A8 January 4, 2012 The Richmond News
Opinion T H E
a Canwest newspaper
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EDITORIAL OPINION
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N E W S
Progress borne of outrage
I
f there is one way history will mark 2011, it will be as the year the people regained their voice. With luck, 2012 will be remembered as the year that voice brought about change. From the Arab Spring protests in North Africa and the Middle East to the Occupy movement in the world’s financial centres to more recent demonstrations in Moscow, this past year saw an unprecedented, global outpouring of anger. While the targets varied, the protests were aimed in broad terms at a single issue: the elevation of the few at the expense of the many. Recent decades have seen a growing disparity between rich and poor in the West - both in terms of wealth and influence and the continued tolerance of undemocratic regimes. 2011’s mass demonstrations called attention to these problems, but have yet to bring about solutions. In the Arab world, one despot after another has toppled, but as has been underscored by crackdowns in Egypt, it is far from clear that their replacements will be any better. In wealthier countries, the Occupy movement has influenced the debate, but it has yet to narrow the gap. This year, the supporters of these movements have to sharpen their focus. In the Arab world and elsewhere, demonstrators have to maintain the pressure until truly accountable government is achieved, and in the West we must refuse to support any alternative. Closer to home, Occupy’s successors have to demand specific policy changes aimed at fairer compensation, taxation and campaign finance. With energy and intelligence, outrage can give rise to progress.
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R I C H M O N D
Don’t tip for tipping’s sake The Editor, In recent years, a trend perpetrated by Richmond’s restaurateurs has been insidiously gaining ground at the expense of hardworking Richmondites: a gratuity automatically being slipped onto the unsuspecting patron’s restaurant bill. In years past, my family of four has enjoyed a New Year’s Day buffet at a restaurant at a hotel in Richmond, and every year the staff quietly adds a 15 per cent gratuity to the bill at the end of the meal. Every year, I demand the gratuity be removed, and every year the staff does so with apologies. Not this year though. After making our annual reservation with the hotel, the restaurant phoned me back to inform me that on top of the $35 they charge per plate, they would charge a 15 per cent gratuity — for a buffet! Why do restaurateurs feel they can get away with charging the public what is essentially an extra tax? Because they know that despite this imposition, most restaurant patrons feel too awkward to complain. Tipping the restaurant is not mandatory and should be done only at the discretion of the patron. Indeed, had this restaurant not demanded a 15 per cent gratuity, I might have left a 20 per cent tip, as I have in the past. If people do not like the service or the food, they should not reward the restaurant with a tip. A. Shirran Richmond
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Clark & Co face federal waiting game The federal government’s decidedly right-ward shift has some potentially big implications for B.C. and whichever party forms the next government here. It also has the chance of making the political tightrope Premier Christy Clark has been walking when it comes to relations with the Harper government that much trickier to navigate. Many have long wondered just how right-wing Prime Minister Stephen Harper was and the early indications after the last election are that he has moved his government to a footing that is more to the hard right than anything seen previously. No doubt emboldened by the fact that he now has a solid majority in the House of Commons, Harper seems prepared to shape policies more along ideological lines than anything else. For example, his new tough-on-crime legislation appeases those in the party who advocate a much more conservative approach to law enforcement. But it flies in the face of statistics that show the crime rate is actually dropping and some long-held conservative crime-fighting policies (i.e. the failing war on drugs) don’t work. The legislation also means added costs for provincial governments that administer most of the criminal justice system. B.C. is already struggling with a lack of judges and sheriffs (to name just two areas of concern) and putting even
Keith Baldrey IN THE HOUSE
more people through the system means more funding will be required. But provincial governments shouldn’t look for much help from Ottawa if the Harper government’s action in another key policy area – health care – is any indication. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty recently announced a new policy regarding future health funding transfers from Ottawa to the provinces. The impact of the new policy won’t be felt much for the next few years. But starting in 2016, the federal share of health care funding will be tied directly to the performance of the country’s economy. This brings me to that political tightrope Clark is walking. While most provincial finance ministers blasted Flaherty for his arbitrary cuts to their funding, B.C. Finance Minister Kevin Falcon was warmly supportive, lauding the fact Flaherty had brought “certainty” to the situation. It wasn’t hard to connect some dots here. The Clark government’s survival in the next provincial election is likely directly tied to ensuring it doesn’t lose significant support among conservative voters. Therefore, fighting with a federal
Conservative government is fraught with peril, which may explain Falcon’s positive reaction. But it will be interesting to see if the Clark government can hold back if Flaherty’s next budget contains a lot of aggressive cost-cutting measures, which could have an impact on federal services in B.C. The Clark government may suffer collateral damage from any significant public outcry over federal spending cuts and of course that may simply compound the problems arising from the next B.C. budget, which isn’t expected to be very rosy either. And who knows what other policies will arise from Harper’s right-wing direction? One thing to keep an eye on is the proposed Enbridge pipeline to Kitimat. It appears his government does not view environmental protection as a top priority and that may be another signal the government will push for the pipeline’s construction. But the Tea Party types that no doubt exist among the Conservative faithful may sense that, with a majority now in place, now is the time to push for those policies Harper wouldn’t go near when he needed support from New Democrats and Liberals. We shall have to wait to see how far he goes, and how big an impact his policies have on this province. Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC.