Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-12-16, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, December 16, 1987 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 imes - dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM ISO Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386.- - - Phone 519-235-1331 cn ►CNA "� BILI BATTEN Editor JIM BECKETT Publisher & Advertising Manager DON SMITH HARRY DEVRIES Business Manager Composition Manager Proud to b At this time of year we should stop and be thankful for the many things we have to cherish in Canada. • Where does one begin to list the things we have and maydlot appreciate the way we should. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to crit- icize politicians if we desire. In many . countries that's taboo. We have the opportunity to be tolerant of various cultures, races, creeds. In this country until pollution problems came along, Canada had the.most bodies of fresh water in the entire world and we have more land space per capita than anywhere else. Wide open spaces are likely one of our most valuable resources and we have the full opportunity to enjoy them whenever and wherever we wish. • Is there -any place in the entire world where you would rather live? • This writer's answer to that is a very definite yes to Canada and we would hope 99 percent of Canadians would also reply in the affirmative. We have only visited briefly in three countries, but those sojourns are enough to tell us we are living in one of the greatest countries of all. While our cost of living may be con- sidered high, our standard of living can be considered on the same level. Wages and salaries here are much higher than in many parts of the United States, except possibly for auto manufacturing plants. We have many other benefits which those in other countries would love to have.Our social services can stack up against any others and senior citizens are well looked after with not only old age If you drive - This week 'the Alcoholism arid. Drug Addiction Research Foundation sent along some information regarding drinking and driving. If you do drink and it is necessary to drive, always limit yourself to less than one standard drink per hour: That is how long it takes the average male's body to get rid of the alcohol in the drink. I-Iowever, don't assume you are aver- age. Your capacity for drinking may be significantly lower than what is noted for the average male.This is especially true for a woman of slight build or if the person in question is taking other drugs. If you inust take a drink for the road, make it milk or some other non- alcoholic concoction. Allow enough time to let the effects of ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Vice -President SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 e Canadian security,but also supplementary assis- tance.Our hospital insurance plans are second to none. Our trip two years ago to Australia and New Zealand vividly pointed out that we were proud to live in Canada. Sure they are great places to visit, but there's no place like home. At that time, the price of gasoline, bet- ter known as petrol was more than twice the price in New Zealand than here. .Recent reports out of Japan tell us of sky high prices. Just a few examples are a Big Mac, fries and coffee at $7.50 Cana- dain;steak dinners $50 to $100; two- bedroom apartments 'at $2,800 a month;beer $2.20 to $3 a can and gaso- line at $2' per litre. Enough said. One of the most important and valuable ingredients Canadians have is that we are a peace loving country. We have never suffered from civil wars or interior fighting.Our current discussions on free trade which are upsetting some people, are only a drop in the bucket. - A lot of people won't agree with us, but we are thankful to live in a country where we can enjoy the four seasons of the year. Sure we at times complain about the heat in summer and cold in winter,but we do get variety that a lot of countries would like to have. Only a few mornings ago, area resi- dents woke up to find the countryside shrouded in frost, =a beautiful picture painted by Mother Nature. Finally as the Christmas season quickly approaches let us Truly Be Thankful to be a Canadian and the benefits we enjoy and many times do not fully appreciate. by Ross Haugh drink sparsely the last drink wear off. That is, consume less than one standard drink per hour and allow at least one hour between the last, standard drink and driving. Trying to sober up quickly with coffee or fresh air simply will not work. They will not change the rate of alcohol oxida- tion by the liver which is the way 95 per- cent of the alcohol leaves a per'son's sys- tem. Just remember, the only thing a quick intake of coffee will do is produce a wide-awake drunk. If you can't abide by these suggestions during upcoming Christmas parties, please het a designated driver. Let's make everyone's Christmas a I-lappy and Joyous one. by Ross Haugh True spirit bearers Two people stand