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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-03-12, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1986. When business n CL-O is blackmail When business is blackmail Canadians got another frightening view of the power of a relatively small group of individuals has over their lives again when the international reaction to the Canadian budget sent the dollar tumbling again recently. For Finance Minister Michael Wilson it must have been a frustrating time. He had just given the business community just about all it had asked for at the possible expense of hurting his government’s popularity with the people. He had generally satisfied Canadian business with even John Bulloch, normally-critical, self-appointed spokesman for small busi­ ness, endorsing Mr. Wilson’s plans. And yet the immediate verdict of the world money _ speculators was that the government hadn’t been tough enough and the dollar plummeted. Eventually the decline was reversed, whether from a change of heart of the speculators or through government intervention we don’t know. For the Canadian taxpayer, the speculators’ action was just as frustrating as itwasfor Mr. Wilson. In general, the Canadian public seemed to go along with the extra taxload Mr. Wilson put on them because they thought the common good required reducing the deficit. But here they were, swallowing the bitter medicine, and the international business community was saying they didn’t do enough. The story of the ups and downs of the dollar recently shows Canadians how much control of their lives has slipped into the hands of a few big international businesses. When the finance minister brings down his budget, the entire nation hangs on his every word yet decisions that have almost as much effect on our everyday lives are made in the secrecy of board rooms in Toronto or New York or in the offices of traders in Chicago. Canadian big business is being concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer conglomerates controlled byahandfulof families like the Bronfmans and the Westons and the Blacks. If a similar story was reported from a third world country we’d be shocked but in Canada we accept it. Even more frightening, multi-national corporations means thatcompanies have no loyalty at all to any one country but will shift jobs anywhere if it means a few more cents profit. One of the reasons Canadians have swung behind the efforts of the Brian Mulroney government has been the perception that government had too much control over their lives. They have, for the first time in a generation, put their faith in business instead to provide jobs and reduce the feeling that people don’t control their own lives. But al titudes can change and if people begin to feel that they are the pawns of big business, the present climate for business may change abruptly. Incidents such as the dips and dives of the dollar, incidents such as the Bank of Commerce vice-president who used his power to personally revoke the credit of an NDP member of parliament are exactly the kind of thing that can change perceptions. If the business community is smart it had better start delivering on its promise to put the country right if only the government will give them a chance, before people lose their faith in business too. Our unsung heros With the snow fading outside (hopefully), hockey season will soon be drawing toan end, to the relief of many parentsand the disappointment of many youngsters. Parents who have been taking their youngsters to the arena twoandthreetimesaweek for practices and games since October look forward to spring not just for a break from the winter snow but a break from the killing routine. But if parents sometimes find hockey season hectic, think of those unsung heroes, the coaches. Here are people who must not only show up at the arena in time for games or practices but must also put in untold hours planning how to run practices well or developing strategy to help their players perform to the best of their ability. As in all things, there are good coaches and bad coaches but they all do their best. If they weren’t going to do their best, they wouldn’t get roped into the job in the first place. They would have stayed on the sidelines like the rest of the parents. Particularly to be admired are those coaches who are more than coaches but are teachers to the youngsters not just about hockey but about life. There are the coaches for whom winning isn’tsoimportant that they abandon players who aren’t blessed with as much talent. These coaches teach their players that everybody has a part in making the team successful, not just the stars. It’s a lesson that is important in life as well. Admiration too. to the coaches who instill in their players the desire to play as hard as possible but when their best isn’t good enough, to accept defeat gracefully. These dedicated individuals play such an important part in our communities, not just in the present, but in helping train a future generation that one day will keep our communities active. Well done coaches. world view from Mabel’s Grill J There are people who will tell you that the important decisions in town are made down at the town hall. People in the know, however know that the real debates, the real wisdom reside down at Mabel’s Grill where the greatest minds in the town (if not in the country) gather for morning coffee break, otherwise known as the Round Table Debating and Filibustering Society. Since not just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. would allow the granny flat to be set up. Funny how all the rich people think there’s too much govern­ ment, too many rules and regula­ tions like planning, until it comes to their own neighbourhood, Ward says. MONDAY: Julia Flint showed a post card from her friend Alice who sent it from Mexico where she was on vacation. It arrived this morn­ ing. Alice arrived back two weeks ago Friday. She could have brought back the card in her pocket, mailed it here and it would have arrived sooner. But that wouldn’tbeas much fun as lying in the sun, wiping perspiration off your brow while you write to the people back home in the great white north, would it. There are advantages to this slow mail service, Julia figures. Next time she gets a chance to go down south for a winter vacation, she’s going to mail herself a post card. It should arrive here about the time she’s sniffling through her first cold after getting back. It will bring back wonderful memories, Julia says. WEDNESDAY: Ward Black was saying that you just can't win in politics. People have been saying for years that there should bean alternative to either keeping aging parents in the children’s houses or sending them off to old age homes. It looked like an answser might be comingwhen they imported the idea of "granny flats" from Australia. These are little houses they set up temporarily in people’s backyards so the grandparents can live near their family but still have the freedom of their own homes. But people in a ritzy part of Kitchener have decided it may be a great idea anywhere else but not in theirneighbourhood. Eventhough the one proposed was going to be in the backyard of a big one-acre lot. they complained that it was going to ruin their view and depress real estate values. They were going to oppose the zoning change that FRIDAY: It was an extra-long session of the groups this morning. Everybodyfiguresthere was no sense hurrying away because there wasn’t much that could be accom­ plished with that storm outside anyway. The only problem was a bunch of truck drivers from stranded salt trucks who sat over in one corner and played euchre and told dirty stories, loudly. Hank Stokes didn’tmakeitin from the farm this morning. He suggested setting up a conference call but one of the neighbours wanted the party line. Tim O’Grady was supposed to have been in court this morning but he didn’t make it naturally. He thought it would be a little bad if a lawyer got fined by the police for trying to go around the road blocks. Ward Black wasn’t too pleased about it all. He’s in charge of the road budget for town council and he was just getting a little pleased with himself because it looked like he was going to come in under budget on snow removal for the first time in years. Now this storm will blow more than the snow. Billy Bean said the storm was a pain in the neck but there was one delight for him. Since he couldn’t afford togoaway on vacation on spring break and since his taxes helped pay the salaries of a lot of teachers who could afford to go away, he was going to get a great perverse pleasure out of every teacher who missed a plane for the south. Letter to the editor THE EDITOR. As a public service we thought we should warn Brussels village councillors in advance that the famous “dog fight’’ is likely to continue in the future. We have it on good authority that the owner of the dog recently ordered a very large bag of dog food. The dog will no doubt celebrate.... loudly, thereby keep­ ing council’s agenda filled for weeks to come. Concerned citizens, Dave Marks, Alex Keiffer. [640523Ontario Inc.] “ Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Published weekly in Brussels, Ontario P.O. Box 152, P.O. Box429, Brussels, Ont. Blyth, Ont. 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