November 30,1999 | NEWS Elections bring back Prince George’s Dream Team of 1996 “1996 Redux” by James Moore And the pendulum swings again. When | walked out after having voted at Lakewood Jr. Secondary, | noticed a common twinkle in the eyes of my fellow vot- ers. The _ predatory twinkle was a signature of the demeanor of their voting. It wasn’t anger; the face was more that of the cat who swallowed the canary. In short, Saturday marked the healthy beginning of a local political renewal, where the citizens began the first phase of correcting the sting of disappointment and frustration that stained the year 1996. May 28th, 1996 was the day Prince George sent Paul Ramsey and Lois Boone to Victoria on the assumption of balanced budgets, a principled and ener- getic young premier, and a pair of strong voices in cabinet who could bend Victoria’s scope of _ influence northward to Prince George. Then sobriety hit. : And our brightest hopes faded into the mire that: was Glen NDP Clark, fudge-it-bud- gets, tax hikes, fast fer- ries, Skeena Cellulose, and the indignation of our local MLA’s who shrugged at accusa- tions of — electoral duplicity. In November of 1996 Prince George voters completed the double play by electing a cen- tre-left council, staffed with prominent local lieutenants. Accompanying the apparent overall voting psyche was the pre- sumptive thought pat- tern of handing control of provincial and local authority to similar cen- tre-left voices- to let them a thorough swing at bat. Saturday, after calculating the costs of their electoral deci- sions of three years earlier, Prince George residents voted based on the lessons learned over the past three years. In those past 36 months, we have been witness to an all-out province wide econom- ic unraveling, whilst our brave voices at the Victoria cabinet table were unable to make a dent in the downward spiral of economic col- Online Textbooks (Continued from page 2) University Traders is now available to stu- dents in sixty-eight uni- versities across Canada. The Goyettes are optimistic that if their service is embraced: by students across the country, than at least one part of uni- versity life will become more affordable. “This is a business ven- ture, but the goal is to help students,” said David. “Students are the ones with shallow pock- ets. They need this ser- vice. Education is not getting cheaper, nor are textbooks. We wanted to challenge this.” Can you walk and Chew Gum at the Same time? Over The Edge Needs youl! Apply in the Over The Edge Office lapse and its impact on the north. Worse yet, they became cheer- leaders for the: Barrett- Harcourt-Clark _ pre- scription of taxing and spending our way into prosperity. The results for Prince George have clearly been disas- trous. With unemploy- — ment rates at more than double the nation- al average, the forestry sector begging to have their cement boots of over-regulation chipped away, and the social dysfunctions of drug abuse and prosti- tution mushrooming around us, Prince George voters have taken note, and as of Saturday, have now taken action. Watching the Prince George municipal elec- tion results unfold on the internet, frame by frame, number by num- ber, it. didn’t take long to catch on to the trend in the public’s voting. To put it as concisely as possible: the public sought the NDP label, and skewered those with NDP kinship. We are now months away from Prince George voters having the opportunity to mop up the remaining residue of 1996. When that time comes, there will be little anger. For the taste of civilized retribution is sweet indeed. Foxes that have no fear of humans are a threat to them- selves and everyone around them. Rabies shots are not pretty, people. Stop Feeding the Foxes or they will have to be shot. Got a BC Student Loan? _ B.C.'s Interest Relief Program will help students get a good start in their careers. es BRITISH COLUMBIA Hon. Andrew Petter, Minister for Advanced Education, Training and Technology Need help with your payments? Effective November 1999, B.C.'s new Interest Relief Program - allaws qualifying students to temporarily defer their loan payments. During the deferral period, the provincial government will pay the interest on the loan. To qualify, you must have been out of school at least six months previously and: e be incapable of work due to temporary illness or disability e havea monthly family income that makes repaying loans an exceptional hardship, and/or e be unemployed or underemployed. The new B.C. interest Relief Program is part of British Columbia's commitment to: : © expand access to post-secondary education © support students to complete their studies, and e help students get a good start in their careers. For more information call !-877-BC-Youth or go to www.youth.gou.be.ca Over The Edge Page 3 Stop Feeding the Foxes or they will have to be shot.