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From: mcgeer@ucbvax.ARPA (Rick McGeer)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The McGeer Connection
Message-ID: <10681@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 17-Oct-85 02:31:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10681
Posted: Thu Oct 17 02:31:01 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Oct-85 02:11:26 EDT
References: <195@pyuxh.UUCP> <10451@ucbvax.ARPA> <305@ihnet.UUCP>
Reply-To: mcgeer@ucbvax.UUCP (Rick McGeer)
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 35

In article <51@ubc-cs.UUCP> acton@ubc-cs.UUCP (Donald Acton) writes:
>>In article <10652@ucbvax.ARPA> mcgeer@ucbvax.UUCP (Rick McGeer) writes:
>>             ...  I lived in British Columbia most of my life, including the
>>three years it was under the NDP: BC still hasn't fully recovered from the
>>ravages of the Barrett government....
>
>The NDP (socialists) have been out of power now for over ten years and
>I find it hard to believe that any of their policies are responsible for
>the current economic conditions in BC. If any of the NDP's policies are 
>responsible, then the fault lies with the ruling Social Credit Party for
>failing to modify or eliminate those policies over the past ten years.
>But what about the glory years in the late 70's and early 80's when the 
>BC economy was booming and everything looked great? Surely those years 
>must have been the result of the previous NDP rule if the problems 
>of today are still their fault.  I tend to think not.

Well, good point.  I'd argue that the real problem is that various structural
problems the NDP left around (mostly the pro-union Labour Code and an
enormous welfare state with strong public-sector unions -- such as the
BCMA) left BC unable to compete during a resource bust, and, yes, the
Socreds should  have cleaned up those things in 1976.

>
>I subscribe  to the theory that at least part of BC's problems are due
>to the economic conditions of the world as a whole and are not exactly
>under our control.  Unfortunately our problems in BC were exacerbated  
>by a Liberal government under Pierre Trudeau who didn't care about what 
>happened in western Canada. Come to think of it since the NDP are just 
>'Liberals in a hurry' maybe you are right and we still haven't recovered 
>from NDP rule. :-)

Damn straight.

>
>  Donald Acton