AG - Wednesday, November 7, 1983 - North Shore News EEE editorial pag ¢ Voter's duty With the municipal elections only 17 days away North Shore voters are already in a posi- tion to make the most important decision of all right away: the decision simply to VOTE. In federa! and provincial elections voter tur- nout traditionally runs inthe 70-80% range. In last year’s North Van District and West Van elections the turnouts were 35% and 33% respectively — and those were high figures compared to some years, when participation has sunk to the 15%-25% bracket in North Shore municipalities. The main reasons for the much higher figures in federal and provincial elections are the longer campaign periods and the greater familiarity of the electorate with parties, per- sonalities and policies. Council and school board candidates — often virtual strangers to the public and with slender budgets — have a scant two weeks or so to make themselves and their platforms known. Municipal government is the most accessi- ble, and in many everyday areas the most im- portant level for the average citizen. Yet if on- ly one-third of those eligible turn out to vote, a candidate winning, for example, 51% of the poll actually has the specific support of less than 18% of the electorate. This is a sorry situation. Changing it demands, for a brief period, a conscious ef- fort by voters to acquaint themselves with the contenders and the issues, and above all a per- sonal commitment by every voter to cast his or her ballot — for WHOMEVER — on election day. That duty, so easy to fulfil, seems a small price to pay for sound local government. Market switch New York’s Playboy Club has decided it needs a new image in tune with the 1980s, so it's supplementing its bunnies with’ male bartenders and waiters — properly dressed, too, in dinner jackets or specially designed outfits. ‘“The day of the sex object is gone,”’ says a club spokesman. Meaning, we suppose, that the rabbit market has now slumped to the point where they're grateful to survive just by making a buck from a bourbon. Cece VETE.S OF ETT ED AOR TED) VeearwEe sunday Diaplay Advertising 980-0511 news Classified Advertising 986-6222 north shores ere 985 213) news Circulation p86 1337 1139 Lonsdate Ave North Vancouver Bi v/M 2H4 Publlettor fete ies Associate Publisher faobent Catster Editor in Chief Advertising Director Noes Wot > rn ey rr Personne! Director Hee het ¢ Classified Director Circustation Dtrector saatoedtiie ber ’ t4it MA mow Production Director Cobain Jab sersee rn Office Manage: Photography Manage: One fay " o y bere North Ghore Mewes (in! moto a beeen de Hrewerpragen acid posaatifvese) ceacher 'e toalome bare Ae peat tenet eet Nees de bee 1 . Vea te ‘tae Fee Been oe) are dt bia tha tev eon, he eofa Tyee cated beaten, RA ae Phevggent tic PM itm cnet Erttes Contertes 1EHs North Shore Free Preae (td All rights reeeved Sweatom tiprtasatve Be Tmt Wea Se me ‘ .to4 Ma Avaatite of Ont Ne Meare mito, o oye Se ome ed pee wt ete a TeRBOD OFvet pe Member of the BC Press Council <> KN SsN% THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE %, & Ys UI: political dynamite, but ... POLITICAL DYNAMITE. That’s what John Bulloch, President of the 64,000-member Canadian Federation of independent Business called the Unemployment Insurance issue when he recently asked for a full-fledged public inquiry into the workings of the scheme. By W. ROGER WORTH The fact is, Unemployment Insurance is an issue that 1s almost as emouonal! as abor- tion or capital punishment, yet itis a subject that needs to be openly debated. The reason? The cost of Unemployment Insurance has more than doubled to $12-billion over the last few years, and in many cases, the costs are being borne by those who can least afford to pay. As might be expected, the hardest hit by the staggering cost increases are smaller firms, and particularly the tens of thousands of struggl- ing companies that aren’t earnmg any profits. ‘*There is no question that concerted efforts should be made to tighten the passing the cost on to employers and employees in the private sector. In 1982, for example, the private sec- tor paid 81 percent of total costs, compared to $3 percen- tin 1978. The federal govern- ment’s share dropped to 19 percent from 47 percent. What’s more, employers are forced to pay 1.4 mes as much as employees to help defr:-y the ever-rising costs. “‘lt’s true, costs have in- creased dramatically because more than one million Cana- dians are unemployed,’’ said Bulloch. ‘‘But Ottawa is also Mainstream Canada Unemployment benefit rules, but our real beef is that many smaller firms may in fact have to bor- row money to meet the Unemployment Insurance payroll tax,’’ said the CFIB’s Bulloch. ‘‘The graduated in- come tax and corporate tax systems are fair because they tax profits,’’ satd Bulloch. ‘Payroll taxes are unfair: they’re a disincentive to small companies when it comes to hiring people, and they’ve become what amounts to an anti-employment tax.’’ What further irritates en- trepreneurs operating smaller firms is the fact that Ottawa is reducing the amount 1 pays to cover the cost on Unemployment Insurance. Insurance using Unemployment In- surance as a kind of politica] slush fund, spending about a billion doHars per year on social programs such as maternity benefits. That money should be coming from the general fund that in- cludes income taxes and cor- porate taxes on profits.”’ Bulloch believes govern- ments don't really unders- tand that by increasing payroll taxes such as Unemployment Insurance, they are stifling the very peo- ple who are creating most of the country's new jobs Said Bulloch: ‘*That’s just one reason we need a public inquiry, even if it is political dynamite.*’ (CFIB Feature Service The winners and the losers A POCKET CAI CULATOR is all you need to get a clear picture of the winners and losers in the shoot-out must in the end — already been decided Bennett and are Uctanitely Premier Ball his Colleagues not among the latter A walkout by workers paid from the public purse, especially if prolonged ois oa bonansa fot a government restraint program With tensof thousands of public sector employees of all shapes and sizes involved in the shutdown complete Gollan accuracy is naturally tnpossible So let's keep estimates strietly on the oon servalive sic March the avcrage Hoo weekly wage was $471 Last Its hardly gomnpg overboard, therefore to assume oan avctage weekly wage of at least $400 for all puble ses vice workets, who have alicady hit the berks on plan to doo so by mid Nosenatrer So gust for starters the vanguard of VS OOO crisil ser Vanity Proper who began pee betaine Che consits the troertert vehi de offfees the bh quer ostorcs and all otter gwovecrniment! offices yesterday are sasyitig Me Bennett at Sia otnalleon oa abocrcat HOt crvellecons aortycenaet $204 MILE TON Thar leant weeb oon prCadtivats thoweves cortege ced bee Chee. comrtetbevs tae vte peomuiued te he Vor Cm mee tree ibe ‘ no Heo between the B.C. unions. When it comes to money -- government and the as it always the winners and losers have and sisters in the Canadian Umon of Public Employces Plus the 25,000 card carners in the Health Employees Union, the 16.500 strong BC. Nurses Unmon and the 15,500 Public Service Alltance types Together, these tive total a further 117.000 public wage carers, representing (on the minimum $400 a weck basis) a combined weceky payroll of almost $47 millon If or when they join the idl ed 35,000 burcaucrats., therefore, we're talking about a rock bottom figure of some $264 million per month which, for as long as the fun lasted, Victoria and the municipalities could stash away into cight per cent term deposits thereby carning collectively, an additional $176 milbon in monthly interest The beauty of a publie scx tor strike is the absence of any offsetting financial losses to the cirnphoyer samce prartolic seetor workers prodwec vu tually mo opto hit taking Bererds of sep sacs Bovear va the oars of the hh quecr stores bosses are lhe ly tor Dee rrrreveemeanl cao thve famal cal ly Henetiting fron several weeks mote Myates Fe pada Bop steep Cuesta ss tomb itive Pree Men berets TS Ss Ge Pee focus Noel Wright LTT Meanwhile, as and local governments count ther savings in mults milhon dollar instalments, it's a very different story at union head provincial quarters, where war chests could be emptied at a depressing specd LOST SPENDING Ihe BC Government Employees Union Cor exam ple promises ans VS OOO ton wotking members week! strthe pay daftcr the secon week) caning from $78 4 sires aecording fo thie number of dependants Taking again oa Corser vatisc estimate ot §$9Q pes average striker the BO CEL faccs aicbeatr ve ue carbfhens vat That's big money even for the BCGEL, let smaller members, hardly body less Just 4% shopping davs from Christmas the $310 dit ference between an $400) wage strike pay mighty bad news for the retail trade, all the way from mayor department stores te the small neighborhood me: alone tart unions whose however, be expected to and could heey soul together on average $90 also be cheque and woud chants many of whom de pend on the sin week Christmas season for JO per centoof them annual business Using the already public figures we have oan cscalating sector month as strike thas planned by the unos. COuldd $iaa tnoney from union members tnvolved by November $O PCMIOVE NCS muitlsonn of spresschiaag If the mass walkout dragy edooonm unal © teistimas bc that figure Could sana ore $300 millbon vi bos: spending nearly retagl power ove: the seven anda talt weet prctierd wath Nas torta aed the ogaancapabities Che seu tere fie tarios Haut wouldnt be the (ias nprlaar matig wioedfall on Waubetsdhe gates act alas thre: cbecer TE ven se any tema. teige hevaQrtn trond ctee abet + winners ana losers ve thie a> serel game of othe jus CTV FNOE EC North COM YORE pers cal alat.- With ope Rites vb NAG Besine: erode