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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-02-22, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, February 22, 1989 Time Established 1873 Advocate Established' 1881 Amalgamated 1924 CDi BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 • Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. - / _ ' Phone 519.235-1331 ROSS HAUGH Editor CCNA IM 8ECKETT . Publisher & Advertising Manager HARRY DEVRIES • DON SMITH Composition Manager Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Big Bend, is it for real? Most people are aware Grand: Bend has been seeking to an- nex neighbouring lands for some time now, but when maps of the proposed boundaries werereleased last week, it left many shaking their heads in disbelief. . I -low can a small village like Grand 'Bend expand to engulf the entire Pinery and Port Franks? It seems improbable, if not impossible. After all, that would make .the region twice _size -of BeTmu And yet, that is exactly the course the • ministry of municipal affairs is asking Lambton County to pursue. The ministry envisions Lambton with only 10 municipalities. The idea is to re- duce boundary disputes, such as seen re- cently between Sarnia and Clearwater, and to unify theinterests of similar Com- munities. Naturally, every municipality in Lambton would like to become one of the big 10 and we can expect Bosanquet Township to present their plans soon on how they would like to incorporate Grand Bend within their boundaries. •, is t at their village has little in common with the largely -rural Bosanquet. The idea is to hind together the cottage country of Grand Bend and Port Franks and -parts in between. It all seems to make sense, but perhaps someoneshould be taking a long, hard look at the ministry's proposal before rushing into it with open arms. While economies of scale might help offset the administrative costs of running such a large municipality, tensions are bound to arise as each community reach- es for a slice of the pie. How might Grand Bend ratepayers feel .if heir: boom -town tax dollars were si- phoned off to Port Franks to help spruce up that area for tourists, while at the same time the Bend was still clamouring for an arena? - Politicians can promise to play fair all they want, but the divisions between have and have not areas- will influence public perception. It has long been.. evident that Grand Bend must undergo some sort of annexa- tion to gain control of neighbouring sub- division and resort development, but will this restructuring afford this control, or will it pull the resort area in several dif- ferent directions? Lambton council and its m Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. fedy Publications Limited C,At'4ADA-S0UTH4FRICA TRADE Time to Plannow for the best of your life. _ No, there is not an error .in spelling in the fifth word in the first paragraph of this column. It is really meant to be best and not rest. It's a slogan being used by thc provincial government to get our senior citizens interested in plan- ning for retirement. Approximately 11 percent of Canadians arc 65 years of age or older, and in the next 50 years that figure is expected to mach an astounding 25 percent. going to have to think twice° about restructuring to see if the mini- stry's proposal will bring peace or war. Otherwise, Grand Bend's goal of keep- ing resort areas separate from rural lands has merit. , tar ion . Harte A penny a day is $3.65 a year. ---I Would like to have a dime for every dollar I- have saved in my life. • Ever since I can remcmhcr. I've. had some kind of a savings program going. From., piggy kinks to savings bonds to real . estate, to daily interest savings .accounts, and now back to piggy banks.. - •lt's like dieting in reverse. 1 have. lost hundreds of pounds cr the years only to put them on again. I have sa•' • 1 a sm '1 fortune in my lifetime, hut where ( . :don't lose their wallet that My troubles started when 1 week, they ciid up with more ((mnd the little plug at the bottom than their weekly amount next ('f the piggy bank. You twisted week . it. and tt'c pennies came rolling But -if almost never works out t w First of all, tficy can had discovered a fundamental never find then waT�e`ts oro- piggy banks. They're all over the .house, the car, the classroom, school bus, the hairdresser, the.. church, the library, their grand- parents' house, their friends houses, and in several lost and found departments. . i kccp telling them: "If you only' aved a little money every of a new house - and the week, you'd have.a big pile of t'm hasink; difficulty teaching •the children how to handle their money. They cach get an allow- ancc. And this immediately creates a dilemma for them. Their instinct tells them to con- vert it immediately to candy and little trinkets. -Their conscience tells them to listen to me and to invest at least part of it. '(They don't know that 1 utterly lack . and qualifications in this field.) Duncan and Stephanie each get two dollars a week, Alexander three. S. icy spend half of it on li and put the other h ` s their wallet or one of rhe it , rat piggy banks. It - .ould be fairly simple: if they PETER'S POINT •, by Peter Hesse! principle of economics. Later, t' little plug was re - vices: c < and withdrawal. • fI`.slips. 'ut a couple of,hun- fired (h ' r, away, convinced Idstay inmysav- .SQrevcr. Then ini►1!; really vital came like: a new bike, a new who gets grade 4 arithmetic - argues: "Daddy, if I put away one dollar a week, all I get after an entire years is $52, and that isn't very much." "You'd get interest," I told him, but I know it won't be too long before he can figure out where 51/2% of $52 would get him. Y sty day -Stephanic--tohf rtti• that she had managed to save up eight dollars - the equivalent of a month's salary for her. And she wanted to a certain toy me. • which happened to be in the'very store where we were at the mo- ment. But she hadn't brought her money, and she didn't really know whetic it was""right now". Naturally, she hit the old man fora loan. "i'll pay you back the moment we get home, Daddy". Of -course,' I couldn't resist her, and forked over the dough. The darn toy cost two dollars more than what her entire life savings were, plus tax. "Thank you, 'Daddy," was all I 'ever got out of the deal. - When we got home, Stepha nid's purse could not be found. What was I to do, take the toy hack to thc store? But the boys are exactly