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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-10-01, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1986. Different subsidies The word subsidy has become a dirty word in the 1980’s. Subsidies have become associated with big government, with unfair trade practices and with support for industries that can’t make it in the open market. But there are subsidies and there are hidden subsidies. When Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley last week announced a new pipeline to take Lake Huron water to Wallaceburg, Dresden and nearby communities it seemed like one more big government project. Yet behind it all is really a hidden subsidy to big business. ThepushforLakeHuronwaterhasbeenstronginthese communitiesbecauseofheavy chemical pollution in the nearby St. Clair river from the “chemical valley’ ’ industries of Sarnia. Ever since the discovery of the toxic ‘ ‘blob ’ ’ in the St. Clair river people have been worried about the danger to their drinking water. Another cause of concern in drinking water is the run off from farm chemicals, traces of which have turned up in the Sydenham river from which Dresden draws its water. While farmers get the direct benefit from farm chemicals in the long run it is the chemical industry that makes more money out of farming than the farmers. In fact a good deal of our so-called big government these days goes into such indirect subsidies to business. If big business in the chemical valley cleaned up its own mess, the government wouldn’t have to worry about building a $22 million pipeline. Business can ’ t have it both ways: to have small government and yet expect government to solve all those little (and big) problems the business doesn’t want to deal with. Unwelcome messenger Keith Davey, the man who did so much to put the Liberal Party in office and keep it there through the 1960’s and 1970’s is not the most popular man in the party these days. In his new book and through comments in the press it has become known that Mr. Davey is not exactly thrilled at going into another federal election with John Turner as head of the party. Doubts about Mr. Turner's leadership aren’t exactly what Liberals want to hear at the moment. They prefer to look at Brian Mulroney’s government tumbling in the polls. They drool when they project the public opinion figures of the last few months into the next election (particularly in Quebec where the Liberals have had a massive comeback apparently). They look at the growing public cycnicism about Mr. Mulroney that has some people calling him Mr. Baloney, and John Turner looks pretty good by comparison. They don’t want to be told otherwise. If only the party looks united, they say, everything will be all right. They are fooling themselves. Between elections all through the Pierre Trudeau years the Conservatives always looked good in the polls because of the supposed unpopularity of Mr. Trudeau but when it came down to a real choice, people always went with Trudeau. Before the last election, Mr. Turner had a large lead in the polls only to see it vanish in days as the campaign went on. Poll results released last week show how quickly that lead can evaporate. While Mr. Turner has done a good job of reorganizing the Liberal Party itself, there is absolutely no evidence to show that he has won the hearts and minds of the Canadian people. On the contrary, a poll conducted by MacLean’s magazine last month showed that while the Liberal party was favoured by 35 per cent of voters, Mr. Turner was the third choice of the three party leaders to be prime minister. He got only 16 per cent support from those polled. He may not clear his throat in the middle of every speech, he may not be photographed patting the bums of women but he hasn’teffectedsuchadramaticchangein his image that people will forget those traits. Once an image is established in people’s minds, it is hard to change it. Just ask Bob Stanfield about his dropped football or Joe Clark about his lost luggage. Like it or not, image plays a big part in politics these days. The Liberals are fooling themselves if they let favourable polls lull them into thinking the people have changed their mind about a leader who led them to the worst defeat in party history. Thanks to the churches Everybody’s talking about the farm crisis but nobody seems to be doing much about it. Government, both federal and provincial, seems more concerned with helping farmers get off the land than keeping them on it. Even farm leaders seem to have given up. Intothebreachhave stepped the churches. The United Church of Canada has held conferences to study the problem. The Roman Catholic Church, led in western Ontario by Most Rev. John Sherlock, of the Dioceses of London, has also been a strong voice against the destruction of the rural lifestyle which the trend to getting people out of farming will bring. The churches have been doing what they should, and what nobody else has been doing: looking beyond the economics at the morality of destroying rural communities. Would they could get more people to listen to their message. A basket full of fun f UTp/ie world view from Mabel’s Grill 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 justeveryone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. MONDAY: Hank Stokes brought in this picture this morning that he clipped out of a newspaper a week or so ago. It was one of those “robbery in progress’’ pictures taken by a security camera in a bank and it showed two men dressed as Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan robbing a bank. “See,’’ says Hank, “the politi­ cians are getting so desperate for money they’re robbing banks too, not just us little guys.” TUESDAY: The drug situation got a going over in debate this morning. With Prime Minister Mulroney’s declaration of war on drugs Billie Bean suggested to Ward Black that maybe Mr. Mulroney should declare war on other pressing national emergen- ciesinCanadalikethe plight of homeless hampsters. Ward of course, supporter of the prime ministerthatheis, was quite defensive. “Look at all those athletes who get involved in drugs and the example they’re setting,” he said. Tim O’Grady said that if they’re going to investigate drugs in athletes they’d better check into some of the sports broadcasters. After watching those two guys on the Global sports at night, he says, he figures they must be on something because they’re always finding something hysterically funny that he misses. WEDNESDAY: Hanks was talking this morning about the new domed stadium in Toronto and how no matter how much the cost goes up people just seem to be thrilled to say keep on going. “I sure wish I could find somebody to feel the same way about the debt on my farm.” he says. THURSDAY: Tim says he has had to give up his hobby plans this fall. All last summer he was going down to the lake and looking at these nice big sailboats. Then he sent away for all these plans about how he could build his own boat in his back yard. He had the lumber ordered Continued on page 6 Letter to the editor DEAR EDITOR: The Huron County Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society would like to express its appreciation and gratitude to the residents, indus­ tries, business firms and associa­ tions of your community who contributed so generously to the 1986 campaign for cancer funds. As of this date, the Wingham and District Branch has collected the sum of $18,853.00. This achievement combined with that of the other four Branches of the Huron Unit has enabled the Society to reach and go over our 1986 objective of $98,000. At this time, contributions for the whole unit total $99,661. A special thank you goes out to Doris McCall and Oliver Gauld and their fine team of volunteers who have worked long and hard to reach and surpass the Unit objective. In doing so, a significant contribution has been made to the fight against Cancer and a great service has been done for your community and county. On behalf of the Huron County Unit please accept our sincere thanks for a superb job. MURRAY HUNTER CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN HURON UNIT CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY [640523Ontario Inc.] Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Published weekly in Brussels, Ontario P.O.Box152 P.O.Box429, Brussels, Ofat. Blyth, Ont. N0G1H0 N0M1H0 887-9114 523-4792 Subscription price: $15.00; $35.00foreign. Advertising and news deadline: Monday 2p.m. in Brussels;4p.m. in Blyth Editor and Publisher: Keith Roulston Advertising Manager: Beverley A. Brown Production and Office Manager: Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968