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The Citizen, 1997-12-17, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17,1997. C itizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOW 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G1H0 Phone 987-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@huron.net Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil JA10 The Citizen Is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $27.00/year ($25.24 + $1.76 G.S.T.) in Canada; $62.00/year In U.S.A, and $75.00/year in 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 Mall Registration No. 6968 E ditorial I Z .. Who wants to be young1? So the generation that said never trust anyone over 30, got to be middle-aged, and took revenge on everyone under 30. Or so it seems. While the baby-boom generation may be regretting losing its youth, it certainly wouldn’t want to go back, the way things are these days. Monday, Ontario Finance Minister Ernie Eves announced that colleges and universities could increase their tuition fees by up to 20 per cent in the next two years. Given that tuition has already jumped 30 per cent since the current government took office, and 20 per cent under the NDP, the cost of getting an education is skyrocketing. It's easy to see why provincial governments feel they must take this step, pushed as they are by cuts by the federal government. All of which might not be so bad if there were jobs to help students pay for their education. Once, for instance, most young people were able to find summer jobs to save for university or college. While they were in school, they were often able to find summer jobs in the industry they were planning to enter. Now, they’re likely to be asked to take an intern position and work for nothing. When they graduate, their troubles are just beginning. Many of the graduates of the last five years haven’t been able to find jobs they've been trained to do. Most are working — they have large student Ioans to pay off, after all — but they’re being wasted in unskilled jobs, and keeping those jobs from others who need them badly. While the recession of the 1990s hasn’t been as traumatic as the Great Depression, we have, in the same way, created a lost generation. Many young people feel their lives are on hold because they can't find the kind of jobs they need to start a family, to buy a home, to get on with their lives. This, in turn, has helped stall our economy, because young families help drive economic activity. One of the things that has made Canada successful is the ability of people who get a poor start in life, to get an education and move up in the world. It makes a dynamic society, with the people at the top always being challenged by people coming up from below. We’ll endanger that if we make it so expensive to get a higher education that only those who have will get the education necessary to work at high levels of society. The federal and provincial governments must remember what they keep telling business when it comes to retraining — that education is not an expense, but an investment. We must invest in our youth if we want Canada to prosper in the future. — KR California dreaming There are those who will hint, if not quite come out and say it, that global warming might not be a bad thing for Canada. Who, for instance* didn't enjoy the balmy weather of early December which may, or may not, have been the result of the El Nino effect. But other events this week showed how unpredictable weather changes can be. While many in Alberta, for instance, might have enjoyed the warm temperatures of the past few weeks, residents who had their homes burned by grass fires will have a different opinion. Those who froze to death in Mexico because of unusually cold weather would also prefer things to stay the way they usually are. So, no doubt, would the people of Mississippi who got dumped on. We always have a tendency, in Canada, to do some California dreaming, wishing we could be like the people we see on all those Hollywood television shows who never have to worry about heavy coats, who don’t have rust marks on their cars, who worry more about air conditioning costs than heating bills. We send a huge portion of our population to Florida or Arizona every year to escape winter’s blasts. So it’s tempting to wish that we could just warm up Canada and stay here in the un-winter. The difficulty is that nature is complicated. A change in one place (as we’ve seen with El Nino) can have unexpected results in places far away. Representatives of the oil industry have been denouncing Canada’s agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, telling us we’ll have to do without our care and that jobs will be lost But the El Nino effect shows us that the costs may be just as bad if we ignore the warnings and have a climate change. We're better having to deal with the weather problems we know than with the unknqwn effects of change. — KR Photo by Janice Becker Letters THE EDITOR, Angered by Erin Roulston's article, "Commercializing Christ­ mas" no. Sorrowful, yes. She is like many in her generation, and, I fear, many adults today, who are confused and lost, brought up with no faith in God, code of ethics or a clear guideline to base a firm foundation on, a belief in someone stronger and better than oneself to look to in time of trouble and day-to-day living. Nothing worth living for and even less worth dying for, given an overabundance of infor­ mation, but not enough knowledge. It is no wonder that the lines between fact and fiction, fairy tale and truth have become blurred for them, a generation that learns that to get away with it is right and to get caught is wrong, not that some things are morally right and some are wrong. To cheat on your income tax, to say things about someone who is not there to defend themselves, to make fun of those who do not look or behave the way we think they should. Santa Claus and the Easter Rabbit are fiction told for the amusement of children, starting with a writer's imagination and added to over the years. Easter eggs started because in former years hens did not lay eggs in the winter due to the cold and poor feed. In the spring around Easter they would again start laying, and people would save them as a special treat for Easter. Santa Claus started from St. Nicholas who gave food to needy people in remembrance of the gift of Jesus from God. And Clement C. Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas added a description to the myth, that has been enjoyed for years. There is nothing wrong with fiction as long as we know that it is fiction, and know what is fact. Ella Ives. THE EDITOR, Isn’t it amazing how different people can read the same article and see totally different things. I am an avid reader of the youth page. Even though I am long past what would be considered "youth” in our society, I love to read what youth today are thinking and feeling. After all our precious country will be in their hands someday. I was fascinated by Erin Roulston's column on Christmas and found it thoughtful and sincere. I was so impressed by the depth of her questions and, while of course she cannot speak for all the youth from sea to sea, I believe that she represents a significant segment of this group. If my belief is sound, I think our society is in good hands. Last week I watched an old Ingrid Berman movie called The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, a wonderful movie. My favourite part was when an army leader confided in the powerful Chinese Mandarin that he was confused. It is a sign of growth. I believe Erin, you will find the answers to your questions. Wisdom consists not in having all the answers to life tied up in a package, but in being open to the mysteries before us. I hope you keep asking your questions, that you continue to develop your gift of writing, to open your heart and soul for all to see and be blessed by it. Finally Erin, remember whenever you lift your head above the crowd, you take a few tomatoes. Walt Disney was told by his art teacher that he had no talent. Imagine, what the world would have missed if he Continued on page 6