HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-03-25, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25,1992. #
Former Durhamites called
The Other Side
By Keith Roulston
Letters
The rarest
state: having
enough
So the hockey players are talking
about going on strike before the
playoffs: at least there will be a lot
of happy people who won't have to
have a hockey game on the TV
every night from now to June.
It's hard to the ordinary Joe and
June to have too much sympathy
with the hockey players and the
hardship they have to face. If you
are good enough to get to wear a
major league uniform these days
you can expect to earn a salary in
hockey that the Prime Minister
would envy. Even if you're not
good enough you can always hope
that with expansion coming up you
can make the grade with one of the
new teams. If you're really good
you can expect to become a mil
lionaire - and that's not counting
the money you can make from
endorsing soft drinks and candy
bars.
Hockey salaries are escalating at
tremendous rates these days and
some owners are worrying about
the future of their sport. "Hey," say
the players, "don't blame us.
Nobody forced the owners to pay
so much." Of course the players are
bargaining for complete free agen
cy which will mean that an owner
who doesn't pay them what they
want will likely lose their services
to another team. We've been hear
ing this for years from ball players
as million dollar salaries went to
two million, then three, then four
and now six million. "It's not our
fault," they say. "We're just getting
what the market will bear. Blame
the owners for paying so much." Of
course when salaries stopped esca
lating a couple of years back, the
owners were charged with collu
sion.
Sports stars have learned the les
son of the marketplace well. Others
have been learning it too. Despite
the fact that the provincial govern
ment is giving the school boards
only one per cent more this year,
teachers in Ottawa went on strike
Monday, asking for 11 per cent
more over the next two years. The
inflation rate this year is expected
to be two per cent.
Toronto teachers are asking the
same kind of money and have gone
on a work to rule to add pressure.
Parents are already complaining
about all the activities their kids
can't do at school because the
teachers won't supervise. If a strike
does come, the bargaining position
of the teachers will quickly
improve as parents worry about
their students' welfare. The pres
sure will be on the school boards to
settle. Once they do, the taxpayers
will then complain about how high
Boy's body found
A post-mortem conducted on
March 22 at Stratford General Hos
pital on three-year-old Anthony
Adam Richardson determined the
cause of death as drowning.
Goderich OPP report that the
boy’s body was located on Satur
day, March 21 at approximately
9:15 a.m., .3 kilometres south of
the Seaforth Golf Course Road on
the flats of the Bayfield River.
Searchers had been looking for
Anthony for two weeks since he
disappeared from the back yard of
his Seaforth home.
their taxes have gone.
We went out to the movies the
other night and heard one of the
characters, a psychiatrist, say she
charged $150 an hour. You could
hear a gasp go through the theatre
and yet I figured out later that
based on her working six hours a
day, five days a week, she would
only earn $234,000, not an
unheard-of amount these days. Lots
of doctors and lawyers and proba
bly more than a few accountants
earn that much. Lots of other pro
fessionals don't eam that much but
still far more than they need to live
a comfortable life.
But need isn't a operative word
these days. You go for every penny
you can get and to hell with the
consequences for others.
The problem is that people with
bargaining power are becoming
richer and richer at the expense of
people without power. People with
seniority in public service unions
are insisting on big raises, even
though they must realize they're
going to put a lot of their fellows
Funds from lottery games are helping Ontarians enjoy sports.
Every time you play your favourite lottery, you're helping to provide financial support for
sports and recreation activities. It's just one way lottery profits are used all across the province.
Here are some of the projects in your area that have received lottery funding:
Ontario Lottery Corporation
Socidtd des loteries de I’Ontario
Together we’re making good things happen.
Southwestern Ontario
Durham Curling Club - Water cooler condenser conversion
Sarnia Family YMCA - Wellness Centre equipment purchase
St. Thomas-Elgin Gymnastics Club - Equipment purchase
Wheadey Area Recreation Board - Leadership training
Cette information est attssi disponible en franqais au 705-946-6482
out of work. People at the top are
taking more of the pie, leaving less
for the guy on the lower echelons.
In the short term, that's fine for
the winners but for the losers, there
is tremendous economic dislocation
because there are so many people
on unemployment or on welfare.
The people with the money, how
ever, are getting upset with all that
too. The complaints about too
many taxes come mostly from the
people who can afford to pay taxes.
The political agenda, whether in the
U.S. primaries or here in Canada, is
being set by the middle class, angry
because too much government
spending is cutting into their good
life.
Nobody likes to pay taxes, but if
the well-off take more of the
money in the pot, then refuse to pay
taxes to support for those they dis
locate, we're eventually going to
pay a price. Social unrest can't be
put off forever if we end up with a
widening gap between the haves
and the have-nots. You can pay
now, or you can pay later.
What do these,
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to do with these?
ENCORE ■ CA
[Instant]PRQiSfclAL
Brussels meeting
will discuss
seniors' needs
THE EDITOR,
We have received a tremendous
response to the Seniors' Needs Sur
vey in the Brussels and Ethel area.
As a result, we plan to hold a com
munity meeting on Tuesday, April
14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Community Cen
tre. The meeting will be held in the
upstairs arena hall which is
wheelchair accessible.
Interested individuals and groups
are encouraged to participate in this
session regiarding current services
aijd future needs in the community.
Everyone is welcome. A special
invitation is extended to seniors,
physically disabled adults, family,
friends and those approaching
retirement.
Joan Stamper
Home Support Services
North Huron
THE EDITOR,
The following is an open invita
tion to all former residents of
Durham, Ontario, their relatives
and friends.
As the citizens of our country
prepare to celebrate Canada's 125th
anniversary, the citizens of Durham
arc also busy preparing for their
town's 120th anniversary. The
highlight of this anniversary will be
Durham Homecoming ’92 sched
uled for Friday, July 3 to Monday,
July 6 of this year.
We hope all former Durham resi
dents, their relatives and friends
will join us for this time of celebra
tion.
A full weekend of activities is
planned which includes picnics,
sports for adults and children, a
monster parade, midway, school
reunion, nightly dances with spe
cial entertainment on Saturday,
Royal Canadian Legion Drumhead
service, plus much more.
Now is the time to start planning
to attend this homecoming with
your family and friends. If you
have any questions or know of any
one who should be informed of the
homecoming, you can contact us by
writing to us: Durham Homecom
ing ’92 Committee, P.O. Box 1992,
Durham, Ontario. NOG 1R0.
We look forward to seeing you in
July. Until then, take care.
The Members of the
Durham Homecoming
Committee.