Times Advocate, 1993-10-13, Page 4Page 4
Times -Advocate, October 13,1993
Publisher: Jinn Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Manager: Don Smith
Composition Manager: Deb Lord
CCA
Publications Mail Registration Number 0386
SUBSCRIPTION RAj S' 11111MD t
Within 40 miss (85 km.) addressed
to non letter canner addresses 830.00 Plus 82.10 O.B.T.
Outside 40 wells (85 km.) or any letter carder address
830.00 plus $30.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 O.S.T.
Outside Canada 868.00
QNB'
131 t h
RIBBOti
AWARt'
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas Macauley
Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St.,
Exeter, Ontario, NOM 186 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd
Telephone 1-619.2361331
O.E.T. *R1062108:
Vote local
eeling a little disgruntled with
the performance of the federal leaders
in last Monday's televised debate? You
don't think any of themdemonstiatd
the statemanship you would like to see
in a national head of state?
Never mind, you can't vote for any of
them anyway.
Often it's hard to remind'ouxselves
that the only difference oar vc to:makes
is at the local level. The -teal etionis
right here at home.
Party policy is better understood by
meeting with and listening to the candi-
dates in your own riding, rather than
trying to get a glimpse of theleaders
through the snippets of dialogue and
sound bites that appear on:the.nightly
news, depending on whose town the
circus was in that day.
A government is only.as good as lits
Members of Parliament, and it's up to
the local voter to make the right choices
as to who those people should be.
A cynical mind might suggest that peo-
ple`these.days try to cast.their vote by
-whom th until ll win -federally.
Let's hopetthat's notthe case. Surely it's
better to have a local opposition member
who works hard for the people of the
riding, than a caucus member who does
little or nothing.
There are good people.mnning in our
local ridings. • They deserve to be elected
on their own merrits,=not just those of
their leader. Take:acloserlook at these
people, attend a oandidales Inciting if
you can, or drop :by.a Tiiiing:office or
two.
Keep your vote local. That's where it
doesthemost good.
A.Dl1.
Library .input needed
ibraries,arc -often taken for
granted. 'Even those who.are.not avid
readers are'happy'taknow'thebookS
are always there to lookup on this sub-
ject or that.
Tonight's imeeting: at the United
Chtmch will help decide just what -parts
pf tbat , ioeme aakcd u r : I , r .
be' �eid, NhiCh, I - , : im R
innived .>amd. .; h Ae • ve tithout.
The library system seems to -run quite
well, especially with.the new computer
.catalogue< chis*panding all -the
xime, sormaybeaheehanges needed are
tfew. However, itis a vjdent some
change; is:likelylinstore for the Exeter
branch.
The;old=building may no longer meet
the ne edslof the whole community.
Can3tbe: ;nr:�ry
Canitbe d.or=upgraded? Can the
libraryteTislocatedtoajnew building?
Canweieally share with'the high
school?
Wiiileinotihefooustf the entire meet-
ing,:quastions sunhats those are bound to
be frontand centreionjght. The bestan-
can:onl rsome from you, the gen-
e ,rtilesusesrs:of th`4 brary.'
e libratysboard,ttown council,
county council mural speculate on what
tmight be the best solution to Exeter's
-ids, but -perhaps even:better ideas are
:waiting to•beheard.
if you'•`re..a-regular user of the local li-
brary, you orally owe it to yourself to at-
tandtonight's meeting. Your ideas and
opinions are needed.
A.D.f1.
Hibbert history requested
"As you may or not know, a
history of Hibbert Twp.
is being compiled"
Dear Editor.
This is directed to all former residents of Hibbert
Township, Perth County.
As you may or not know, a history of Hibbert
Twp. is being compiled. Do you have information
and, or, pictures that you would like to include in
this book? - if so call the township office - Monday
to Friday, 9-5 at 345-2931 or write to Hibben
Township History, Box 129, Dublin, Ont. NOK 1E0
- giving your name and address and the Lot(s) in the
township with which you were affiliated.
Hannah Miller
on behalf of The Hibbert Township
History Committee
•
Peter's Point •
By Peter Hesse'
In my column I don't usually bother with
heavy stuff like politics. Where I live (up the
creek), I have much more important things on
my mind.
I'm far more immediately concerned with
field mice in the cellar and cluster flies in the
attic than with the highs and lows of Tory pow-
er play, Liberal posturing, or NDP rhetoric.
But since I'm a voter like everybody else, I
suppose I should take a stand.
The trouble is: which stand? If I follow the
example of most people, I should vote for the
party that offers me the -most: the What's -In -It -
For -Me? or WiiFM stand. If i follow my con-
science, I should vote for the party that offers
most to the country: the What's -in -it -for -
Canada? or WiIFC stand.
So 1 decided to look at my optima before
making up my mind.
What's in It for me?
