FREE - donal lons occepled .

N E W S L E T T E R FEBRUARY 1 5 , 1994.

401 Main St.. Vancouver V6A 2T7 (604)665-2289 -

Port Development

February 14 i s Valent ine ' s Day; i t ' s the day f o r a memorial march t o keep t h e s p i r i t a l i v e f o r chang- ing treatment of women i n t he Down- town Eas ts ide - over 35 women have been murdered i n our neighbourhood i n the pas t few years .

February 14 i s t h e day f o r C i t y Counci l ' s meeting t o cons ider t h e Pol icy Statement on development of t h e Port lands between Canada Place e a s t t o t h e no r th end o f Main S t . - inc luding Crab Park.

February 14 i s a l s o t h e day o f t h e Park Board meeting t o cons ider t h e Port development ... ... and how t h e h e l l d id t h a t happen where both t h e Park Board and C i ty Council meet a t t h e same time t o go over t h e same i s s u e and how can t h e community respond without being s p l i t up from t h e s t a r t ?

That ' s one minor i s s u e of process , but a major i s s u e i s what appeared on t h e f r o n t pane of t h e Saturday

Sun - a Los Vegas-style cas ino i s p a r t o f every developer ' s proposal - i s i n f a c t t h e cent re -p iece of massive p l ans t o b u i l d a h o t e l and convention c e n t r e around s a i d cas ino with c r u i s e s h i p s and tourism a l l s e t t o go with a fas t -paced s t r i p ? ?

Reports, minutes of every p u b l i c meeting, n e g o t i a t i o n s with both t h e Por t o f Vancouver Corporation and t h e C i t y of Vancouver t o g e t a r e a l Downtown Eas t s ide community process i n p l ace - a t none of t h e s e was even t h e i d e a of a ca s ino mentioned. Not once! According t o t h e Sun s t o r y it I

was being considered and d iscussed I a s far back a s September.

A t t h i s p o i n t it seems t h a t a l l I

t h e n e g o t i a t i o n s and wi l l i ngness t o ! meet halfway have been so much crud.

Given p a s t performance, t h e C i ty and t h e Port w i l l adopt and begin I

1 work on t h e Pol icy Statement. What s t a r t s then i s our determinat ion t o be an i n t e g r a l p a r t o f making - any p lan / idea r e f l e c t awareness of ou r needs. By PAULR TAYLOR

those who a r e c a l l e d "shy" o r "back- ward" - t hose who a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y

q u i e t , who l i k e t o be a lone , who si t on t h e s i d e l i n e s 6 observe but do not p a r t i c i p a t e ; those ch i ld ren who tend t o t u r n inwards, developing an %nreal" f a n t a s y world, a r e con- s ide red by psychologis t s t o be I'tempermentally f e a r f u l " o r " inh ib i - t e d . "

The expe r t s of manipulat ive medi-

t h e s i d e o f a c t i v e , outgoing, comp- e t i t i v e , happy, co-opera t ive person- a l i t y ~ ; those of u s who s t a r t l i f e t h i s way w i l l be considered hea l thy o r "well-adjustedt ' w i l l be encour- aged t o remain t h i s way ... but sad, brooding p e r s o n a l i t i e s , such a s those who grow up i n t o Edgar Allan Poes , Vincent Van Goghs o r . Buckmins- t e r F u l l e r s , w i l l no t be t o l e r a t e d .

S o c i e t y ' s new drugs w i l l be admin- i s t e r e d t o such people. Its newly- developed g e n e t i c engineer ing tech- n iques w i l l be t e s t e d on them. Care- g i v e r s w i l l be concerned f o r t h e well-being of those who a r e no t i n s - t a n t j o i n e r s . They w i l l be diagnosed a s having an unheal thy r e l a t i o n s h i p t o s o c i e t y , E pa ren t s w i l l work har -

# WF Er-h money t o pa ve s o c i e t y ' s stigma a t a

1 doctors who say they can save : t h e "wimps", t h e "nerds", ' sons E daughters from growing up t h e ftwallflowers", t h e q u i e t , su sp i - i n t o monsters. c ious , shy & vaguely h o s t i l e minori ty

This s o r t o f f u t u r e s i t u a t i o n is o f c h i l d r e n who go t h e i r own way... being designed today i n t h e name of t h e runaways, t h e " rad ica ls" - those

-- I Itmental h e a l t h , I f b u t what do we who f a i l t o honour t h e i r pa ren t s - r e a l l y know about t h e shy, i n t rove r - who, i n f a c t , become thorns i n t h e . ,

] t e d , unco-operat ive p e r s o n a l i t y ? '4 s i d e of law-abiding c i t i z e n s , who ... i s it a source of problems, o r i s it simply t h e withdrawn observing mistakes E t h e u g l i n e s s of t h e "per- 1 , ~

s i d e of our naturem provid ing a net- e s s a r y check G balance t o s o c i e t y ' s "pos i t i ve t h i n k e r s t f ?

"Pos i t ive th inking" 6 aggress ive , ceded by g e n e t i c manipulat ion, G

! outgoing p e r s o n a l i t y s have been a then , it seems t h a t "road t o h e l l v source of many world problems. They have given us most o f ou r modern

1"conveniences" - t h e i n t e r n a l comb- ( u s t i o n engine, t h e assembly l i n e , 'modern pharmacology, chemical engin-) i pimpled f a c e of "progress". ee r ing , s u p e r s t o r e s E t e l e v i s i o n

1 commercials a r e only a few of t h e high-powered inven t ions o f t h e out -

'going mind. The accumulated E f f e c t of such a c t i v i t y impacts on t h e per -

$ sonal e x i s t e n c e of every i n d i v i d u a l , I & i t ' s c l e a r t h a t such t h i n g s have J n o t always been "healthy" - i n f a c t , Dear Ann Landers, un to ld misery E confusion have come upon us i n t h e wake of such wonder- f o r t h e Munic ipa l i ty and t h e o t h e r f u l i nven t ions . one has been sentenced t o dea th i n

P s y c h i a t r i s t s , psychologis t s 6 . t h e e l e c t r i c c h a i r . My mother d i ed p ro fe s s iona l "care-g ivers f f would be from i n s a n i t y when I was only t h r e e

advised to remember t h e o l d s a y y e 1 . ~y two sisters a r e both i n g : "The road t o h e l l i s paved with. and my father sells z good i n t e n t i o n s . n a r c o t i c s . I

But they t h i n k they have i d e n t i f - I Recently I met t h i s g i r l who was

i e d t h e enemy ... E t o t h e i r way of j u s t r e l ea sed from a reformatory i t h ink ing , motivated a s it is by soc- where she served t ime f o r smothering i a l a c c e p t a b i l i t y & investment capi - h e r i l l e g i t i m a t e c h i l d t o death. t a l , t o say noth ing of t h e luxury I love t h i s g i r l and want t o marry c a r G t h e c r e d i t card vaca t ion t o h e r . MY problem i s ... should I t e l l e x o t i c t o u r i s t r e s o r t s ... t h e enemy h e r about my b ro the r who works f o r i s no t "us" , a s Pogo has s o c l e a r l y t h e Municipal i ty? Sign me pu t it, b u t "them". . . t h a t is , those Disturbed.

