shed
      some
      light
      on.
      "Don’t
      tax
      my
      loan"
      -
      this
      is
      one
     
     
      of
      my
      favourites.
      It
      goes
      on
      to
      say
      that
      a
      3%
      tax
      on
     
     
      _
      student
      loans
      will
      hurt
      those
      who
      can
      least
      afford
     
     
      the
      cost
      of
      university,
      those
      on
      student
      loans.
      I
      am
     
     
      curious
      about
      who
      those
      people
      are.
      I
      realize
      that
     
     
      some
      people
      have
      circumstances
      that
      necessitate
      the
     
     
      need
      for
      a
      student
      loan,
      but
      they
      are
      only
      a
      small
     
     
      group.
      I
      feel
      nothing
      for
      those
      students
      who
      need
     
     
      a
      student
      loan
      because
      mommy
      and
      daddy
      won’t
      pay
     
     
      for
      university.
      It
      seems
      that
      so
      many
      times
      the
     
     
      whinnying
      about
      this
      3%
      tax
      is
      coming
      from
      those
     
     
      students
      who
      are
      in
      need
      of
      financial
      assistance
     
     
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      paying
      tuition
      but
      are
      financially
     
     
      secure
      enough
      to
      go
      to
      Myrons
      and
      drink
      every
     
     
      weekend
      or
      to
      buy
      new
      clothes
      every
      month.
      This
     
     
      3%
      one
      time
      tax
      seems
      to
      be
      far
      better
      than
      paying
     
     
      15%
      interest
      every
      year
      On
      a
      normal
      bank
      loan,
      or
     
     
      did
      we
      forget
      that
      the
      government
      doesn’t
      charge
      us
     
     
      interest?
      How
      come
      these
      students
      can’t
      pay
      for
     
     
      their
      university
      out
      of
      the
      money
      they
      earn
      at
      work?
     
     
      Is
      it
      because
      there
      are
      no
      jobs
      out
      there?
      Right,
     
     
      anyone
      who
      Says
      this
      is
      just
      too
      lazy
      to
      work.
      So
     
     
      they
      might
      have
      to
      take
      a
      job
      at
      a
      burger
      joint
      for
     
     
      $5
      per
      hour,
      it
      adds
      up
      after
      a
      while.
      Or
      are
      they
     
     
      too
      good
      for
      a
      job
      like
      that?
      Then
      these
      same
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people
      complain
      again
      about
      how
      the
      government
      »
     
    
   
   
    
     
      is
      cutting
      back
      on
      student
      summer
      employment
     
     
      programs
      and
      this
      results
      in
      their
      not
      getting
      a
      job
     
     
      in
      the
      summer.
      So,
      of
      course,
      they
      may
      as
      well
     
     
      spend
      their
      summer
      at
      the
      beach.
      How
      much
      do
      we
     
     
      have
      to
      baby
      these
      students
      before
      they
      run
      out
      of
     
     
      flimsy
      excuses.
      Do
      they
      expect
      someone
      to
      find
      them
     
     
      a
      job
      after
      they
      graduate?
      Anyway,
      we
      can
      get
     
     
      involved
      and
      help
      stop
      the
      tax!
      We
      can
      sign
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      CFS
      anti-tax
      postcards
      and
      send
      it
      to
      Ottawa.
     
     
      Just
      address
      it
      to
      "Who
      Care,
      Ottawa."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      of
      the
      most
      humorous
      lines
      in
      the
      "Student
     
     
      Voice"
      came
      on
      the
      first
      page
      where
      the
      CFS
      took
     
     
      credit
      for
      getting
      university
      tuition
      and
      residence
     
     
      fees
      exempt
      from
      the
      Goods
      and
      Services
      Tax.
      |
     
     
      don’t
      remember
      the
      government
      ever
      saying
      that
      it
     
     
      was
      going
      to
      tax
      fees
      and
      tuitions
      and
      I|
      guess
      I
     
     
      must
      have
      missed
      that
      big
      yellow
      poster
      campaign.
     
     
      Oh
      well,
      it
      doesn’t
      hurt
      to
      Iet
      them
      think
      what
      they
     
     
      want
      to
      think.
      I
      admit
      that
      the
      GST
      on
      books
      is
      a
     
     
      bit
      of
      a
      pain
      but
      I
      don’t
      think
      that
      an
      extra
      7%
      will
     
     
      kill
      anybody.
      It
      will
      only
      be
      $3.50
      extra
      on
      a
      $50.00
     
    
   
   
    
     
      book,
      which
      is
      not
      so
      bad.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Now
      I
      do
      not
      want
      everybody
      thinking
      that
      I
      am
     
     
      necessarily
      opposed
      to
      the
      CFS
      organization.
      It
      is
     
     
      a
      great
      organization
      for
      students;
      Its
      SWAP
     
     
      program,
      its
      student
      saver
      program,
      and
      the
      many
     
     
      other
      programs
      that
      it
      offers
      provides
      excellent
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      many
      students.
      I
      just
      feel
      that
      if
      they
     
     
      stopped
      whining
      so
      much
      and
      started
      to
      concentrate
     
     
      on
      the
      more
      important
      tasks
      and
      programs
      at
      hand
     
     
      then
      the
      organization
      would
      greatly
      improve
      and
      be
     
     
      far
      better
      able
      to
      represent
      the
      university
      students
     
     
      of
      Canada
      as
      smart-minded,
      clear
      thinking
     
     
      individuals,
      not
      as
      the
      immature,
      weak
      minded
     
     
      complainers
      we
      appear
      to
      be.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      sad
      to
      think
      that
      in
      many
      of
      the
      countries
      of
     
     
      the
      world
      it
      is
      excessively
      difficult,
      if
      not
      impossible,
     
     
      for
      youth
      to
      attend
      university
      or
      even
      to
      have
      any
     
     
      formal
      education
      at
      all.
      In
      many
      of
      the
      countries
     
     
      where
      there
      is
      a
      post
      secondary
      education
      system
     
     
      available,
      the
      admission
      requirements
      are
      so
      high
     
     
      that
      only
      a
      fraction
      of
      the
      top
      students
      are
      admitted.
     
     
      Students
      must
      spend
      numerous
      hours
      studying
      each
     
     
      and
      every
      day
      in
      order
      to
      achieve
      a
      97%,
      98%,
      99%
     
     
      or
      even
      100%
      average
      just
      to
      qualify
      for
      entrance
      to
     
     
      a
      university.
      Then
      there
      is
      the
      exuberant
      tuition
      fee
     
     
      charged
      on
      top
      of
      that.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      are
      lucky
      enough
      to
      live
      in
      a
      country
      where
     
     
      education
      is
      open
      to
      people
      of
      every
      race,
      age
      and
     
     
      sex.
      Where
      scholarships,
      bursaries
      and
      loans
      are
     
     
      available
      to
      assist
      those
      in
      need
      and
      where
     
     
      government
      willingly
      pays
      for
      over
      than
      three
     
     
      quarters
      of
      our
      university
      cost.
      Did
      we
      forget
      all
     
     
      this?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      University
      is
      a
      privilege,
      not
      a
      right
      and
      we
      should
     
     
      treat
      it
      that
      way.
      We
      are
      lucky.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thankfully,
     
     
      A
      student.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      1st,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      5