Editor:
Dear Anti-HSTers,
Well done.
Just as we are trying to climb out of a recession, you have sent the government into panic mode, pretty much making the next year a wash as far as anything getting done.
You’re blindly following a man who wants to make MLA recalls a game.
“Survivor;” are you kidding me?
No tax increase is perfect, but consumption taxes are the way to go.
Don’t tax a man when he’s making money, tax him when he spends it, then we’ll raise more from the rich, they buy more.
But no, you still want it all but don’t want to pay any more for it.
B.C. will spend 1.4 billion dollars more than it has this year, driving up a debt our children will be burdened with forever.
We simply don’t have enough money to pay for everything we have become accustomed to and it’s only going to get worse.
The grey tsunami (a.k.a baby boomers) and the obese youth we can’t seem to peel away from the Xbox are going to swamp our medical system in the very near future.
You think 18 months is a long time to wait for a new knee, just wait!
Our infrastructure, judicial and educational systems are all crumbling and need more money but you are unwilling to pay seven per cent more on your cable bills, and those of you that are willing, are complaining about how the tax was introduced to you.
Unbelievable.
You 600,000 whiners need to do as my wife and I did last year, spend the winter in Central Africa.
You need to see, feel, smell and taste the human tragedy that is the bulk of mankind, that are living in countries that find it impossible to collect taxes and allocate those funds to these systems.
Maybe then, when you come home to the best place on earth, stuffing yourself in your favourite restaurant, you’ll pull out that extra $6 on your $80 bill and pay it with a smile knowing you won the lottery of life by just living here.
Mike Clancy,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-November 10, 2010

BUS SERVICE NEEDS IMPROVEMENTS

Editor:
As a frequent user of the South Okanagan Transit bus service, I have nothing but praise for the courtesy of the drivers and dispatch office personnel.
The fact that someone like myself can arrange for home pickup is a relief.
But there are flaws in the system and they are as follows:
In my view the service needs at least one more coach, perhaps even two to be added to its fleet so that it could provide a Friday and Saturday service to Penticton at least.  I am sure that if at least one more coach was available for Friday service there would be a marked improvement in the ridership.  Perhaps a poll should be taken.
If memory serves me right, roughly a year ago, South Okanagan Transit asked the B.C. Transit System for additional coaches and they were turned down.  Why?
Many of us who require medical appointments and live in Oliver and Osoyoos have to travel to Summerland, Penticton or Kelowna.  It is hard for those medical service providers to understand why we cannot come there without having to give our bus service a day’s notice in advance.  It’s simply ridiculous.
Many of the folks who use this service do not do so for medical appointments only.  They may have personal business, be visiting friends in seniors homes, etc.
For those who do not have home pickup in Oliver, they have to go to the SOG Hospital to catch it.  The cost of a taxi to and from there to your residence, if a cab is available, is more than the bus fare and more than most folks can afford.
Greyhound is a fine bus service, but does not run at times suited to situations I have mentioned.
Greyhound does not have a same-day return service that is practical to the local situation if a person living in Oliver wished to go to Osoyoos for whatever reason.
They must be prepared to do all their business within an hour and that is only because of the shortage of one coach.
In Oliver there are many folks who use this service regularly and the Town of Oliver I understand does not contribute in any way financially to this service although its citizens depend on it.
Why?
Chamber of Commerce, town councils and politicians are always expounding the advantages of living in the south Okanagan, but don’t seem to give a damn about a simple bus service for those who need it.
We who need it are folks who were once young and now can no longer see to drive, having trouble hearing and walking….surely somebody understands the need?
What will happen when the new Southwinds Shopping Complex south of Oliver opens next year?
Ray Hull,
Oliver

OSOYOOS TIMES-November 10, 2010

CAMPBELL SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THE PEOPLE

Editor:
The B.C. premier’s single-digit approval rating clearly demonstrated that the perception of most British Columbians was that Gordon Campbell’s time was up.
From the HST and the “maximum deficit” deception to the shameful BC Rail corruption trial, Campbell has lost the public trust.
The irony, of course, is that this “anti-tax” premier was defeated in a large part due to the HST – a tax that he assured voters before the last election was not in the works.
Had Campbell simply listened to the people and offered voters a referendum on the HST, even a few months after the election, he could have avoided the entire initiative and recall axe hanging over the Liberal Party. His reckless statement back in April that he didn’t care how many signatures were on the petition, the HST was coming, probably sealed his fate.
Now that Campbell has stepped down, does this mean the planned recall of Liberal MLAs is over?
No, certainly not.
All those MLAs who have stood by Premier Campbell on the hated HST had better be prepared to face the electorate when recalls begin.
Historically, taxation without representation was a defining moment for our neighbours to the south and British Columbians are now making history in this country.
Other provinces are watching what people power can achieve.
It’s doubtful the premier would have handled the HST the way he did had he believed British Columbians would organize and hold him accountable via the Initiative and Recall Act.
After all, when Campbell was elected to the Legislature back in 1994, he criticized the NDP’s initiative bill as unworkable, calling it “an absolute sham” and a bill that only “pretends to open the door to accountability and accessibility.”
For all that bluster, the Liberals – after nearly a decade in power – did not bring about any significant changes to make the legislation easier for citizens to manage.
It’s actually shameful that it is up to British Columbians, not our elected officials, to protect our democracy.
By demanding changes to the Initiative and Recall Act, we will be taking a giant step toward demanding that politicians deal with us honestly and with respect. For as much as the HST fight has been about speaking out against a tax, it has also been about keeping politicians accountable to the electorate.
Paul McCavour and Julie Turner,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-November 10, 2010