Carnegie Centre Theatre Wed. 23 Feb.

7:00 p.m.

FREE - Sponsored by t h e Carnegie Reading Room

Come and hea r t h i s f i n e w r i t e r read from h e r c o l l e c t i o n o f s h o r t s t o r i e s : RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL LET DOWN YOUR YELLOW HAIR. J a n c i s i s wel l known a t Carnegie Centre and i n t h e

e e r work and h e r concern with women's i s s u e s .

Born i n England, J a n c i s ran away om a v i o l e n t home a t t h e age of 14 e joined t h e Women's Royal Navy

Serv ice when she was 18 and served a s a r a d i o ope ra to r i n Malta. In 1966 she emigrated t o Canada with h e r husband and daughter , She ob- t a i n e d a degree from UBC i n 1991 a t t h e age of 53. J a n c i s has publ i shed numerous s t o r i e s and poems i n maga- z ines and won seve ra l awards.

Donlt miss t h i s s p e c i a l program funded by B.C . Wri te rs i n L ib ra r i e s . For f u r t h e r information contac t E l - eanor i n t h e Reading Room o r c a l l 665-3015.

SKYTRAIN USERS

Important news f o r those Skyt ra in use r s i n a hur ry i f you want t o g e t ahead o f t h e rush . Watch f o r t hose dark s p o t s which i n d i c a t e t h e s t o p s f o r t h e c a r s . The arrow and/or do t shaped dark purp le s p o t s a r e on t h e platforms bes ide t h e t r a c k s . They i n d i c a t e where t h e doors w i l l open.

The red E green marks r evea l where t h e l a s t and f i r s t c a r s w i l l s t op .

I f you a r e l i k e me and t r y t o av- o i d a crush of passengers , t h a t i s t h e way t o go.

Dora Sanders

Carnegie ' s Unique System

Severa l Carnegie s t a f f , t u t o r s and l e a r n e r s he ld a meeting i n Classroom # 2 i n t h e Learning Centre , They d i s - cussed t h e Hir ing Committee t h a t i s being pu t t o g e t h e r t o choose Lex's replacement. (Lex's p o s i t i o n i s much l i k e t h a t of a s choo l ' s p r i n c i p a l . )

Each group d ispersed t o d i f f e r e n t a r e a s i n t h e Learning Centre t o s e l - e c t 2 r eps of t h e i r pee r s and then a l l r e tu rned t o classroom 2 and t h e chosen r eps made speeches.

The speeches were s t rong , with each r e p g iv ing a good explana t ion o f where they s tood i n t h i e r b e l i e f s , what they want t o s e e i n Lex's rep-

lacement and how good a r e p t h e y ' l l be on t h e h i r i n g committee.

Three school board members, p lus one s t a f f , one t u t o r and i l e a n e r w i l l be on t h e h i r i n g committee.

Thursday E Friday, Feb. 10 E 11, were chosen a s vot ing days i n which -

t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s were voted on. A b a l l o t box was placed on a t a b l e i n t j e open a r e a between classrooms and many new ESL l e a r n e r s were given a chance t o vote .

I t w i l l be some t ime before we know who among t h e 10 s h o r t l i s t e d f o r t h e in te rv iewing process w i l l be chosen.

Dora Sanders

Budget Bull "Open process ' ' and "bui lding consen-

sus" a r e t h e buzzwords of t h e new Libera l government i n Ottawa. They j u s t f i n i s h e d having f o u r pre-budget conferences - t h e l a s t one i n Calgary f o r Canada west of Ontar io - and it matched t h e format of t he o t h e r s . You could a t t e n d i f i n v i t e d , and pay a l l expenses l i k e t r a v e l , h o t e l , meals ...

The huge ma jo r i t y of t h e 100 people a t each one-day event were those a l - ready f a m i l i a r with t h e t echn ica l s i d e of budget t ing - bus iness r ep re s - e n t i v e s , economists, academics - and were hard ly "average" Canadians. They were d e f i n i t e l y not r e p r e s e n t i t i v e of t he 1 2 pe r cent o f t h e popula t ion who a r e unemployed, o r t h e m i l l i o n s of women and c h i l d r e n who have been pushed i n t o poverty by t i g h t money p o l i c i e s and hard t imes.

One se s s ion I caught had a p ro fe s s - o r of economics reading a paper he ' d w r i t t e n , followed by t h e head o f Mac- Blo, followed by a woman who was t h e v ice-pres ident of a bank, followed by a nurse t a l k i n g about t h e need f o r sound medicare and working hospi- t a l s . The p ro fe s so r t o l d how he had discovered, wi th t h e wisdom born of years i n a u n i v e r s i t y , t h a t t h e r e i s not enough money t o pay f o r both eco- nomic growth and s o c i a l programs; t h e guy from MacBlo s a i d " I t ' s t ime t o b i t e t h e b u l l e t and go i n t h e same d i r e c t i o n a s t h e r e s t o f t h e world.. . l e t ' s q u i t t a l k i n g and j u s t do i t ;" t h e banker spoke of . loans t o govern- ments i n t he Third World being a warning f o r u s - we j u s t c a n ' t a f f o r d "cos t ly s o c i a l programstt.

Even t h e o rde r of speakers was i n - t e r e s t i n g - sandwich one voice f o r maintaining G s t rengthening ou r s o c i - a l s a f e t y n e t i n with 3 o r 4 who t a l k about ' a f f o r d a b i l i t y ' while earn ing over $100,000 a year .

Jean Swanson, founder of End Legis- l a t e d Poverty and ab le t o ge t through t h e smoke In mi r ro r s of 'double e n t r y - scams' l i k e t h i s , got an i n v i t a t i o n t o t h e conference i n Calgary a s a r e p f o r B . C . Heal th Care Advocates. She responded t h a t , s i n c e she i s low income and unable t o pay f o r t h e t r i p t h a t t h e gov ' t should pay. They r e - fused. No t r i p . . n o voice . .one l e s s t o l i f t a co rne r of t h e c u r t a i n ... what e l s e do you c a l l i t when "input" from "Canadians" becomes a one-day t e l e - v i sed forum organised by b i g bus iness and s tacked t o choking with execut ive hacks t o be convincing with Newspeak on t h e causes G cures of t h e d e f i c i t .

I ' d almost convinced myself t h a t t h e p ro fe s so r would have some in t eg - r i t y and s t a t e t h a t t h e lack o f money i s because over 100,000 co rpora t ions pay 0 income t a x , o r t h a t t a x breaks and loopholes have permi t ted l o o t i n g of t h e resources and t r e a s u r v of Can-

ada - b i l l i o n s of d o l l a r s a year - t o go on with a smile by t h e wealthy o r j u s t t o s ay t h a t t h e crunch i s due t o not c o l l e c t i n g l e g i t i m a t e t a x money from t h e 1% of t h e populat ion who own .68% of t h e weal th.

I could imagine he s a i d it during t h e commercial, bu t t h e r e weren ' t any commercials ...

