6 — Friday, July 23, 1999 — North Shore News north shore news

VIEWPOINT _

Chamber music

HOUGH it might have suc-

ceeded in tuning out the gener-

al public when it comes to tax relief, the federal government would do well to lend an ear to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Not known for its radical approach to life, the chamber has instead recently invested its time in determin- ing how best to provide Canadians with relief from the crippling tax bur- den each currently bears.

And anyone in this country who pays taxes knows that the time to apply that relief is long overdue.

For example, according to numbers provided by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the total amount of feder- al, provincial and municipal taxes paid by a 35-year-old British Columbian on an income of $40,000 is $19,085 —~ almost half of everything earned.

miailhbox

NV parking squeeze 4s no laughing matter

Dear Editor: Col _ Fegarding increasing the wide : malls | and other areas where parking is difficult.

» «He suggested the stalls were not wide cnough. They have’ become smaller over the years, and a lot o vehicles

have become larger. And he is absolutely right. (E_won't, even ‘shop-at the Westview the size of.

"some ther. mails in’ the city and district have

proble

Certaialy. ‘the drivers using these malls realize that the. ;

‘parking ‘stalls are too narrow. °

--Most: SUVs and large cars will not even. fit into these ;

: very annoying ‘to me as I watched Mr. Crist “attempt to. et his: point across was the childish antics of Mauri, who literally laughed in his face.

Coun. Lisa:

I watched with interest the motion put forward by Ernie Crist at the Jul y 1 19 district council meeting of parking stalls at shopping

hopping Mall, eC: parking spaces is too small. And

Mindfw of the tax weight borne by all Canadians, the chamber recently released a tax reduction strategy that would cut approximately $9 billion in taxes over the next two years.

The plan would cut just over $500 from the tax bill of the average Canadian family of four next year and $1,079 the year after that.

Projecting that the federal govern- ment will enjoy a surplus of at least $7 billion next year, the chamber allows that $3 billion of that surplus will go to paying down the country’s massive $580 billion national debt.

The balance, according to the chamber’s plan, could go to tax cuts.

That surplus, after all, is the prop- erty of Canadians, not the Liberal government. Taxpayers have a right to expect its return, sooner rather than later.

your big dictionary. That may take a while. But, like many words, over time it has ‘assumed a broader meaning: “A tendency to disorder .... running down.” You know — like a clock; or a life. Or 4 government. It would appear that ’ the Glen Ciari f New Democratic Party gov- ernment is showing defi- nite signs of entropy.

the same

But — ir says here — don’t be too sure. Read on, for an (exclusive, as they ‘say) interview with a very savvy North Clark aide.

Vancouverite who is a to;

Meaning? Well, it has a meaning in physics which you are welcome to read in

: 9

— I'm among those who are super-cau- tious that this spells the entropy of the NDP government, or even of Clark, although both are crawling at snake's- belly level in opinion polls. B.C.'s economy — fly- ing high with Alberta’s as the Canada’s best just short years ago — can arise like the Phoenix before the government’s stale-date arrives. Public memory is

short, especially in bet-

ter times. And the

chasms between the

NDP’s various oppo-

nents are widening, not closing.

So the good contrarian, skeptical of three-day wonders, should heed the words of smart David Schreck.

Of course they are highty paxtisan.

As if. this motion ‘wes not, important to the public.

uncil takes hours dealing with some matters that affect onty-a handful of ‘residents.: But something that affects th uisands of residents is brushed aside.

: i.and other council members who fiterally

would. have 9 part of Coun. Crist’s motion, should go to’

onc .of these malls, and watch people struggle as they ft their vehicles into under-sized parking spaces. -It’s.a seriots-problem.

And every day there ate, vehicles being damaged by per- sons in these parking ‘lots who. open their doors and crack the: vehicle parked next to them or clip the other vehicles fenders, chipping the and doing some damage. And in a lor of cases, ICBC pays the bill. ~ ©. The majority of people agree v with Mi. Crist. The he park

Werth Shove Hews, founded in 1969 asan Independent suburban newspaper and quatfed under Schule 111, Paragraph 117 of the Excisa Te: Act, i pubished each Wednesday,

" _ Seiday and Sunday by Nowth Shore Free Press

_ Ud destriouted to every door on tha North

~ Creative Seivices Director §85-2131 (127) 61,582 {average circulation, \Wecnesday, Friday & Sunday)

926-1857 (124)

First, though, the surface evidence. As of this writing, there were four sig- nificant departures tn as many days in

-NDP ranks:

Brian Gardiner, NDP provincial secre-

"Then, the Big Red-headed Machine: Joy MacPhail, finance minister and gov- erriment House leader. Big, big ‘defec- tion.

Followed by Graeme Bowbrick, MLA for New Westminster — son of affection- ately regarded John Bowbrick, retired principal of West Vancouver's ‘Caulfeild and Eagle Harbor schools — who quit as Clark's parliamentary secretary. ;

Then Sue Hammell, feminist zealot..

tary.

But — no friend of this government

‘on Clark’s

Party aside, I’ve always liked Schreck, I think the former MLA for Vancouver lacks the go-for-the- jugular instincts of the political survivor. Schreck is now 5 ecal adviser to the premier. And, he told me, to coniment: resent difficulties would be. “inappropriate.” . ich he proceeded to do. . “Mr. Clark has my complete and total support,” he began.

“Next, he noted the peculiar B. C. con:

text, Since 1983 no B.C, premier has. : completed his erm of office: Bill ©”

. Bennett, Bill Vander Zalm and Mike | * Harcourt al! left early. Uniquely in =...

Canada, “Bringing people together is not ; valued. British Co: umbrans value fight-_ ;

ONCE AGAIN,

F AGSURE YOU, WE HAVE Comets | ConTRoOL OF THE WATER EXPORT SITUATION

Insights into government entropy

ers. ... We have a blood-sport attitude ’ toward politics .. . Which involves a fot of . theatre. ‘

Schreck also downplayed Graeme 7 Bowbrick’s resignation as Clark’s parlia-: mentary secretary, a task that “rarely. involves substantive duties,” said Schreck, who once served Clark i in that | role himself.

He paused to do the dirty onthe: ©: media that has been baying around his: boss, which he did in beautifully elegant terms, and then turned to the problems ~:

of Gordon Campbell’s Liberals, These,

he said in so many. words, are und réported.

“Campbell's internal roblems: grow * thicker and thicker. ... There is intense back-stabbing going on (among the Liberals),”. Schreck assured, me.

Much of the above is predictab

ly. pi - tisan. More significantly, Schreck note that under the NDP constitution all

party officers are subjected to automatic review iri even-numbered years. The falls in March 2000. :

Not that Schreck advo ted: anything. He was only providing infor

nothing more. Just the facts.

- “One would-be a fool Glen is on the hot seat right: ow,” I

mused. But, in a great many words predicted renewal of the ak oa ‘and

chance for’a ee

ub Nehe r d bé a lo# less sure;. though about his Grew eden Fd Sys ‘Joy

MacPhail as lead

res 16 THE EDITOR

Valse Steyheczou

Photography Manager 985-2131 7160).

Classified Manager : 986-6222 (202) Entire contents © 1999 North Shore Free Press Lid. All rights reserved. .