A6 - Wednesday, June 9, 1982 - North Shore News

GEE editorial page SERA CANADA OUT OF CONTROL

The ‘yes option’

West Vancouver electors will vote “yes” or “no” in this Saturday's referendum to a $5.6 million road repaving program funded with a Municipal Finance Authority loan, repor- tedly at 14.5%, repayable over ten years.

While many West Van citizens accept the NEED for the program, a number object to paying moneylenders maybe as much as $4 million more than the cost of the program itself. They argue that the job should be done on a “pay-as-you-go” basis out of municipality's annual operating budget.

In theory this would entail an extra annual tax burden averaging $1.87 million during the three-year construction p:;eriod, or around $134 yearly per average household. But in practice, under Victoria's 12% restraint policy, such a sum _ couldn't presently be added to the budget anyhow. It could be obtained only by slashing other services, possibly including vital police and fire protection.

Alternatively, of course, the job could be postponed -- but only at a future price. Even if inflation eases, costs will still rise the longer the program is put off. Moreover, portions of many West Van roads are getting worse by the month and delay in fixing them will swell the cost even in 1982 dollars. The advantages of starting this summer are obvious.

The proposed loan means an average extra 1983 tax of $30.84 and an average of $86.34 in the single “worst” year -- with FUTURE residents also paying their share over the 10- year period.

All in all, a “yes” vote this Saturday seems the wise, forward-looking option.

General Belle?

The superpowers used to worry about top officials defecting to the other side. But now, it seems, there's an even bigger worry. The U.S. government has just seized “Belle”, the world’s reigning computer chess champion, and locked up the 400 pounds of electronic wizardry to keep its secrets safe from the Russians. Apparently “Belle” thinks so fast that it might run a war better than the Soviet high command.

Jean VOCE OF MOTTIN Asm WAST VANCOUVER

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THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

By RON HUNTINGTON, M.P.

(A two-part article)

Why are Canadians losing faith in government? In the institution of Parliament?

Why do so many of us seem to be crossing that fine

line between healthy scepticism and outright cynicism? What has hap-

pened to our sense of ex- cellence and pride in our

community and our country?

I beheve Canada has fallen prey to a negativism promoted and supported by those in power. When a government exerts more and more control over our lives,

BOY, YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY ALLAN GABY... JUST 10K AT YO AT YOU STANDING HERE AMONG THE WORLD'S.

ECONOMISTS ..

. AND HOW THEY LOOK UP TO You...

THE CANADIAN GENIUS! THE ECONOMIC WHIZ K\D OF THE WESTERN WORLD!

“TORONTO SUN

Liberals can justify anything

we become passive and accepting. A vicious circle develops where the less we participate, the more leeway we give government to pursue its policies unop- posed. After awhile, our self-interest yields to their self-interest. Canada has pow reached that point.

Government was never meant to be responsible for us. It should be responsible to us and it is our duty as citizens to ensure this at- titude is respected. This is the essence of participatory democracy. Over the past fifteen years, however, we have failed to uphold our responsibility and the Citizen’s role in democracy has been severely eroded.

Too many Canadians now expect that whatever a government does might as well go unquestioned; we blindly turn away from its policies, its remarks, and its attitudes with the comment “Well, what can I do about it?” We have become obedient wards of state.

Has the government been oblivious to this develop- ment? No way. Ottawa has very gingerly accepted and promoted this idea of cradle to grave care. Let me give you an example: Pierre Gimaiel, a Liberal back- bencher, recently explained his party's philosophy in the House of Commons on January 29, 1982.

