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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1982-05-26, Page 4Times -Advocate. Mov 26. 1982 Imes - " dvocate Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 1.411 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications, Limited 4 Bill B•\TTE\• ROSS HALUGH Editor Assistant Editor DICK IONGKIND Business Manager LORNE EERY Publisher JIM BECKETT Ad\t•rtisint. Manager HARRY DEVRIES Composition .:tanager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $20.00 Per year: U.S.A. $55.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS `A' and `ABC' What are their. alternatives? Among the items which may be looked upon as paradoxical in the current economic situation, is the popularity and success of amusement arcades with their rows and rows of pinball machines, video games and other money -guzzling slots. • While some people struggle with keeping financial- ly afloat and providing basic necessities for their families, others are spending a large portion of their time and money at amusement centres. Because so many of the customers are teenagers, several municipalities are moving to curb the opera- tion of amusement centres, primarily to remove the source of high absenteeism in schools or the problem of bleary-eyed students who show up for classes in the morning after a late night session of dumping quarters. into machines. Some of the impetus for stricter controls pertain- ing to hours of operation and the age of customers is coming from parents and school officials who are con- cerned about the declining attendance and grades of. • perpetual amusement centre customers. It's another example of people wanting someone else to do their job. Certainly the role of parental and school supervision is made much easier if the source of the problem area is removed. However, parents and school officials must face the fact thaf their lack of supervision and control is as much of the problem, as the temptation which young people face with amusement centres as well as drugs, •CNA BLUE RIBB a,•,o�c 1981 alcohol and other social ills that confront them. History shows that economic decay often runs hand in hand with moral decay; the attitude being that one may as well have some fun with his/her last buck. There is growing concern that, faced with the current employment situation, young people are increasingly losing faith with "the system" and have deep negative feelings about their futures. Parents, school officials and municipalities would serve them better if they looked at the needs of young people and provided alternatives through which they could channel their enthusiasm, talents, time and weekly allowance in more constructive ways. Greater emphasis on junior achievement, recrea- tion and cultural pursuits may be the greatest weapon against the waste of amusement centres, drugs and alcohol. Yet adults continue to spend their time and money on cures and rehabilitation related to the social ills,, and payonly lip -service to the areas of prevention. Recreation budgets are cut so municipalities can provide greater police enforcement. School boards reduce athletic and cultural programs so they can hire sociologists and psychiatrists. Parents do without so their kids will have more spending money.. It's time we•woke up! Until society provides some viable alternatives, the knashing of teeth over amuse- ment centres, drugs and alcohol is very hollow. What else is there for them to do? A bite at a time Wheelchairs are, thankfully, not a major vehicle of convenience in Exeter, but the fact that there may only be a- few residents so confined is no reason that they should not be given every consideration. Life is already difficult enough for the handicap- ped without throwing more obstacles in their path and the plea of a young Exeter lady last week on the need for cut -curbs should be given high priority by council. \ It is encouraging to note that the movement of the handicapped is considered in new construction, but the fact remains that the core area is basically inaccessible. • Reports indicate that the cost of installing cut -curbs along Main St. would be $9,000, obviously a high figure for such a limited use. However, too often people tend to look at such pro- jects as having to be done at one time and they are frightened off by the total cost. To look at the situation more realistically, it would only take nine years to complete if $1,000 was set aside annually. That's not a large sum and would probably result in the project being done much sooner than waiting on someone to make a decision to spend the entire amount in one year. A tradition that should be halted "It provides for an expansionary deficit to stimulate the economy, while remain- ing true to our solid tradition of sound financial management." That was one of the concluding com- ments made by Ontario Treasurer Frank Miller when he presented his recent budget and while the document may have been in keeping with the "solid tradition" of the Conservative government, there are those who would argue with it being . sound financial management. While the figures are well beyond my comprehension. there doesn't appear to be anything very sound about a fiscal plan that will result in an 11.6 percent increase in expenditures to 122.7 billion. while there is only going to be a nine percent increase in revenue to 120.5 billion. That adds 12.5 billion to the provincial deficit and as MPP Jack Riddell pointed out to our readers last week. servicing the debt costs Ontario taxpayers a cool 16 million each day or $2" ).wo per hour. In terms of percentages. the debt con- sumes 9.5 percent of the