A letter
written to the Editor of the Telegram on January 9th, by downtown
St. John’s business owner, Bob Hallett, was more than a thoughtful message
about a group frequently taken for granted.
It was a
reminder that commerce, however small, is serious business; that fiscal
prudence, in an economy in which government is the largest player,
is at great risk especially when there is, according City Councillor, Art Puddester,
“a vacuum of leadership”.
At the
provincial level this is an all too familiar theme. In recent years, fiscal
drunkenness has reduced the travails of entrepreneurship to the mantra: “I
believe in Newfoundland and Labrador”. Except, in the real world, this is the
empty bravado of ‘cheerleaders’. And it doesn’t pay the bills.
