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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-11-29, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2000. PAGE 5. Other Views Options for curbing the beast Don't knock capital punishment. It's a potential parking space. Anon hat’s it. I am formally swearing off driving my car into the city forever. Henceforth I will hitchhike, ride my bike, hail a cab or charter a chopper but I am not going to drive downtown. Actually, it’s not the driving that’s so horrendous (although it’s bad enough) - it’s the parking. Park on the street? Forget it - not in prime time, anyway. On streets with no meters the cars are packed so tight on both sides of the road you couldn’t slip an Ace of Spades between the bumpers. Then there are those ‘special’ side streets, sporting signs like: ONE HOUR PARKING ON ODD-NUMBERED DAYS EXCEPTING WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS AND DAYS CONTAINING THE LETTER “D” BETWEEN 0700 AND 0900 HOURS RESTRICTED TO VEHICLES WITH GREEN WINDSHIELD STICKERS UNLESS OTHERWISE POSTED. OFFER VOID IN COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES AND AMERICAN PROTECTORATES. POST NO BILLS OR FLYERS. And it’s only going to get worse. I read a report in the paper that says the city of Vancouver attracts so many new vehicles each year that it would take a parking lane 60 miles long to park them. A bit of confusion in the ranks It all started with the widely reported riots against the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle last year. We were treated to nightly scenes on television which showed rioters tangling with cops as the former tried to break up the meetings of the organization which had been held responsible for a long list of sins of both commission and omission. The rioters succeeded to a considerable degree and ever since then there have been similar demonstrations at anything resembling an international meeting of organizations dealing with trade and finance. When you are looking at such complex issues as world poverty, unemployment and the like one of the first victims is objectivity. Demonstrators tend to get lumped together, regardless of how many different groups make up the protesting hordes. Nor do the same groups show up at all the demonstrations. Yet the picture which is most frequently presented to the public is one of scenes of violence, as if the protesters were all anarchists at heart and the police all ingrained sadists in their desire to put down the protesters, no matter how peaceful they may be. What a pity! When I was a San Francisco I ran across a training session for protesters, and violence was certainly not on the agenda, in fact, the main theme was how to make a valid protest without resorting to violence. The sad part is that there are undoubtedly generally some violence-prone demonstrators around and they tend to be the ones on which the media concentrates, knowing that they will give the best 30 or 60 second clips for the evening news. The most violent demonstration to date was the one at Seattle where trade was the agenda. There were an estimated 50,000 demonstrators on hand; the biggest single group of which were the American labour unions. They have generally never liked free trade since they believe it leads to U.S. job losses. The case of free trade was not really helped by the Clinton administration since Al Gore needed the support of these unions in his election campaign. However, at all the subsequent meetings at I've got news for you, chum: I have driven, albeit reluctantly, through the chrome and tin- lined streets of Vancouver. Some days there’s not enough space to park a roller skate. And I know it’s no better in cities like Toronto, Calgary and Montreal - worse, if anything. Parking is a nightmare. What are we going to do about it? Henny Youngman came up with one answer. “I’ve solved my parking problem” the comedian wisecracked “I bought a parked car.” I heard of someone who came up with an even more creative solution - a wealthy looking woman who walked into a bank on Toronto’s Bay Street one day and asked to see the Loans Officer. “I’m going to London on business for two weeks and I’d like to borrow $5,000.” “Certainly, madame,” oozes the loans officer, “providing you have some kind of security for the loan.” The woman reaches into her purse and pulls out a set of car keys. There is no mistaking the insignia on the ignition key - it’s the familiar Raymond Canon The International Scene which demonstrators were present, the same unions were conspicuous by their absence. They had tried to make their point as far as the U.S. was concerned and no further action was deemed necessary. Those who were in favour of such things as human rights, the environment and poverty seemed more uncertain at any demonstrations including international finance as it pertains to organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Finance is a more nebulous concept than trade and it will take a sharp demonstrator indeed to understand any connection between capital flows and poverty or human rights. I can’t think of one protesting group who zeroed in on the wide­ spread corruption which exists in many of the poverty-filled countries; nevertheless, no Letter to the Editor THE EDITOR, This year the Lung Association celebrates its 100th anniversary. In 1900, The Lung Association led the fight against tuberculosis, then the number one killer disease in Canada. With effective medication and tuberculosis screening at both schools and the workplace, tuberculosis is now under control. Over the past century your support has saved countless lives. We’re proud of the work of The Lung Association over the past 100 years. Now we face new challenges in this new century. One in five Canadians still has a breathing problem. Asthma is the number one reason children are admitted to hospital and absent from school, and it is on the rise. Together, we can work to fight lung diseases like asthma, lung cancer, emphysema and new strains of tuberculosis. When you return your Christmas Seal envelope you help support vital medical Rolls-Royce logo. The woman leads the officer out the front door and sure enough — there’s a Rolls- Royce Silver Cloud sitting by the curb. She