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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-10-31, Page 4Page 4 October 31, 2007 • The Huron Expositor Opinion Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK 1W0 Is itlimetopttch the penny? A new survey conducted by the Royal Canadian Mint suggests that most Canadians, and especially retailers, think we should just pitch that ubiqui- tous copper -coloured coin altogether. Some 43 per cent of Canadians polled suggest the mint should stop making the one -cent piece and remove it from circulation. Small retailers came out even more strongly against the poor penny, with 63 per cent in favour of dropping it. Indeed, the coins can be a nuisance. They weigh down our pockets and purses. They clog the cupholders and ashtrays in our cars. They litter our counters and junk drawers or sit uselessly in jars around our homes. And perhaps worst of all, they lengthen the amount of time we stand in line at the store, wait- ing for that customer who insists on providing exact change for a purchase, down to the last penny. So, hy keep it in circulation? Well, for starters, many Canadians believe that if the penny is eliminated, retailers will round prices up rather than down, and we'll end up paying more. And without it, some less tangible but still signif- icant things would change in our lives. We could no longer offer loved ones a penny for their thoughts. They would cost us at least a nickel to know them. There would be no more pennies from heaven, we'd have to switch to dime loafers, and misers would have to pinch some other coin. " From a purely logistical standpoint, getting rid of the penny would be a daunting task, considering there are currently about 26 billion of them in cir- culation, with a billion more produced by the mint each year. Sure, we could simply stop making them, but imagine how long -it would ,take. to collect those 26 - billion outstanding ones. Still, the strongest argument for keeping the penny is probably the most sentimental one -- the penny is part of Canadian history. Pennies, like all coins, are remarkably durable • pieces of our heritage. Each of them tells a story, and they've been telling stories since Jan. 2, 1908, when the first truly Canadian penny was struck. In short, there is a lot of history in a tiny copper disk. And that makes the penny worth infinitely more than its simple face value. But that's just our two cents worth. Chatham This Week Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 E-mail us at seaforth@bowesnet.com Visit our home page at www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com Ce) �, sir Canada OtoECOR MEDIA "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs." SUBSCRIPTI-O SENIORS; - 34 Foreign: 36.18 U.S.A.: 36.18 Published wee on condition th pied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Staying off the bumper in front of you may lower blood pressure A reminder to the tailgaters of the world: roads are not your own personal tranporta- tion channels. The rest of us aren't just pylons to drive around or obstacles in your way. If you keep it up, we'll be the people trying to kill you with high blood pressure. I used to date a woman who had a particu- larly effective strategy. It gave me a heart attack the first time I witnessed her use it. We were a part of a larger group of people leaving one place to go to another. We were the lead car when a friend of ours decided to fill her rearview mirror with his big boat of a car. She stepped on the gas to put space between us and then stomped on the brake. I thought it was just to flare her brakelights at our friend. Instead, she brought us to a dead stop. Our friend barely stopped in time. Then he followed the rest of the way from a block behind us. I tried using it a couple of times and found I didn't have the nerve to risk my bumper like that. She always was kind of touchy, unlike a friend from high school who simply loved screwing with people's heads. Her strategy for tailgaters was to appear to erratically drift back and forth in her lane. The first time she did it I looked at her like she was crazy. She explained there was a jerk tailgating us and she was convincing him she Aaron Jacklin was drunk and about to drift into oncoming traffic. I started watching behind us anytime she did this. It invariably worked. (For the record, she wasn't just making up an excuse for actually being drunk. She never drank.) Don't get me wrong. I understand being in a rush and trying to send a subtle message to the snail in front of you travelling 10 below the posted limit. I've done that and it's differ- ent. If you can't safely pass, you simply ride their bumper for a few seconds and slow down. If they don't get the message, you do it again, staying on their bumper longer. If it doesn't work again, then you just accept it, back off and wait for a safe time to pass. Anything else is dangerous. What if a kid runs out onto the road in front of the person you're tailgating and they have to slam on their brakes? When I'm driving along with the flow of traffic and someone tailgates me, I'll give them a moment. If they pass, cool. If not, I'll speed up to put space between me and them before going back to my usual speed. If that doesn't work, I gradually. slow down to the posted limit for a count of 20 before speeding up again. And if that doesn't work, I slow down to about 20 below the limit and stay there until they pass. Even if there's so much oncoming traffic that they can't for a couple minutes. It's quite satisfying. Ron & bave EWhatcha doin? I'm packing o few things for my trip. I'm planning on taking ~" a trip. Maybe to Europe, or the Steppes of Asia. , by David Lacey .4^ r N RATES: LOCAL - 36.18 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. .17 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. a year in advance, plus $181.48 postage, G.S.T. exempt I year in advance, plus $92.56 postage, G.S.T. exempt dy by Sun Media at 11 Main St., Seaforth. Advertising is accepted �, i :r. 4 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT 40064683 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 7605 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO Circulation Department P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, ON., NOK IWO ethe Canadian ,"Affon tlonsthNewspapers Susan Hundertmark Editor Bernie Pugh Advertising / Office Aaron Jacklin Reporter Sharlene Young Bolen Composing Publisher - Dave Sykes Editorial and Business Offices - 11 Main Street.,Seaforth Telephone (519) 527-0240 Fax (519) 527-2858 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 1W0 Maxwell Bickford Advertising Rep Dianne McGrath Front office