By PAULR TAYLOR

P . S . : The budget s t a r t e d months bef - o r e t h e s e "conferences" and i s

on i t s way t o t h e p r i n t e r while we're " input t ing" . Making unemployment t he main t o p i c o r t a l k i n g about p l aces t o get revenue (unpaid t axes . . . ) were outs ide t h e s t a t e d ? ' f i nanc ia l s i t u a - t ion", meaning the d e f i c i t / n a t i o n a l debt t h a t t h e L ibe ra l s and b i g bus i - ness have hyped out o f a l l p ropor t ion t o r a t i o n a l a c t i o n .

What i t comes down t o i s t h a t t h e r e w i l l be l e s s money f o r wel fare , un- employment insurance , educat ion, med- i c a l and h e a l t h c a r e , d i s a b i l i t y and s e n i o r s ' pensions - t he se a r e s o c i a l programs. . these make up our s o c i a l s a f e t y n e t .

The government i s manufacturing consensus and w i l l r i gh t eous ly s t a t e t h a t t h e i r c u t 6 s l a s h budget w i l l be mandated by "Canadians". Crud.

7 . STRUCTURE

And misty i n t h e bay. When t h e t r e e s a r e s t r i p p e d and Like t h e b a r r e l o f a gun. I th ink of Linda l i v i n g , Out by highway 401.

I t was a l a s t i n g win te r ,

e r t a i n kind of way; h d when t h e wa te r ' s r u

AS cold a s s p l i n t e r e d g l a s s .

There was i c e up0n the There was snow upon t h e g ra s s . She l i ved beneath an o A colour of t h e sun. A lone ly spo t of sunshine, Out by highway 401.

Now it d i d n ' t r e a l l y mat te r , Amidst t h e t r a f f i c ' s r o a r ; That she was pushing f i f t y , Maybe sixty,maybe more. Beside t h e sound of t Beside each r o l l i n g ton ; Linda l i v e d h e r q u i e t l i f e , Out by highway 401.

I remember when I met h e r , And when t h e sky began t o show, She was grac ious a s Wrapped warm i n s i d e And s ipp ing steaming t e a . I ' m s o r r y , I must run." Now what I ' v e s a i d I ' v e s a i d b e f o r e , , I f e l t a touch of sadness, When a l l i s s a i d and done. Out by highway 401. She was t h e p e r f e c t lady, Out by highway 401. Someday I know t h a t I must d i e ,

Like every mortal t h i n g . Perhaps I ' l l walk i n Paradise , And h e a r an angel s ing . But t h i s I know f o r c e r t a i n , When e t e r n i t y ' s begun. I ' l l always t h i n k o f Linda, Out by highway 401.

Michael James McLellan

Death And The Olympic Games In 1971 I was i n Cuernavaca, Mexi-

co, a t t e n d i n g a seminar on a l t e r n a t - i v e s t o school . In Cuernavaca flow- e r s grow i n January, and shards of broken g l a s s imbedded i n t h e s tone wa l l s surrounding t h e houses of t h e r i c h g l i s t e n i n t h e sun.

One o f t h e first t h i n g s I learned from o t h e r s t u d e n t s was t h a t i n 1968 - t h e year of t h e Olympic Games i n Mexico C i ty - about 400 Mexican peo- p l e were murdered by t h e p o l i c e dur- ing a huge demonstrat ion aga ins t i n - j u s t i c e .

A t f i r s t I r e fused t o be l i eve t h e s t o r y because it seemed impossible

- t h a t murder on t h a t s c a l e j u s t be- f o r e t h e Olympic Games could be

seemed un jus t t o them t h a t a t a t ime of growing poverty and high unemploy ment, t h e Mexican government was spending m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s on t h e Olympic Games.

By l a t e August, 1968, hundreds of thousands of people were marching i n t h e s t r e e t s . The p o l i c e murdered about 30 more, threw thousands i n j a i l , and s a i d noth ing about t h e many people who had disappeared. The gov- ernment d i d n ' t want t h e people p r o t - e s t i n g i n f r o n t of t he cameras of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l media t h a t had come t o cover t h e Olympic Games.

On October 2nd, one week before t h e opening of t h e Olympic Games, a huge crowd gathered i n t h e p l aza de

hushed up. Gradually, however, t h e events of t h e t ime were v e r i f i e d and although t h e Mexican government w i l l deny t h e s t o r y , many books now ment- ion i t . For example, s e e tlThe Death of Ramon Gonzaleztt by Angus Wright, page 224-225.

The year 1968 was a t ime of u n r e s t i n t h e United S t a t e s , France, and o t h e r European coun t r i e s as we l l a s Mexico. On J u l y 26th, while crowds were c e l e b r a t i n g Cuba's r evo lu t ion and p r o t e s t i n g p o l i c e b r u t a l i t y i n Mexico C i ty , 4 s t u d e n t s were k i l l e d and hundreds were wounded.

Peasant and labout groups became involved i n t h e p r o t e s t s because it

l a s Tres Cul turas i n Mexico C i ty . This h i s t o r i c a l p l aza was t h e s i t e of t h e f i n a l de fea t of t h e Aztec people, and u n t i l t h e 1985 e a r t h - quake it contained t h e remains of a pre-Columbian pyramid, a Spanish c o l o n i a l church, and a modern For- e ign Minis t ry bu i ld ing . The p o l i c e opened f i r e , k i l l i n g between t h r e e t o f i v e hundred people and wounding thousands of o t h e r s .

A blackout o f t h e news media f o l l - owed, and t h e world never learned t h a t t h e 1968 Olympics i n Mexico had been b u i l t on a foundat ion of blood.

By SANDY CAMERON

i s sue , i s a l u c i d explana t ion o f how ; a l o t of u s a r e on wel fare , b u t it '' doesn ' t give a macroeconomic reason.

1 1 I am 23 and a l o t of people my age " b e l i e v e t h a t it was t h e Trudeau and ; I , ~ u l r o n e y genera t ion t h a t ran t h e eco- jnomy t o t h e ground, e s p e c i a l l y during $ t h e decadent excesses of t h e 80 ' s .

\ Don't f o r g e t t h e greedy yuppies a r e t he exact same people who were once the so-ca l led s p i r i t u a l h ipp ie s .

Twenty years ago one could g e t a omic p o l i c i e s . Make i l l e g a l s u i t e s house i n Vancouver f o r $20-$30,000- Now even a p l ace i n East Van could very e a s i l y go f o r a h a l f - m i l l i o n .

The r e a l i s s u e i s t h e r a p i d dec l ine ("That which governs b e s t , governs l e a s t . I ' - Thoreau)

of purchasing power. m e S t a t e s , b e t - t e r off i n terms of purchasing power, doesn ' t have t h e formidable s o c i a l

do that than work at some reclusive, redundant, meaningless occupation

nvlwhere 1 am j u s t another expendable u n i t o f product ion.

