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Times-Advocate, 1985-12-18, Page 4• Page 4 Times -Advocate, December 18, 1985 Times Established 1873 Advpcate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 imes J dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519.235-1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager PCNA 8111 BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manage' SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $23.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A'. Starting to buckle Will your salary be increased by approximately 25 percent in the next three years? If the answer is in . the • negative you'd be advised.to consider applying for one of the department head positions with Huron County: That's -the tyQe of increase the ex- ecutive committee brought in for con- sideration of the old council in November, and in their cautious wisdom, themolter was set over for deliberation by the new council. The increases recommended would range from $13,182 for the medical officer of health (bringing • that salary to $70,694) to a mere $4,238 for the museum director who would remain at the low end of the scale at only $38,298: The other seven heads. are somewhere in between in both in- crease and total salary, the latter be- ing $51,832 on average for the nine. If approved, the salary increases could in effect become justified because the department heads would have their workloads increased con- siderably as the ratepayers of the county finally buckle under the widen- ' ing gap between what they are ex- • pected to pay and what they can realistically afford. irr • The medical officer of health would have a sizeable problem with the vast amount of undernourishment and starvation rampant in the taxpay- ing population; the social services ad- ministrator would be deluged with welfare cases; the clerk -treasurer and his assistant would be swamped with property tax default cases; the county engineer would have to design walking 'paths instead of roads; the planning director will have to come up with -ideas on how-to use empty stores and industries; the county librarid'n would need special security to ptevent peo- ple from using the books for fuel; the museum director would be able to use the entire county as a showcase for future generations to clearly depict what happens when .public sector wages spiral beyond those in the private sector from which tax dollars are generated; and the Huronview ad- ministrator would once again see his establishment become known as the "poor house" with Huron residents lining up to get admission. That scenario wouldn't become reality in just three years, of course. How long will it take? Ask your coun- ty councillor! Need style change Last week Peter Trueman .of the - Global TV network, commented on an unusual occurrence in the House of Commons, when one minister, during question period, answered the Opposi- tion members courteously and thank- ed them for bringing up points which he might have overlooked. Just imagine! An exercise in courtesy and intelligent discussion be- ing worthy of television time. But isn't it the truth? We have often marveled at the total lack of imagination displayed in the House, particularly since televi- sion cameras have been permitted t� record the members' childishness for Major story This is the time of year people are inundated with a variety of year-end reviews, statistics, awards and prognostications. Some of them are .worthwhile, while others border on the ridiculous. Unless you've been comatose for the past eleven and a half months, you'd have to agree that one thing 1985 has not been is dull. Almost daily, it would appear, a major incident has occurred somewhere in the world to attract our attention. It's almost as though the world was playing "top that if you can" and no sooner has the challenge been issued it has been achieved. On an international basis, our attention has been drawn to South Africa, Colombia, Geneva, Nor- thern Ireland, Ethiopia and numerous other places where man and nature have taken turns in creating havoc. While some of those events have tragically touched Cana- dians both directly and indirect- ly, there is little doubt that we in this nation continue to escape the frightening events which fre- quently face people in many other corners of this world. Certainly, the year has brought forth the usual number of per- sonal or regional tragedies that annually affect Canadians, but on the whole we remain a most favored populace where the trials and tribulations pale con- siderably in comparison to those abroad. • • • • • There are, unfortunately, in- dications that some of that is go- ing to change in the year ahead as it pertains to one of the major causes of concern in this nation: 1 broadcast to the voters of the nation. Seldom is a speaker allowed to say his piece on any subject without repeated interruptions from -across the floor. If such blatant disregard for the rules of procedure was ,to take place, - even