A4- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 4, 1998

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

PUBLISHER: ROD LINK
ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G 5R2
TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432
EMAIL: standard@kermede.net

It’s madness!

SOMETHING YOU didn’t notice in last week’s
federal budget and probably won’t in the upcom-
ing provincial spending plan is what to do about
a serious disease which strikes this time of year.

It strikes selectively — only at civil servants —
and is known as March Madness. And although
only civil servants are affected, the disease has
implications for the rest of us because we end up
paying the ultimate consequence.

Here’s how March Madness works. Each year
government departments are handed set budgets.
Department officials are expected to follow these

budgets closely and to not exceed the amounts

assigned to them.

But as much as civil servants are told not to go

over budget, nobody has told them not to spend
up to the budget lirnit. That*s because there’s a
great fear within government departments that
budgets will be reduced the next year should the
previous year’s budget not be spent. It’s almost

as if there’s a machismo attitude run amok.

within the public sector.

So that’s why you just might see new furniture,
vehicles or other such things appear within
government offices or in outside compounds,

The tragedy of this is that civil servants aren’t
rewarded for saving money as might be the case
in the real world. They’re instead forced to spend
money under the misguided theory that if they
don’t theyll lose prestige and influence for the
next budget year.

And that’s about as bizarre as having the feder-
al government try to make us believe it balanced
the federal budget on spending cuts and not on
tax increases.

A cos

mene LEY mh nel deaeranee ab bee Pats

ONCE AGAIN the city and its key officials
deserve a hearty ‘thank you’ for the progress
made in assembling parks and recreation land.

The purchase of a 1.5km strip from Eby to
Kalum Lake Drive from Canadian National for
‘use as a walkway points to some far reaching
thinking at city hall. By ensuring there is a place
for pedestrians in the heart of the urban core, the
city enhances and expands the potential to enjoy
fresh air in an uncomplicated fashion.

This is important as the city matures into the
next century and as its young families look for
different kinds of outdoor options.

At the same time, the city is to be commended
for the work it did in planning a walking path
along the Skeena on the southside, Although the
plan was ultimately defeated by people with ag-
ricultural holdings, the idea is still sound. A seed
has been planted and in time it just might
germinate into something of benefit to all.

a (a
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Serving {he Terrace and Thombill area. Published on Wednesday of each week at 9210 Clinton Street,

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Aulhorzed 99 second-class mall pending the Post Office Department, for payment of postage in cash.

Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents
for thelr time and talents

ALL KIDDING ASIDE...

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Yee-haw, we’re right on target

VICTORIA — I am sa proud
of myself. I managed to spend
only $18,500 more last year
than [ carned, Right on target,
as former Finance Minister
Andrew Petter would say.
Petter is the guy who
believes we should all
ceiebrate because the NDP
government won’t be deeper in
the hole than he originally
forecasl. Here’s what he said
in his third quarterly financial
report, released a few days be-

fore he was shuffled out of the

finance portfolio.

“We are continuing to con-
trol government spending
closely for the remainder of
this fiscal year to make sure
that we meet or execed ovr
budget target of a $185-million
deficit.”

Just like my fiscal per-
formance. 1 predicted I wouid

"end $18,500 mare than ]

would eam and, By Jove, 1]
came in right on target, The
only difference is that Petter’s
deficit has got four more
ZeLOEsS. .

There's wore rasan to
rejoice, according lo Petter.
Revenues at the end of the
third quarter, he said, were $92
million higher than originally
budgeted, while government
spending was $94 million blow
the forecast.

FROM THE GAPITAL
HUBERT BEYER

This despite a British Colum-
bia economy that is, for all in-
tents and purposes, in the
dumpster, particularly in the
resource sector.

And speaking of the econo-
my, Petter puiuled lo a growth
figure of 2 per cent’ this year,
but failed to mention that forc-
casters are predicting growth
of only 1 per cent for next
year, barely enough to keep the
province from sliding into ‘a
recession.

Based on all of the aforemen-
tioned figures, Petter [earlessly
or foolishly went on to predict
a balanced budget for 1998-99,

Where have I heard that song

before? Once before we were |

told that the —province’s

finances were in great shape.
The budget, Premier Glen
Chark told us before the last
election, was balanced.

We all know what happened
subsequently. The budget, on
the strength of which the NDP
was re-elected, turned out to be
not balanced, and a skeptic
public accused the government
of incompetence at best and
oulright lies at worst.

Which is why I feel com-
pelled to take Petter’s op-
limistic third quarterly report
with a sack of sail. | fell for the
balanced-budget story prior to
the last election and passed
that information on to my
readers, I don’t want to be
made a fool of again.

