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The Brussels Post, 1980-02-13, Page 2Merchants'along the main street are disappearing one by one, and now a once active organization—the Brussels Business Association has also become extinct. It's unfortunate that an organization-that brought some interesting new businesses such as the pharmacy to town, should• have to fade away due to lack of interest on the part of area merchants. Yes, there were Those who did show dedication fa the cause of the BBA,, but they always seemed, to be the same ones and they were always the ones who had the work fall on „their shoulders as well. Those who didn't gd out to the. BBA meetings failed to recognize that an idea promoted by active members benefitted them as well. One; of the most noticeable examples was the BBA Christmas draw.' Unfortunately, it looks like there will be no more chance for -new ideas or an active BBA. The village cf. Brussels;- which at one time looked like it was about to prosper, seems to be dying out instead. Does anyone care to resurrect- it? Sugar and spice By Bill Smiley Two flocks of turkeys It's a wonder there aren't more people in politics. Air it requires basic- ally is a strong stomach, a thick hide, and an absolute lack of scruples about giving away other people's money. There will be only one real loser in this mid-winter election--the Canadian people. After eight months of non-government they have to pay 60-65 million dollars for the privilege of choosing between. two flocks of turkeys. Let's start with an a priori. Ed Broadbent and the NDP don't have a hope of forming a government. All they can play is the role of spoilers. So we have a choice between a party that practically put us into eternal bankruptcy, the Liberals, and a party that showed an incredible naivete in its first chance to govern in more than a decade, the Tories. There's something desperately wrong with our system when we have two choices only: the mediocre and the mediocre. My • gut instinct about this election is disgust, and I'm sure it is widely shared. But it's the only system we have, at the moment, and a man can't just lie down on his face, cry, and kick his heels in frustration, as he would love to do. As I write, the Liberals, after being soundly rejected by the voters last spring, are 20 points ahead of the Tories in the polls. What an incredible electorate we have! Canadians tend to think of them- selves as rather clout, solid, gray people, fairly unemotional, quite stable. The truth is that 'we are more volatile, politically, than the Balkans. After several decades of good, gray prime ministers, whom we could count on to never let the left hand know what the right hand was doing, we embraced, with an almost religious fer- vour, a fiery, flaming, evangelical prophet Out of the mid-west, who had a Vision - and not much else. Rapidly becoming uncomfortable with this, we backed right up to a good, solid Capadian, who liked sports, had an infectious chuckle, and didn't know how „to chop off the hands of his friends when they got them into the till. Mike Pearson. Soured on him, we clasped to our breasts a. brilliant, arrogant man with a flower in his button-hole and a flower- child in his kitchen. It was as disas- trous as an honest, homely man who had never made the team marrying the chief, cheer-leader. We became envious, and finally, embarrassed. We listened .to his maunderings and his ponderings. We were at first proud, then baffled, then suspicious. He seemed to have the knack of saying the wrong thing at the right time. There was 'nowhere to go but down, so we happily went back to a nonentity). a fellow whom most of his own party did not want, a scrambling, ambitious, and colorless man. We'd had enough of that color and charisma. We wanted someone like Mackenzie King, only not so crafty. Joe. As I write, we are witnessing the Second Coming of Pierre and the Sec- ond Chance of Joe. His Brilliance and His Ordinariness. And you can't tell them apart. The first is trying to hide all his. faults by acting like a clam. The second in multiplying his faults by opening his mouth. Both are promising the moon, with our money. They have cancelled each other out. What I'd really like to see is a Massive rejection of both by the Canad- ian voter. Everybody staying home on election day. Three hundred votes cast in the whole of Canada. All of them for the Rhinoceros Party. But that couldn't happen. We're too sincere, too earnest: We still believe in the so-called democratic System, which gives you a vote for due of two or three guys, none of whom you think should lead the country. So Weo into the polling booth, start (Lontmued on Page 11) pinion Serving Brussels and the surrounding community. , Published each Wednesday afternoon at BruSsels, Ontario By McLean Bros. Publishers Limited... Evelyn Keniledy, - Editor Pat Langlois - AdvertiSing Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $1.0.00 a Year, Others $20.00 a Year. Single Copies 25 cents each: Bye-bye Brussels? n ThoSe Tanis sure li BY DEBBW • RAMEY Maybe now would ,.be .a good time to take A vacation in the •United 'States. Perhaps, the warm glow of gratitude, that, our neighbours to the south .have bden 'feeling towards Canadians ever sine the, rescue mission in Iran hasn't. yet worn off and I'll be able to." enjoy some of those discounts they May be offering to, Canadians :On holiday. I've been wonderirig about that out- pouring of , gratitude, personally, t was Overwhelined that there was sUch a great response but there's a niggling, little feeling at the back of my mind that.' if .it had been.Americans hiding • the Canadians in- their emba'ssy, we. -would ' haVe expected our` politicians• to say thanks and that would have been it. That's rather ironic considering that if we ever had to go to war against anybody, we know who we'd be expect- ing to ,help us-,,that great big elephant to the 'south. As one who has laughed at American misconceptions of what ow how to say ;thanks: 'Canada is all about, J, feel rather