at a municipal council meeting, the mayor or reeve would probably have the offenders ejected • The people who must provide the money for public business transac- tions..are left with only one conclu- sion: many politicians are very much more concerned about furthering their own political -careers than they are about providing sound, intelligent government. Wingham Advance Times will continue that being on the agricultural front. Agriculture has dominated the .news of the current year, par- ticularly in areas such as ours where it is the prime element of the economy. The problems being experienc- ed out on the concession roads have been gradually escalating for the past five years and there Batt'n Around %ith Ilk: 1 ditnr is little indication of any improve- ment for the immediate future. At last week's "outlook" and neighboring "lookout" con- ferences in Ottawa, the message was similar: agriculture is en- during very tough circumstances -- perhaps the most difficult cir- cumstances in 50 years. While farmers are generally an optimistic group who have become accustomed to living with the ups and downs of the marketplace. there is little doubt that the continual downs are star- ting to take their toll in both economic and psychological terms. The frustration that has been building is turning to anger and despair. as mirrored on the faces of the tabacco growers who have been protesting in Ottawa ' recently. Many farmers have been brought to their knees in the past. but their fate has been given on- ly slight notice by others around them because it was not widespread. Now there is the reality that op- timism is fading for many others with the bleak picture confron- ting them and the situation is more and more taking on a snowball effect that is threaten- ing the resources and the resolu- tion of larger numbers. • * * • • While many other Canadians have been adversely affected by economic changes in recent years, farmers are in a unique position. Few of those laid off from jobs face immediate crisis due to the cushion of unemploy- ment insurance and few business people who become insolvent lose their personal possessions. Farmers face the prospect of losing not only their investments, livelihood and a way of life, but also their homes. The ramifications of not weathering the storm are staggering. While farmers who till the rich land of South Huron and North Middlesex will, in general, be able to claw their way through the troubled times, there will be some who will not and they need the support of all segments of the community to help them through their disaster. in many cases, insolvency is no more preventable than other types of tragedies that prompt people to open their hearts to the -victims. M the .same time, civic, business and social groups should .understand what is happening to the farm economy and realize that it will be 7 major challenge for all during the coming year. 1. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited At least the gov't hasn't decided to put wall-to- wall carpeting in all their offices Of course not — how could they sweep things under the rug? It's like a mirage December is a trying time. For one thing, it's so dang SUDDEN. There you are, tottering along a day at a time, thinking it's still fall and you must get the snow tires and storms on one of these fine Saturdays, and throw some firewood into the cellar, and get some boots and replace the gloves you lost last March. Christmas is away off there. And then - bang! - you look out one morning, and• there's December, in all it's unglory: a ,.bitter eag wind driving snow, and a cold chill settles in the very bones of your soul. Winter wind as sharp as a witch's tooth sneaks in around uncaulked doors and windows. One's•wife complains of the terri- ble draught from under the base- ment door. You investigate and find that one of the basement win- dows has been blown in and has 'smashed on the woodpile. You clamber up over the wood, knock- ing pieces off shins and knuckles, and jam some cardboard in the gap. Creep cautiously outside, and nearly bust your bum. There's ice under that thar snow. Make it to the garage, and find that your car doors are all frozen solid shut. Beat them with your bare fists until the latter are bleeding and your car is full of dents. Finally get them open with a bucket of . hot water and a barrel of hotter language. Slither and grease your way to work, arriving in a foul mood and with bare hands crippled into claws, bootless feet cold as a witch's other appendage. Come out of work to go home and find a half-inch of frozen rain and snow covering your car, and no sign of your scraper, and another deep dent where some idiot slid into your car door on the parking lot. 1 could go on and on, but it's on- ly rubbing salt in the wounds of the average Canadian. Get home from work and find that the fur- nace is on the blink, and the repairman is tied up for the next two days. And your wife is also fit to be tied up over your dilatoriness. Surely there is