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Times-Advocate, 1985-02-13, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, February 13, 1985 Times Established 1$73 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 �Ya *CNA LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $23.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Snow adds dangers Every season of the year appears to have its allied risks, but probably winter tops them all. The accident last week involving a local lad who knocked an icicle down on himself, coupled with the incident in a town near Ottawa where a youngster was killed when she and her parents were smothered by a huge slide of ice and snow from a rooftop, pointed out some of the dangers in- herent with this season of the year. All building owners should be con- stantly on the lookout for accumula- tions of ice or snow that could fall on passersby. The heavy snowfall of the past few weeks has also added to the dangers to which pedestrians and motorists have been'exposed. Some sidewalks have been blocked, forcing people to walk on the roads, thereby requiring extra vigilance. Huge mounds of snow at intersections and at laneways have cut visibility con- siderably and necessitates extra care and courtesy. People backing from lanes or pulling away from intersec- tions often have to traverse into the path of incoming vehicles before they can see them. Soon, there'll be the ail nual slush problems to be faced by pedestrians as the snow melts. Being hardy isn't always enough to survive a winter in Western On- tario. It is also necessary to be cautious and on the look out for dangerous situations. .Patronage continues -Pr-i-me-MinisterBrianMulroney- -- continues to make a mockery of his party's condemnation of Liberal political patronage appointments in the last federal election. Part of the support given the Pro- gressive Conservatives came from the people who were fed up with politi- cians and party hacks getting the ma- jority of plum jobs available in this country and in plush overseas postings. Obviously, they were repudiated in that support as the Conservatives have demonstrated beyond any doubt Caught in "We are caught between a rock and a hard place," claims Tony Carlson of the Canadian Federa- • tion of Independent Business in discussing the fact that premiums will soon have to skyrocket for the Canada Pen- sion Plan. That increase, over the long- term, could be as high as three times. While we may bemoan that fact, the reality is that it is difficult to argue too strenuously against it if many of those presently in the employment ranks expect to reap any benefit from CPP when they retire. The pension pot has developed a sizeable leak and needs a fresh infusion of dollars if those who retire after the year 2005 hope to get some pension assistance in their golden years. The dilemma is not unex- pected. It has been abundantly clear for some time that the plan was in some difficulty as the Baby 'Boomers move towards retirement age. In • just a few years there will be more pen- sioners than people paying premiums. Some of the problem rests with under -funding and the federal government's lenient interest on the funds from CPI' that have been loaned to the provinces. Increasing premiums, of course, is not a particularly beneficial move on the part of any government, and so it has been delayed to the point where it is now going to hurt. • • Carlson's main complaint is the fact that the increase will he detrimental to his small business cohorts at a time when federal studies prove that virtually all the growth in employment is coming from fledgling small firms. Small ventures are generally that-the3�--a as Mulroney moves to reward his friends with patronage positions. The naming of former Ontario , Attorney -General Roy McMurtry to the cushy post as Canada's high com- missioner to Britain is a blatant ex- ample of patronage that must surely erode Mulroney's credibility. It may be his way of saying thanks for McMurtry's personal sup- port in the past, but is a slap in the face to those who also gave personal support on the clear indication that patronage would be restrained.. a between the rocks more labor intensive and therefore more susceptible to hikes in payroll taxes such as CPP. The result could be less growth in employment than anticipated. CPP premiums are split 50-50 between employee and employer. A three -fold increase would mean each would be 'paying about $1.140 a year, up from the present $380. While most employees will feel some pangs from that $760 loss in Batt'n Around ...with The Editor buying power, the ramifications are evert greater for employers. Firms with some 30 employees, for instance, would be looking at an increase of about $23,000 a year. That's equal to one job which won't be created because the money is going into the pension fund. In the worst set of cir- cumstances, it could result in the elimination of one job just to meet that extra overhead. Clearly, the government has a tough decision to make, but fur- ther delays will only result in more massive increases when they do come. And come they must! • • • r The Canada Pension Plan is not the only federal program gaining considerable attention and debate these days The excessive demands being made on the treasuries for old age pensions and family allowances have been debated for some time, although it appears that the universality of those two programs is going to re- main as a "sacred trust". Both, of course, were election promises made by some politi- cians anxious to gain favor with the electorate many decades ago. For politicians to remove them now would provide them with adverse reaction from today's voting public, regardless of the strong arguments against sen- ding out cheques to many thousands and thousands of seniors and families across the nation who clearly do not need the money. The Prime Minister referred to the $500,000 -a -year hank presi- dent getting family allowance, while the same $500,000 -a -year bank president can argue realistically that he's paying for the benefit and the government has no right to cut him off without doing the same for thousands of other people. What many fail to consider in the argument is the cost of collec- ting the money from the bank president and then returning his share to him. The bureaucratic jungle siphons Off a large chunk in ac- ting as the middle man and helps to keep the nation's debt load at frightening levels that threaten to place the next generation in dire circumstances. But politicians don't have to worry about that generation. They don't get to vote, and after all, that's the bottom line when politicians sit down to decide the course on which they'll steer the nation. The fact remains, however, that someone soon has to start thinking about the future genera- tion if that generation is to have any future. Surely that must be given some priority over costly "sacred ti•tists". Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited "He must have heard 'cold enough for you?' once too often." A few intriguing questions Nothing overwhelming this week, as usual. Just a few ques- tions, a few suggestions, and a note of regret. First question: Why are the Toronto Maple Leafs? Second: How come Jane Fon- • Mason and Richard Burton didn't reply to my invitation to my New Year's party? Answer: It seems that the two gentlemen, both fine British ac- tors, had returned to dust in 1984. And the post office must have mislaid the ladies', merely because I didn't have a street ad- dress or an area code. Mason was always good enter- tainment, whether playing a silky seductor or a menacing Gestapo man. But Burton! Ah, there was a glorious flash across the stage when he wasn't in his cups. That magnificent voice, that could move from a purr to a bellow in a blink of an eye. He couldn't sing or dance, but by George, he could move you. I saw him in Camelot, the original version, with my wife.' No. no. My wife was not in Camelot. She was in an excellent seat, beside me. But twenty years later, we'd play the record and both dissolve into wistful tears. We saw him again in his daring Hamlet, sitting in the midst of about forty open-mouthed teenagers, the girls literally drooling. This was about the time he first married Liz Taylor. Burton led a life larger than life and died comparatively young. Just as well. He was burned out, and would have been pitiful hang- ing on as an aging actor, though some have done it well. He made movies for money, and never made a great one. On stage he was a shining sword. Good night, sweet prince. Another question. In all those endless beer ads, which equate the beverage with youth, good looks, bronzed bodies, sex, boun- cy music and FUN, none of the participants is allowed to do more than wave bottles around, pour the stuff, but never drink it. Yet, when a bunch of hockey players, or those steroid monsters who play football, win a trophy, they are seen glugging down champagne right on the sere �,}. Question. Can two live as cheaply as one - an old adage? As we all know, theanswer is no. But I have another problem. Can one live as cheaply as two? In my Sugar & Spice Dispensed by Smiley case the answer is again a re- sounding no! I throw out more food than my wife used to serve to both of us because it's gone a bit "iffy". In other words, it's covered with green mould, or smells like what the Chinese refer to as "night - soil". I find bits of cheese you couldn't crack with a hammer and chisel. My soda crackers turn into something resembling wet blotting paper. The other night, in despair, I bought a chunk of that charred chicken they dispense in supermarkets as barbecued or broiled. Needing something to choke it down, I looked in the fridge. Ah, a jar of my wife's home-made cranberry sauce. I slathered some on, gulped a bit and discovered the succulent sauce was strawberry jam. It's not so bad - strawberry jam on charred chicken. I ate worse in prison camp: turnip jam on char- red toast. But the food department is on- ly one aspect of the problem. It seems there is a tiny flaw, perhaps a gap, maybe even a void, in my managing of acounts. As the bills come in, I toss them carefully on the kitchen counter. A few days later, it seems about three, I gather them all up, and pay them. Plus penalties for late payments on the telephone bill, the utilities bill, the Visa account, and an insurance premium. If my go there. There would be a lot of explaining and plain lying to do. Just this week, I came across a document signed in Feb., 1984. That means I hadn't drawn any interest on this thing for a year I was lucky the company was still in business, though I drew some peculiar looks from the ladies who untangled the mess. A suggestion. Read "God Knows", by Joseph Heller, author of "Catch-22", my favorite modern novel, banned from most high school English courses; I don't know why. "God Knows" is a hilarious and deeply moving ac- count of the life of David, King of Kings. Unless you are an extremely well-read person, you should read it on your lap, with a copy of the Old Testament on your knee and the collected works of Shakespeare on the other. The Jewish Bronx to the great Psalms of David. Solomon is portrayed as • a dummy. Finally, a note of regret. Shirley Wittington, writer and syndicated weekly columnist, has left the field, and I am left alone, heart murmur, enlarged liver, arthritis, Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all to totter on with the ban- ner of weekly, subjective columns. Shirley, an old friend, has a touch at the typewriter that is like herself: witty, vivacious, con- cerned, humane. She is a mistress of the pun, and will punish you with them to the screaming point. She didn't start writing serious- ly until she had coped with a family of four, but it wasn't long until she was a real pro., turning out light and serious articles on a myriad of subjects. Dirty trick, Shirley, to quit. But goodnight, sweet princess of the ink -stained page. • R• Memory - actually good My staff likes to tease me about the time that I scheduled a staff meeting then forgot it myself. In self defense I have to point out that actually I have an excellent memory and never forget the tru- ly important things. Now I admit that I end up at the convenience store and buy two loaves of bread instead of the milk that I was sup- posed to get but you could hardly call that earth -shattering, not when you compare it to my friend's little incident at a funeral home. As he got out of his car it was raining so he rolled his trouser legs up six or seven inches so Qat they wouldn't get splashed on the way in He and his wife went in, shook hands with a number of people, stood around talking with the bereaved family for fifteen or twenty minutes then decided to By the Way by Syd Fletcher leave. He thought people were looking at him a little strangely at the time but decided it must be his imagination. As he was signing the guest hook he looked down and realiz- ed that his pants were still rolled up. I don't think his wife has ever quite forgiven him yet for that lit- tle lapse. Then again he always comes up with the time that a car flagged them down on the 401 highway as they were travelling along about sixty Miles an hour. The man in the other car was pointing fran- tically to the top of their car. It was then that his wife realized that her purse was missing and suddenly remembered where she had left it. You guessed it. Right on top of the car. There's something to be said for all that heavy junk that some of the ladies carry around with them. I had something else to say but I forgot what it was.