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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-10-15, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1986. No time for dogma When a disaster strikes in a far off land as it did last week in El Salvador, Canadian governments and individuals are quick to act to help out. Even when such a natural disaster happens in a country where we do not particularly agree with the political structure, we rush to the aid of the individuals. When a tornado struck the city of Barrie and smaller centers, people were quick to rush to the aid of the victims. When our farms face disaster, however, we seem to be best at offering excuses, not help. When disaster hit Ontario’s farmers in the last month, destroying most of the white bean crop and millions of dollars of vegetables and damaging other crops, our governments sit back and say that’s too bad but what can we do about it. The weather played no part in it but farmers growing grain, from wheat to corn have been hit by a similar, uncontrollable disaster in the form of a world surplus of grain and heavy subsidies by major competitors like the United States and the European Economic Community and again the response is that the problem is just too big to tackle. There are those who say that farmers hit by weather should have been covered by crop insurance and there is no doubt that if insurance is good, it should have been bought. But vegetable growers, as the peach growers before them, say that the crop insurance programs are inadequate and that the payout is often less than the premium. Even for white bean farmers, most of whom are covered, the general feeling is that the best farmers can hope for is a payment to cover the cost of production. In normal times that might be acceptable but these are not normal times. White beans were one of the few crops shaping up as profitable in a year when there has been little good news on the farm. Many farmers were hanging on in the hope their crops this year would buy them a little more time. Even if they do recover the cost of production of their crops from insurance, it isn’t enough. They need profits to keep their creditors away from the door. Where are they supposed to get the money to feed their families overthe winter. Where are they supposed to get money to plant crops next year. In the crisis facing grain farmers there are those who argue that the market must sort itself out, that only by attrition can stability be brought back to prices. But if 99 per cent of Canadian corn and wheat farmers we nt out of business it wouldn’t effectively raise the prices to profitable levels for the remaining one per cent. Canadian farmers aren’t players in a national market but in an international market. While Canadian farmers can look at wheat prices of $3 a bushel, American farmers look to $6 a bushel. Even in the bastion of free enterprise south of the border, the government seems to have grasped that they’re in a war for survival. In Canada, we have swallowed the dogma about no government interference to the point that if prices do recover, we’re not likely to have many farmers left to enjoy the good times. We face an on-going emergency in rural communities across Canada every bit as bad as the tornado tragedy in Barrie. (The death toll from the farm crisis is already, sadly, higher). This is not time for dogma. It’s time for action, not blaming the victims. It’s time to prove we live in a country that can have compassion not only for the victims of an earthquake or a tornado or a drought half-way around the world but also for our own people. Now isn’t a time for excuses but for action. Social spending fallacies Living in the enormous shadow of the United States, particularly being swamped by U.S. media information, Canadians’ perception of their societydn relation to the rest of the world can be somewhat warped. Perception is, for instance, that Canadian spending on social programs is huge, if not downright out of control. Yet a recent study by the International Monetary Fund shows that of the seven major industrialized countries, Canada has one of the lowest rates of expenditures compared to gross national product and moreover that the upcoming aging process of the population will affect Canada less thamany of the other countries. Based on 1980 figures, for instance, Canada’s spending at 20.2 per cent of gross domestic product was third lowest and the aging problem will hardly affect Canada at all. Japan is the current leader in least spent on social programs with only 15.4 per cent but with an aging population its costs will soar to 27 per cent by 2025. WestGermany currently spends31 percent of its gross domestic production on social programs and will increase that to 34.6 per cent by 2025. The U.S. will see its social costs grow from the second lowest rate at 17.6 per cent now to 19.4 per cent in 2025. The cost of social programs are often given as a major reason Canadian industries cannot be competitive in the world. Perhaps we should think again about that myth. 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 wisdomreside 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. MONDAY: Tim O’Grady was saying he figures he did something wrong with his life. Tim was talking about'an article he read in the paper on the new Guinness Book of World Records. Included in the information was that Sylvester Stallone twice set new records last year for the most money made for acting in a movie. He got $13 million for Rambo and $20 million for Rocky IV. * * And I thought I made the right choice for making good money when I became a lawyer,” Tim says. ‘‘I should have gone into body building and learned to mumble instead.” Ward Black said he thought that what lawyers did was the literary equivalent of mumbling anyway. Hank Stokes said he figured he might try for a place in the Guinness book next year. Looking at his bean field, he said, he figures he might get an entry for the biggestbatch of bean soup ever made. TUESDAY: Billie Bean is always looking for something to boost the local economy, not to mention his personal economy. He was promoting the idea today of building a big resort hotel in town. Julia Flint wondered who would ever com a here to use the hotel. Billie said that Mr. Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev seem to be looking at out of the way places to get together (sort of like couples playing around) and they might choose here over Iceland next time. Ward said that you really can’t make something like this work unless you have a big draw like a lake. “Well,” says Billie, “I was over at the lake the other day and if the water keeps going up, we may soon be a beachfront community ncie in town. WEDNESDAY: Ward was upset this morning about the big bucks the Liberal government in Toronto " WARRi' Likes inc j wcs ofe-/" he world view from Mabel’s Grill is going to blow convincing Rodderick Lewis he should retire as clerk of the legislature. Tim said he figured old Rod must have been a good free enterpriser if he could bargain such a big settlement out of the government. Just goes to show the Grits and Socialists were right when they accused him of being a Tory all these years, Tim says. Hank told Ward maybe he had got hooked up with the wrong party. After all, he said, with Judd Buchanan suggesting they should payoff Iona Camagnola’s mort­ gage when she retires as Liberal party president and this Lewis retirement package it sounds like it couldbelucrative even to retire around Liberals. “Humph,” says Ward, “They should pay you to work for that party not to leave it.” FRIDAY: Tim was asking Julia how she felt about that fact the armed forces had opened up all non-combat roles to women. Julia said she figured that women would never be in combat roles anyway because they were so much superior to men that they would go right to the top and be generals and admirals, not foot soldiers or sailors. Billie Bean says he’s not sure non-combative roles will suit the women’s libbers because they’re about the most combative people he’s ever come across. Hank says that after listening to his wife, he thinks she could step right in and be a drill sargeant. OFFICE HOURS FOR THE CITIZEN’S BRUSSELS OFFICE Monday 10-2 Wednesday 10-2 Thursday 10-2 Friday 10-2 Closed on Tuesday, Saturday & Sunday [64U523 Ontario Inc. ] Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Published weekly In Brussels, Ontario P.O. Box 152 P.O. Box 429, Brussels, Ont. Blyth, Ont. NOG 1 HO N0M1H0 887-9114 523-4792 Subscription price: $15.00; $35.00foreign. Advertising ana news deadline: Monday 2 p.m. In Brussels; 4 p.m. in Blyth tanor ana nubnsner: reitn mouisiod Advertising Manager: Beverley A. Brown Production and Office Manager: Jill Roulston Second Class Mall Registration No. 6968