Post-secondary t r a i n i n g - 11d love i t ! Yet it seems t h a t with t u i t i o n h ikes on t h e one hand and school bud- g e t c u t s on t h e o t h e r , with each sue-

r e a l l y but then aga - "Get a job where the he THE JOBS? ! ! Leon Trotsky propaganda :

l e a r n s how t o make

Look a t t hese beans; t h a t one i n t h e middle r e p r e s e n t s t h e Tzar. Make a r i n g of beans around t h e c e n t r a l one t o r ep re sen t h i s min s t e r s ; a r i n g around them i s t h e p r i e s t s and c a p i t a l i s t s ; around t h e ou t s ide a r e t h e workers and peasants . Now JUMBLE UP a l l t h e beans! ! ! Now t e l l me - which i s t h e Tzar?

ce calls for inner 11.

I Apprehended kids finding themselves sent to the suburbs

By SEAN MAGEE

The provincial government is working with a Downtown East Side community group to recruit foster parents in Vancouver's in- ner city.

"Currently, over 100 children are apprehended in our communi- ty every year," foster parent pro- ject co-ordinator Robin Posella said. "But there haven't been any foster parents in Strathcona and very few In the inner city that we can place them with.

"There's even fewer First Na- tions foster families, so these kids end u p being placed in Mission, Coquitlam, White Rock - a long way from home."

The social services ministry's

ICo-op appealing for donations I 1 The Ray-Cam Co-opera t ive Centre is looking for donations to its foster-parent lending library.

The library is operated by a so- cial services ministry-sponsored project designed to increase the number of foster families in the in- ner city.

organizers hope to collect good, usable cribs, beds, play-pens, car-

first priority in placing an appre- hended child is to find foster par- ents with the same cultural back- ground. -Proximity to the child's ia tural family is asecond priority.

Given the high rate of appre- . .

hended children in the inner city, *Thl?lj have to accept iy f i s t e r e d 15 particularly from children; the oth- na t ive families. OUT culture and . er has i u s f re-

ture shock and economic shock of moving to another community."

Posella a n d the co-operative centre's foster parent project have identified t w o inner-city foster parents in the past year. One fami-

Iv has successful-

t h e s h o r t a g e of lifestyle, E~~~ though ceived i t s F i r s t fos te r p a r e n t s placement. m e a n s c'hildren we may live in Another seven are o f en separat- families are going e d f r o m the i r poverty, it doesn't through the appli- families, schools ' cation process. a n d c o m m u n i - mean we're not good The main chal- ties. people with good lives. " @el Posella saysl

-Most children is to dispel the a r e p laced i n myth t h s foster t e m p o r a r y c a r e - Robin Pose"a parents are white, f o r b e t w e e n a m i d d l e - c l a s s month and a year before returning home-owners. to their natural parents. Single parents, common-law cou-

"So not only does the child lose ples, renters, tenants in subsidized t o u c h w i t h h i s o r h e r family," housing, people who work full- Posella said, "but there's the cul- time, and those on social assistance

seats, toys, children's books and videos, sports equipment, bikes and furniture.

Items will be loaned to foster families to enrich the lives of in- ner-ci ty ch i ld ren temporar i ly placed in their care.

Call 251-2141 for more informa- tion.

- Sean Magee are all valid foster parents;she said, if they exhibit the ability to care for and nurture children.

"The ministry has .finally begun to realize that if they want First Na- tions foster families and inner-city foster families, they have to accept our culture and lifestyle," Posella said.

"Even though w e may live in poverty, it doesn't mean we're not good people with good lives."

A particular problem has been the recruitment of native foster families. Thir ty- th~e per cent of children tak- en by the ministry are native, but an equivalent number of native foster homes does not exist, particularly in the inner city.

Of the seven Downtown East Side families currently applying for fos- ter care status, only two are native.

"It's important-to remember the Canadian ovemment took children. away froanat ive families and put, them all in residential schools," Posella said.

"That's a whole generation of nd- tive parents who lost their p a ~ n t i n g skills and a whole generation es- posed to a childhood of abuse and degradation. \

"There has to be some sort of sup- port to heal the ravages these schools have left on the native community."

Who would be l i eve t h a t h e a l t h ca re Ceeds has a su rp lus o f organic g ive r s would invent t h e p o l i t i c s d vege tab le s . For a t ime we were

:smoking E t h a t governments would no t s u r e what t o dowith i t . Then ( 4 someone suggested t h a t we supply food f o r t h e Carnegie Volunteers ah, Christmas banquet. An e x c e l l e n t t h a t f i t s r i g h t i n wi th our p h i l o s o - \ '

y, ou r p o l i t i c s . The d inne r was a 4 l e b r a t i o n , a l ea rn ing experience r a l l of us . For i n s t ance when s announced t h a t t h e food was g a n i c a l l y produced t h e r e was a e a t b u r s t of enthusiasm. When we a r t e d organic farming 23 years

t our l i f e t i m e i n t a k e of such organic farming was t r e a t e d a s a I aluminum s i l i c a t e were known, . . .no t so today. People a r e becoming fj, sure t h e accumulated more aware of t h e food they e a t and R l l ~ 1 bra in func t ions would be horrendous. / those who can a f f o r d it a r e switchingl l /

I Early s e n i l i t y G Alzheimer's d i sease t o organ i c , F I P ~ I ~ I ~ ~ m""w!rnrvW IpPWlllrl ~ I ~ ~ ~ P ~ I ~ ~ mp - \ i s no more fun than cancer . But, o f \ l"lb The o t h e r day on CBC Radio we h e a r d l

' I 1 course, cancer 8 h e a r t f a i l u r e a r e r ' 1 1 a r e p o r t t h a t more women on low i n - $ ' /

' much b igger bogeymen than t h e h o s t come were sub jec t t o b r e a s t cancer . I

! ' vaguely def ined E u s u a l l y unt raceab The reason given was t h e i r lack of 1 1 1 e f f e c t s of an u n s o l i c i t e d chemother

1 lpy dumped on us every day i n t h e /\name of progress . I M & I " L I ~ ~ ' ~ $ ~ \

We a r e v i c t ims i n so many ways t h i t he b r i e f i l l u s o r y comfort o f a c i g a r e t t e i n a h o s t i l e environment i s 1' almost a godsend. Nicot ine , way, was once be l i eved t o be

I 'medication i n t h e t rea tment I\ zophreniaf , even though t h e , l e r s o f yes te rday d i d n ' t know i ' s ch izophrenia was, any more than

those of today do. &\AS f a r a s tobacco t

)decreases i s concerned it wo well f o r government agents t e r one t h i n g : No one can l e g

{ t h e personal h e a l t h h a b i t s o i v idua l . In t h e long run, an t o do so i s doomed t o e x t i n c

1 --m-

I r

4HV $b

DOWNTOWN STD Cl in ic - Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm. EASTSIDE FREE MEDICAL CLINIC - Mon, Wed, Friday, 5:30-7 :30 pm. YOUTH NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 221 Main; every day. 9am - 5pm.

ACTIVITIES Needle Exchange Van - on the s t r e e t evenings, Mon-Sat. SOCIETY N.A. meets every Monday night a t 223 Main S t r e e t .

Out-To-Lunch Bunch meets d a i l y a t 59 Powell, loam - 2:30pin.

