Yes, its census year again. Answer all the government's nosy questions truthfully or be subject to a $500 fine or three months in jail. Apparently this didn't stop 250,000 citizens of BC from refusing to fill out bureaucratic forms in 1991 and "non-compliance" is bound to rise this year. Why shouldn't it? What is the purpose for the government spending so lavishly to count heads? Properly targeted surveys give more accurate information than a census possibly can (how do you think Stats Canada 'knows' about noncompliance?) No rational business firm would spend money to do a census of this type. It's nothing more that a bureaucratic make-work project backed by government coercion. Although we can't advise you to break the law, nothing happened to those of us who did so last time (Remember my picture in the PROVINCE last time, tearing up my long form?) So pass along the enclosed "HACK THE CENSUS" brochure to a friend. Yes, refusing the census is a "stunt", but hopefully it will give you an opportunity to explain the message behind it: We desire a more tolerant, peaceful and prosperous society based on the voluntary interactions of its free citizens.
Ian Toothill of SENSE, BC's anti-photo radar group stopped by to present his organization's views to the March 10th executive meeting of the GVLA. According to Toothill, if photo radar works and slows traffic down, safety will not be enhanced since so few accidents are caused by speed anyway. And if speed is not slowed down, photo radar will just be another tax grab. Toothill claims that most drivers develop "road sense". They determine the geometric design speed for highways and generally stick to this flow of traffic speed. In fact, the international Institute of Traffic Engineers believes that it is speed variance not speed which is dangerous and has come up with the 85th percentile principle to set speed limits. This sets limits at a speed which 85% of drivers already stay under. Thus the 69% non-compliance with BC speed limits is seen by Toothill not as proof that we are bad drivers but rather proof that BC's speed limits are set at too low a level.
So what does this issue have to do with libertarianism? We don't believe that government should be involved in this speed issue at all. Rather the private owners of highways should be free to use whatever principles they wish to set whatever limits they wish. But unfortunately in 20th century BC, the government owns the roads, which means speed limits are set politically rather than rationally. Photo radar is a technology which would make it cheaper for the government to enforce its idiotically set political speed limits. Thus our opposition to photo radar is really opposition to government regulation. We want the highways to be privatized and in the meantime we don't want the regulations of this government-owned business to impinge too negatively on our lives.
If you want to find out more or help SENSE, they can be reached at:
#200-1687 W. Broadway,
Vancouver, BC V6J 1X2
(PH:871-3383, FAX:734-8484)
I stopped by Surrey Provincial Court on Wednesday March 13 to see how Randy Caine's marijuana possession trial was going (see WCL, March 1996, p.5 for previous story). It was already the 6th day of the trial with 5 more court days scheduled. I was surprised to see so few people there. Outside of Randy and his significant other there was only one other supporter. We were greatly outnumbered by the court workers including the three members of the prosecution team.
When I got there SFU's Barry Beyerstein was just finishing his presentation for the defence. This consisted of Randy's lawyer, John Conroy asking him to review his article titled "Avoiding Folly" which had recently been published in the Journal of Drug Issues. The article was trying to explain why sometimes people persist in pursuing actions which don't work (i.e. why was society persisting with a failed drug prohibition). Beyerstein argued that people want consistent world views but are willing to live with some "cognitive dissonance" because it is difficult to change core beliefs. Also, groups of otherwise intelligent people can make terrible group decisions because of the social rules of group decision making.
After Conroy finished with Beyerstein, the judge (Ms. F. E. Howard) asked a few questions and then the crown prosecutor had his chance. He asked Beyerstein's opinion of the Hall Report (Beyerstein liked it), the Addiction Research Foundation (again thumbs up) and WHO (not quite the same regard). Then after some long pauses and questions halted mid-sentence, the prosecutor asked for an adjournment (at 4 PM) till the next day when he promised to be better prepared. The crown prosecutor is Tony Dohm, the section head of criminal law for the Department of Justice. He is the second in command of the crown prosecutors in the province with the job of assigning workloads and seldom appears in court. Randy's team was not sure if this was a sign of the importance of his case or if it just meant that Dohm picked the case out of personal interest.
Randy would sure appreciate a show of support. The next trial dates are May 27 (Monday) and 29 if you want to see our justice system in action. Naturally, a visit to THE JOINT (15151 Fraser Hwy, Surrey) would also be welcomed.
Randy also wished to point out that contrary to our previous article, it is NOT true that contributions to his Trust Fund are tax deductible.
If it is a tax credit you want, you may want to send your contribution to the GVLA instead.
At the March 16 leadership convention, the BC Libertarian Party choose Ken Wiebe as its new leader. Wiebe, aged 41 is a system analyst from Victoria and a long time activist with the BC Anti-Prohibition League, Fathers for Equality and the Victoria Men’s Centre. He is also a founding member of the Victoria FreeNet Association. In his acceptance speech Wiebe promised to fight hard against the government’s unconscionable aggression against its peaceful citizens. Government should not use force against innocent people even to do good. You destroy the community by taking from it the responsibility to form voluntary institutions to solve its problems.
The BC Libertarian Party was founded in 1986 and has run candidates in the last two provincial elections. In 1991, 11 candidates ran.
GVLA President Kerry Pearson was elected Deputy Leader.
Liberty Snippets was compiled and written by Paul Geddes.
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