acton@mprvaxa.UUCP (Don Acton) (08/08/86)
In article <353@ubc-cs.UUCP> andrews@ubc-cs.UUCP (Jamie Andrews) writes: > Come and visit EXPO 86! > Spend massively on three days of decadence while people on welfare > fish pop cans out of garbage bins outside the fairgrounds! I find it hard to believe that the it is the people on welfare fishing pop cans out of the garbage bins, that is too much work. More likely it is someone, who for whatever reason chooses not to collect welfare or is ignorant that it exists. I have probably been to the Expo site more than Jamie has and I can't say I have ever seen anyone hunting through the garbage outside the grounds. > Support the provincial government that has presided over massive > spending cuts and enrollment drops at universities Massive enrollment drops at universities? I seem to recall it being the other way around except for perhaps this past academic year. I thought it was the enrollment increases combined with reduced grants to universities that caused a problem in some areas. > Support the provincial government which made huge spending cuts in > social services and then gave free handouts to foreign coal interests! Cuts in social spending? The Socreds on a percentage and constant dollars basis spend more on social services then the NDP did in 1975. Education, health care and welfare make up about 75% of the provincial budget. > African wines in its liquor stores! This is typical NDP thinking. If I don't think that you should have something, for whatever the reason then you won't. Why don't you try and convince the people not to buy something instead of saying I won't give you the choice. > Above all, come and wait in hour-long lineups to get into the good- > quality exhibits and then get so p***ed off that you go into the > [more of a diatribe against expo] ....and then go home without seeing any more of > the rest of Vancouver, the rest of British Columbia, or the rest of > Canada! > I know about that last bit only second-hand, of course. I'm boycotting it. As you yourself say the last bit is second hand. What have you been reading the Ubyssey? I have been to Expo quite a few times (>10) and can't say that waiting in lines was an unpleasant experience as far as that goes. I did wait an hour once to get into the Ontario Pavilion but that was because my folks wanted to see it. If we had waited until later in the day the wait was only a half hour. Other than that I have never waited more than about 10 minutes and I have seen all the major pavilions and the minor ones too. But there is more to Expo than the pavilions there are the free concerts, street entertainment and theme plazas which in themselves can occupy a whole day. >Most NDPers say they're "social democrats". People can say they are anything they want but that doesn't mean that is what they are. The NDP is that just like all political parties support those who got them into power. The trouble is that this always ends up costing the taxpayers more money. Their power base lies with the unions and professionals like teachers and social workers :-) who are dependent upon the provincial government for their jobs. Obviously we need these type of people in society but the NDP goes out of their way to make life more comfortable for them at the expense of others. For example when the NDP was in power they passed legislation that said that only unionized firms could supply certain services and as everyone knows union wages are much higher then the market is willing to pay. Just ask a unionized construction worker how much he has worked lately. If he has worked at all it has probably been on Expo, the Coquihalla (sp) Highway, the Skytrain or one of the other mega-projects that Jamie despises so much. But the unions weren't happy with doing 80% of the work on these projects they wanted it all. No doubt the NDP would be more than happy to oblige if they ever got into power again. How is excluding a large segment of society from bidding on government contracts democratic? Any just what is a "social democrat"? > The Socreds knew that since the BC electorate was dumb enough >to elect *them*, they would be dumb enough to be dazzled by a money-losing >world fair and support it to the last. If the population is dumb when they elect the Socreds then they are as equally dumb when they elect the NDP. The election of an NDP governemnte wouldn't signal a sudden increase in the IQ of the general population. Although the fair itself may loss money how much money is going to be spent in BC by the tourists? The fair is half over and there has been an increase of 5 million tourists over last year. Let's say 2 million of that is because of Expo. When those people are in Canada they are going to spend money which will go to more salaries and yes that dirty word profits. This will result in increased tax revenues and general economic activity and no doubt that will more than offset any debt the fair has. But then again the fair is being funded through the provincial lottery so it is only the lottery players who are footing the bill. I think the fair is great and invite all of you to come to it. But as Jamie said it would be a shame if you didn't see the rest of Vancouver or British Columbia. If you come to the fair this year and look around a bit then it will just whet your appetite for more of Super Natural BC and you will be back again next year. Donald Acton
andrews@ubc-cs.UUCP (Jamie Andrews) (08/08/86)
In article <744@mprvaxa.UUCP> acton@mprvaxa.UUCP (Don Acton) writes: >If the population is dumb when they elect the Socreds then they are as >equally dumb when they elect the NDP. The election of an NDP governemnte >wouldn't signal a sudden increase in the IQ of the general population. On the other hand, if Don Acton moved to Ontario from BC, it would cause a sudden increase in the average IQ of both provinces. (badaboom) This debate is getting to be a silly can.politics rehash, and is certainly no longer appropriate for net.followup. I was simply letting the world know that not everyone in BC supports Expo; some people seem to think I should be shouted down for doing it. Well, that's Usenet. --Jamie. ...!seismo!ubc-vision!ubc-cs!andrews "I asked him to say what had happened, how it all began"