1993 DONATIONS Eleanor K. -$25 Wayne H. -$4.50 S t u a r t M.-$50 Adbusters -$SO Colleen E.-$20 Ke t t l e F.S.-$16 Joy T.-$20 William F . -$SO Etienne S.-$50 Legal Aid -$SO Adult Ed. -$I6 Lisa E.-$10 Marianne C. -$25 Roberts ALC -$30 Matt -$20 Paula R.-$20 CEEDS -$SO

TAI' NEWSLTTTI'R I S A PUBLICATION O r TIII' Keith C.-$20 Steve T.-$15 E m i l E.-$20 CAKNCGII' CO~QIINITY CTNTRF. ASSOCIATION.

Abby K.-$20 E r i c E. -$I6 Mike H.-$100 A r t i c l e - r e p r e ~ e n t t h e v i e w ? of ind l v i d u n l

Anonymous -$75 c o n t r i b u t o r s and n o t of the A s s o c i a t i o n .

Help i n t h e Downtown Eas t s ide (funding) Socia l Se rv i ces $1000 Submission

! Vancouver Heal th Dept. -$ I1 I Deadline Employment 4 Immigration -$800 r P . L . U . R . A . -$loo0 NEXT ISSUE

NEED HELP ? The Downtown Eastside Residents' Association

can help you with:

+ any welfare problem + information on legal rights + dis~utes with landlords + unsafe living conditions * income tax + UIC problem + finding housing * opening a bank account

Come into the DERA office at 9 East Hastings St. or phone us at 682-0931.

DERA HAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 20 YEARS.

Tenants Rights Tenants i n BC have been c a l l i n g f o r

t h e r e t u r n of r e n t con t ro l s i n c e 1984 when the o ld system was abol i shed a s a p o l i t i c a l favour t o t h e p rov ince ' s corporate landlords and developers .

The "de-regulation" of t h e housing market has been pa id f o r by t e n a n t s i n r e n t increases ; i n t h e l a s t f i v e years r e n t s i n many of BC' s urban cen t r e s have r i s e n by more than 50%.

Rent increases can a l s o be used by landlords t o r e t a l i a t e aga ins t t en - a n t s who s tand up f o r t h e i r r i g h t s .

On Dec. 14 Joan Smallwood, Min i s t e r of Housing, announced a "Rent Protec- t ion" system t h a t would go t o t h e l e g i s l a t u r e i n i t s Spring se s s ion .

Tenants ' Rights Action Coa l i t i on (TRAC) was quick t o respond t o t h e m i n i s t e r ' s p lan t o consu l t with t h e people a f f ec t ed . A system i s a s good a s t h e r u l e s and procedures i n it;

it can be good o r it can be a s use- f u l a s a burnt match.

TRAC d i s t r i b u t e d a d i scuss ion paper t o a s many tenant groups and advocacy agencies a s poss ib l e . The i n t r o says :

"Rent p r o t e c t i o n i s a ma t t e r of s o c i a l po l i cy , no t simply p r o t e c t i n g t h e r i g h t s of i nd iv idua l t e n a n t s . A f - fo rdable r e n t a l housing i s an import- an t s o c i a l resource . I t i s being ero- ded through re-development, land specu la t ion and inc reas ing r e n t s .

TRAC p o i n t s out t h a t any system to. d a t e i n Canada has g iven l and lo rds a generous 'way ou t ' through loopholes and making t h e l e g a l means d i f f i c u l t f o r t h e average t e n a n t t o access o r even understand.

Input and a co-operat ive response from TRAC member groups and advocacy agencies i s c r u c i a l . A summary of recommendations fo l lows:

Recommendations: F a i r i s f a i r .

1) INITIATION: The landlord should d i s c l o s e reasons f o r

a proposed inc rease a t t h e o u t s e t , us ing a p re sc r ibed r e n t i nc rease form. In case o f disagreement, t h e landlord should f i l e f o r Tenancy Branch i n t e r - vent ion , not t h e t enan t . 2 ) USER FEES: Any u s e r f e e f o r t h i s

system should be pa id by t h e landlord. 3) PENALTIES: Landlords who provide

f a l s e o r misleading in- formation e i t h e r t o t e n a n t s o r t o t h e Tenancy Branch should be penal ized; p e n a l t i e s should be a v a i l a b l e through arb i t r a t ion. 4) BARRIERS TO THE SYSTEM: There can

no t be a "vacancy r a t e th reshold" invoking t h e system only when v a c a n c y r a t e s a r e low.

5) DISCLOSURE: Landlords should be r equ i r ed t o d i s c l o s e

reasons f o r proposed r e n t i nc reases when they g ive n o t i c e t o t e n a n t s 6) JUSTIFICATION: Any c r i t e r i a used

t o j u s t i f y an inc- r e a s e should presume t h a t t h e t enan t a l r e a d y pays f o r genera l r e p a i r s and maintenance with r e n t , a s w i l l a s f o r p e r i o d i c c a p i t a l expendi tures a s t h e b u i l d i n g ages. Furthermore, any c r i t - e r i a e s t a b l i s h e d t o determine t h e j u s t i f i a b i l i t y of a r e n t i nc rease must be s t r a igh t fo rward and f a i r . Complex c r i t e r i a w i l l on ly b e n e f i t l a r g e corp- o r a t e l and lo rds a t t h e expense of t en - a n t s . 6a) Operating c o s t s - Tenants should --------- ------

pay r e n t increa- s e s t o cover i n f l a t i o n - i n ope ra t ing

c o s t s only a s r e f l e c t e d i n a govern- ment-establ ished index, not by l a n d l o r d s 6b) Major r epa i r s / r enova t ions - Rent .........................

i n r ceases based on c a p i t a l expendi tures should be allowed only where they c r e a t e an added b e n e f i t f o r t e n a n t s , and should g ive t h e landlord a f a i r r e t u r n on t h e investment - no more.

ISN'T IT TIME Repairs and neg lec t - No r e n t inc- ---- ---- -----------

r e a s e should allowed f o r any reason where it i s wn t h a t t h e landlord i s systematic- y neg lec t ing t h e proper ty . Recent i nc reases f o r t h a t u n i t - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

my r e n t i nc reases between t e n a n t s should be sub jec t t o t h e same c r i t e r i a as any o t h e r r e n t i nc rease . Also t h e h is tory of r e n t i nc reases f o r t h a t u n i t and bui ld ing should be a mat te r of pub l i c record . 6e) Consistency wi th in bui ld ing - A l l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

of t h e u n i t s i n a bu i ld ing should have t h e i r ren t i nc reases s e t f o r a common d a t e . Tenants who wish t o have t h e i r r e n t in creases reviewed a t a j o i n t hearing should be allowed t o do t h i s with o r without landlord consent (nowneeded). 6f) Rents f o r s i m i l a r u n i t s i n a r e a ~entS-Sh5Gid-n5t-6E-inFiiEiCEa~6~-Oth- e r bu i ld ings i n t h e neighbourhood.

