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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-11-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1987. What happens now? The stock market crash was barely hours old when Ontario Treasurer Robert Nixon announced that his Liberal government might not be able to carry out all the spending plans so bravely outlined during the campaign before the Sept. 10 election. Mr. Nixon and his colleagues had been lucky to have been able togoon a spending spree last year when the booming southern Ontario economy brought unexpected windfall revenues to the provincial treasury. Not only did the province not pay down any of its deficit, it continued deficit spending. So what happens now that the boom may be over? Is it going to be a case of a deficit in the good times and even more of a deficit in the bad? Or is the government going to cut spending drastically at precisely the time when government can provide a cushion against individual hardship and a stimulus to the economy as a whole? Going back to biblical times Moses proved that it was wise to save for the lean years during the good ones. Economists have come up with plenty of fancy theories since but Moses’ simple method makes as much sense as any of them. But Mr. Nixon didn’t choose to pay down the deficit in the good times and now we’re left with the worst of all situations: an economic slowdown at a time when the government has already spent more than it could afford. That future does not look promising. An idea whose time has come The amendments introduced by the federal government last week to compensate the victims of crime are a welcome addition to our justice system. For many people, the people robbed or beaten or the families of people murdered, there has been doubt that we had a "justice” system at all. They became the forgotten people as society concentrated on apprehending and punishing the perpetrator of the crime. While those who, through a moment’s inattention, crossed the centreline of the highway while driving and crashed into another car, is responsible to pay for the damage to that car and to compensate the occupants for injuries or their families for loss of life, thecriminal who willfully set out to steal or to hurt someone, most often got punished but was not required to make up for the damage he did to the victim of the crime. Sticking someone in a cell for years often doesn’t do anything for anyone, unless the personjailed is so dangerous that society must be protected from him. The victim doesn’t get anything but a feeling of revenge. The criminal may gain little from a jail sentence except tips from other criminals on how to do a better job of committing a crime the next time. Under the new plan, those who can afford to pay the victims of crime will be ordered to do so by the courts as well as serving their sentences. Those who can’t pay will still go to jail. The proposal would bring home to criminals the cost of their crimes. It still does nothing for the victim or the criminal, however, if thecriminal is penniless. Perhaps as a next step the government should be looking at ways of turning the hours spent in jail to a more profitable use so that those in jail can be contributing financially to their victims even if they have no money. As a first step, however, the government is certainly on the right track. Praise to the rebels There were rumours this week that the Commons finance committee, with a majority of Conservative members, was not going to approve Finance Minister Michael Wilson’s tax reform proposals. If it does indeed happen it may prove that another rumour is wrong: the one that says M.P.’s have their brains removed when they take seats in the Commonsand replaced with a tiny computer programmed to say yes to every party policy. But if they don’t support the government proposal fur will fly in Ottawa and there will be talk of division in government ranks. Something has got warped in our political system when speaking your mind and standing up for your principals or the needs of your home constituency is looked on as a bad thing. One of the lonely members of the huge Ontario Liberal majority made headlines, for instance, because he broke with party policy and said he could not support the Meech Lake Accord. The federal Liberals have been ridiculed because more than a dozen members voted against the Meech Lake constitutional changes. These politicians should be heroes, not so much for their opposition to that particular piece of legislation but because they had the guts and i ntegrity to stand up for what they felt was right even though that may leave them on the outside looking in when it comes to party appointments. Those that should be ridiculed are the people who go along with party positions they don’t agree with whether it is Conservatives who disagreed w'ith Meech Lake or Liberals who support Free Trade but are afraid to cause trouble. We elect politicians for then brains and their conscience, not their ability to leap to their feet and say yes to party policies. If the Conservatives on the finance committee have had the courage to buck the party line their names should be published and we should do our best to make sure people of such integrity get re-elected. Downside up 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 just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activitiesfrom time to time. MONDAY: Billie Bean said he was talking to one of the main street merchants this morning and he was thinking of asking the federal government for a grant so he can put in one of those mechanical rocking horses your kids hound you to put a quarter in when you go to a store. After all, if the Ghermezian brothers can get $5 million for their entertainment park in the West Edmonton Mall, surely he should be able to get a few shekels. Billie said that there was a bit of a difference. After all the Gherma- zians had a whole park. Okay, said the merchant, he’d get a rocket ship too. Hank Stokes said the trouble with us in Huron county is that we’re just not identifiable enough. For one thing, most of the country doesn’t even know we exist. They jump right over western Ontario to get to the prairies. "You’d never hear somebody jump up in the commons and ask the Liberals whatthey’ve got against Huron county”, Hank asked? The trouble with Huron county, Julia Flint said, is that we’re just too loyal. We stick with one party for centuries at a time so nobody has to worry about being nice to us. We’re like an old dog so faithful that nobody worries about giving it any extra table scraps to keep it happy. Now if we wanted to get things done we need to be like Quebec where they run from one party to another and everybody keeps giving them goodies to keep them happy. TUESDAY: Tim O’Grady was saying they do things a little bit slower in the Soviet Union. The government is finally getting around to admitting the bad things that Stalin did 50 years ago when the rest of the world has known it for years. Obviously, Julia said, one of the new businesses set up under the relaxed rules in Russia will not be scandal sheets. If they have to wait 50 years for the news they’ll go out of business pretty quick, she said. Not, said Billie, if they do what they do in Britain where they don’t wait for scandals, they start them. Take a look at all the fuss over Chuck and Di and whether or not their marriage is on the rocks. "Listen,” said Ward Black, "the only way they could prove to the tabloids they were still getting along together is if they rented Harrads Department Store and made love in the window.” "Andthen,” said Julia, "the tabloids would live for a month on how the Queen was not amused by the activities of the young royals. ’ ’ THURSDAY: Ward Black was chuckling this morning about the provincial Liberals throne speech Tuesday. Good job they were playing to a friendly audience, he suggested or somebody would have been throwing rotten fruit at them. He said he kind of liked Bob Rae’s remark on the free trade debate that Premier Peterson went into the phone booth as Superman and came out as Clark Kent. Hank said he thought we were going to see another super hero for the next year or two. The premier, he said, was going to be the Invisible Man for the first couple of years of his majority then come up with the goodies in time for the next election. After all, he said, why waste all that good stuff when there’s nothing to gain. [Published by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. ] Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships Published weekly in Brussels, Ontario P.O.Box152, P.O.Box429, Brussels, Ont. Blyth, Ont. NOG 1 HO N0M1H0 887-9114 523-4792 Subscription price: $17.00; $38.OOforeign. Advertising and news deadline: Monday 2p.m. in Brussels; 4p.m. in Blyth Editorand Publisher: Keith Roulston Advertising Manager: Janice Gibson Production and Office Manager: Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968