HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-04-08, Page 7Opinion
Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, April 8, 2009 - Page 7
Gaunt remembered at Queen's Park meet
Queen's Park observed a moment's silence
on April 1 in honour of Murray Gaunt, a
long-time Liberal MPP for Huron -Bruce,
who died March 31 after a lengthy illness, at
the age of 73. The . following is an exerpt
from the transcript.
Mrs. Carol Mitchell: It is certainly with
great sadness that I stand today to inform the
House of a passing away of a truly remark-
able man.
Murray Gaunt was a man of humble
beginnings who worked tirelessly to improve
the lives of people in Huron -B ruce.
He was born in the middle of the Great
Depression to farmers, and ivlurray started
his childhood days by walking two miles to
school. At a young age, he became 'a very
keen observer of the technological transfor-
mation of agriculture. His enthusiasm for
farming grew after the war, when things like
the turkey broiler business and new animal
husbandry techniques signalled that agricul-
ture was changing.
After attending Guelph university, Murray
became a poultry farmer and eventually a
very popular CKNX farm editor. He was the
voice of agriculture until one day he was
courted to run in a provincial by election for
the Liberal Party. Murray spent 18 years as
the MPP for Huron -Bruce, and he worked
tirelessly to advancethe agriculture issues of
the riding.
In 2005, Murray Gaunt was inducted into
the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame and
recognized for his many achievements.
'But what Murray was best known for was Join me in paying respect to this hard- all members and our guests to please rise as
his unwavering grace and his kindness. He working and compassionate man, Murray we pay a moment of silence in memory of
was also a proud father and grandfather. He Gaunt. • former member Murray Gaunt.
is survived by his wife, Pat. The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I'd ask The House observed a moment's silence.
End -of -life care expects growth in volunteer shortage
To the Editor;
We are in need of volunteers for our hos-
pice care program in the county. With the
new emphasis towards End of Life Care, we
expect a shortage of volunteers to become
more evident over the next few years.
We are blessed with communities filled
with compassionate people. Some find them-
selves missing a sense of purpose after losing
a spouse or retiring from a job: some are look-
ingfor an avenue to reach out to others; some
have survived challenging circumstances
and have the experience to help others do
the same. These are the kind of individuals
who make excellent volunteers. Compassion
and the ability to listen are the basic require-
ments. We teach you the practical skills. We
welcome men as volunteers as they are an
important source of companionship for other
men who are dying. Our hospice volunteers
tell us that they often receive so much more
than they felt they were giving.
Everyone hopes they can make a differ-
ence in someone's life at sometime. Being a
volunteer with Huron Hospice allows you to
do something special for a person when they
need support and help at an important time in
their life. When we am dying we need physi-
cal, emotional, and spiritual help traveling
down the path we may not be ready to tread.
No one should have to walk alone that final
journey.
April is Volunteer Month and we appre-
ciate the dedication that our volunteers give
to our many programs. Without volunteers,
there would not be a hospice palliative care
program here in Ontario.
Our volunteers tell us that they are hon-
oured and gratified to have made a differ-
ence. If you would like to know more about
the work of Huron Hospice and how to train
with ourwonderful team of volunteers, please
call our offices in Seaforth 519-527-0655 or
contact Kathy Proctor in Wmgham 519-357-
2720 right away. We are offering training this
month. The difference you make in some-
one's life will be immeasurable.
Janis Bisback
Chair Public Relations
Huron Hospice Volunteer Service
Writer reminds all
o watcor ccyclists
To the Editor; making a turn, pulling out, or passing.
With spring finally here, those of us If we are all vigilant, the roads will
that get around on two wheels instead be safer for all that use them, be that on
of four, will once again be sharing the four wheels, or two, or perhaps even
roads and streets with motorists. one!
I'd just like to remind all drivers to
be watchful of bicycles, mopeds, Many thanks,
motorcycles, and scooters. Michelle Fenn -McCreath,
Be sure to take a second look before Saltford
A world drowning in debt reaches out
The state of the world economy is grim
with the reaction of the masses getting
grimy-
Iceland
myIceland is bankrupt and witnessing civil
disobedience for the first time ever. The
French are rioting in the streets and kidnap-
ping bosses for better severance packages,
while Scots smashed up the mansion of the
head of the Royal Bank of Scotland after he
accepted a bailout of taxpayers' money and
then rewarded himself with a $1.2 million
annual pension on his way out the door. In
London bankers have stopped •wearing suits
lest they be identified as ... bankers. Angry
protesters dubbed the opening of the G20
economic summit "Financial Fools' Day"
and welcomed delegates with placards say-
ing "Eat The Bankers." American humane
societies are now faced with "foreclosure
pets," the innocents left behind in aban-
doned houses.