out this year in my mind as bearers of the true spirit of Christmas. The first one I met in a large de- partment store. It was one of those shoppiil,g evenings just a few days before Christmas. The parking lot was so full that people were almost ready to fight in order to get a space for the family car. The aisles in the store were packed and it seemed that the stereo system playing the Christmas carols was cranked up just a little too loud. Then when we got to the check- outs there was a line-up in front of every register which seemed endless. When I got up there though, the girl, who had to be tired of being polite after hundreds of irritable peo- ple passing through, was indeed very polite. In fact, she caught me off guard by saying, "Well, are we winning?" with a big grin. "Winning with what?" I to get out. "Anything...the shopping?" ......................... .......... managed weather, your By the Way by Syd Fletcher And her cheerful chatter went on until I left and she said, "Merry Christmas, sir." I give her an "A: for such a tremendous attitude. The other person I heard about in- directly. He's a former student of mine and it's nice to hear good things about people with whom you have worked. This lad happened to have an elec- tric plug next to his locker at school so decided that he would do something constructive and creative (and courageous too, I might add). He brought in Christmas lights, hung them•all around his locker, in- side and out, and plugged them in. Then he sat down in the middlh of the hall floor and began singing Christmas carols. First there was one sitting with him, thcl another. Soon a whole crowd had joined in and were sharing with him that elu- sive spirit of companionship and friendship, that good will which comes out of the original meaning of Christmas. I hope that you too take time to spread the message of peace and love and joy to your friends and neighbours as this season comes to us once again. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited " GIEDIBILtTYI .,..PLEEEESE? " Free trade with U.S. is no deal Brian Mulroney may have just written the latichapter in Canadian history books and titled it :An Act of Nation Building". That is how he' described the Free Trade deal last week: an "act of nation building". He must be referring to some new North American nation. Mulroney has become the delivery boy for that age old U.S. dream of manifest - destiny. . All they need now is. Mexico. The newly released details of the Free Trade agreement have improved our end of the deal, but they have not changed the fact that it is inher- ently bad for Canada as"a nation. • A major bastion of our battered Canadian psyche will collapse if the deal succeeds and our cultural identi- ty will disappear -- perhaps not in this generation, but surely in the next. The basic idea behind protective tariffs is td encourage industry at home. The Honourable Harvie An- dre of Consumer and Corporate Af- fairs, unwittingly put his finger on our problem in one of the many pieces of Conservative propaganda which the Times -Advocate recently received. Using techniques on which our ancestors must have relied when they bought huge portions of Cana- da from the natives with handfuls of glass beads, Andre explains: "Not only will American goods be less expensive, but Canadian -made goods should also cost less. Why? Because our businesses now pay duty on some of the raw materials brought in from the U.S. to produce Canadian -made consumer goods. That extra cost is absorbed into the price they charge consumers for that product." It seems ludicrous that Canada, one of the most resource -rich na- tion's in the world, would have to buy raw materials elsewhere. Higher protective tariffs, strategically placed, would allow Canada to de- velop those raw material industries and eventually export them abroad at low cost. Granted, those tariffs might close off a large portion of the American market, but they would also force Canadian business to look abroad. The United States is now our larg- est trading partner, but it is not the only market in the world. t; ed11OD By Mark Bisset As for the Conservative tactic:of dangling cheaper goods in front of us to convince us of the merits of, Free Trade, we should put their glass beads into perspective. It is estimated that the deal will cut prices by roughly six percent. In essence, the Conservatives arc sug- gesting that we surrender our sove- reignty in return for gains which will do nothing more for the aver- age consumer than nullify the cost of living increase for a single year. Canada for sale at bargain base- ment prices. The reason Mulroney has pursued free trade at reckless, break -neck speed is two -fold. First: his hopes of Ire -election were so low, a virtual miracle (or the promise of one) was needed. With the Free Trade initia- tive he has bought support from the business sector and from the west. Second: the United States Con- gress is preparing to erect huge tar- iff barriers around their