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Times Advocate, 1994-02-02, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, February 2, 1994 Publisher: 'Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord C CAW Publications Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrler addresses 830.00 plus 82.10 0.8.T. Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address 830.00 plus $30.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 O.S.T. Outside Canada $99.00 (Includes 868.40 postage) Opinion I:I)I'I'()IZI;\I.S OFA should reconsider Ontario's Federation of Agricul- ture has served this province's farming community well over the years. It has scrutinized Queen's Park legislation for its effects on agriculture, it has lobbied well for a better deal for the industry. The Ontarians for Responsible Gov- ernment are righ' when they sa the OFA has been strangely quiet la ely. The news media has noticed also. Press releases, sometimes several a week would arrive with the latest mis- sive from OFA president Roger George, usually taking the province to task over its blunders. The OFA has had little to say about Bill 91, the legislation that has the pow- er to unionize even the smallest family farm. Does the OFA support it, or not? The OFA opposed the Labour Rela- tions Act for how it would affect the family farm, so why does a similar bill go unscrutinized. The OFA is probably too busy count- ing their newfound monies. Bill 42's (Di HI OF RIBBON A.'JARD "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley Published Each Wednesday Morning -at 424 Maki St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1Se by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519.235.1331 0.1.T. a*10521043! requirement that all Ontario farmers send $150 to the OFA, or to the Chris- tian Farmers Federation of Ontario, has meant a huge increase in membership. In return, the government gets a survey filled out to compile all kinds of nice statistics about the farm community. In effect, the OFA has become an arms -length agency of the Ontario gov- ernment. As it is always impolite to bite the hand that feeds, how can the Federa- tion continue its tradition of critiquing every move the province makes? If the OFA is no longer able to operate as the lobby group it used to be, then perhaps farmers need to think seriously about asking for their $150 back, which they are entitled to do under Bill 42. Qr better yet, perhaps the OFA should consider disbanding, the CFFO too, and reorganize their lobbying efforts under a -new umbrella away from the province's lure of easy money. It would be the honourable thing to do. A. D. H. Stricter than what? he federal justice minister, in his Friday message to the nation, an- nounced not only would the govern- ment be cracking down on crime, par- ticularly for young offenders, but Canadians could also expect stricter gun controls. Stricter than what? Although 86 per- cent of Canadians believe in tougher re- strictions ruvTiS ongun ownership, mostS�. don't realize just how tight Those restrictions are already. A permit is needed to pur- chase any firearm in Canada, and a safety training course is needed before you can get that permit. A11 firearms have to be kept under strict lock and key, dictated by the government. All handguns have to be registered, and be- fore you can get one you have to be a member of a shooting club, which also requires a safety training course. In 1992, the government extended its list on prohibited weapons - those which no Canadian is deemed responsi- ble enough to own - and imposed re- strictions on magazine capacities of semi-automatic rifles and handguns. All this was spurred by the Montreal massacre, but the government stopped short of banning the firearm used by murderer Marc Lepine, because it was a fairly common hunting rifle. So how does the government impose stricter gun controls, and why are they doing it? The law abiding hunters and sport shooters will have more hoops to jump through, the criminals will still have none. The criminal who buys a gun under the table in some bar won't he applying for a permit, or taking a safety course. The gun won't be registered with the police, probably because it was smuggled across the border. The increasing use of firearms in crimes needs to be dgalt with in the courts, not in ParliarMnt. Canada's gun controls are already stricter than most; what we need are gun laws that make the criminal who carries a gun pay dear- ly for his crimes indeed. Mandatory sentences are needed. Fines and slap - on -wrist bans on firearm ownership are a joke, and every criminal knows it. A.D.H Hold that thought... By Adrian Harte Toolbox trials and tribulations After a long, but entertaining, day of handyman work, I lifted the toolbox out of the trunk and headed indoors. I had only gone a few steps when - snap - the handle broke right off and the box crashed to the floor. Thankfully, it didn't burst open, sparing me the fascinating task of picking up a myriad of little tiny screws, drill bits, and whatever else might shoot across the floor and roll under the furniture. Then it hit me, an epiphany of sorts: I had pushed the limits of my old battered plastic toolbox beyond where it could go - too many tools. A quick trip