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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-08-30, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 30, 1989 Times Established 1871 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 Listen, isten to and put into practice the wishes of the taxpayers. That's the role politicians are expected to follow. This isn't what ourfinance minister Michael Wilson and most of his col- leagues are doing. It's time Wilson and his aides brush up a bit on their listening skills and pay at- tention to what the majority of Canadians are saying about his proposed nine per- cent goods and services tax. The sales tax was designed to reduce the country's deficit and improve our economy. It looks as if taxpayers are not buying that philosophy and rightly so. Waves of objection are gaining mo- mentum every day as we realize the new tax if put into force will tax almost everything we purchase. A further tax of nine percent is sure to - boost inflation in addition to causing ex- treme confusion for all consumers. The new tax will mean the average tax- payer could have more than $1,400 less in his pocket to spend each. year. This as- sumption is based on an annual income of $25,000. Income tax on this amount will reduce it to about $16,250. If a person spends the balance of his or her income and most of us do, the new goods and services tax would amount to $1,462. Under current economic conditions, most employees and those of this news- paper are included, receive an increase in salaries of five percent each year. It doesn't take much of a mathematician to tell us, things are bound to get worse if the government is allowed to put such a tax into legislation. The taxation isn't missing very much. One of our colleagues suggested it was going to cover everything from baby bottles to coffins which literally means from the cradle to the grave. Numerous commodities which are go- ing to be taxed can be singled out as be- ing ridiculous and absolutely harming to the economy and to the welfare of Cana- dian citizens. Vtdeo, ii was a tough job, going to the CNE to interview and photo- graph our local girls in the Queen of the Fairs contest. After a split second of consideration I made the sacrifice and insisted on go- ing myself. . The report was in last week's issue, but while at the Canadian National Exhibition I had a few spare hours to peruse the other "a�""'g year's event. ..a, IThere was •the Batmobile, on iv T-mariT-"Tmt.i.T al selection of hucksters selling _ . the latest miraculous way to slice vegetables. The farm buildings offered a quiet escape from it all. If you read our Back 'in Time a few weeks ago, you might re- member how the CNE 50 years ago was introducing to the Cana- dian public the marvel of televi- sion. This year, a display by RCA looks back on that half cen- tury. This sort of thing really fasci- nates me. I love old gadgetry, but found myself unprepared for the sight of a brand new 40 inch projection monitor standing be- side a giant wooden cabinet with a tiny screen front and centre. ROSS HAUGH Editor HARRY DEVRIES CCN* BM BECKETT Publisher & Adsertising Manager DON SMITH Composition Manager Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $27.00 Per year; U.S.A. $68.00 Michael The taxation on reading materials like newspapers, magazines and books will certainly reduce the public's access to ed- ucation and information. In the newspaper business, the tax will apply to everything we touch including subscriptions and advertising. The tax on books will certainly cut back on the buying power of libraries and other services that provide this type of material to the public. The publishing industry has already formed a Don't Tax Reading Coalition to show their anger about the tax and the implications it will have on reading hab- its abits of the Canadian public. Right now it's hard to predict what ef- fect this tax could have on our continous fight against illiteracy. The tax on lottery tickets is one that can possibly be lived with, but here again, the tax is in the wrong place. It should be on winnings over a certain amount, probably $1,000. Right now in the United States, all big winners in lotteries, at the gambling casi- nos and at race tracks have a percentage deducted for Uncle Sam right at the source. While talking about horse racing, the nine percent tax will have a serious effect on both standardbred and thoroughbred sales. This time of the year is crucial for the sale of yearling colts and fillies. Seel- ster Farms, near Lucan are sending 41 yearlings to sales in the next two weeks. Why would a prospective horse owner let the federal government charge nine percent when purchase of a similar ani- mal can be transacted in the United States tax-free. If Wilson and his fellow Conservatives are on the same wave length as most of our population and keep their ears to the ground, then we would hope public opin- ion will be reflected when draft legisla- tion of the new tax is introduced in the fall. By Ross Haugh thin and now Some ancient sets were still in working order and were hooked up to very modem VCRs, entic- ing visitors into the display room. Thcy even had some of those old that hibit as worth a look. in aiuilicr building not too far away a similar technology is on display. The public can avoid it if they like, but the press unfortu- nately can't. In the Press Building, NEC, the Japanese electronics manufac- turer, has filled a room with vid- eo games they are hoping will make S lash in.lheecuy�,}ic .. mer ma a urboGraphx 16 is the name of the new machine that �' by } _ .:11 1... rsn:rtn_kond-tn 11~1 with old Phiico TVs that had the elec- tronics housed in the base and the screen tube suspended in a frame above - space age in a 1950s sort of way. It's hard to grasp how televi- sion managed to come so far in only five decades - and it didn't really go public until long after the war. But then again, after looking at all those boxes of wood and glass - the earliest ones used mir- rors to reverse the image - I can't fathom how it was ever possible to build a television in 1939. • if you get to the CNE this year, i would recommend the RCA ex - Lock up the teenagers is my ad- vice. Crowds of kids lined up to give the free games a try, but the Japa- nese executives still looked ner- vous, although the NEC system is already the top seller in Japan. According to press releases, TurboGraphx is aimed at families who have yet to buy a game sys- tem. An added trick is that the deluxe version loads programs from a compact disc unit which can also be used for playing mu- sic through a stereo system. Remember when video games used to come part and parcel with an "educational" home computer? Times have changed, it seems. