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Merry Christmas, Whoville

Acclaimed author Theodor Geisel may well have written the definitive treatise on Canada’s current government spending, even though he penned the tale 60 years ago.

Acclaimed author Theodor Geisel may well have written the definitive treatise on Canada’s current government spending, even though he penned the tale 60 years ago.

The story was written under Geisel’s pen name, Dr. Seuss, and was titled How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The good doctor is perhaps best-known for his whimsical, early reader children’s books like Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. But he was an astute social commentator as well, tackling subjects ranging from racism (The Sneeches) to environmentalism and anti-consumerism (The Lorax) to the international arms race (The Butter Battle Book).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas may have been meant more as a jab at the consumerism of the holiday, but the last week or so in B.C. has resembled the story’s closing, Christmas-morning scene. That’s the one where the Grinch distributes a cornucopia of gifts and a feast to the grateful denizens of Whoville.

Gift and food he had, of course, previously grabbed from the Whos in the first place.

Those gifts are coming fast and furious these days in British Columbia, and the Parksville Qualicum Beach region is getting its share. Within the span of three days, MLA Michelle Stilwell made as many public appearances to announce either provincial or multi-governmental funding for poverty reduction and social programs, for campground site expansion, and for an affordable housing apartment project in downtown Parksville.

It’s enough to make one believe an election is in the offing.

Hey, we’re fine with needed social programs and infrastructure upgrades, like the affordable housing project and the proposed sewer system for Bowser, for which funding was announced a week earlier.

Particularly after three years of raising MSP premiums before an election-eve cut, or three years of squeezing school districts before opening the spigot (admittedly, with a little nudge from Canada’s Supreme Court).

The B.C. Liberal government is in such a generous mood these days that it even refunded $93,000 to 43 party donors, and has agreed with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation on $330 million to fund as many as 2,600 new teaching positions. Those are not, however, Seussian examples of the government’s heart growing “three sizes that day”.

And now we have the federal government, last Wednesday, releasing its budget for the coming year. Plenty of goodies there, as well. Eventually.

Even Gord Johns, the NDP minority MP for the Courtnenay-Alberni riding, had to admit to some positive elements for his constituents out of that budget — but they won’t be able to enjoy much of it in the near future.

“It’s a smokescreen,” said Johns. “Most of the funding will come into effect at the next (federal) election.”

Now, where could a prescription like that have come from? Perhaps the government could find another doctor for a second opinion.

— Parksville Qualicum Beach News