As a writer and journalist, I'll examine who
offers a maximum of freedom and a minimum
of censorship and other interference in the fisc
expression of opinion. I want the OST on
books and periodicals abolished and more mon-
ey spent on literacy programs. I also want more
consideration (money) for public lending
rights.
As a parent, I want my kids to have the best
education money can buy. which means more
(not less) federal funds for the provinces. I
want to see more low -intertest student loans
(I'm already having nightmares about the time
when all three of our kids will hold out their
hands for parental subsidies).
As taxpayer, I want to pay only the income
tax I can afford (not a heck of a lot).
And so forth. That's the WIIFM box.
What's in it for Canada?
i want this country to survive. It's the best
1
rr-
Ha o e'en's not the issue, irs Siumites
By Adrian ,darts
I didn't grow up with Hal-
lowe'en, at least not at first. In
England the equivalent celebra-
tion was on November 5 to re-
member Guy Fawke's 1605 gun-
powder plot to blow up the
Houses ofParliament.
Every year we would have a
huge bonfire and burn the fel-
low in effigy, as a warning to all
traitors. Still, part of the British
sense of humour makes one be-
lieve there are other reasons to
remember, year after year, how
close all those politicians got to
being blown up.
Coming to Canada, I couldn't
believe how commercial Hal-
lowe'en was. I'm sure it out-
classed even Christmas in Eng-
land. Stores were packed with
candies of all shapes and sizes,
and there were rubber masks ga-
lore.
Ask a kid nowadays why we
celebrate Hallowe'en and I'm
sure you won't get the right an-
swer. The fact is, the glorifica-
tion of devilment and evil spirits
has long overtaken the impor-
tance of the day it precedes: All
Saints Day.
Only a couple of times since
I've lived here, has October 31 offended when one of my Eng-
lish professors called this the
"post Christian" age. When he
explained himself by pointing
out few people today can identi-
fy Bible passages by chapter
and verse, I realized he was
right. I know I can't. The fad-
ing of Sunday's sacredness is
yet another symptom.
In this federal election we
have the Christian Heritage Par-
ty trying to get the country back
to its religious roots. I'd say
they missed the boat by nigh on
a century.
So this October 31 will be
marked by some municipalities
celebrating Hallowe'en, and oth-
ers already having done so the
night before. It may not matter
much to most, but some of us
have cause to be a little sad over
the passing of yet another era.
Some day, in decades to come,
as the consumer frenzy that
leads up to Boxing Day builds,
someone may point out to a
fri in a store line up that
the used to be a holiday in the
mi dle. They called it Christ -
fallen on a Sunday. The last
time was 11 years ago in 1982,
and naturally Hallowe'en was
celebrated on the Saturday, out
of respect for the Sabbath.
What a difference a decade
makes. Not only are municipal
councils across the province de-
bating the issue of when to hold
Hallowe'en, but the sanctity of
Sunday is losing ground. What
more can we expect of a society
that now accepts Sunday shop-
ping as the norm. Respect for
the fourth commandment has
shriveled in the need to respect
the square footage costs of large
shopping malls.
It's hard to believe just over a
hundred years ago, according to
Joe Wooden's book, the Exeter
Times frowned upon those who
would dare operate a handcar on
the rail lines for amusement on
Sundays. Going for a stroll was
more acceptable. Two Wing -
ham boys who died in a Sunday
boating accident weretconsid-
ered to have got their Just re-
wards. That does seem a little
extreme.
I remember being particularly
Taking a stand
country I know - with all its troubles and faults.
I want a government that favours the continua-
tion of the Canadian way of life, and not the
Americanization of our society. We owe it to
our future generations.
i want to know that our "social safety net": is
kept strong and without holes. I want our politi-
cal leaders to respect the "Sacred trust" (re-
member who said it?) of universality.
1 believe in free trade, but not in a Free 'Trade
Agreement that has driven countless Canadian
industries south of the border and caused mass
unemploypbent. I firmly believe that jobs for
Canadians must remain the number one priority
for our govemrment throughout the nineties.
Unemployment must be our greatest concern,
not the deficit, not.the toatititittion, and certain-
ly not defence.
Speaking of defence, i believe that this is an
area where massive cuts arc necessary and pos-
mas.
sible without inflicting great damage. Canada's
defence role should be reduced to UN contribu-
tions. No foreign power is going to attack our
sovereignty in the foreseeable future.
So which stand am I going to take? I think
I'm close to figuring it out. I'm not absolutely
sure yet. But how about this? I'll put the
WIIFM stand under my left foot and the WIIFC
stand under my right foot.
Maybe you can bulld the same kind of stands
to suit your own circumstances. Figure out your
own WIIMFs and WIIMCs. Perhaps you
should ask the candidates in your riding some
questions.
See you next week with number 2 in this mini
series. And titer that, Peter's Point will return
to Dorman.
1