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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-02-21, Page 4Letters Fanned out THE EDITOR, I am writing this letter concerning the article that was published in Jan. 31 edition of your paper, under "Financial Strategies for the '90s". It was titled "Experts say term insurance makes sense". People should be aware of everything! The first thing I would say is beware of any advisors who trash one type of policy for another. There are many types of policies available because everyone's needs are different. Term insurance is for exactly what it is called, for a certain term. It covers a temporary need of an individual. It also becomes expensive when it is up for renewal; for example every five, 10 or 20 years. It renews at your then older age. Term insurance is only available until a certain age, where whole life is good for life. A life insurance policy is not sold as a way of saving for the future; such as retirement. It is sold to an individual for the dependents that would be left at the event of the policy owner's death. The dividends, that a whole life policy earns, can be given to the policy owner in many different ways, depending on how the policy owner wishes to receive them. The dividends and cash values are available to a policy owner without cancelling the policy. A whole life policy has level paying premiums that are guaranteed to remain the same through the life of the policy, where as term insurance does not. Remember the following statement when you are looking to purchase life insurance: "Term insurance is good if you die; whole life is good when you die." Yours truly, Wendy. THE EDITOR, I wish to extend my belated public congratulations, on behalf of my Federation, to the Huron County Board of Education for demonstrating its foresight and progressive spirit by continuing junior kindergarten for the years 1996-97! Countless studies throughout the world have shown that the determinants for success or failure in life are set in the first four years of human development. As early as Photo by Janice Becker the 1940s and 50s government documents have advocated the advantages of early years education. More recently, follow- up studies have provided clear evidence that early education had a positive impact on disadvantaged children in both the long and short term. Junior kindergarten teachers know that early schooling has tremendous benefits for children in terms of future success in literacy and numeracy as well as in socialization skills. In our largely rural board junior kindergarten may be the only means through which some children receive experiences for early socializing. Social skills and behavioral patterns are often set in a child by the age of five years. It is a sad truth that some of our students do not learn appropriate behavioral and social skills before attending school. Also, some homes or private child-care providers do not provide the necessary stimulation in terms of challenging and reinforcing learning through play and hands-on activities. This lack of training eventually makes a tremendous drain on the system over the years in terms of teacher time, discipline, special education intervention, classroom interrup- Continued on page 6 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1996 C The North Hunan itizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, OM. NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523.4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $25.00/year ($23.37 + $1.63 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 + $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier In Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/year for U.S.A. and $75.00/year for other foreign countries. 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 © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Let's think it out After 20 years of resisting regionalized government, Huron County communities seem to be running toward amalgamation of municipalities in the name of fiscal restraint. If such changes will really save money while still meeting the needs of the public, then the move is welcome, but is anyone really checking it out? Sometimes the promoters of amalgamation sound like Quebec separatists when they talk about the "painless divorce" Quebec could have in separating from Canada. They talk about efficiencies without job losses, about creating bigger units without municipalities losing their identity. It all sounds like much ado about nothing. But if there are to be real savings, there must be staffing reductions. If we're going to lump several municipalities together, we hardly need more than one municipal office. But what about all those new office buildings municipalities have been erecting in the last few years? It's hard to imagine these being abandoned when the paint is barely dry. Then there are real concerns of equality in these new marriages. If a large urban municipality combines with several rural townships, how likely is it the rural roads will get work done if there are lots of people in the town clamouring for a major rebuilding of main street? Watching county council in operation it's often hard to see how the interests of rural and urban areas can be represented in one municipality. Someone has suggested the reduction in the number of municipalities would improve the quality of representatives at county council. It would be great, if it worked. There are county councillors who never participate in debate, who only seem to warm a seat and show up for the council photograph, but who's to guarantee they won't get elected after municipalities amalgamate? And will the new borders drawn after amalgamation bear any resemblance to the natural communities that have developed over 150 years in Huron County? Often people in one end of a township tend to go naturally toward one community while those at the other gravitate to another urban area. Just lumping townships together with larger municipalities will go counter to these natural communities. Certainly looking at amalgamation as a way of saving money is worthwhile, but let's take the time to be sure there will be real savings. And let's be sure that even if there are savings, we aren't planting the seeds of destruction of the community spirit that has built this county. Money should serve people, not people serve money. — KR Down with symbolism Thousands of people are protesting in the Maritimes because they're likely to lose their jobs due coal mine closings and others will lose income because of unemployment insurance changes — but the national media are turning their attention to something really important, a two-second scuffle between the prime minister and a protester. Thousands of Ontario civil servants could lose their jobs but reporters turn their back on their grim reality to focus on whether or not the prime minister was: (a) cracking under the strain; (b) taking Quebec separatism by the throat; (c) showing his true street-fighter tendencies; (d) a victim of lax RCMP security, again; or (e) all of the above. Here's a modest proposal. Let's identify all children liable to grow into journalists when they're adults. Let's segregate them by age six, and make sure they are never allowed into an English literature course. This will keep them away from the practice of finding symbolism in William Shakespeare or John Steinbeck and thus we might avoid reporters from looking for moments in the life of a politician that jump out at them as representing symbols of his/her whole political career. We could then be saved from forever remembering Robert Stanfield for the football he dropped; forever seeing Joe Clark as a bumbler because his luggage got lost on an international tour; forever see reruns of Brian Mulroney singing When Irish Eyes Are Smiling with Ronald Reagan. One senses many in the Ottawa press gallery have been waiting for a "defining moment" like this for Jean Chretien. They've been frustrated when he remains popular, despite the close call in the referendum which commentators want to blame him for. NO,w they have a nice visual clip to replay over and over in slow motioli. They've got their symbol. Jean Chretien's long career may be remembered for two seconds. Silly. — KR E ditorial