The breadth and depth of this global
catastrophe is so severe, Bush and Cheney
could not possibly have acted, alone.
Desperate for answers and seeking sound
advice from the international voice of expe-
rience, the world naturally turns to Japan for
salvation.
Japan is the second largest economy in the
world, the globe's top manufacturer of cars
and trucks, one of the wealthiest per capita
countries on the planet and most important-
ly, a nation which survived a decade-long
recession in the 1990s with flying colours
and a rebounding,market. It stands to reason
pr
then that Japan is the model the
rest of our sputtering economies
should emulate in order to sur-
vive. .
Let's start with tourism. If
tourists are returning to the war
zone of Iraq, they must be land-
ing at Tokyo's Narita Airport in
droves. Right? Well, they might
if it wasn't for Nariaki Nakayama,
Japan's minister of tourism who
happens to hate foreigners.
"We are ethically homoge-
nous," declared Nakayama with
great patriotic conviction just before he was
forced to resign over the supremist remark.
Japan's new tourism slogan: "Come on
over and we'll throw another person who
doesn't look like us on the barbie!" A min-
ister of tourism who. dislikes foreigners is
like a minister of health who's a hypochon-
driac. Tough sell that.
But forget tourism and get right to the
genius of GNP, the architect of one of the
world's elite economies, the economic guru
of world finances, Japan's Finance Minister
Shoichi Nakagawa. Nakagawa arrived at
the recent conference of the Group of Seven
economic wizards in Rome with some great
ideas on how the world could benefit from
Japan's experience with chronic recession.
And he might v ell have given the world a
leg up on recovery if only he didn't get so
drunk he was unable to speak. Nakagawa,
slurring his words and unable to keep his
All the World's
A Circus...
eyes open, demonstrated that one
way to deal with economic
depression is to drink heavily and
earlier in the day. But in the long
run this remedy always proves
painful. Finance Minister Shoichi
Nakagawa resigned in disgrace.
"I have caused trouble to the
people," said the outgoing minis-
ter. "I apologize for my careless
health management." "Health
management" is Japanese for four
doubles of Scotch at lunch.
Okay so why bother with the
monkeys of tourism and finance when you
can go right to the organ grinder himself.
Surely the prime minister of Japan, Taro Aso
would offer up words of such wisdom that
world economies could not help but take
note and then, hopefully, take off.
So the stage was set at the Council on
Fiscal and Economic Policy last month for
Prime Minister Aso to sow the seeds of
recovery for a bankrupt world holding out
an empty hat.
"Why do I have to pay for medical
expenses for old people who become sick
because they drink and eat all the time and
do nothing." Those are the words of the
leader of Japan about his senior citizens.
Not exactly "Yes we can!"
I suppose letting old people die from
injury and disease by withholding medical
assistance is one way to lower health care
costs but it's really rather radical. Artificially
to ... Japan
escalating the cost of their pills the way
North American pharmaceutical companies
do, is so much more humane.
"I am sorry if I offended people suffering
from illness," said the prime minister, refus-
ing to resign over his remarks. Interesting
that he did not apologize to Japanese seniors
who eat and drink to stay alive or sit around
all day doing nothing in their wheelchairs.
So Japan, a country that could lead us out
of this international financial quagmire suf-
fers from a minister of tourism who hates
foreigners, a finance minister who's a prac-
ticing alcoholic and a prime minister who
would rather see senior citizens die before
he pays more taxes for healthcare.
With the prime minister's popularity the
lowest of any leader in modern times and
with the country falling into the worst eco-
nomic slump in 35 years, expect more and
more Japanese citizens to take up "careless
health management."
So what are we to conclude from all this
besides — we are so screwed!?!
Well, apparently the wrong disgraced
Japanese leaders have been falling on their
swords.
And by comparison to the leaders of
Japan, our own conservative government in
Canada is looking pretty darn .... No,
they're still a bunch of arrogant incompe-
tents.
Just as there's one too many
Flaherty's in Canada, there's an awful
lot of Aso's in Japan.
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