In your paper of Oct. 25, NORD chairman, Herman Halvorson, is quoted as stating that "Government is never very efficient at running businesses."

Presumably he included in this sweeping and dismissive statement such services as our public health care system, fire protection services, police, national defence - the list goes on and on!

In respect to "public health care," numerous peer reviewed academic studies demonstrate unequivocally that a publicly funded and administered universal health care system is both more efficient (costs less) and more effective (has better 'outcomes' in that less people get sick or die) than a privately run system.

I would suggest that the same can be said for many other publicly run and operated services - or "businesses" as Mr. Halvorson likes to call them.

Given that Mr. Halvorson is in fact as an elected official, in a "government business" (that of governing), it would seem that he must, accordingly, include himself in his dismissive statement about "government inefficiency."

I would suggest that Mr. Halvorson do a little better job about informing himself before making such sweeping indictments of government services and, is the result, of those who in fact provide them.

Bob Hagman

PARCEL TAX

Upon picking up our mail Oct. 16, we were rather taken aback to find a letter from the City of Armstrong advising us that we will be paying a new tax of $20 starting in 2010 for the so-called recreation parcel tax.

This of course would be over and above any tax increase put in the 2010 budget and created by the setting of the mill rate.

We would like to voice our concerns with respect to the creation of the bylaw, which had no public input, and which presumably would not limit further charges, in future years, on our taxes to the quoted $20.

The question begs to be asked as to why you decided to create a bylaw for this increase instead of applying it to the 2010 budget under capital projects, when the public and/or taxpayers could have understood why the City of Armstrong needed this money, and, had an opportunity to agree or oppose it.

This way it is written in stone and letters like ours will only go “on file."

What if all 2,100 suggested parcels (Morning Star, Oct. 18) were to write a letter of complaint, would council think of rescinding the bylaw?

It seems that no level of government is exempt in hiding issues from the public until it is too late to do anything about them, hence the bylaw.

Ron Ward

OLYMPICS

I agree with Bob Cail. From the way the initial voting for the Olympics was done.

To the way we will never know how we are paying for them.

The Olympic ideal is no longer, ideal. The countries involved need to be involved footing the bill. Montreal Olympics were more than 30 years being paid for.

And seeing as how we are paying for them. The tickets for British Columbians should be damned cheap and available for us first.

Politicians and corporations, bull, they pay less taxes than I do.

The miniscule tally from the ticket sales covers little of the total cost.

However, Gordon Campbell has had his 15 minutes of fame. Hopefully he can now retire, so we can get on with doing for this province what it really needs.

Erik Andersen