Find out what Beyer had to say
Election are always a hot topic
When is the Budget not a hot searchVICTORIA – Lloyd H. Trueman of Quesnel is telling all political parties in British Columbia to take a hike. He’s ready to join the Forest Renewal B.C. Party. There’s no such thing, you say. Well, Trueman thinks there ought to be.
In a recent letter to Liberal leader Gordon Campbell, a copy of which he thoughtfully sent to yours truly, Trueman explains his reasons: "I’m an ex-Liberal, Social Credit, NDP and ex-Reformer. I am joining the new FRBC party. It’s the only party that can offer a pie in the sky with the money to back it up."
Trueman has it all figured out. While the Glen Clark government is drowning in red ink, Forest Renewal has got hundreds of millions of dollars stashed away, which could be put to better use than they’re now.
Since the Forest Renewal money is coming from the big forest companies, which have dictated government policy for as long as trees have been harvested in B.C., Trueman thinks we might as well officially acknowledge Forest Renewal B.C. as a new kind of corporate government.
Trueman would like Forest Renewal to identify the communities it will be funding. The provincial government could then delete these communities from its funding in the next budget. With a little luck and persuasion, Trueman believes the mining industry might want to fund some communities as well.
"They may even wish to jointly fund some communities with Forest Renewal. In this way, both governments, the provincial and the corporate one, will have a surplus budget."
It’s too bad, Trueman says, that, unlike Campbell, he hasn’t got $800,000 to mail his letter to every household in the province, but he’s come up with a different tack: He’s asking everyone who receives his letter to send nine copies to other people, preferably mayors, heads of commissions and such.
"I thank you, Mr. Campbell, from the bottom of my heart for making me think. Had it not been for your mailout of December 6, this letter would never have been written," Trueman concludes his letter.
Crazy? Like a fox. Trueman is one angry British Columbian. And he’s just about ready to shout from the roof tops: "I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more."
He’s fed up with the NDP for fibbing its budget forecast. He’s angry with the Liberals for wasting nearly a million dollars of taxpayers’ money to mail out blatant political propaganda.
He’s mad at the political system that allows him to vote every four years or so, only to be duped again by people who said: "Trust us."
Coming from Quesnel, Trueman has fond memories of politicians who meant what they said. He quotes the late Alex Fraser, who was also from Quesnel, as telling British Columbians: "Don’t let the big town city slickers take over the province or we’ll be in trouble."
He tells Campbell in his letter that he thought Gordon Wilson was a pretty good leader of the Liberal Party.
"However, when Mr. Wilson showed promise to bring the Liberals into government, the Howe Street boys moved to turf him out. A picture is now developing just like Alex Fraser said it would.
"Had they not been so greedy, I believe the Liberals, under Gordon Wilson’s leadership, would be the government today. As you can see, you and the Howe Street boys, backed by the news media, could not fool the voters. This is Canadian politics at its best."
I wonder how many people are just as fed up with politicians and the system. Judging from the mail I get, there are few people left with any confidence in any government, leave alone trust in politicians.
The Forest Renewal B.C. Party. Corporate government. Hey, it’s got a ring to it. Maybe old Trueman is on to something.