6g) Refinancing - Increased c o s t s r e - ----- ------ l a t e d t o land specu-

l a t i o n should never be passed on t o t enan t s . 6h) Phase i n l a r g e inc reases - Maximum ........................

i n any year w i l l no t pu t any t enan t s a t r i s k of l o s i n g t h e i r homes, so s u b s t a n t i a l i nc reases should be phased in . 7) EXEMPTIONS: A l l t e n a n t s covered by

t h e Res iden t i a l Tenancy Act ( t h a t i nc ludes those of u s who a r e l i v i n g i n h o t e l s and rooming houses) should be covered by t h e r e n t p r o t e c t - ion system, except f o r those i n dwell- ings where r e n t is t i e d t o income.

These a r e bas i c . They w i l l a l s o make l o t s of l and lo rds scream f o u l . Tenants a r e not s a i n t s and l and lo rds a r e not d e v i l s , y e t more than 140,000 t enan t households ac ros s t h e province pay more r e n t than they can a f fo rd . In t h e Downtown Eas t s ide most of u s pay 50- 70 percent of our income on substand. a rd housing, while people not on GAIN have t o pay according t o t h e s h e l t e r p o r t ions of GAIN r a t e s .

This i s our f i r s t chance i n 10 years t o c r e a t e a system t h a t could be f a i r and j u s t .

(*Material provided by TRAC s t a f f . )

While r e n t a l supplement s e n i o r s and t h e handicapped l i v e comfortably i n t h e i r supplemented apartments, they a r e a l s o a t r i s k of domination by t h e i r apartment managers and o t h e r longterm t e n a n t s . Many f a i r l y new low income t e n a n t s a r e forced out of t h e a f fo rdab le apartments by p re s su res from wi th in , e i t h e r by o t h e r t e n a n t s who know t h e wisdom of t h e system of "Don't complain o r y o u ' l l be consid- e red mental" o r by subs id i zed low r e n t a l apartment managers. Several of t h e s e t e n a n t s move ou t when faced with t h i s .

Some managers may f e e l t hey have t h e r i g h t t o c o n t r o l t h e i r supplemen- t e d e l d e r l y and handicapped t e n a n t s a t w i l l . This l eads t o t h e t e r r o r i s m of those apartment r e s i d e n t s who cannot be l i eve they have cbme t b a s t a g e i n t h e i r l i v e s where t hey a r e going t o be t r e a t e d a s mindless .

Poverty i s a handicap, bu t no t a mental handicap. I t i s no t a f a c t of l i f e t h a t a l l persons having low i n - comes (low enough t o g e t subs id ized housing) need t o have t h e i r t h ink ing done f o r them.

An example: A f a i r l y new low inc - ome r e n t a l t enan t c a l l s t h e i r manager and makes a n o i s e complaint aga ins t another t enan t . The manager c a l l s t he

t enan t t o t h e o f f i c e and, without an- o t h e r word from them, t e l l s t h e t en - a n t t h a t i t ' s a l l i n t h e i r mind and t h a t t hey a r e a "troublemaker".

"Ei ther move immediately o r go and s e e your doc to r . Get a l e t t e r from him saying you have v i s i t e d him. T e l l him t o p r e s c r i b e p i l l s f o r you t h a t w i l l calm you down and make you s l e e p What i s t h e name of your doc tor? Give it t o me."

Af t e r t h e stunned t enan t leaves , t h e manager next c a l l s t h a t doc to r and makes s u r e t h e t enan t g e t s t h e p r e s c r i p t i o n , and then phones f o r a mental h e a l t h worker t o v i s i t t h e complainant and check them over . Forms must be f i l l e d out by t h e men- t a l h e a l t h o f f i c e r . Problem? Imagines no i sy neighbour.

Rather than understand t h a t t h e i r t enan t may have a l o g i c a l reason t o complain, t h e manager avoids any r e s p o n s i b i l i t y by causing t h e compl- a i n a n t t o be doped up and l e s s of a bo ther . A t t h e same time t h e manager c r e a t e s t e r r o r i n those t e n a n t s who may become very a g i t a t e d a t being reduced t o t h e l e v e l of a noth ing .

This is a very mind-boggling way t o t r e a t low income, supplemented r e n t a l t e n a n t s .

Such enforcement o f "No complaintsfv i s b r u t a l , and i n i t s own way mind- l e s s ... l ead ing t o t h e misery of t h o s e u n a b l e t o cope w i t h t h e t e r r o r i s m .

I ques t ion t h e a d v i s a b i l i t y of t r a i n i n g managers of supplement ap- artment bu i ld ings t o employ t h i s kind of ' c o n t r o l ' over t e n a n t s . I s it common? Do Mental Heal th workers have t h e r i g h t t o f o r c e such t e n a n t s i n t o mental h e a l t h c a r e and enforce t h e i r b e l i e f s , t h e i r i d e a of behavioural a c c e p t i b i l i t y l i k e t r a i n e d monkeys?

Low income r e n t a l t e n a n t s , no mat- t e r what t h e i r economic s t a t u s , have t h e r i g h t t o voice t h e i r opinions abd be t r e a t e d with r e s p e c t by ap- artment managers.

I f t h e managers c a n ' t handle t h e i r jobs, t hey should be f i r e d . I f t h e wealthy owners who run cha ins o f supposedly c h a r i t y bu i ld ings , with supplemented apartments, c a n ' t hand- l e normal r e n t a l management systems, they should g e t out o f t h e bus iness .

By DORA SANDERS a v i c t im .

FIRST NATIONS RADIO i n Vancouver

'When S p i r i t Whispers' i s Vancouv- e r ' s ONLY F i r s t Nations a r t s E e n t e r tainment r a d i o program, making i t s home comfortably a t Vancouver Co-op Radio, CFRO 102.7 FM. For t h e p a s t seven years 'When S p i r i t Whispers' has been produced and hos ted by Ker- r i Charnley, E r i c Grey and Raymond Williams. In 1994, a f t e r wel l over 300 shows, it cont inues e n t h u s i a s t - i c a l l y t o b r i n g l i s t e n e r s words of wisdom and music t h a t i n s p i r e unwav- e r ing ly .

E r i c Grey has l e f t t h e program t o give more time t o h i s t r a d i t i o n a l a r t work; h i s l a t e s t e f f o r t s have him canoeing up the BC coas t with o the r s from Washington S t a t e .

Kerr i Charnely i s now an a c t i v e au thor and a new mother. 'When S p i r i t Whispers' t r u l y r e a l i s e s t h e absense o f t hese i n d i v i d u a l s and acknowledges t h e i r ded ica t ion t h a t

ea t ed and sus t a ined t h i s show. I n t o t h i s new year , 'When S p i r i t i s p e r s ' i s produced and hos ted by na Robertson of t h e Tsemshian Nat- n , Raymond Williams of t h e Kwag- l t h Nation, and Bruce Gongola. ge ther t hey w i l l have many gues t

hos t s , such a s Rory Dawson, Broder- i c k P r a i r i e Chicken 6 Douglas Lewis.

