HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-07-23, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1986.
Airplane a 'go broke
quick' scheme
from Mabel’s Grill
It’s a tragic part of life today that plenty of people are gullible
or greedy er ough to get caught up in scams like the “airplane”
scheme in an effort to get rich quick.
Perhaps the media should take part oftheblame for the
situation with the rags to riches stories we’ve been feeding
people for years, both in fiction and in stories of the few
individuals who by luck or hard work (or most likely both) had
jumped from the bottom to the top of the economic pile.
Governments should also take some of the blame for promoting
the idea of becoming instantly rich through the endless
promotion of lottery schemes.
Whatever the cause, at the same time as few people want to
take the risk ofworkingfor themselves, of setting up a business
that depends on their own brains, skills and muscles, we have
people willing to risk $2,200 in search of a quick return of money
even when they know the odds are against it ever coming true.
Look at the sad facts. If 15 people needed for an airplane
scheme got together and invested the resulting $33,000 in a
legitimate business, they’d have the basis for something that
might in the long run return a lot more than they’ll get from an
airplane fraud. In addition, the business they created would
add to their community, providing services needed by the
community, creating jobs to make the community grow.
But the problem with that kind of investment is that it
requires long-term commitment. It requires something more
than a dream of easy money. Those, tragically, are
unfashionable traits in the 1980’s.
Lessons from
the sealers
Seal hunting has about as much direct impact in Huron
County as tiger safaris but there is food for thought for rural
people in the whole country in the recent release of the report of
the Royal Commission into the east coast seal hunt.
The commissioners found that the use of clubs to kill baby
seals isn’t cruel and that seals are not an endangered species.
But against this rational fact came the undeniable public
perception of the seal hunt, as a cruel practice and therefore
people think it should be banned.
The fact that the sealers were right in their factual claims
doesn’t help them at all now that the seal hunt has died because
ofadverse public reaction. It doesn’t help put food on the tables
of the maritime families that depended on the extra income
from the seal hunt. It won’t give some economic base to the Inuit
communities of the north that have been left with no source of
cash income.
Despite the fact that they had logic on their side, the sealers
were destroyed by a relatively small group of activists who used
every trick in the modern media arsenal to put across the image
of the seal hunters as barbarians. There were more seal hunters
than there were organizers of the anti-seal hunt fight but the
seal hunt opponents knew how to use the media to get sympathy
on their side.
There are two lessons to be learned for rural people across the
country. The first is that right doesn’t mean might. Farmers,
fishermen, hunters, all those who live close to the edge of
nature, are a tiny minority these days. They can be logical and
right in their arguments but to society in general they are so
insignificant that they’re like ants who get crushed under the
foot of a giant who never even knows what he’s done.
The second lesson is that our “civililzed” society doesn’t
want to see the grim, reality of life. They don’t want to see, or
even know of, the blood that must be spilled to make that seal
coat, that pair of leather shoes, that fast-food hamburger. All
producers of food who depend on the captivity or slaughter of
animals are susceptable to the same kind of media campaign as
theseal hunters. Imaginewhatafilm camera inside a slaughter
house could do to the market for beef or pork if an organization
like Greenpeace mounted a campaign similar to the one
directed against the seal hunt.
If. or perhaps when, that type of campaign comes, farmers
must be in a better position to counteract it, than the sealers
were. The farmer as the hardy individualist would be easy
pickings for a pressure group like the one that went to work on
he sealers. If ever there was an opportunity for farmers to pull
together, it’s now, while there’s still some time to prepare.
MONDAY: Billie Bean, who is
always trying to come up with some
new promotion for the town, said
he was planning to go down to the
turtle races in Ailsa Craig this year.
Seems the people of Ailsa Craig are
thinking about quitting the turtle
race business. There just isn’t any
money in it now that the provincial
government won’t allow them to
have betting on the races.
“But that’s discrimination”,
Julia Flint said. “They let you bet
on horses but not on turtles. There
must be something in the Charter
of Rights about that.” Tim O’Gra
dy pointed out that the Charter only
applies to people not turtles.
“Yeh,” says Hank Stokes, “but
look at it this way. Ailsa Craig
might not be able to afford a race
track for horses, butthey can easily
afford a track for turtles. That’s
discrimination on the part of the
government in favour of the rich
communities.”
Billie was telling Councillor
Ward Black that our town should
be looking into turtle races if Ailsa
Craig is getting out of the business.
After all, turtle racing put Ailsa
Craig on the map. But Ward
remembered that it wasn’t so much
the turtle racing that put the town
on the map but the court case that
' saw the organizers nearly sent to
jail for allowing illegal betting. “If
you want to organize it you can
Billie, but I’m staying out of it.”
Tim said maybe we could
organize a new pyramid scheme
based on turtles instead of air
planes. “You pile 15 people as
passengers on a turtle’s back and
when one falls off he gets
$17,600,” Tim says. “It might not
setyour imagination soaring but at
least it would take you longer to
lose your money.”
he world view cLL .<• »< « i
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 notjusteveryone
can partake of these deliberations
we will report the activities from
time to time.
TUESDAY: Billie was talking
about the boycott of the Common
wealth Games at this morning’s
session. “The way things are going
with these international games
these days, they should invent a
new event: for the politician fastest
running away from an internation
al sporting event. That way, at
least, there would be some prizes
to be won by some of these
countries that never enter any
other race.’’
WEDNESDAY: Julia was talking
this morning about the squabble
that’s supposed to be going on
between Margaret Thatcher and
the Queen over Mrs. Thatcher’s
refusal to agree to sanctions
against South Africa.
“You’ve got to give the Queen
credit for guts,” Julia says. “Can
you imagine arguing with a lady
who’s known for cutting govern
ment expenses wherever she can
Letter to the editor
when she gives you a couple of
million a year to run the household
expenses?”
“Oh, I don't know if she hasn't
got a few weapons of her own,
Hank Stokes says. “If Maggie got
sticky, the Queen could have
Prince Andrew call off the wedd
ing. You think sanctions would
hurt south Africa, think of what
cancelling the Royal Wedding
would do to the British economy.
Maggie might have to go on the
breadline herself.”
FRIDAY: Tim was talking about
the prank Princess Di and Fergie
were supposed to have played the
other night when they dressed up
as police women and sneaked into a
local night spot. It was supposed to
be their version of the bachelor
party that was taking place for
Andrew at the same time. “Good
grief,” Tim says, “If this is their
idea of a wild time, they could give
bachelor parties a good name.”
Correcting impressions
THE EDITOR,
I would like to correct some
impressions that may have been
left with readers following your
July 9 article “Emergency plann
ing underway in Huron County”.
First, I should make it clear that
although my position as Emergen
cy Planning Co-ordinator is par
tially funded by the Federal
government’s Joint Emergency
Planning Program, 1 am an
employee of the County of Huron.
Under the 1983 Provincial Emer
gency Planning Legislation, muni
cipalities were given the responsi
bility to develop contingency plans
to respond to large scale natural
and manmade emergencies: e.g.,
tornadoes, floods, chemical spills
and nuclear accidents. Huron
County, under this legislation,
unlike a municipality, does not
Continued on page 5
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