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited A mixedbag has come down in price in the last couple of years. The bees of Ontario are proba- bly busier than ever as the price of honey has stayed where it was or dropped a little the last two years. He indicated he got his This week's column will be a mixed bag of a combination of articles gleaned like Peter Gar- land of Radio 980 says, " from the newsroom floor". First of all, former town coun- cillor Peter Snell related aninter- esting conversation he had re- cently in a local coffee shop with a couple in town for a couple of hours from London. Snell says the Londoners told him they come to Exeter each summer just before school starts to outfit their youngsters with clothes and their other needs in order to be ready to go back to classes the day after Labour Day. They are able to make all their purchases in town and indicated they would be back again next year. It's nice to hear that our retail shops can compete successfully with their counterparts in the city. * * * * * * Another friend who wishes to remain anonymous called to tell us that he found one commodity; "Of all the cants which are canted' in this canting world," said Laurence Sterne, "the cant of criticism is the most tormenting." I disagree. I thrive on criticism. . ACInpg as it is constructive. Ask Elizabeth: And heaven knows. nu one criticizes me as much as she does. On average, she probably finds fault with me about twenty times a day. That's 7,300 critical remarks a year. And I believe the rate is increasing. It begins in the early hours of the moming. I am a very quiet sleeper. But the moment my reg one little note, Elizabeth wakes up and claims that I snore. Amendment of bad habits From the i4 editor's disk by om Ross Haugh ILU four litre ice cream pail filled with honey at an area outlet for $11.80 while he paid $13.72 a year caller. This appears to be quite com- mon as we see honey priced at 99 cents or $1 a pound at a.num- ber of locations. Our friend's comment was, " The cost this year was a pleasant surprise and gives us a ray of hope when everything else is go- ing up drastically." Criticism get dressed by herself. If I ne- glect to pour tho milk for Dun- can, I deserve criticism, because I should know that he is having difficulty with a full jug early in the moming. Why is it that I still make so man mistake ven ou _ ow . f se things? Bach and garbage Constructive criticism is a real L.t,. ....... .- T ....• .....M• ...t. a.. T nM PETER'S POINT • Peter Hessel in t"fic living-ruanr 'tth-my car - n off, she says that I am over---- ttriiitok:.-,�„ r ig sleeping. Do you see what I mean? Constructive criticism helps me to amend my habits. I try very hard to be in the shower even before the alarm stops. And I have learned to sponge around the edge of the bathtub after each shower, so that mildew does not have a chance to build up. I provide just the right amount of assistance to the children in the morning, not too much (they must learn to be independent) and not too little (they need encour- agement and supervision). If, for example, I put on Stephanie's shoes; I deserve criticism, be- cause the girl will never learn to whether I felt like emptying the kitchen garbage. I ankwercd: "No, it's Bach I'm listening to, not Debussy". But she didn't think it was funny. I thanked her for this constructive remark and took the garbage out. When I came back, she asked, "Did you check the mousetrap in the cellar lately?" I said: "No, but 1'11 check it right away". She added: "Since you have to go down anyway, would you mind taking these empty jars down and bringing tipo jar of straw- berry jam, a far, of apple jelly, and a handful- of potatoes?" There was no mouse. I stashed We received a clipping recently from the Calgary Herald which features an article on a number of artists in that Albertan city. Part of it follows: "They am having a Heatwave at the New Gallery. This summer group show, includes seven'art- ists who are not well-known in Calgary. The most interesting debut is made by John Northcott, an ecol- ogy -conscious wizard who turns sticks and bones into painted animalistic sculptures whose bas- es are chunks of concrete embed- ded with electrical circuitry. His work brims with energy." John who is the son of Betty (Reder) Northcott was born in Exeter and still has a' number of relatives here including a grand- mother. He is an up and coming sculptor and is on the staff at the College of Art in Calgary. * * * * * * Thought of the Week: Don't steal. The government hates com- petition. away the cmpty jars. I held the jam and the jelly in one hand and tried to balance six of seven pota- toes in the other. Mission accom- plished. Or so I thought. Fifteen minutes later I was con- stru(lively criticized: "When you were in the cellar, didn't you see that the dehumidifier needs emp- tying?" I hadn't noticed because I was too busy trying to act like a juggler. I knew I should have emptied the water container,.be- causc the dehumidifier doesn't function when the tray is full. I could have argued that this task this would have been destructive counter -criticism on my part. I know perfectly well that things - - anti _... lelrurni$ffi-aara—a-milr;. VC.. to be reminded constantly. Criticism is necessary. It keeps us on otlr toes. People who don't like to be criticized should live with dogs (who, according to George Eliot, never pass criti- cism). My day ends with constructive criticism, and I am glad that it does. Where would I be if i nev- er collected all those dailies and weeklies and magazineslittering the bedroom floor? Where would I be if i never picked up my shirts and pants and socks? Where would I be if i would for- get to set the alann? Why, rd be indreamland forever. 1