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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-06-06, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1990. Editorials Passing the bills There’s a fantasy that’s often played out in movies and television shows: someone is given a rich person’s credit cards and can go on a spree buying clothes and whatever they want. By the end of the story we get to see a whole new person, at no cost to the spender. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen only in the movies. Politicians long for the same kind of fantasy and if they have enough power, they get it. Those with the most power these days are the senior levels of government and they are getting to have their toys and trinkets with the lower levels of government to pay for it. They call it “down loading’ ’ and like so many bureaucratic terms, it sounds so innocuous but means so much. The federal government has been trying it for years, cutting its share of programs with the provinces as it tries to balance its budget. Transfer payments for education and other services being chopped and since the province is expected to deliver those services, the province has had to find new ways to do it. The province, at least here in Ontario, has learned well. It now passes much of the burden on to the local level. Local school boards and municipalities now have to pick up a larger portion of the tab than ever. Recreation grants, tonamejustone, have been at the same level since 1986. But the problem goes further. The province is still inventing new programs without paying the costs. It has brought in a program for junior kindergarten, for instance, that will mean huge expenditures for school boards. The province’s pay equity legislation has cost millions for municipalities and school boards but there hasn’t been extra funding to pay the costs. It means for local municipalities that local taxes are increasing at close to double-digit rates and the municipalities have to cut their own plans to keep the taxes from going even higher. Meanwhile provincial treasurer Robert Nixon gets to smile and point to a balanced Ontario budget as evidence of his money management skills. Ungracious victors Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, following his meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev last week, suggested that perhaps Western countries were being too “insensitive” to the Soviet Union’s security fears when they push for a re-united Germany as part of NATO. It seems one of the most astute observations the prime minister has made in some time. As Mr. Gorbachev moved on to Washington for a meeting with U.S. President George Bush, some American observers were talking about having “won” the Cold War. There seemed to be little hesitancy about seeking the spoils of victory, including putting all of a reunited Germany into the Western alliance. But whoever said the Cold War was there to win? The propaganda Western leaders have used for years was that we only wanted to protect ourselves from the possibility of attack from the Soviets. N ATO was there for that. We were spending billions keeping U.S. and Canadian troops in Europe because the dastardly Soviets might pour through East Germany at any moment to take over all of Europe. But the huge changes that have taken place in Europe have changed all the ground rules. Under Mr. Gorbachev the Soviet Union seems to have come to the realization it can’t afford to entertain ideas of being a “great power” able to wield its influence and military might outside its own borders. Attention has turned to fixing the problems within the country caused by 70 years of bureaucratic bungling. Without the fear that Soviet troops might roll in, as they did in Hungary or Czechoslovakia to crush uprisings, the people of Eastern Europe have been able to force reforms that mean they will be unlikely to pose a threat to Western Europe. It is understandable that Western leaders don’t want to dismantle NATO while there is still uncertainty in the Soviet Union. The Gorbachev reforms could always backfire and hardliners could reverse all he has tried to do. But ironically, the greatest danger of that happening is if the hardliners feel Mr. Gorbachev is a weakling, giving up too much to the West and putting their country in danger. By insisting that reunified Germany be part of NATO, Western leaders seem to be playing into the hands of those who would reverse the progress Gorbachev has made. The Soviets, with bitter memories of the Nazi invasion of the Second World War and the millions of their countrymen who died, also have fears for their security. Letting the Eastern European countries go their own way left the western flank of their country exposed. Letting Germany join NATO would seem to be giving up even more. If we have indeed won the Cold War we could at least be gracious winners. Spinning a web 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 So­ ciety. Since not just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. MONDAY: Julia Flint says she can’t understand how anybody can understand how anybody, espe­ cially a teenager, can afford to pay $150 for scalpers tickets to see something like the Madonna con­ cert at the Sky dome. “Yeh” said Billie Bean, “espe­ cially because you can go down­ town to plenty of bars in Toronto and see women take it all off, not just prance around in their under­ wear.” “Yes,” said Tim O’Grady, “but the strippers don’t sing.” ‘‘Is that what she does,” Ward Black said. “All I ever see is pictures of her looking like she forgot to put the rest of her clothes on.” TUESDAY: Tim was saying he was almost sorry to see the police get that huge haul of hashish off the east coast yesterday. “Seems to me this whole country might be better off if we drugged ourselves foMBfc few days to get mellowed out frc* / all the turmoil over Meech Lake,” he said. Hank Stokes says that every time he hears the value of one of these drugs busts he starts looking at his fields and wondering how he could grow some of it. “A few acres of that might be the one way to make money on the farm these days,” he said. Continued on page 5 The Citizen. P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $19.00/yr. [$40.00 Foreign]. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisment will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968