'When S p i r i t Whispers' has many s i g n i f i c a n t o b j e c t i v e s ; foremost i s t o t a p i n t o and p re sen t t h e r i c h and v a r i e d a r t s G music being c rea t ed ... Buffy S a i n t Marie, XIT, Kashtan, Maurice McArthur, Indian Nation, Milo Yellow Hai r , John Trudel l ...

Welcome a r e comments and p a r t i c i p a - t i o n ; we a r e looking f o r musicians, w r i t e r s and a r t i s t s who wish t o a i r t h e i r views, p l a y music, o r read t h e i r works o f poe t ry .

'When S p i r i t Whispers' - llpm t o midnight

- every Wednesday evening with a re -broadcas t Monday mornings, loam.

Prayers

I once was i n a dark world and l o s t I s tayed t h e r e a t any c o s t

Alcohol and drugs were most important I d i d n ' t c a re about anything

but my assortment

My l i f e was pass ing by f a s t I t was time I had t o g e t a grasp

I couldn ' t do it by myself , I t r i e d I prayed t o god f o r he lp , I c r i e d

Please he lp me, show me t h e way I want t o be clean and sober today

My prayers were answered awhile ago And now I have a l i f e t i m e o r so .

David F i r t h

People come from a f a r Funny how it becomes But we have room For those who have No p l ace t o go.

They come and go A s t hey p l ease Hope i s everywhere But a l l t h e same

The Lookout i s a Place t o be when you Need h e l p and t o f e e l s a f e . There ' s love f o r people l i k e you a t t h e Lookout.

M. L .

The ELP Dictionary o f SOCIAL POLICY NEWSPEAK

I f t h e government came along and s a i d , "We're going t o s l a s h wel fare o r unemployment insurance . .per iod ," people might g e t a b i t f e a r f u l t h a t t h e s o c i a l s a f e t y n e t t h a t has kept ou r country a b i t c i v i l i z e d would be wrecked.

So s o c i a l p o l i c y makers a r e us ing some new phrases about wel fare and UI--phrases t h a t make proposed changes seem l i k e they a r e f o r t h e good o f t h e people on U I and wel fare . . ph ra ses t h a t seem p o s i t i v e u n t i l you look a t t h e d e t a i l s .

I n t e r e s t i n g l y , t h e phrases imply t h a t low income people, no t t h e lack of jobs o r decent wages, cause poverty. Free t r a d e , high t ech , and corpora te r e s t r u c t u r i n g a r e a l l r e - ducing t h e number of a v a i l a b l e jobs.

Incent ive t o work. Often used i n sen tences such a s

"Cutting Unemployment Insurance o r welfare t o provide an incen t ive t o

But l i s t e n i n g t o t h i s s o c i a l p o l i c y Newspeak, you'd t h i n k pover ty was caused by ind iv idua l s lack ing incen- t i v e , by dependent people, by t h e pover ty cyc l e , and low self-esteem. You'd a l s o t h i n k t h a t everyone on wel fare was a s i n g l e ablebodied per - son. In f a c t m i l l i o n s a r e ch i ld ren . Tens o f thousands a r e people with d i s a b i l i t i e s . Hundreds of thousands a r e s i n g l e p a r e n t s a l r eady working a t r a i s i n g t h e i r ch i ld ren .

A t t h e End Legis la ted Poverty board meeting on Jan . 14 th , people brainstormed about t h e language t h a t ' s being used t o imply t h a t t h e d ismant l ing of our s o c i a l s a f e t y n e t i s a c t u a l l y good f o r us . Here i s ELP1s l i s t o f t hese phrases and what t hey r e a l l y mean.

Dis incent ive t o work. S imi l a r t o " incent ive t o

work" only t h e oppos i t e . Used i n sen tences such a s "Welfare i s a d i s - i ncen t ive t o work." The phrase i m ~ l -

work." The i n c e n t i v e i s despe ra t ion . i e s t h a t people would r a i h e r c o l l e c t I f people c a n ' t r e l y on UI o r welf- p w e l f a r e than work a t pa id jobs. In a r e , t h e y w i l l be so despe ra t e t h a t 'L the v a s t ma jo r i t y of cases t h i s i s 3 they w i l l have t o t a k e any job, no 'Vat t r u e . According t o a r ecen t at-/;,, ma t t e r how i l l - s u i t e d it is t o t h e i r ? i o n a l Council o f Welfare s tudy , i n - s k i l l s and no ma t t e r how low t h e pay ' j c r e a s i n g minim~m wage t o $10 o r $11

[ a n hour would e l imina te v i r t u a l l y Reform. Used t o mean t o "make th ings ?any " d i s i n ~ e n t i v e ~ ~ t o work i n t h e

17 l f b e t t e r . Now, when app l i ed t o 1 we a r e system. I t wouldn't c o s t t ax ' s o c i a l pronrams ( f o r example, "re- a cent e i t h e r . formu tile U I system) n e a r i y always . '

means " to make th ings worse" f o r low income people.

Active, no t pas s ive s o c i a l programs. This i s used by t h e L ibe ra l s i n

t h e i r l i t t l e red- p o l i c y book. They claim t h a t e x i s t i n g programs keep people l a z i n g about, doing nothing. The phrase impl ies t h a t t r a i n i n g and prodding p e o p i ~ t o g e t o f f wel fare w i l l c r e a t e johs f o r them t o t ake .

Trampoline e f f e c t : This phrase a t l e a s t recognizes

t h a t people a r e going t o be l o s i n g a l o t of jobs. Soc ia l programs, i t i m - p l i e s , should be designed t o bounce people back i n t o jobs, which s t i l l don ' t e x i s t .

Launching pad: S imi l a r t o t rampoline e f f e c t .

E jec t ion s e a t : To be hones t , t h i s phrase has only been

used a t End Legis la ted Poverty board meetings. Board member Andrew Lacombe invented i t . The phrase r e f e r s t o t h e p o l i c i e s of Alber ta and Michigan, where people a r e simply e j e c t e d o f f welfare i n t o d e s t i t u t i o n and homeless ness .

Hand up, no t hand out : This term i s ou t o f t h e US

and i s l a t e Canadian po t h a t s o c i a l always keep If programs

y being p l a g i a r i z e d by i c y makers. I t impl ies programs, a s t hey a r e , people from g e t t i n g work. a r e changed t o provide

counse l l ing , money-management s k i l l s , and t r a i n i n g f o r low wage jobs , t h e theory goes, then people w i l l g e t o f f of wel fare . The r e a l i t y is t h a t peop- l e on wel fare and U I w i l l t ake a v a i l - ab l e jobs when wages a r e h igh enough t o s u s t a i n them. No prodding i s nec- essary . We need more decent jobs and decent wages, no t more prodding t o ge t o f f wel fare .

Discouraging dependence: This term impl i e s t h a t

t h a t wel fare and UI c r e a t e "dependent people" l i k e ch i ld ren . According t o t h i s theory t h e programs have t o be changed so people don ' t use them. The r e a l i t y , aga in , i s t h a t people w i l l au toma t i ca l ly t ake jobs when they a r e a v a i l a b l e a t decent wages.

