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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-04-24, Page 4Letters THE EDITOR, Since when did Protest 101 become part of the secondary school curriculum? Highly skilled and business oriented young people are needed in today's fast changing economy. As government decreases funding, business and industry will provide the resources to upgrade students to fit the needs of the future job market. The government controlled education system we've had in the past, that produced highly educated, poorly skilled graduates, who now flip hamburgers or walk picket lines with a BA in their back pockets is not needed. The future belongs to those students who find a way to manage these changes to their advantage, and NOT to those who protest and complain. Would you hire a protester? D. Coultes. THE EDITOR, Once again we celebrate Volunteer Week, and I am sure that we are all very aware of the ever- increasing demand for volunteers that pervades our society. From helpers in hospitals to church workers, service organizations and assistants in community schools and leaders of youth organizations, VOLUNTEER workers are a pivotal force in every community. We are all indebted to them. Let's each take time this week, and often, to say thank you for a special contribution. Sincerely, David Kemp, Principal Brussels Public School. THE EDITOR, At the May Huron Council meeting council members will receive a report by the two consultant firms the county has paid to advise them as to what to do about the A3 landfill site. I would like to remind Huron councillors and all Huron citizens that we stand at the door of the 21st century. This is not the time to look backward to yesterday's ideas but forward to the future. Recycling is the way of the future whereas landfills are part of yesterday's technology. Photo by Bonnie Gropp There are many reasons to recycle rather than to landfill; I'll only mention three: 1. As the world's resources deplete, it is crucial that we preserve the materials in existence. 2. The more a resource depletes, the cost of the material will increase dramatically. If that happens, the cost of future products will skyrocket. 3. In the process of converting a raw material to a product (trees to paper, oil to plistics) chemicals are used that cause pollution to an already fragile and compromised, polluted world. The less products that we must convert from raw state the less we will have to pollute while enjoying the fruits of sensible technology. These are the realities of our times and we must think about these things; we must apply this knowledge. This reality must guide us in all our decisions, whether it be the public's small choices to recycle more at curbside or the large decisions council is to make. We hope that they will be progressive and turn to recycling rather than to revisit the mistakes of the past; that we will someday have to pay for. Sincerely yours, Rob McQueen. PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1996 C The North Huron itizen CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523.4792 Phone 887-9114 Advertising Manager, FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 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-o4-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 riot responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Harris shows how it's done When Premier Mike Harris urges people who can't live on his government's reduced welfare levels to turn to their family and friends for help they should listen. After all, the premier has showed them how it's done. It's tough getting along on the salary an MPP makes, so before he won the election and became premier, Harris turned to his friends for help. After all, a guy who wants to win friends and influence people must have a golf club membership — it's downright essential. Then, of course, a guy's got to dress for success and it's hard to do that on an MPP's salary. And Toronto's an expensive place to live so a guy can use a little help with that. So Harris turned to his friends in the local Progressive Conservative Riding Association. Normally riding associations raise money to help people get elected, but in times of need, hey, what are friends for. So the riding association paid for the little extras that made life bearable for Harris. Oh sure, they might seem like wild luxuries for those living on the streets of Toronto or even those single moms on welfare .. . but they just don't understand the hardships of having a standard people expect you to live up to. Besides, these people should learn their lesson and get some friends to help. Granted, those friends won't get a nice fat tax deduction for giving to support a political campaign but hey, if that's not good enough for the welfare recipients, let them run for parliament. —KR You too can be a victim Andy Warhol's statement that one day everyone would be famous for 15 minutes needs to be updated for the 1990s: everyone can be a victim for 15 minutes. Victimhood is the badge of the 1990s with everyone feeling they've been abused by society. The latest victims? The banks! Bankers feel their under siege by the public and the government. Every day the business pages of_ major newspapers are filled with the cries of bank presidents and vice presidents about how unfair it all is, about how people just don't understand them. Canada must have a strong, profitable banking system, the bank leaders plead, or they won't be able to stand up to the tough competition from foreigners. If you think our banks are big and powerful, they say, you should see the other guys. The banks have taken over most of the trust companies and many stockbrokers but, hey, they're not too big yet. Now the banks want into changes to let them use their power in areas like insurance and auto leasing. It's totally untrue that the banks control the country: they're working on it but they haven't managed it yet. So you see it's not their fault that people think so poorly of the banks: it's the fact that people are just ignorant of the realities of modern banking. Sure the banks are making record profits, but hey, that's what they're supposed to do in the interests of their shareholders. Sure they're also laying off thousands of staff at a time they're making record profits but hey, they have to get lean and mean to meet foreign competition. Sure the bank presidents are making incredible million- dollar-plus salaries but somebody has to do this dirty job. Sure, people complain about the fact banks don't like to loan money to small businesses who just might hire the people the banks are laying off (since only small business is creating jobs these days), but the banks have to look out for the interests of their shareholders and the president. Some of those small businesses don't pay back their loans, you see. Sure, some of the big businesses like the Reichmann brothers don't pay back their loan either but . . . well, let's just forget that. Anyway, they got that money back by charging higher interest to the small businesses. Sure, people complain about paying too much for service charges for having cheques cashed, etc. but that's just a tiny fraction of the profits the banks make. So much of the profit comes from international currency transactions and loans to foreign countries . . . well, let's just forget about some of those loans to Mexico and elsewhere that they had to write off. Besides, they got that money back by increasing the charges for cashing cheques and things like that. Something's got to be done to protect these victims of discrimin- ation. After all it's in everybody's interest to have strong banks. E ditorial