the same. _- What i need is a financial ad- Vlscr o tc ich me tluw t advisc my children financially. I don't know why the kids re - panding, but they arc also living longer and enjoying hcalthicr, more productive lives than ever before. To generate awareness, the On- tario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation has developed pos- ters, brochures and a compre- hensive working manual for in dividuals interested in organizing a retirement planning seminar in their community. Careful planning for retirement provides the •freedom to really enjoy what can be the best of one's life. While retirement may seem a long way off for some, there arc genuine benefits for planning early. Early planning for retirement also provides an excellent oppor- plan -now tunny for self -exploration. What kind of retirement lifestyle do I want? How much will it cost and what financial goals should - be set to achieve it? How will I spend m_ y leisure time? Can a favourite hobby be- From the editor's disk by Ross Haugh 1 S re ire- ment a good time to travel or pursue a university education? Where will I live now that chit- dren and employment arc no longer concerns? Is wintering in Florida an option or what about year-round living at the cottage? The answers to these and many other related questions are important steps in helping tries., tablish realistic retirement goals and, in thc process, can reveal a lot about our 'ambitions and val- ues. Planning for retirement inevit- ably raises concerns about health. What can 1 do now that will have a positive effect on healthy aging? How can i be the best that I can bc? Will I be healthy enough to enjoy retire- Ain't etire mcnt? Should I change my diet? Of course, no one can reverse the natural aging process, but esta- blishing a health -conscious pro- gram of exercise and nutrition early in life can make for a long- er, hcalthicr and happier retire- ment. A candid discussion with the family doctor can also dispel niany of the misconceptions and. anxieties surrounding the subject of aging, anxieties which some- times inhibit thinking about -re- tircmcnt. • ' etirement p ann g or eve- ryone, regardless of age, profes- sion orcurrent employment stat- us. And while retirement for many centres entirely around fi- nancial concerns, serious retire- ment planning involves many more issues of equal impor- tance. Basically, retirement planning means preparing one's self, physcially, financially and psy- chologically for the many chang- es involved in retirement living. Early planning ensures, a smooth transition into what may be the very best years of your life. Pun of the week - The number of blasts that come from auto horns in traffic jams .is equal to the sum of the squares behind. the wheels. Ain't love grand February, Valentine's month, has inspired me to examine my marriage. It docs not conform to the norm. -,� is: your marriage aglow with romance? Does hubby dance in clutching a rose in his teeth and a box of:chocolates behind his back? Does wifeypoo meet him at. the door dressed.in black fro- -thics and fishnet,stockings? Luc -4 )16w,- The atmosphere at our house is more tepid and torpid than gushy and mushy. My husband's of romance is to buy me a power lawnmower for my birthday., In never lost a wallet or a piggy bank: i have shown the children how I organize my own savings. On the top of a tiling cabinet i havc1a large plastic bowl, almost filled to the rim with pennies. Why, there must by $20 worth of them at least. in a desk draw - ave a carabboard box with about $10 in nickels and dimes, and a tin can for quarters. It is virtually empty right now, be- cause I exchanged an entire roll of quarters for a ten -dollar bill last week. And I own $22.65 in Canadian Tire money, neatly sorted out and labelled. I know it isn't much, and my •tln�tiTei 1-- rkiBs-arc n1ifiimal; art-, at least i always know where everything is that i own. It's my past savings that arc a puzzle to marriage was set on our first mately the same direction - at the date. Don had shaved twice that same time. day. tic also borrowed :a We do not like the same kind of friend's raincoat, his own being' music. Or books. - Or movies ioo tacky for such a great occ ._-,,, d..TV programs. .,(ri iys_of sion. What he didn't know was spending our leisure time. (-About the only thing we do - agree on is •our funeral arrange- ments - cremation.and mcmonal Reynold 1 S services). _ - 1 would love to travel: He's -,,,,„,,-,..-A. Rap more comfortable staying hcbrilc. ' in a restaurant we argue about I)N the size of.thc tip. (He's more � 1nnnr c c. t11 I am.k ,Hc sits .in ,ro the addition on the bill. He my favourite colour, of course.. knows that if he says anything, • I once shocked a dinner com- that in youthful arrogance i had i'll quote one of my Irish father's - `paniorT -by saying Don and 1 made three dates for that night. favourite expressions: "Look of -- would have been divorced long He was one of the ones i stood ter the pennies arfd the pounds ago, but neither of us wanted the up. • • • will look after themselves". kids! .Now I don't darc split be- He did come back and ask me--- We even argue about who's ca a rcviiu ` iaVL tI ulvvy up oPrIrfilYi7rUtl IrltrIU,SL going• first. Don insists it has`to my possessions fifty-fifty. • spied 'he was out for revenge. i be him. He swears (yes, he didn't blame him, but I had no docs) that the thought of having intention of playing willing vic- to clear all my clothes and shoes tim. I finally succumbed after out of the closets would kill him, we had paid our separate ways he says. - into a dance, and Don asked to So, for all you. young lovers, Living on thc dark underside of marriage has its uses, though. Just ask our neighbour. Uwe's pet TV program is The Honey- mooners, which is off the air at thc moment. When his craving take me home. to hear Ralph and Alice yell at We have been walking together each other gets out of control, ile down the marital path for what ,4Qates,f l-e.r.l.a.the:.Reynal ii...a d....;sQcms.10(e,.MPS/ of:,nt.r..livcs.... spends an hour or so in our com- We're seldom in step, but at least pany. A fix usually lasts for a We are usually within sight of good six weeks. each other. And sometimes we The course of the Reynolds' even manage to head in approxi - wherever you arc; i've decided as my gift to posterity to reveal to the world the secret of our suc- We married to make each oth- ers' lives miserable. And we have succeeded in doing just that.