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.
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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^
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