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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-12-23, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23,1991. Editorials Those were the days The death last week of Canada's last Father of Confederation, Joey Smallwood of Newfoundland, not only deprived Canada of a great and colourful man, but marked the sad passing of an era. Mr. Smallwood was one of those people who exuded the feeling that Canada had a great future. He battled through two referenda to persuade Newfoundlanders they should join Canada in 1949. He was always positive about the good things about this country. The country could be bigger and better and Newfoundlanders could be bigger and better for being part of it. Sadly, that kind of confidence has got lost along the way. Today, instead of thinking big, most of our leaders are thinking small. Influential leaders in Quebec promote the idea that somehow people there can be bigger by getting into a smaller pond where they will set the rules. Others in the west feel they are being overwhelmed by the urban majority of the east. Canadians in general belittle their country, feeling we can't do anything as good as the Americans or the Japanese or the Germans. We want to watch American TV on televisions made in Taiwan and see advertising for things we know we can get cheaper across the border. Our business leaders, rather than coming up with innovative solutions to problems, are taking the easy way out and moving to low-wage areas. Our education officials refuse to admit there's anything wrong with the system that a few billions more in tax money wouldn't solve. Our political leaders squabble over little things while ignoring the important ones. Where are the Joey Smallwoods of today? Yes, he had his faults. His big dreams of turning the economy of Newfoundland around led him to be a sucker for some grand schemes. His memories of the bleak life in the outports led him to try to move everybody away from the outports and into larger towns where they could have electricity and modem conveniences but the policy largely failed and many people made their way back to the outports. Still, his mistakes were the mistakes of positive thinking, the kind of positive thinking we could use a little more of these days. We need a few more people who lead with their heart instead of their computerized accounting program. Joey will be missed. How much is enough? Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas Dave, and here's $2.3 million (US) for Christmas. Ho ho ho, and here's $15 million for you Jack, even though I know you haven't exactly been a good boy this year. Santa certainly has been generous this year to some little boys. Just at a time when tens of thousands of GM workers are worrying about their futures, just as more than 10 per cent of the Canadian working force wonders how it will pay for its Christmas this year, Toronto Blue Jays go on a spending binge signing high-priced free agents Dave Winfield and Jack Morris. It's now estimated their payroll for 25 players next year may be $42 million, probably more than the combined incomes of everyone in Blyth and Brussels. The signing of Morris is particularly disgusting. Morris had left his long-time team the Detroit Tigers a year ago, saying he wanted to complete his career in his home state of Minnesota. He was, he said, ecstatic to be home. Of course the fact Minnesota paid him several million to play made him even happier. It was a fairy tale story. After a slow start on the season he won two games in the league playoffs and two more, including the championship game in a 10-inning shut-out, in the World Series. He cried and talked about how wonderful it was to win back home in Minnesota. Two weeks later he filed for free agency. It was at first seen as a bargaining ploy to get Minnesota to pay more. It worked because the team did offer him more money...but other teams offered even more. So in the end, he turned his back on sentiment and went for the extra money. Jack Morris is a true 1990's man. So what if he liked playing in Minnesota and probably couldn't spend all the money they offered him to stay there, a dollar is a dollar and a bottom line is a bottom line. You go where the money is. One wonders, if Scrooge were alive in the 1990's would he reform as he did in Dicken's story, or would he be featured on the front cover of Fortune, Time and Maclean's as a symbol of the new, lean-is-mean, competitive business leader. No mail today Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO DECEMBER 21,1990 The Ladies Auxiliary to the Blyth Canadian Legion donated $2,500 toward the purchase of a tractor for the arena and $5,000 towards the chairs for the arena auditorium. Steve Stevenson of RR2, Brus­ sels was the driver of a car involved in a single car accident in Grey Township. FIVE YEARS AGO DECEMBER 30,1986 Parishioners at St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church in Brus­ sels honoured one of their members before she left for work in the mis­ sions of Peru. Sister Teresa Ryan left January 1, after spending Christmas with her family in Walton. She is the daugh­ ter of Lawrence and Marjory Ryan. There was an Open House held to welcome the new Blyth clerk, Helen Grubb. Mary Douma and her three daughter, Laura, Heather and Amy were driving on the sixth of Morris, when the car skidded on ice and overturned. Mrs. Douma got the three children out through the front window. All escaped injury. Bay ffente, Joy and Prosperity Be fours CitizenTheNorthHuron 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 1 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, Listowel, 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. 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