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4 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, January 8, 2014
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Canacra
editorial
Best 2014 pledge?
No more scandals
QMI Agency
Some people say the best way to make it through
the day is to have low expectations. That way you
won't be disappointed when things fall apart.
Well, we've been around the block a few times, but
we still think voters and taxpayers should expect a lot
out of their politicians.
Call us naive. But if we don't set the bar high, what
exactly are we fighting for anyway?
If we had to pick the top pledge we want politicians
to make for 2014, it's to promise no more scandals.
It seems the public will agree. The latest Nanos
Research poll conducted Dec. 14 and 16 shows "the
Canadian political mood has turned quite sour:'
Thirty-eight percent of respondents said the federal
government's performance in 2013 was poor. In 2012,
the number was less than half that result, at 16%. Cana-
dians haven't felt this negative since 2007, according to
the poll.
You can chalk some of this up to the Senate scandal,
the report's summary says. No doubt.
However, the mainstream media would have us
believe the Senate scandal was the year's biggest. They
never miss a chance to paint Prime Minister Stephen
Harper in the most negative light possible.
After all, other scandals harmed taxpayers more.
The Charbonneau Commission continues to probe
allegations of corruption surrounding the construction
industry, organized crime and public sector contracts
— some of which were worth billions. One former
mayor has even been charged with gangsterism.
And don't forget the billion dollars wasted by the
Ontario Liberals' gas plants blunder.
Then there are the personal scandals. Toronto Mayor
Rob Ford is surprisingly resilient. He may be re-elected
in October.
But that doesn't change the fact he initially misled
the public about his crack cocaine use. Even many of
his supporters thought he should step down, if only
temporarily.
Canadians all across the country are tired of
scandals.
The solution? Politicians should focus on doing their
jobs. (Crazy idea, eh?) Focus on other priorities. That
way we'll have fewer idle hands and busybodies float-
ing about getting into trouble. So while they're at it,
they should also pledge to no more taxes, no more gov-
ernment programs we don't need, less debt and less
government intrusion in our lives.
Hey, we can dream, right?
Walk for memories,
walk for hope
When I was lit-
tle, my grand-
mother was my
best friend.
Back then it
was common for
us to spend our
Saturday nights
watching TV, usu-
ally Murder She
Wrote or Burke's
Law, while eating
those infamous tin roof sun-
daes, riding the sugar high all
the way to church the next
morning.
To me, she was one of a kind.
My grandmother: the wisest,
funniest, classiest woman in
the world.
Everything about her exuded
perfection, from the way her
shoes always matched her
purse, to the delicate way her
homemade pie crust melted in
your mouth.
When I first found out she
had been diagnosed with
Alzheimer's, it hit me pretty
hard.
Was she going to forget who I
was?
What was going to happen to
her personality?
Who was she going to
become?
Like most people, I knew lit-
tle to nothing about the disease
and immediately started to
research. What I found out sur-
prised me.
Alzheimer's disease is more
than just a loss of memory and
is not a normal part of aging.
It's a fatal, progressive and
degenerative disease that actu-
ally destroys brain cells and is
the most common form of
dementia, accounting for 64 per
cent of all dementias in
Canada.
Symptoms include far more
than just having difficulty
remembering things. Those
with the disease regularly
encounter problems making
decisions and even performing
everyday activities.
For my grandmother, being
Colu
mn
Whitne
Huron E
y South
xpositor
diagnosed with
this disease
meant she was no
longer able to live
on her own,
something that
affected her
deeply.
A once charis-
matic, outgoing
and fiercely inde-
pendent woman,
she put on a brave face when-
ever we'd come to visit, but it
was easy to see Alzheimer's had
taken far more from her than
just her memories.
As the years went on, my
grandmother became increas-
ingly frail but never lost her
sense of humour. She also never
once forgot my name, and for
that I will always be grateful.
When she lost her battle with
Alzheimer's on Oct. 24, 2011, a
part of me left with her.
For several years, my family
and I have participated in the
annual Alzheimer Society Walk
for Memories, an event meant
to raise awareness and funds
for Alzheimer's care, support
and education. The walk takes
place in over 65 communities
across Ontario, including
Seaforth.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, I will
once again take part, this time
right here in Huron County, in
hopes the money we raise will
help researchers on the way to
finding a cure. My hope is that
everyone will find a way to help,
either by donating to the cause,
or by simply giving their time.
For more information or to
make a donation, please visit
www.walkformemories.ca.
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