Cutbacks

 

Two related articles in yesterday's newspaper caught my attention. Cross border shopping is a hot potato in our border community as it takes much needed consumer dollars out of our local economy. Our falling dollar may help somewhat, but the recent cutbacks of staff at the US border stations may be more effective. The wait times are predicted to increase by at least 20% in the next month.

 

 

 

Border lineups are not for the impatient or the feint of heart. It helps nobody including the environment. (cars idling for an hour or more)

 

The second article was also regarding US cutbacks and this one also will have an impact on our local economy. The military is curtailing participation in the air show business. The 'big boys' in the flying business are always a huge draw for air show goers.

 

So just how wise is the US government for choosing its priorities for cutbacks? That they finally are curtailing some spending is commendable and should have been done five years ago at the  soonest. The military pullback makes sense. What is productive about burning thousands of litres of jet fuel just to show off your military hardware?

But, the border thing is just plain silly and ill advised. The US economy benefits greatly when Canadians go south to shop. When they cut back on staff and eliminate any overtime, and the potential consumer is so inconvenienced that he decides not to go south, the dollars stay in Canada. That is good for us, but dumb for the USA to allow such a thing.

But then those Washington bureaucrats don't know a cross border shopper from a cross dresser.