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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-06-07, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2000. PAGE 5. Other Views And the winner —by a hair In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a presidential election campaign brewing south of the border. I'm no fan of political campaigns, American or Canadian. But this particular one raises a thorny question no matter which side of the 49th you happen to live on, namely: how does one go about choosing a winning president or prime minister? Just how does one decide which candidate is most worthy of one’s vote? Do you cast your ballot based on a candidate’s platform? Religious affiliation? Voting record? Political oratory? How about this for a premise - the guy with the most hair wins. It’s a depressing thought - especially for those of us whose extended foreheads automatically relegate us to the position of also-rans. The statistics are even more depressing. Check the record books, chum. Simply put, every single elected American president since John F. Kennedy (and most certainly including JFK) has served out his term of office while operating under a full and healthy head of hair. What’s that I hear you say? Lyndon Johnson was a baldie? Gerald Ford’s head had more pelt than pink? My inquiry about gasoline While the federal and provincial governments are carrying out their own public investigations into possible price fixing in the petroleum industry, I have been quietly carrying out one of my own and at no expense to the taxpayer. Since you and I both know what will be the findings of the two above mentioned commissions, you can match what they have to say with what I have come up with. As I indicated in a previous article on the subject, there is little doubt that gasoline prices have had to increase, given the risk in crude oil prices which have been put through by OPEC, the “would-be” international oil cartel. However, OPEC does not control nearly the 70 per cent of all production that it did when it first made itself felt in 1973. Today its figure is something just a little over half of that. In reality, therefore, it does not have the clout that it did then. That in itself should tell us something and that is that the non-OPEC producers have gone along with the increase. Of the three major oil companies in Canada, two of them, Imperial Oil (Esso) and Shell are truly international in scope while the third, PetroCan, used to be publicly owned but has now become privatized, with partial Canadian and partial foreign ownership. Since it, in spite of its Canadian origins, acts just like the other two, let’s consider that the three are all cut from the same cloth. Canada is an oil producer but the oil that the three use to make gasoline for the Canadian market is obtained partially from foreign sources and partially from domestic weils. However, and here is where the going gets murky, the price from both OPEC and non- OPEC sources is just about the same which leads to the impression that there is, as I suggested above, an unofficial (for “unofficial” read “under the table”) agreement on prices by all producers, not just those belonging to OPEC. Since oil costs different prices at different sources to extract, there is NO one price for oil that governs our gasoline prices. The industry just uses a couple of benchmark prices, either True. But LBJ and Dumbo were appointed to the Oval Office -1 said every elected president since JFK was hairy. And it's undeniable when you think of it. John F. Kennedy had industrial strength hair. Tricky Dick Nixon could just barely keep ahead of his five o’clock shadow. Ronald Reagan pretty much built an entire political (and Hollywood) career on what grew naturally out of his scalp. And Bill Clinton? Clinton carries more natural roof thatch than Ann Hathaway’s cottage. As for the next resident of the White House, well, that’s not entirely clear. It looks like its down to George Dubya Bush and Al Gore. Dubya sports the traditional right wing Republican low forehead, while Al Gore (despite a tiny sand trap at the rear) has more overall head foliage than a Chia pet on steroids. On the basis of hair, any objective observer would have to call that contest a draw. Raymond Canon The International Scene one set in Texas or one in the North Sea, to go along with “official” OPEC price. One thing I did was try to track the given world price for oil and compare it with the price that we have been paying at the pump. Other than the fact that the prices both fluctuate and are both higher than they were last year, I could find no real correlation. Nor is it clear why the price is generally higher in Sarnia, within sight of the oil refineries, than it is in, say, Blyth or Kincardine. I have been unable to find any “realistic” explanation for this. The talk from the oil companies about competition, etc. is just that, a lot of talk. Why should a price jump five cents a litre in one day? Why should all the gas stations in the immediate vicinity all jump at the same time Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor are a forum for public opinion and comment. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of this publication. THE EDITOR, The TH&VS Homecoming Reunion Committee want to deliver a very important message to all Timmins High & Vocational School alumni that the deadline date for registration is fast approaching. We have a wonderful lineup of events including the Wine and Cheese Evening in the Park, Dinner, Dance and Family BBQ. We are all looking forward to seeing you at the reunion. You had to register by June 1 to guarantee a spot at the dinner. The reunion is scheduled to run from Aug. 3 - 5. But how about here in Canada? How do the Hair Sweepstakes work on this side of the border? Well, Pierre Trudeau, while clearly follically challenged, managed to maintain a sporty Caesarean comb over for his time in office. John Turner had a fine silvery pelt on his pate. Joe Clark may have been chin-deprived, but he never lacked for hair. Brian Mulroney had a plethora of well-oiled locks to complement his oleaginous tongue. Jean Chretien? Well his hair looks like it was plucked out of a teddy bear and superglued on his dome as an afterthought, but all the same, no one would ever call Chretien bald. As for the future PM of Canada, well, we’ve got three also-rans and three newcomers at the starting gate. There's Chretien, an ever-hopeful Paul Martin, and Joe Clark - all three of whom have adequate head fur. And we’ve got the trio of would-be political kneecappers - Manning, Day and Long - all three of whom have ... equally adequate head fur. There doesn’t seen to be any particular pellicular advantage. It’s pretty much a dead heat. Since all candidates are, in terms of head­ yam, equal, perhaps we’ll have to investigate a different talisman of greatness. Such as what, if anything, lies under those forelocks. and by the same amount? Certainly not all the oil companies have exactly the same production costs. No answer to that either, at least none that makes any sense. I think you will agree with me that the frequent change in prices, and dramatic ones at that, effectively remove any feel the consumer might have as to what the true price of gasoline is. When you have consumers totally confused, the way is open for a company to play around with prices, to the company’s advantage, of course. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the government “inquiries” to find any difference. Just remember that, as the price of gasoline goes jp, so does the government take in the form of tax levied at the pump. All this means it is something like a fox doing a survey of living conditions in the henhouse. Since all the companies are playing the same game, there is no way to take our business somewhere else. We are simply hostages. Unless, of course, we find an alternative mode of transportation that does not rely on the oil companies. Mule trains, anybody? I wonder if my glider licence is still valid? Former students of Timmins High and Vocational School interested in attending, should consider this an invitation to register today for the millennium event of the year. Registrations can be obtained at the postal address or e-mail address listed below. Sincerely, P. Toffanello, Principal TH & VS 451 Theriault Blvd., Timmins, ON P4N 8B2 Phone 705-360-1411 Fax 705-268-6603 email: http://www.tbe-edu.com/th&vs/ Bonnie short of it Growing older needn’t be all bad Growing up was fun, but growing older isn’t. At least that’s what I've generally assumed. Certainly, the reality of aging is not one most of us would pick given a choice. But it is, those same folks would agree, preferable to the alternative. Those who know me, know I am an introspective sort of gal. I think a lot. About life, about me, about my family. I don’t know if it’s my age or my conscience, but one thing has been very much on my mind of late — time. First I think it’s passing fast, then I wish it weren’t. Finally, I realize there isn’t much I can do about it. And as there is little point in fighting it, I’ve decided to if not embrace it, then allow middle age some grudging acceptance. After all. this getting old does, it seem, come with some perks. There is the famous discount for everything from coffee and muffins to the more practical prescription medication. There is retirement and the freedom this will hopefully invite. I know I speak strictly from perception, but it appears to me that people make less demands on you when you’re older. Being the youngest in my family, I look with no small degree of envy at those ahead of me. Mom and Dad are sitting pretty, off to the trailer in the summer, no one asking too much of their time. They have arrived at the place, blessedly in relative good health where they preside over family from a spot of honour. Big sister and her husband are semi-retired, family complete for the time being, at least until grandchildren get older. They travel, enjoy each other’s company and see their kids enough to keep themselves happy. Big brother and his wife though still working hard, seem content in their life away from young kids and the accompanying worries. All this is not to say that they are thrilled to be living in empty nests or that I’m eagerly awaiting it. Au contraire. This is just looking for the silver lining. The other thing about admitting age is that I think it’s better for you. For example my hubby has always been a workhorse, but continues to go at tasks with the energy of a kid. As he notes with shock that he’s suffering later from aches and pains, I can’t help thinking that if he were to take on a job with a slower, but steady pace more befitting a 40-something fellow, he’d hurt less and feel, at worst, his age. Instead by pretending he’s 20 he feels 80. Actually, some days, I think my Mom and Dad hurt less than he does. They say that age is a state of mind. If you think you’re young then you will feel young. I’m not sure that perhaps this sage advice shouldn’t come with an addendum, a warning that it not be taken too literally. Certainly, thinking young is a good way to stay vital and young at heart. People who enjoy life, who live it and experience it in every possible way do tend to stay young. But with age comes limitations. We might be able to slow the process, but generally what was sharp may dull, what was fast may slow. Acknowledge it, then accept what it means and growing old can be if not as much fun as growing up, then at least one more milestone to enjoy.