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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-02-19, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1986. 0 �, O O 0� MDT,ICCM What are schools for? Every now and then there's a story in the papers about some emissary from business and industry complaining that our schools aren't doing a good enough job training people to fill available jobs. Our schools, almost as much as the post office, are the brunt of criticism from all directions. Who but people involved in education, have you heard stand up for schools? If schools turn out people who can't find jobs there must be something wrong with either the schools or the economy. But on the other hand, do we want schools who program people to quietly slip into the employ of large corporations and live their lives doing the service of big business? A recent television show on the University of Western Ontario's Master of Business Administration program (particularly on women) and its role in training people to take over the executive positions in the major corporations of the country, stated that these are people who accept things the way they are: they aren't burdened with ideas of changing the world. - But do we want people, even in business, who are prepared to accept things the way they are? Can't a country progress only if it has people coming up with innovative ideas, people ready to try to do things that others say can't be done? Economists and politicians tell us that the strength of the economy, the potential for growth and job creation, lies in small business, those companies with less than SO employees. Most new ideas come from the little guy, often working almost on his own. Yet the failure rate of new businesses starting up is high both because of lack of financing and lack of business knowledge. But where are the university programs or even the community college programs that are designed to help people set up theirown business or take over the business their parents have started before them? They're pretty scarce if not non-existent. Because there are people out there who want to run their own business yet have little confidence in their own ability and have no place to turn to get more knowledge, the franchise system has mushroomed. The franchise company gives the budding entrepreneur a few rules to go by and takes things like marketing off their hands and the people think they are running their own business when they're usually employees in all but name. Canada gets new small businesses almost against all its efforts. Despite government measures that seem designed to guarantee all business is controlled by a few families, stubborn individuals without training in money management, market- ing, advertising, employee relations or other business skills, continue to want to get out there and start their own businesses. A few succeed and some of those who fail learn enough that when they try it next time they succeed. How much healthier could our small business sector be if we cared enough to provided education designed to encourage people to go out and run their own business, not work quietly to make more money for the Bronfmans or Westons? How many more exciting new developments might take place? How many more jobs might be created? Two classes of volunteers? The revelation of the amounts of money paid out not only to county councillors but to "volunteers" serving on county committees begs the question: are there now two classes of volunteers in our area. In at least some cases, hospital board appointees are also now getting a stipend from municipal governments for their representation of the people on those boards. This is not to question the value of the work these people make nor to belittle the sacrifice they make even with this small monetary reward but once you start paying "volunteers", where do you stop? The entire social structure in communities such as ours depends on volunteers. Our churches depend on volunteers. Service clubs, Women's Institutes, even such large organizations as the Blyth Festival, depend on volunteers to make their programs work. It's all well and good to reward people who sit on government -funded committees but what about the hard-working volunteers who work for non-govern- ment agencies. Do we need to start paying those hockey and baseball coaches who put in long hours without even getting much thanks for their work? Could we afford to keep many of our clubs going if we needed to pay volunteers? If we don't pay volunteers will we have people holding out instead for jobs as volunteers that do pay something? Before this trend continues much further, somebody needs to think of the ramifications of this trend. YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THE ROOM IN THESE SMALL CARS, DEAR ! 141E Coui P oNL'/ GET ONE SUrfCASE IN THE TRUNK! 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. MONDAY: Billy Bean said this morning that after listening to the doctors complain so much about not being able to extra -bill he's feeling so sorry for them, he's thinking of starting a campaign to raise money to help them out. Hank Stokes says he's a little worried the whole thing may bring more overproduction in farming. The poor doctors are going to be so short of money, he says, that they may decide there's more money to be made in farming. TUESDAY: Julie Flint brought up the subject of equal pay for work of equal value this morning (she's a brave lady ... or should that be woman these days?) She says she hopes when they get people to decide whose job is worth what, they'll import some of those baseball arbitrators from the U.S. A good ball player hits about a .300 average, hits 20 home runs and bats in about 80 to 100 runs so some guy who hits only .238, gets two homeruns and drives in 24 runs and got $40,0001ast year is offered a $30,000 raise this year. He won't accept that and asks for $150,000 and the arbitrator gives it to him. Turn these guys loose on equal pay for work of equal value and they may decide the receptionist will get as much as the vice president, she figured. And in some cases, they might be right. THURSDAY: Ward Black was saying this morning that despite all the bad things he's said about CBC, you have to give them credit for trying. CBC really seems to be trying to get more people to watch their network. 1 mean, who could resist watching that show they had on last night about Dr. Roberts and the slime moulds. FRIDAY: Julia was away this morning so the guys could get down to the topic of the fuss about the Toronto Maple Leafs not allowing reporters into the dress- ing room after the game. Seems the policy is designed to keep women out of the dressing room while the players were wandering in and out of the showers. The National Hockey League says all reporters, men and women alike, have to be treated alike, so the Leafs said nobody can come into the dressing room and the players will be brought to an interview room after they're dress- ed to talk to reporters. This of course has been taken as a breach of freedom of the press and the Toronto media is screaming. Billie Bean said he kind of sympathized with the players on all this. After all, he says, the players are asked to give their all on the ice and then everybody wants to see their all in the dressing room afterward. Ward Black said there seems to be a kind of double standard here. It's a cause celebre when women are denied the chance to go into a men's locker room while the men are still getting undressed but if a man ever wanted the same right to go into a women's dressing room he'd be called all sorts of dirty names. Tim O'Grady said he saw an interview on television last year with a woman who used to cover the Toronto Blue Jays (even when they were covered) and she was offend- edby how these guys used to stand around without their clothes on when she was trying to interview them after a game. First of all she wants to get in there while they're still changing, he says, and then she gets upset because they seem to be trying to embarrass her. Hank Stokes says there's one way to stop the whole nonsense. Make it like a nudist colony: the reporters are welcome to come in but they've got to take their clothes off too before they get in the door. Letter to the editor THE EDITOR: I would like to say thanks for a job well done by Dane Hastings and John Pipe. As a senior citizen I really appreciate it as I'm not as nimble as I once was. We are prone to find fault and quick to criticize and don't give praise when it's due. So thank you both again. PEGGY CUDMORE 'Helpline' for farmers set up Farmers in Transition (FIT) is a program of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food to help farmers with severe financial difficulties. It includes a farmers' telephone help line, a team of farm family advisers and a re-establishment program. In addition, the Ministry of Community and Social Services will provide family and stress counselling to farm families in financial stress. The toll-free help line number is 1-800-265-1511. It provides infor- mation on employment programs, stress counselling, where toget legal advice, how to obtain profes- sional help in dealing with credi- tors as well as farmers' rights and obligations. [640523Ontario Inc.] Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Published weekly in Brussels, Ontario P.O. Box 152, Brussels, Ont. NOG 1H0 887-9114 P.O. Box 429, Blyth, Ont. NOM 1H0 523-4792 Subscription price: $15.00; $35:00 foreign. 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