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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-11-24, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1999. C itizenTheNorthHuron ^CNA P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil Member Ontario Prese Council P.O Box 429, BLYTH. Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of S27.00/year {$25.24 + $1.76 G.S.T.) in Canada; $62.00/year in U.S.A, and $100/year in other foreign coun­ tries. 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 newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 Talk about spin control E ditorial L.........Z Credit someone, somewhere within the Ontario government of Premier Mike Harris with a brilliant idea. Not taking any chances on how the media would report the latest government cuts, the new bill introduced by Finance Minister Ernie Eves last week was named the “More Tax Cuts for Jobs, Growth, and Prosperity Act. 1999”. Let’s see anybody put a negative spin on that! Names aside, however, one wonders how much longer the people of Ontario will go along with the seemingly endless regime of cuts to services they need. How long before people get weary of this war against government spending that never ends? When the Harris government was re-elected last spring, most people probably thought the worst was over. After all the government, which said it was just cutting waste, had had four years to make government efficient. Now the government says its new cuts are really just cutting waste. Hmmm. Like the federal government, Harris won support for cuts by saying he had to reduce the huge deficit run up by the previous NDP government. Yet after four years of governing the deficit is still high. Meanwhile the government is proposing a further 20 per cent cut to Ontario income tax, something will make it even harder to balance the budget. Not that the government will say that. It will argue that tax cuts stimulate the economy which raises money for the government which makes up for the tax cut — a sort of economic perpetual motion machine. Hey, once we've cut income taxes another 20 per cent we should go further, say down to zero. The government should be rolling in money then. In the meantime, there will be less money for schools, less money for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, less money for culture, including organizations like the Blyth Festival which have a large economic impact on their community (and help create taxes). We know, deep down, there can’t be that much waste left to root out. So here we go, four more years of angst and anger as people deal with cuts to needed services while the people who have money get more through tax cuts. But at least the name of the bill sounds good. — KR The price of competition Like most things in life, competition can be good if taken in moderation, bad if taken to extreme. That applies whether you’re talking about kids playing sports, or reporters covering the news. Competition in the media is good to a point. When there are two newspapers in a city reporters from each are kept on their toes wondering if the other paper might be doing a better job ferreting out stories. But the down-side of too much competition in the media can be seen in the coverage of the Air Egypt crash off New York recently. With such a big story competition between newspapers, television networks and radio stations became a feeding frenzy. Each reporter tried to get an edge on the competition. Insiders were contacted for information of what was on the cockpit recorder and the various versions that leaked out were interpreted and suppositions made and, first thing you know, a media “conviction” was made that a co-pilot on the aircraft was guilty of purposefully crashing the aircraft. And the official version of what was on the tape had not even been released. There was no concern about the effect these reports might have on the family of the man. The fact the co-pilot was not American, spoke Arabic and belonged to a “foreign” religion of Islam made it easier for reporters to dehumanize him (and probably put the media beyond the reach of libel lawsuits that might have arisen if the co-pilot had been American). Ask the reporters if they cared about the effects of their actions on the family and most would probably tell you they never thought of it. They were just trying to get the story and beat the competition. — KR Model of grace, lost The induction of Wayne Gretzky into the Hockey Hall of Fame this week makes it official: a hockey era has ended. Would that Gretzky could go on forever for what he brought to the game: not the goals and assists and the spectacular plays but an example that skill and intelligence could overcome size and brute force. What a lesson for young players. What a revelation to see someone who played by the rules and spoke softly and politely. What a loss. — KR Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen Nov. 21,1979 Blyth village council was already thinking of the future expansion of Blyth and took steps to prepare for the growth it hoped would come in the years ahead. One of the policies of the sec­ ondary plan for Blyth was to estab­ lish an industrial park. Dungannon took precautions against having the problems with liquor that Auburn had during their 125th celebrations the previous summer. They voted 75 per cent in favour of getting a dining lounge license, lounge license, and enter­ tainment lounge lieense. Walton’s business community was expanding. Don’s Antiques and Gifts opened in Walton by Don Goetz, formerly of Kitchener. Also in Walton, McGavin Farm Equipment expanded, having pur­ chased five acres of land in Morris, which would better display the machinery. Another new develop­ ment was a workshop for the mechanics. Before this, the men worked in the old church shed. Walton Welding moved to a new location close to Ryan’s Drying and across from the Walton Hall people noticed a new construction, a repair shop for Kirkby, McCallum and McClure drainage. Nov. 22, 1989 More than 100 people filled the Lucknow town hall Wednesday night to hear Professor William Andrews say our environment is in serious trouble but there is hope we can turn it around. Area farmers put on an excellent show at the year’s Royal Winter Fair in Toronto coming home with numerous livestock awards and honours. Winners included Leroy and Lila Rintoul of RR2 Lucknow, their daughter Kim, Jan van Viiet from RR2, Brussels, Dianne Black of Belgrave and her sister, and Eldon Cook, In what was being called an effort to balance an increased level of orders for spring delivery capacity, against present production capacity Royal Homes was in the process of laying off 41 production staff at its Wingham plant. Nov. 23, 1994 Outgoing chair of the Huron County Board of Education, Graeme Craig, retiring McKillop Twp., Seaforth trustee, could not stay away from the eduction field very long. Craig was elected to the position of education sector repre­ sentative on the newly formed Temporary Advisory Group (TAG) under the new Ontario Training and Advisory Board legislation. The abnormally warm fall had resulted in an uneventful harvest season. Warm, reasonably dry days created good conditions for the many farmers who had begun to plow fields and there had been just enough rain to soften things up. The Brussels 5 R’s Community Thrift Shop announced the year's sales as $44,000. particularly impressive when the average item sold for $2.