The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2014-08-27, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, August 27, 2014 Clinton News Record PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company MARIE DAVID Sun Media Group Publisher Grey Bruce Huron Division 519-364-2001 or 519-372-4301 NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca MAX BICKFORD Advertising Manager max. bickford@sunmedia.ca TARA OSTNER Reporter clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative clinton.ads@sunmedia.ca CHRISTY MAIR Front Office dinton.dassifieds@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of atypographic error advertising goods or services ata wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Ad- vertising is merely an offer to sell, and maybe withdrawn at anytime. The Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St, Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada /4ocnaI Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association editorial Deep in the heart of taxes QMI Agency "Tax me, I'm a Canadian:' It might as well be our national motto. Average Canadians spent 42% of their income on allforms of taxation last year and didn't start work- ing orking for themselves, instead of govemments, until "Tax Freedom Day" on June 9. According to the Fraser Institute, the average fam- ily eamed $77,381 and paid $32,369 in taxes in 2013, 41.8% of its income, compared to 36.1% for food, shelter and clothing combined. That's right, we spend more on taxes than on the necessities of life. Canadians who own homes, for example, might think paying off the mort- gage is their biggest expense. But they're wrong. It's actually paying income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, gas taxes, surtaxes and taxes on taxes imposed by federal, pro- vincial and municipal govemments. Since 1961, the average family's total tax bill has increased by 1,832%, dwarfing increases in shel- ter costs (1,375%), clothing (620%) and food (546%). Cynics might suggest the fact Canadians spend 42% of their incomes on all forms of taxation, simply means our governments have 58% more to go. Critics of the Fraser Institute's annual report on taxation levels say it ignores the fact many of the taxes Canadians pay go to fund things like medicare, public educa- tion and pensions which directly benefit them. In other words, much of the money we pay in taxes comes back to us in gov- ernment services. But that raises the sec- ond issue surrounding Canadian taxation levels, which is whether we are getting good value for the taxes we pay. Are hospitals getting less crowded or more crowded year after year, is it harder or easier to find afamily doctor or specialist, are schools cleaner or dirtier, public education better or worse? Indeed, one of biggest issues about taxation lev- els in Canada is their trans- parency or lack of same. Canadians understand they have to pay taxes. Whattheydon'tunder- stand is why governments constantlyhide from them how their own money is being spent Spentbygovemments which, given the size and cost of their public sectors, clearly believe, in the famous words of George Bernard Shaw, that "a gov- ernmentwhich robs Peter to pay Paul, can always depend on the support of Paul:' Indeed, that's the problem. www.clintonnewsrecord.com column Governments should govern, not educate Tara Ostner The Clinton News Record Recently Health Canada announced its plans for a $5 -million advertising campaign to teach young people about the dangers of drugs. "The intent of the campaign," it says, "is educational and the material is based on evidence and science:' Health Canada also invited the Col- lege of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to co -brand and offer expert advice on the campaign. Shortly after the campaign was unveiled, however, these three groups, representing a total of 80,000 Canadian doctors, pulled their sup- port of the campaign. "We did not and do not, support or endorse any political messaging or political advertising on this issue," said a joint statement that was recently released. The groups' main fear, of course, is that, coming from the government, the message that drugs are bad will become political in nature (and, therefore, contentious) and thus the focus will be taken off of where it's supposed to be, namely, educating youth so that they are well informed about the risks of taking drugs. Their fear is, I think, completely warranted. If Health Canada's advertising campaign is grounded in science, why not just provide funding to non- partisan scientific and medical organizations to develop their own advertising campaign? The government's involvement just seems redundant. Its involvement is also very costly. Does it really make sense to spend $5 million to tell people that drugs are bad when doctors, parents and teachers already do so for free and likely much more informatively? I doubt it and I think that someone would be hard-pressed to put forth an intelligent argument saying otherwise. A young person's health should only concern himself, his doctor, his parents and perhaps his teachers anyway; between all of these impor- tant influences in a child's life, young people already know the ill effects of drugs; they certainly aren't going to take health advice from a politician over a doctor, for instance. Who really would? I have never found paternalism attractive, especially from govern- ment, and the College of Family Phy- sicians of Canada, the Canadian Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada should be credited for stating the same. If the goal behind the advertising campaign is education, which Health Canada claims it is, then I think that the campaign is a bust from the start. The government's role is to govern, not educate, and only bad things (sometimes very bad things) can result when it tries to do both. True education is, by defini- tion, non-partisan and objective something which government, by definition, never is. cl i nto n n ews reco rd. co m LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Letters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.news@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL ILO. CLINTON NEWS RECORD — HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-482-3443 • FAX: 519-482-7341 www.clintonnewsrecord.com