Now, just to make your day,
Tm going to mention that as of
Dec. 31, 19977, the total provin-

. cial debt stood at $30.3 billion.

Of that total, $21.8 biliion are
taxpa yer-supported.

Now that doesa’t mean you
and I aren’t on the hook for the
$10 billion that isn’t taxpayer-
supported. The  taxpayer-
supported debt is owed directly
by the government. The rest is
owed by Crown corporations
and agencies operating al
am’s length from government,
such as B.C, Hydro,

In the end, we, the laxpayers,

will still be holding the bag for
that debt and have to repay it
in the form of higher rates.

Now, let’s get back to Pet-
ter’s ode of joy over the fact
that he kept the finances on
target, namely at a projected
deficil of $185 million by the
end of the fiscal year. That fig-
ure, however, isn’t all she
wrete,

The annual budget deficit -
may, indeed, come in at Pet-
ter’s $185 million, but in the —
meantime, the province’s’ total
debt, taxpayer-supported and
otherwise, jumped by $678
million since March 31, 1997.
Not even J can’t compete with
such impressive spending,

The short and the long of it is
that contrary to Petter’s asser-
tions, the province's finances
aren’t in good shape and nei-

Sher is the economy.

It eludes me how Petter can
say that there’s a good chance
the government will have a.
balanced budget next year. I,
on the other hand, plan to
spend less than my projected
income 1iext year.

And unlike Petter, I will
probably succeed.

Beyer can be reached at:
Tel: (250) 920-9300; Fax:
(250) = 385.6783; E-mail:
hubert@coolcom.com

Give teens easy condom access

LET’S SAY you're a single
adult, sexually active, mindful
of your own and your pariner’s
well being. You deem un-
protected sex to be as fool-
hardy as skiing out of bounds,
alone, in avalanche country.

Imagine having your shop-
ping for condoms resiricled to
two hours, one night a week, at
a store that sells nothing else,
surrounded by offices that
close at 5. Convenient, eh?
And discreet.

Now, replace that  self-
possessed adult with a nervous
teenager. Isn’t buying con-
doms fun? — Spur-of-the-
momientish?

Condoms are available from
Planned Parenthood Tuesday
evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. in
the Skeena Health Unit build-
ing on Kalum Street across
from the court house. If the
community cared more about
the health of our young folks
and less about our prudish up-
bringing we'd make condoms
available in high school
washrooms.

We should do all we can ta

SEE THE SouTHERNER.
HE IS VERY HoT.

THROUGH BIFOCALS.
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

encourage impetuous teens lo
always usc a condom especial-
ly in these tines of AIDS,
when unprotected sex under
any circumstance could prove
deadly. Personal adult views
shouldn’t obstruct ' teenagers
wating to buy legal health
protection,

Our stalistics are ominous,
We have one af B.C.’s highest

rates of teen pregnancy. And .

our rale of sexually trausmitied
diseases is double that of the

SEE HIM FUN
TOTHE LAKE.

lower mainland.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea,
two such diseases prevalent
here, can scar a_ girl’s
reproductive organs so that she
may never conceive,

Most interesting is the belief
that students can buy condoms
in the public washrooms of
hotels, gas  siations, and
Chalky’s. Why should any teen
with the good sense to use a
condom have to sneak around
to buy one? We’re not talking
illegal cocaine; this is a legiti-
nate doctor-recommended
safely device.

An informal survey done by
this newspaper and the
Women’s Resource Centre

- found that for those under 19,

the only washroom oullct was
al Mount Layton Hot Springs,
A 22 kin errand. And how is a
13-year-old to get there,
anonymously?

If — after more arguing —
condom dispensers aren’t al-
lowed in high — school
washrooms, fast food
restaurants should instal] vend-

SEE HIM PWE
FROM THE DOCK.

ing machines for the health of
their teenage customers, In-

stead of stocking half an aisle
as drugstores do of various
brands in mulliple choice of
anatomical sizes, lubricated,
ribbed, or thin, vending ma-
chines need offer only three
sizes by ego - Casanova,
Macho Man, and Super Stud.
Teen pregnancy rates parallel
school drop-out rates, accord-
ing to Dr, David Bowering, of
the fonmer Skeena Heath Unit.
More educational resources
would boost teens’ educational
accomplishments, self-esteem,
and ability to make sound dect-

sions.

Confident, educated teens are
less inclined to seek love and
approval through sex,

Those who argue condom
machines in high school
washrooms would act as
aphrodisiacs on the student
population should consider
this: Al] cars have seatbelts.
Seatbells don’t promote speed-
ing. But for those who do
speed, seatbelts save lives.

SEE HIM FREEZE
HIS LITTLE BOTT OFF