provincial budget or more than is spent on community and social services The "solid tradition" of the Conservative government has been to run the province further into debt. and while the taxpayers must share some of the blame for the incessant demands for more and more handouts. much of the debt has accrued through paying for the lavish promises and programs that have been used to lure support from a gullible electorate that too seldom realizes that they have to pick up the hill for the program. Many people have already felt the sting from Miller's tax increases and it is in- teresting to note that the politicians treat themselves differently when it comes to cut-backs in their own domain. Miller's tax changes are law for most people. Tate government decrees that the \ • i i• 1 r' Y I r -r tax on cigarettes and booze will be in- creased and the decree is put into effect. However, when it comes to their own - wages, it is a matter that is left open for debate. His budget statement regarding salary increases for MPPs was as follows: "The Government will propose to the Legislature that the Members also set an example and agree that this award (a committee recommended a nine percent BATT'N AROUND with the editor pay boost) be cut to six percent." Even the senior civil servants don't have the same right to agree to salary cuts. Miller states unequivocally "we will • be cutting these increases to six percent this near". It seems strange that a government with the power to tell everyone else what they will be doing or not doing, should give MPPs any different treatment by allow- ing for discussions on pay boosts. . So. whether MPPs will set an example through taking less of a pay increase than recommended, remains to be seen. In view of the excessive hike they gave themselves last time around, they shouldn't find it too difficult and the ex- ample wouldn't be all that commendable - in view of the big handful they took out of the cookie jar in the past. One of the basic problems with this budget, and in fact most government pro- grams: is that it provides hand-outs for people who don't need them and often at the expense of others who can't afford to $ t t contribute to helping those less needy than themselves. Governments should be encouraged to help those who need it, but they .waste millions in providing help under blanket programs that result in benefits to those who clearly do 'not need them, and in many cases, don't expect them. . One example is the fact that all senior citizens receive OHIP premium exemp- tions, and while this is necessary for many, there are a large number of seniors who can well afford to pay. Miller has decided to give an interest- free loan to new home buyers. So those with enough money and income to con- sider a 190,000 purchase 11115,000 in Toronto) can dip into the public purse while some of their neighbours will lose their homes because they can't afford the current high mortgage payments. While many farmers are struggling to stay in business. Miller offers 15 million to others to improve their farmstead. That has been termed a gruel joke and there is some validity to the charge. The rich man in Northern Ontario pays 124 for his vehicle registration fee and the poor man in other parts of the province pays 148. Miller has criticised the federal govern- ment for a reduction in payments to the provinces. while at the same time he has whittled away the amount of provincial assistance to the municipalities by requir- ing the latter to pay Ontario sales tak oh many items that were previously tax exempt. And so it goes...hand-outs by one hand and take-aways by the other, but always. it seems, with the same result that peo- ple. have to pay into the provincial treasury while the latter falls farther and farther into debt. It may be a solid tradition, but,one of these days people may muster enough courage to realize the tradition has to be halted. "1 used to\resent handouts tothe unemployed but MacEachen managed to change my thinking on that." Taking the shotgun approach Since I haven't had time in the past week to brood over a great national, in- ternational, or spiritual theme, as is my wont, he said, this week, we'll have to be contented with some short shots, or, as some put it, . the shotgun ap- proach, in which we aim at everything and often hit nothing. Although • she is quite slim, my wife plays a Large part in my life. So I'll get rid of her first. And she can take any meaning she likes from that. You've probably seen a magician pulling eggs out of people's ears, and even out of his own. But have you ever seen an aging teacher- columnist with eggs coming out of his ears? Drop around. My old lady, torn bet- ween inflation and my threats to retire on a pidd- ly pension, has been caught up in a great sav- ings kick. The results would be hilarious, if they weren't so expensive. I mentioned eggs. Recently she spotted a. great bargain on eggs, a saving of about 30 cents a dozen. We already had a dozen and a half in the. fridge. She rushed out and bought three dozen. Have you ever existed on two boiled eggs for breakfast, an egg sand- wich for lunch, and bacon and eggs for dinner, for about 10 days straight, so that the eggs wouldn't go rotten? I'm so sick of eggs I can't even eat chicken. Speaking of which, another bargain - great hairy. chicken legs, at about 10 per cent off. At least you can freeze them, but you risk instant con- cussion whey you open the little freezer in the top of the fridge, and are buried under an avalanche of chicken .legs, hamburg. pork chops, frozen loaves of -bread, frozen ham- burger buns and frozen you -name -it, all bought at bargain prices. It takes half