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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-07-17, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 17,1991. Opinion Clean up the act From cross-border shopping, to local tax protest groups to the growing problem of cigarette smuggling, the rebellion against taxes in Canada is gathering steam. There's a good case to be made that, in the world scheme of things, Canadians aren't that badly off when it comes to taxes but that's not the perception of the ordinary Canadian. From GST to increased taxes on gasoline, liquor and cigarettes that seem to come with every budget, Canadians are fed up with what they see as a bigger and bigger bite of their hard-earned dollar. Cross-border shoppers are hurting their communities, their neighbours and ultimately themselves much more than they're hurting the government but they are a relatively small problem compared to the gathering storm of smuggling surrounding cigarettes and alcohol. The situation along border areas has brought to mind memories of prohibition days, only this time the smuggling comes from the U.S. side of the border. While returning shoppers often try to sneak cigarettes and booze through without paying duty, the real problem is the growing large-scale smuggling going on. From fast speed boats to hidden panels in cars, the tactics mirror the drug trade. Inland communities are being plagued by more burglaries of stores selling cigarettes because of the high cost of cigarettes, and the ease with which they can be sold on the black market, have made them an attractive target for the less honest in our society. Like liquor under prohibition, like drugs in the last decade, cigarettes are on the verge of becoming a problem much worse than their simple consumption. They are helping create a new crime wave, a crime wave directly attributable to policies of the provincial and federal governments in driving up the price. While governments may have hurt legitimate businesses with new taxes, they have provided a real incentive plan for dishonest entrepreneurs. These governments need to act now to stop this crime wave before it gets worse. If it means rolling back the tax on cigarettes and alcohol, so be it Look at it this way, will the revenue lost by lower taxes be any worse than the additional policing costs we're going to have trying to stop the new wave of crime? Did we really win? Revelations that Iraq's Saddam Hussein has managed to hide his nuclear weapons capability during "Operation Desert Storm" makes one wonder if we really won the war after all. Just a couple of weeks after Americans went into a frenzy of patriotic celebrations with a ticker-tape parade in New York, some of the veterans of the war must wonder what they really accomplished. This week the U.S. is preparing for war again unless Saddam agrees to give up his nuclear capabilities. The toll, looking back, seems to have been too much for what was accomplished. Yes Saddam was driven from Kuwait but hundreds of blazing oil wells set fire by the retreating Iraqi troops still blacken the sky. The government of Kuwait has been returned but so has its undemocratic policies. In Iraq, Saddam still rules as cruelly as ever. He wiped out the Kurds in a vicious civil war. Meanwhile the ordinary people of Iraq suffer terribly, children starving because the black market price for infant formula is far greater than their parents can afford. Basic services were destroyed during the war so people are without water and sewers and as a result there have been epidemics of cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis and life-threatening diarrhea. Physicians have so little medicine their patients are still dying for lack of care. Saddam and his friends among the rich and powerful, of course have felt little of the pain the poor people of the country have. Their lives have been relatively untouched by the war. Now the plight of these people may get worse as the coalition prepares for another possible attack on Iraq to deprive Saddam of the resources he has left for military aggression. More Iraquis and more soldiers and airmen from the U.S. and its allies may die. So much cost and so little has been accomplished. Looking Backward ONE YEAR AGO JULY 18,1990 Officials from Canada Post's London office met with Walton residents to explain what mail ser­ vice would be like after post master Marjorie Humphrey retired and the present post office closes August 4. They assured the people that the most likely outcome would be that a Retail Postal Outlet (RPO) would be established in some other village business. Jacob Heisler, infant son of Joanne Schuller and Jamie Hetsler of Brussels was the $1,000 prize winner of the Brussels Lions Club's FunFest duck race. East Wawanosh council and the Belgrave Kinsmen unveiled their plans for a new front for the arena. Annie Thynne of Brussels cele­ brated her 90th birthday. For the fourth year in a row, Lon- desboro-area girls, Cheri Taylor and Kelly Bosman won first place with their piano duet at the C.M.L. Music Festival in Kitchener. Ethel Hall Board voted in favour of making the necessary repairs to keep the Hall open. Melanie Knox set a personal best in the provincial track and field championships of the Royal Cana­ dian Legion in Sudbury on the weekend. She also placed eighth in the 100 metre dash. After years of hiding in stair­ wells, using converted storefronts and unused comers of memorial Hall the Blyth Festival opened its Art Gallery. Board member Carol Irwin headed the special committee in charge of the Gallery's operation. THREE YEARS AGO JULY 13, 1988 Two former Brussels residents were charged in connection with an early-morning fire at the Brussels Legion. Brussels councillor Elizabeth Graber submitted her resignation because she no longer qualified to sit on council after Bill 106 was given Royal Assent. The bill says that those who are not qualified voters in the municipality can no longer sit on council. Krista Lawrie and Nicole Rich­ mond were hired to man Blylh's new tourist information booth on Dinsley St. The facility opened to served the thousands of visitors who come to Blyth each Festival season. Ross and Hazel (Tillie) Engel of Cranbrook celebrated their 50th anniversary. FIVE YEARS AGO JULY 16,1986 Astra Pyrotchenics Canada Ltd., of Guelph, looked at the possibility of relocating to Brussels. It took an option on 64 acres on the outskirts of Brussels as a possible site and if built it would have employed 80 people. The Bluewater Kennel Club host­ ed its annual dog show for the fourth year. Over 90 breeds of dogs were present. The Red Cross Small Craft Safe­ ty Team visited the BMG pool and all swimmers were given a chance to participate in a demonstration. Plans for the new Huron County Pioneer Museum were unveiled al a public meeting in Holmesville. Roily and Teenie Achilles of Walton celebrated 50 years of mar­ riage at an Open house at Duffs United Church. The Citizen. P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen Is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $19.16 ♦ $1.66 for each month after March 31/92 + G.S.T. for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Llstowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement 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 © Copywright. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Assistant Editor, Bonnie Gropp Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968