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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-07-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 1990. Editorials Wishful thinking There are times when things are spoke of so often by politicians and repeated so often by the media that they take on a life of their own and nobody takes the time or common sense to question the conclusions. The newspapers and airwaves have been filled with nonsense in the last couple of weeks as the problem of international subsidies got whacked around again that the Houston meeting of the leaders of the seven most powerful economic democracies. To listen to commentators, if the worldleaders couldjustgetsmartand eliminate subsidies to agriculture, all the world’s problems would be solved. The issue has been built up so far out of proportion that you’d think solving it would end poverty, seal the hole in the ozone layer, possibly findthecureforthe common cold and, most importantly, bring cheaper food and lower taxes for urban residents of those countries. The latter two items are, of course, what the issue is really about. Despite all the talk of open borders and the promoting efficiency on farms, the real concern for the urban commentators is saving money. Theyhavelistenedtotheirownnewsreportssolongthatthey somehow think that cancelling farm subsidies will but thousands of dollars into their pockets in no time. If they would get out the city for a while and breathesome no-polluted air, they might become clbar headed enough to realize some facts of life. First of all, there aren’t many rich farmers out there. Even w ith all these subsidies, farmers have been going broke in record numbers. Whether the farm community gets its money from the market place in the form of higher prices, or from taxpayer subsidies, the same amount of money has to come from somewhere to keep farmers producing food. It would be nice to think that killing farm subsidies would provide farmers with higher incomes from the marketplace by freeing up trade but that’s likely more dream then reality. There are still only so many people out there who can afford to buy so much food. Even if the move does w'ork, consumers are going to pay more, not less for food. The only way farmers can continue to sell food at low prices is to continue to produce at a loss. The more farmers who go out of business, the sooner it will be that the day will arrive when supply will balance demand and the days of fire-sale prices for consumers will end. In the meantime consumers will continue to save as farmers lose money and produce more to try to make ends meet. Desperate farmers will endanger their lives working longer hours (sometimes after working off the farm all day) and handling dangerous high-powered equipment when they’re not alert. They will use more chemicals to try to wring every last bushel out of their farms, adding to chemical contamination of our streams and lakes. They will push their soil to the limit and valuable land will be washed or blown away. The urban media has paid lipservice to the plight of farmers in the last decade, doing stories on farmers going bankrupt, without really believing it. Urban people fail tosee that we all benefit from a healthy farm sector getting quality food at a reasonable price; keeping people living in healthy rural communities rather than adding to the urban glut, and allowing farmers to be good stewards of their land. There is no magic solution to the problem. Expecting the cancellation of farm subsidies to cure everything is simple-minded. Only when farmers are paid enough to efficiently produce food will the problem go away. Abusing power When an Ottawa judge Monday threw out the charges against Global Television reporter Doug Small for theft of a government document he confirmed what nearly everyone else in the country had already concluded. There was an abuse of process even bringing the case to court, he said. Mr. Small had been charged with theft after someone gave him a copy of the federal government’s budget the day before it was to be presented in the House of Commons. There are debates even within the journalistic profession as to whether or not Small was right in reading details from the package over the air (the judge said he may have done the government a favour) but everyone agrees he should not have been charged with theft of a pamphlet valued at a few cents. We are dealing with a government, however, that believes in the use and abuse of power. It believes in rewarding those who help it with favours and appointments and it believes in punishing those who get in the way of its plans: just ask the people of Newfoundland after their premier stood in the way of Meech Lake passage. Government, however, is supposed tobe more than the exercise of power. It is supposed to be about fairness and justice. Luckily we’re still in a country where the courts stand in the way of that abuse of power when a government tries to punish an individual for exercising his rights under freedom of speech. Lovely lillies 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 with the price of steak these days she finds it pretty hard to have a good barbecue with her friends but for an all-time expensive barbecue you probably can’t beat George Bush’s little whingding down in Texas. George just wanted to have a few friends in for a little steak so he invited in the leaders of the world’s seven richest nations. Of course they brought a few thousand body guards, staffers and reporters along with them. “Good grief,’’ Hank Stokes said, “just think how many cattle gave their lives for that one. I wonder if k.d. lang knew about it.’’ TUESDAY: Ward Black was asking if anybody saw the list of richest men in the world in the paper today. “What’s that, the line-up for the baseball all-star game?” Billie Bean wondered. No, Ward said, one of the daily newspapers featured a list of the richest families in the world and the Japanese are taking over. They had four in the top 10 compared to only three Americans. With the price of housing in Japan, Tim O’Grady said, that means at least four Japanese are able to afford a house. Ward said it was nice to see at least one Canadian family made the list, the Reichmann family from Toronto. Especially, said Julia, since I don t think they made any of it off me.” Just think about poor Lord Thompson and K. C. Irving though, Tim said. Since the Japa­ nese came along they’ve been bumped right out of the top 10. They’ll have to settle for the ignominy of 16th place with a mere $5 billion each. Continued on page 6 The Citizen. P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 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. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968