country in order to give its rotting industrial base a chance to rebuild and Mul- roney, with his branch -plant men- tality, is afraid of being frozen out. For those who support the Free Trade agreement, Congress's protec- tionist attitude should be setting off alarm bells. It should underline this concept: when industry is weak, protect and nurture it; when it is strong, seek competition. Is it logical to assume that Cana- da has no need of the trade barriers that the U.S. deems so important? Docs it not indicate that, with the current climate in Congress, U.S. acceptance of the deal will mean they perceive no economic threat from Canada? Is Free Trade anything less than annexation? If Canada is strong, we have just '*'aligned ourselves with a dccaying economy which is likely to be de- throned by Eastern economic pow- ers on the rise. If we are weak, Mul- roney has opened the door of our stick house and the wolf has entered without so much as a breath. An act of Nation -building. When our leaders sign the final agreement on January 2 without a popular vote on the issue, the Americans will have finally achieved the goal which prompted the War of 1812. And the long struggle for a Cana- dian identity will be lost. Let's tax candy canes The enamel of my children's teeth is bombarded with destructive substances all year round. Before my family belonged to a dental plan, we set aside ,- between $1,000 and $1,500 a year for dental care, preventive dental care and dental hygiene. Now others are helping us to foot the bill. But why should they, and why should we pay such a horrendous amount for dental protection? I tell you one reason why. Because people keep feeding our kids hard candy. There are candy Valentine kisses and candy Easter eggs, lollipops at the hairdresser, and Hallowe'en candy. But at no time of the year is the onslaught as overpowering as in December, the month of the candy cane. You can't turn a comer with your kids these days without somebody thrusting a sticky candy cane into their eager little hands. And don't tell me to use my parental authority to prevent this nonsense. I have tried everything. And I am going to give up trying. The candy cane is too big for me. I admit defeat. Each of my kids can expect an average of 5 candy canes per day between the end of November and early January, that's about 600 candy Canes a season for the three of them together. The total purchasing value of these weapons is probably less than six dollars, but they cause hundreds of dollars worth of damage. We go to the Santa Claus parade, and there are clowns walking on both sides of the street, handing out candy canes by the bucket. They make sure that no one from infant to teenager is missed. We let Duncan and Stephanie sit on Santa's knee (again) -at the shopping plaza, and what does Santa Baby do? You guessed it. He may as well take PETER'S POINT • an industrial diamond and scrape away their tooth enamel. From every Christmas party, our kids come home, their pockets bulging with candy cane wrappers. Whether it's Brownie and Beaver leaders, Sunday school teachers, piano teachers, skating teachers, grandparents, uncles and aunts, or anybody else w h o happens to come in contact with our kids during the "festive season", it seems to be an unwritten law that candy canes must be dispensed "to make the children happy". Docs it never occur to them that they are making the parents unhappy? And the children sick? For heaven's sake, if you don't feed the animals at the zoo, why do you feed poison to my kids? Should we hang cardboard signs around our children's necks saying "Please, don't give me any candy cane"? What's in this stuff anyway, apart from sugar and artificial colouring? Probably alt kinds of other harm harmful substances. I can't understand how parents who take the greatest care in supplying their children with a nourishing, balanced diet, who screen out all other junk food, will stand by and smile while their little ones are sucking or biting these disgusting, cheap, unwholesome sticks. I wonder whether any of my older readers (anybody my age, for example) remember whether they had a steady dict of candy cancs when they were young. I'm also wondering if any other parents are concerned about this phenomenon. Or is it only me? Do I have a "thing" about candy canes? Last year I tried to stem the tide by offering my kids a nickel for every candy cane they turned in. It worked for a short while, but after they had collected about a dollar each, they broke down -and made up for what they had missed earlier in the season. 1Vhen I become benevolent dictator of the world, I will put a tax on candy canes. About 75 cents a piece should do it. That. would reduce the free handouts, don't you think? And if that won't work, total prohibition might come next. Or maybe state - operated monopoly outlets, and warnings on every candy cane in all 57 official languages: "The Minister of Children's Welfare Advises that Candy Canes constitute a Health Hazard".