“To be a Liberal is first and foremost to be an elected representative, a

person whose lettmotiv, whose supreme will ts to provide opportunities for development and progress of all Canadians. In such a sittuauon, ANYTHING CAN BE JUSTIFIED. If the development of individual Canadians is to be achieved through socialization, the Liberal Party can turn socialistic. If the development of individual Canadians is to be achieved through a turn to the right through a strengthening in the industry, then the Liberal Party can move to the night. If in order to promote our development the Liberal Party thinks we have to be communistic, we shall be communistic. That is what it ts to be a Liberal. To be a Liberal is to be open to all ideas.

anything can be justified.” If four words ever so aptly describe the

Government's mindset, it is this phrase. In other words, the Liberal Party of Canada is no longer a party of pnnciple, it is a party of opportunism and_ control. Even Pierre Trudeau recognized this fact long before he entered politics. In Cite Libre, April 1963, he wrote:

“The political philosophy of the Liberal Party is sim- pucity itself. ‘Say anything. think anything. better sull, think nothing but put us in power, for we are best fitted to govern.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Get with it, Allan and Gerald!

NO “QUICK FIX". That's the message from last

week's economic summit at

Versailles which

failed to come up with a single new idea for beating the recession. As far as Canada is con- cerned, it means Messrs. MacEachen and Bouey need further help from us grass-roots economic

experts.

The key, as always, ts interest rates At present levels they re sending unemployment soaring

They're bankrupung record numbers of Theyre threatening thousands of homcowners with mortgage foreclosures They re swelling government deficits - thereby leading to further inflaton

And now they re aol even doing what they re supposed to do protect the Canadian dollar, this week at its lowest potnt in hastory and sal ono the skids

Let it go for the present nght down to OO cents tS af need be

businesses

and get on with the most vital yob to be done slashing half rates The Canadian haif Oot your paper Allan

Here show tt works

OU interest

penctl and

and Crcrakd”

SMART DEAL

First fix the maatimum tate for money borrowed to maintain aod capond business and industry in Canada at six per cent with Canadian depostom thereby Ketting postage four pes

Ditto Mortgages

But capital will flee the country, you It's alrcady fleecing. fellows, so why worry at the moment? There's a very casy way to stop the Canadian half of it from fleeing

Slap a punishing tax on all interest and = dividends earned by Canadian capital invested outside Canada A tan that would reduce the effective yield to the same four per cent (or whatever) thal at can cam by staying at home and creating yobs for Canadians

cent with home

moan

Then for a transiGeonal let the banks charge a sharply higher

rate say FA per cent

ponod interest on all

consumer loans Ulse at to pay foreign capttal investors in) 6 Camadian business and industry PS LQ per cent: fer

thei moncy Simec others build equity in

Canada could borrow «heap

forcigners wishing to

Canadian dollars for that

purpose at the low sta per

ceat rate offshore tavestors

ino pencral would find us oa

pretty smart deal after all

Ome you get these simple

Noel Wright

arrangements set up, Allan

and CGbrorald. wonderful

things would start to happen BOUNCE BACK

Canadian busincss 9 and industry would pick up fast creating thousands of yobs Bankruptcies and mortgage foreclosures would drop back to oa trekle Construction and real catate would boom again

Consamer demand be held temporarily tn check

new

would

by high consuater loan rates and hagh thereby

Lasngprere t prmecs

reductng inflation

still further

The outside world would be so impressed by Canadian ingenuity that our dollar would soon begin to bounce back up from its 60 cent bracket Meanwhile, Canada’s export industnes would enjoy a bonanza by underpncing every other navon.

And think of all the lovely new tax moncy from those expanding businesses and hundreds of thousands of re employed wage carncrs., going to sbrink Mr MacERachen’s deficit

The only pain would be a

bnef shortage of Toyotas,

Californian oranges and Hawaitan vacations A modest proe to pay for getting Canada back on

track tn short order

tc ant imagine why Allan and Gerald never figured out this obvious solution on their own Maybe they spend too time talking to themselves | know too that they may fiad the banks

much

ao little osteeky about the whole idea yust oat first Banks tend to have tunnel

the lerecsl cates

No

Vision in matter of in

problem there however that a litthe determined arm twisting wont solve Who are the bosses around the place anyway” ret with at Allan aud Crerald Cslad we could belp your!