Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mnetor.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsri!utcs!mnetor!sophie From: sophie@mnetor.UUCP Newsgroups: can.politics Subject: Re: Re: Nationalization/Crown Corps. Message-ID: <1252@mnetor.UUCP> Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 13:46:13 EDT Article-I.D.: mnetor.1252 Posted: Wed Jul 10 13:46:13 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 10-Jul-85 14:44:58 EDT References: <1121@ubc-cs.UUCP> <1110@mnetor.UUCP> <1135@ubc-cs.UUCP> Distribution: can Organization: Computer X (CANADA) Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Lines: 46 > Now let's look at some real scewups (not a complete list): > [The following are all Crown Corporations] > > Return on > Company Capital > ------- --------- > CBC -1.05 > ...... > > J.B. Robinson Wait a minute there! CBC was never meant to be a profit-making operation. It is a service operation providing information, ideas, entertainment to people. I personnally am very happy that they are losing money. It means that they spend more time producing services than selling them. How can you compare the profits of a service industry with that of regular industry? Service means service to people, not money (except reasonnable wages) to those providing it. I would be very suspicious of any service industry which registered a profit that wasn't spent on providing more services because then they wouldn't be providing as good a service as they could, thus, in my opinion failing in their goal. From what I have heard so far, CBC radio programs are also the most professional, informative and intelligent in North America. I don't watch enough TV to know about CBC TV vs other networks. Given the cuts in CBC's budget, it is amazing that they are still managing to produce such high-quality programs. I am personnally very happy that my taxes are contributing to the continuation of such a good service. I really don't understand some of you posters on the net. Isn't there any other measure of worth than the mighty $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$? what do you think money is for in the first place? to make more money? the original purpose of money was to serve as a standardised way to trade services, yes services of human value. This is what we do with CBC or other service industries like hospitals (I guess I should say "we should" since medical care now seems to be a business rather than a service) or educational establishments. These operations provide many intangible benefits to society that can even be eventually translatable in $$$$$$$$$$$, but do not have to be if they contribute to the overall happiness of people. You can't take it with you, you know..... -- Sophie Quigley {allegra|decvax|ihnp4|linus|watmath}!utzoo!mnetor!sophie