hands over the ownership and her insurance certificate. Everything is perfectly in order. The officer agrees to accept the car as collateral. He has a clerk drive the car into the bank’s underground parking garage. As soon as she’s out of sight, the loans officer calls the bank president and all the other management flunkies into the vault and tells them about the dumb blonde who just put up a $250,000 automobile as collateral for a $5,000 loan. Two weeks later the woman returns to the bank, repays the $5,000 loan plus the interest. The loans officer, trying not to smirk, says, “Madame we’re delighted to have your business but you have us a little perplexed. We ahhh, ran a security check regarding your background while you were away and discovered that you are...well, extremely wealthy.” “A multi-millionaire, in fact. We’re just wondering why you would bother to borrow $5,000?” Retrieving her car keys, the woman replies with a smile “Where else in downtown Toronto can I park my car for two weeks for only 15 bucks and expect it to be there when I return?” matter how well intentioned your international loans are, they can be easily swallowed up by corrupt government leaders. Just look at Indonesia and Zimbabwe, to name only two examples. It is nice that these world organizations have, for example, taken note of the negative side­ effects of globalization and have asked their officials to look into the matter. However, the books of economic history are filled with pious statements of good intentions. I would urge the well motivated protest groups to continue with the pressure and above all keep away from violence. As an economist I would dearly love to see such things as world trade benefit as many people as possible and keep the injurious side effects to a minimum. The private sector is not disciplined enough to do this on its own; it is up to the governments of these international bodies to do the job properly. Keep in mind, however, that some of the correct moves may be politically unpopular such as reducing trade barriers to goods from third-world countries. How the protest groups react to such moves will demonstrate more than anything their true motives. research in Ontario’s medical centres and proven education programs. Moreover, when you use your Christmas Seals on your holiday mail to friends and loved ones you show your support for those with lung disease. The goal in Huron and Perth Counties is to raise $71,000 through the Christmas Seal campaign. Please continue our proud hadition of caring and working for those with respiratory disease by supporting The Lung Association through the campaign. Christmas Seals work year round to give life and breath to millions of Canadians, and thousands right here in Huron and Perth Counties Tha‘’s the most precious holiday gift of all. Happy Holidays. Kelly Munoz Chair of the Advisory Board The Lung Association, Huron-Perth Bonnie Gropp The short of it Care to follow me? Each week, as many of our more observant readers will notice, there is a change, besides the date, at the top of The Citizen. It reflects the number of that issue in that particular year, but as a bit of a standing joke among some of my colleagues and I, it also represents the number of weeks left until Christmas. That said, you will now notice there are just three more issues of The Citizen to be printed in the year 2000. Only three more issues of The Citizen will be read before Santa climbs down your chimney. And if you don’t have your shopping done by the time those next three issues are recycled, you have just run out of time. Among our office workers we have a few like myself, actually there is probably just myself, who panics if the Christmas list isn’t off the to-do list by the first of the month. Then there are those who save it all until the end. It gives me therefore great glee each week to give them the countdown, to point out exactly how swiftly those shopping days are passing. All of my darker traits make it a necessity that I shop early. Mildly claustrophobic, a fanatic about organization, with a strong need for control, I find it much less harrowing at the beginning of December to look at a closetful of wrapped presents, rather than running frantically, like a reindeer with its nose light out, in a last minute search for the perfect gifts. While others fight the crowds, the weather and the decreasing inventory, I’m snuggled contentedly on my couch, under an afghan, beside the warm glow of a Christmas tree. However, I have noticed my practice seems to have caught on. Where once a gift purchased at the end of October brought a look of stunned disbelief from the sales clerk when informed it was for Christmas, now th :y asx me if that is my purpose for buying it. And this interest in being early doesn’t stop at shopping. Traditionally, decorating our home in its Christmas finery has occurred the first weekend in December. It was once quite a non-conformist custom. These days, however, I feel like a late bloomer. What is behind the changing trend? I’m not so vain as to consider that I have led by example. While I may have bragged to many about how sensible my practice was, I somehow doubt I’m a universal influence. Yet, did one or two notice, perhaps? Did they see in their stressed and frazzled days leading to Christmas that I was laid-back, carefree, actually almost bored? And then giving my ideas a try the next year and finding them sound, did they recruit other disciples, and so on, and so on? Because in this one I am right The Christmas season can be stressful. It is a time of high expectations, outside pressures and extra burdens. A lamentable outcome given that it is the most joyous time of year. Even with all the worries that accompany the holidays, too much socializing, too little time, too. too little money, people are better during the holidays. There’s always a Grinch to spoil things, but generally, people smile, well, kinder. Doesn’t it make sense therefore, to push the hassles ahead to the ordinary months, and leave the festive season for your pleasure? Though I’m once again dealing with the mob, doing it in November seems a far less painful headache. And as Christmas approaches I plan to be once again ready to relax and enjoy. Care to follow me?