ashamed of 'myself for putting our big neighbour down. Although a' lot of Americans don't seem to know much about: this country, a lot of Canadians donq know much about this country either. Canadians don't seem to, • be as patriotic about their country as Americans are about the United States. It's a shame that .it takes another country showing gratitude and patriotism towards us to raise even a little feeling of pride in our own country. If we could. just become more patri- otic and learn more about this country we live in, we could help the Ameri- cans to learn about ,..this country as well, and perhaps bring 'back the • pride we had at the 1967 Centennial. Some-. times it "seems like a lot of Canadians take too many things for granted, un- like the Americans who show appreci- ation -for 'a job well done. Our country• is something to be proud of. Let's show People that we are. BLUE RIBBON AWARD 19 Behind the scenes by Keith Roulston The NDP has work to do At the beginning of the election had on the country? campaign (if anyone • can possibly Perhaps the problem is image, that ' remember that far back) New over used word of the modern world. Ask the , ordinary- voter what, he associates with the ND? and he'll say big government . and big labour. As a promoter of socialist ideas the NDP has been part ly responsible for the growth of government. Many people are afraid bureaucracy which is already SO strong in Canada would take over completely. It recent -years • the NDP's ungraceful courting' of the, support 'of big labour has given it support in one area' that has, done much to destroy its credibility with the majority of the Canadian time the opportunity was there to break . populace. People in Canada may not, out. People • were faced with Pierre like big business but they dislike big Trudeau on one side, a man they had . labour just as much. Given a chriice turned out of office only months earlier:, between General Motors and the :United _and Joe Clark on the other, who had Auto Workers many Canadians, including many union members, aren't sure which to take. . • Talk to a small businessman for instance, and the chances are 99 to one that he wouldn't, even consider voting for the NDP: He considers, the NDP anti-business.He'll vote Liberal, or more likely Conservative,' yet 'there, is little baSis for his support •of-, these parties in what they've done for him' r o what they promise to do. When both talk of business they mean the big business. Successive administrations of both parties' since the Second WAr have only managed to turn 'More and more of the economy over to big business. Today even small towns, Once the bastion of small business, are being taken over by the big chains, the. The party itself is directly or ..supermarkets, the convenience stores, indirectly responsible for much of what the small-scale shopping centres. is good in the Canadian system. It was Yet I heard a 'speech by Broadbent the NDP under its former initials of the • the other night that clearly set him on CCF that brought in universal health the side of small business. He insurance first in Saskatchewan. Later promised to base his plans for Canada after it beeame acceptable • to the on the small and medium sized ordinary Canadian the Liberals brought businesses, not the multi-national in the plan and took the credit. Today giants. Perhaps if 'he was in power nearly‘ everyone agrees it's a good ' these' words would be just as holloW as thing . although • several provincial ' the inevitable motherhood speech Conservative governments try their best a Liberals and, Conservatives ' give once to dismantle it Without admitting it. every election on the importance of It was the NDP that fought for small business. Op the other hand, Petrocan. It was the NDP that fought maybe Broadbent would carry out his for tighter control on foreign investment. prOmises. When the public was willing to accept It's academic because he Won't get a these policies, the Liberalsbrought chance because the very businessmen them in and took credit. It's like a he promises to 'help probably didn't Minor league hockey team that develops even hear what he Said. • They don't the talent 'while Harold Ballard comes even perceive the NDP as being on along and picks the players when their side. Likewise the fanner, the they're ready for the big league and housewife and many other parts of the takes the credit for them. population already think they know The people of Canada have accepted what the NDP is all about. the ideas of the NDP but riot the party That golden opportunity for the' NDP itself. -Why hasn't the party been able is still there but the party has a lot of to build the kind of real strength to work to do to get people to listen to go with the, big influence they have what they say. voters turn -against the Liberals and Conservatives and choose a minority 'government and the next election the voters, - tired of ,the turmoil of minority _governinent 7., turn to the old line parties and crush the NDP. This time • Mr. 'Broadbent 'said, this Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent made a good many speeches about the great opporunity the •NDP had to 'finally made a breakthrough in this election. The NDP has spent the last two decades on a roller 'coaster of hope and despair. One election they go up as the' that if • the NDP got into power the said that once the Canadian people knew him they would grow to love him and saw even that promise broken. Surely.' people turning from these alternatives in disgust would rally' at last to the NDP in significant numbers. PrObably no one but the strongest NDP supporter would believe now th,at the breakthrough is coming. All the polls show the NDP in about the same position as ever. If the polls can be believed Pierre Trudeau is just a week away' from returning as Prime Minister. One can understand the bitterness that must be in the ranks of the NDP supporters. There are many good people connected with the party, people -who are compassionate, honest and smart.