an hour. and the two of us, to get all that junk fitted back into Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley the freezer, and a running jump at the door to force it closed. Some of you oldsters will remember Fiber McGee's closet. That's it. She came across a bargain in margarine, and there are eight pounds of it stuck in the bottom half of the fridge: Not even room to cool a bottle of • beer. There was another hot buy on toilet tissue, and we have enough around the house to paper the Kremlin. I'm usithird- rate shaving cream because it was c e r. She hasn't time to iron a shirt, because she's so busy chasing around after "specials". But I shouldn't com- plain. The savings are fan- tastic. However, the narky little book-keeper in the back of my mind notes that I have to buy four newspapers a week, in- stead of one, and that the gas bill has gone up about 20 per cent because she doesn't dci all her shopping in one store any more, but dashes around to three or four, miles apart. I figure we're only going behind on the bargains at about 30 per cent a week. Between her bargains, and her canvassing for the Cancer Society, I can scarcely insert a "diddly- poop" into the conversa- tion any more. I try to get back to my favorite themes: the ini- quity of the Finance Minister, the obtuseness of the school board, the rot- ten weather, the unreality of the administration, the foibles of my fellow, teachers, and the adoles- cent senility of my students. Normal, sane grouching, in other words. She blithely ignores me as she babbles on about the latest bargain in deodorants (which, . on closer examination, prov- ed that we were paying more than the regular rate), and the eccen- tricities of the people she is canvassing. Her eyes sparkle with anger as she relates how she approached a house. with a car in the driveway, television blaring inside, an upper window curtain twitching, and nobody would answer the door, even after 18 rings, and a quick whip around to the back door. I try to tell her, after my own years of canvassing, that that's quite normal. When people peek out and see a determined -looking woman, with receipts in one hand, and a pen in the other, approaching their house, they instinctively hide. They know she's either selling something, or wants a donation to something. And there are the people whose husband "gives at the office," and whose husbands tell _their can- vassers that ."my wife looks after all charitable donations at home." And then she's a sucker. One pensioner, obviously lonely, kept her in conver- sation for half an hour, refused to donate a nickel and an hour later, picked her up in his car, drove her to his house and gave her a couple of bucks, "because you're working so hard at it." At another house, the door was opened by -a man who'd recently had a heart attack. His wife had already contributed, but he insisted mine come in, have a cup of coffee, and hear about his attack. We have played golf with the couple and have known them casually for years. But, in an excess of nerves or something, she gave him a ki4s on the cheek, right o is front porch, as they were parting. And right across the street from the Anglican minister's. I told her the wires would be humming that night. - And then there was the drunk in the" apartment building, and the woman who wouldn't answer the door, but came running out after her in her bare feet, and... but that's the way it goes. Fascinating stuff, bargains and canvassing. But I haven't kept my bargain. This was to be a shot-guncolumn, full of aphorisms, ironies, and biting little snippets. And all I've talked about is that crazy lady I've been mar- ried to for 35 years. Oh, well. C'est la vie domestique. An impression of Hogtown One of the things that I like to take students from rural schools on is the sub- way in Toronto. Many of these kids have had all sorts of experience driving 150.000 tractors and in working with all sorts of animals but when it comes to the big city and a change to go on an underground train it's a whole new ball game for them. Believe me; when that train cdmes into the stationwith a roar and a big swoosh of air those kids' eyes open as big as saucers. The expression on their faces is priceless. I took my daughter to Toronto recently and dur- ing the weekend I decided that it would be wor- thwhile to take her on that same subway ride. Same thing. When that train came in she was just as amazed as all the other ly which train we should take and where to get off it Then when we sat down Perspectives By Syd Fletcher children had been. The eyes got just as big. Some people say that big cities are cold and im- personal and that people there don't care about their neighbours. Not so in Toronto. Seeing that we were strange to the city the clerk in the station took time to explain exact - in our seats a young fellow in a university jacket came and sat down facing us. He grinned, then winked conspiratorially at us, and pulled a purple Seagram bag out of his pocket. Mysteriously he drew a long red balloon out of it. He stretched it a couple of • times, then blew it up, tied the end and started to twist and shape it, mean- while never saying a word. Before my daughter's wondering eyes he transformed the balloon into a poodle, complete with pom-poms on its legs. He asked her' to squeeze its tail and out popped a fat part on the end. As we got up to get of at our stop he handed her the dog and made her a deep bow. Through the window he waved and we all waved back. Through it all not a word had been said. Eccentric ? Perhaps. Friendly? You bet. And I know one girl who certain- ly came away from Toron- to with a favourable impression.