Bring s o c i a l prog.rams i n t o t h e 21st cen tury : This gene ra l ly means s l a s h

and c u t s o c i a l programs so people w i l l have t o work a t low wage jobs so they can compete with people i n Mexico making $5 a day.

Breaking t h e cyc l e of poverty: Lurk- i n g

behind t h i s phrase i s t h e theory t h a t ch i ld ren a r e t augh t t o be poor by poor a d u l t s . They then pass t h i s p re - f e r ence f o r pover ty onto t h e i r c h i l d - ren. Note t h a t no one i s exhorted t o "break t h e cyc le of wealth" where r i c h people pass t h e i r wealth on t o ch i ld ren who pass it on t o t h e i r ch i ld ren , pe rpe tua t ing i n e q u a l i t y of income d i s t r i b u t i o n . This shows t h e double s tandard o f media and s o c i a l p o l i c y makers.

s e l f esteem." I t impl ies t h a t l e pa ren t must b u i l d h e r s e l f

a s i n g esteem

a t a low wage r a t h e r than b h e r c h i l d r e n t o

Truly needy: Thi

sal programs, o r programs t o 1 'merely ' needy. I t impl ies , f

t h e o r ex-

ample, t h a t people on U I , who may I \

g e t more than people on wel fare , I I 1 1 / b, 7 - -

should have t o g ive up t h e UI g o v l t can c u t t h e d e f i c i t and

so t h e . main-

t a i n payments t o t h e " t r u l y needy1'. 1 1 1 1 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 23 - t he day when 8L,UUU of t m

Lost i n t h e d ia logue i s t h e s t a t u s of t h e t r u l y greedy, who, one assum- e s , cont inue on with t h e i r t a x breaks and i n c e n t i v e s t o accumulate.

Tra in ing f o r t h e jobs of t h e f u t u r e ; This phrase is used t o imply t h a t

i f o n l y we got ourse lves t r a i n e d i n computer programming o r a i r t r a f f i c c o n t r o l l i n g , we could g e t o f f welf- a r e o r U I and be s e t f o r t h e f u t u r e . In f a c t , we don ' t need 1 .5 mi l l i on people ( t he number of unemployed i n Canada) i n new high t ech jobs. Tra i - n ing does n o t c r e a t e jobs. Avai lable jobs a r e mostly low wage. Tens of thousands of people g e t t r a i n e d and then c a n ' t f i n d work. They a r e push- ed out i n t o t h e labour f o r c e t o com- pe t e with those who do have jobs and p u l l wages down because they a r e t r a i n e d f o r e x p l o i t a t i o n .

Po. - ve r ty c u l t u r e : This i s another phrase t h a t impl ies

a t poor people l i k e t o be poor and a t they need counse l l i ng from mid- e c l a s s p r o f e s s i o n a l s t o h e l p them oose another l ' cu l tu re , " presumably e t h a t s u p p l i e s more money.

u s s t a r t p ick ing up GAIN cheques - i n person because of t h e changes i n M.S.S. po l i cy .

End Legis la ted Poverty w i l l have an e x t r a 10,000 copies o f i t s News- l e t t e r t h a t day, so I won't r epea t s t u f f he re . We've had a couple of lawyers and l e g a l s t u d e n t s look a t t h e changes and a t making a l l "emp- l o y a b l e ~ " and c h i l d l e s s couples pick up cheques i n person. McPhail E Har- cour t a r e dancing t o t h e 'Golden Goo- d i e ' o f Blame The Victim, hyped by t h e media and Gordon Campbell's Tax Revolt crowd. The lawyers s e n t a l e t - t e r t o Joy McPhail ask ing f o r a w r i t - t e n response d e t a i l i n g "the purpose of . . r e q u i r i n g cheque pickup/automa- t i c admin i s t r a t i on f o r people whose cheques a r e l o s t o r s to l en / r ecove r ing s e c u r i t y d e p o s i t s d i r e c t l y from land- l o r d s / f o r c i n g p a r e n t s whose youngest c h i l d is 12 t o t a k e any employment.. and t h e evidence t h a t t h e min i s t ry r e l i e d upon t h a t choosing each of t h e op t ions above would achieve t h e o r i - g i n a l purpose. "

The TAX FACTS i n t h i s i s s u e might g ive you an i d e a of what 's going on.

Tax &cts Between 1961 and 1992, t h e share of f e d e r a l revenue coming from personal income t a x e s has jumped from 32 p e r cent t o 48 p e r cent while t h e sha re from corpora- t i o n s has dropped from 21 p e r cent t o j u s t 7 p e r c e n t .

In 1992, 93,405 p r o f i t a b l e corpora t ions made $27 b i l l i o n i n p r o f i t s without paying one cent i n f e d e r a l t a x e s .

For t h e poores t 20 p e r cent of f ami l i e s , income t a x e s have more than doubled s i n c e 1984.

The Business Entertainment deduct ion allows bus iness t o deduct 80 p e r cent of t h e c o s t s of a l l t h e i r "business" lunches and en ter ta inment . This loophole c o s t s t h e government about $1 b i l l i o n a year .

90 p e r cent of a l l t i c k e t s t o Blue Jays games a r e deducted under t h e Business Entertainment Deduction.

"At a t ime when Canada has more than 12 p e r cent unemployment and hundreds of thousands of people a r e dependant upon s e r v i c e s which a r e being c u t because of t h e d e f i c i t l l c r i s i s r l , Canada cont inues t o have t h e lowest corpora te t a x r a t e i n any i n d u s t r i a l i z e d country i n t h e world."

CHILL IN Garry Gust

How easy it is to forget. Around this time last year we were dis- turbed by the World Trade Center bombing and the Branch Divinian madness.

This year it's the extortive toba co taxes, welfare fraud, sliced o penis condonations, figure skatin conspiracies, and the national passion over the deficit.

It's two california juries that couldn't decide if they should punish the Mendenez brbthers for slaughtering their parents; and it's a Canadian court giving only a ten year sentence to a man who killed two women, one of which was pregnant, because he was high on cocaine.

Every year North America gets weirder and weirder. If this trend continues, the American Empire will be in full decline by the year 2,000, and those of us still remaining will surely be treated as outcasts by the rest of the world.

What is it about this well endowed continent that causes us to squander our chance at advancing mankind to an improved specie in step with natural evolution.

Acquired apathy has turned us into a society of unfeeling monsters where human life is as cheap as yesterday's headlines.

The over tolerarit, politically correct, liberal minded, any- thing goes ideology has eroded our collective sensitivities to the point of mass social i n s a n i t v .

It's as if we all secretly realize that Earth could get along very well without the human being, but we cling to our existence like a wounded pig drinking its own blood so as not to die of thirst.

If we don't get back to a "Let The Punishment Fit The Crime" justice system, the value of a life will continue to diminish until we reach a point of warranted extinction.

But cheer up; maybe we'll get it right the next time around.

GOING COUNTRY Find out how you can join in

country living At the CEEDS organic farm in the Cariboo.

Video and Music Show Thursday, February 17, 1994. 4 p.m. Carnegie Centre, 401 Main St.

(info: 253-47 181