some way around this suddeness of December. Is there not some far- seeing politician (if that is not a contradiction in terms), who would introduce a bill to provide for an extra month between, let's Sugar & Spice Dispensed by Smiley say, November 25th and December 5th. I wouldn't care what he called it. It could be Lastember, referr- ing to your fast -dying hope that there wouldn't be a winter this year. Or Last Call, or Final War- ning, or She's Acomin! Anything that gave us a good jolt. It would be be a good thing for merchants. They could have special'Lastember sales of gloves and boots and snow tires and ear muffs and caulking guns and weather stripping and antifreeze and nose warmers, before plung- ing into their pre -Christmas sales, which are promptly replac- ed by their January sales. It would be great for the Post Office, which could start warning us in June that all Christmas mail must be posted by the first day of Lastember if la wanted it delivered before the following June. It would make a nice talking point for all those deserters and traitors and rich people who go south each year. Instead of smirking, "Oh, we're not going south until Boxing Day. Hate to miss an old-fashioned Canadian Christmas," they could really shove it to us by leering, "Yes, we thought we'd wait this year until the last aay of Lasteltber, you know. Avoid, the '.pushing and vulgarity of the holiday. rush. If nothing else, it would give us a break from the massive nauseating volume of pre - Christmas advertising, which begins toward the end of October and continues, remorselessly, right into Christmas Day. Best of all, perhaps it would give dummies like me a chance to avoid looking like such a dum- my. Prect_)aatinators, who flourish (during a sunny November, would have no more excuses. All their wives would have to do is point to the calendar and say, "Bill, do you realize it's only three days until Lastember. Isn't it time you did your Lastember chores?" In fact, if that fearless policitican who, is• going to in- troduce the Lastember Bill in the house wants some advice, here is a codicil for him. Somewhere in the Bill should be the warning, in bold type: "Procrastinators will be Prosecuted!" Jeez, why not? They prosecute you for everything else. If such a month were added to the calendar - maybe we could start it with Grey Cup Day - peo- ple like me•wouldn't go onjhink- ing that Christmas is weeks away. Instead, on the last day of Lastember, with all their winter chores in hand, they'd know that Christmas was practically on top of them, like a big, old horse blanket, and they'd leap into the proper spirit, lining up a Christmas tree, laying in their booze, tuning up their pipes for the carols. / As it is now, we know that Christmas -is like a mirage. It's way off their somewhere, and no need to panic. Then, with that startling Suddeness, it's December 22nd, all the Christmas trees have been bought, the only repvatning turkeys look like vult rrt es,, and the liquor store is bedlam. Who's for a Lastember? Lazy man's solution It's a lot easier for people, including myself, to be critical about the way somebody else is doing something than it is to offer suggestions for im- provement. Last week 1 took a slam at the judicial system for doing what 1 felt was a lax attitude toward the sentences that it handed out for drunk driving. This week I'd like to offer some sug- gestions for an improvement in a system which seems to be presently bound up in a vengeful primitive at- titude which says. "Since you did wrong I'm going to beat up on you." • Instead of sending non-violent of- fenders to jail, which only punishes me, the taxpayer. for fining them. which only gives the government another form of tax money and is somewhat limitett`anyway since up- per limits are WI would prefer to see some of the following done. ( This does not apply to violent crime. Those characters need to belocked up and kept away from society). After the first offense put a special fluorescent pink license plate on their By the Way car. Let people know they have been convicted. Confiscate the automobiles of drunk drivers after the second offense for six months, not just their license. if you take away their wheels they'll think twice about driving in that state. The third time take the car for good and sell it. Proceeds would go into a special fund for the victims or the families who suffered from the effects of a drunk driver's actions. Community service could be a part of the logical punishment for of- fenders e.g. acting as a volunteer at a local hospital or With handicapped children. 1t would seem that part of the punishment should be devised by the offender him/herself. Ile should be forced to come up with some ideas as to how he can pay back his debt to society. if those ideas were not satisfactory to the judge then a more conventional type of punishment could be used. if necessary. To simply throw every offender in- to jail or to just dole out a fine seems tq me to be a lazy Man's solution.