Liquor
Control Board outlets, which: wiil elimi-

nate the profit motive and ‘generate t mil. -

lions. of tax dollars.:

while you do that, remember that in BC

addicts are breaking into houses, stealing -

fromi_caxs, - burgling businesses, ' holding
up banks and Stores, embezzling, ‘cheat:

‘ing, stealing and lying —- all to get. drugs.
The costs are enormous. And addicts are:
~ dying like flies, oes

- And we know: we're » Boing to loses.

oes

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