to the hardware store the next day brought home its successor. Nearly twice the size, and with a big beefy han- dle, I figured that it was so huge I could easily put every tool I own into it. Somehow at that moment I didn't realize just how stupidly wrong I was. Sure, my toolbox tools all went into their new box, but what about the two socket sets I keep in a drawer in the kitchen? What about the box of drill at- tachments'? What about the suitcase stuffed in the hack of the closet that holds my jigsaw. soldering iron, glue gun. and re- lated paraphernalia? What about the bicycle tools in the bottom of the drawer.... When does one first come to realize one has a problem, let's say. a small obsession with tools? I used to laugh about those tool chests that roll around on casters. Who could ever need so many tools? 1 laugh no longer. Every little project or repair spurs a trip to the hardware store to scan up and down the, displays looking for that perfect item to get the job done really right. There was a time when a pair of channel lock pliers stuffed in a desk drawer an- swered all of my needs. Nowa- days, I can barely get by with five pairs of needlenoses alone. It's not all my fault, of course. There once was a time when a set of five straight blade screw- drivers would disassemble near- ly every kitchen appliance on earth. Now one wouldn't even think of tackling such a job without every size of Robert- son. Phillips. Torx, and alien keys in both metric and imperial sizes. Yesiree, with the right tool for the right job you can fix just about everything. I learned that early in life watching my dad make all kinds of repairs on his workbench. This was later rein- forced when I worked for a couple of years in a hardware store. Because of my young age. many customers would try to get advice from more experi- enced employees, not realizing I knew exactly where every nut, bolt, router bit. and roll of plumbing tape sat on every shelf. There is no greater satisfac- tion than saving something from the trash because you were able to take it apart, clean it, lubri- cate it. and fix a broken part. There are two golden rules that need to be applied to any project. however: don't take something apart unless you're sure you can put it back togeth- er again, and there are some things so broken they can't be fixed. Handles on toolboxes. for in- stance. Do you enjoy being criticized? Chances are you don't. You probably hate it when people rake you over the coals because the criticism you get is destructive. Or unjust. Or unde- . served. I'm different. I thrive on criticism. As long as it is constructive. Ask Elizabeth. And heaven knows: no one criticizes me more than she does. On an average day, she probably finds fault with me about twenty times. That adds up to 7,300 critical remarks a year. And I believe the rate is increasing as I (we?) get older. It begins in the wee hours of the morning. I am a very quiet sleeper. But the moment my regular breathing changes just by one tiny note, Elizabeth wakes up and claims that 1 snore. If I don't jump out of bed within a split sec- ond of the alarm going off, she says that 1 am oversleeping. Mending my ways Do you see what I mean? Her constructive criticism helps me to amend my habits. Be- cause of her "oversleeping" remarks, I try very hard to be in the shower even before the alarm has stopped. And I have learned to sponge around the edge of the bathtub after every shower, so that mildew has no chance of build- ing up. I provide just the right amount of assistance to the kids in the morning, not too much (so they don't lose their hard-earned self-reliance) and not too little (they still need encourage- ment). If, for example, I hand Stephanie her lunch, I deserve Elizabeth's criticism, because the girl will never learn to remember things on her own. If on the other hand 1 neglect to remind Alex that the bus will be here in fifteen minutes, I deserve Elizabeth's criticism because I should know that he is having difficulty to tell the time early in the morning. Why is it that 1 still make so many mistakes, even though I know all these things? Bach and garbage Constructive criticism is a real blessing. Last night, while 1 sat in the living room with my earphones on, Elizabeth asked me whether 1 felt like emptying the kitchen garbage. I an - Criticism swered: "No, it's Bach I'm listening to not Ber- lioz". "That's not even funny." 1 thanked her for her constructively critical remark and took the garbage out. When I came hack, she asked; "Did you check the mousetrap in the cellar lately?" I said: "No. but I'll check it right away". She added: "Since you have to go down anyway, would you mind taking these empty jars and bringing up a jar of strawberry jam, a jar of ap- ple jelly, and a handful of potatoes?" There was no mouse. I stashed away the emp- ty jars. I held the jam and the jelly in one hand and tried to balance six or seven potatoes in the other. Mission accomplished. Or so I thought. Fifteen minutes later, the criticism was again quite constructive: "When you were in the cel -1 lar, didn't you see that the light was on in the fruit room?" I had noticed the light but hadn't done anything about it because I was too busy juggling jars and trying to remember all the things I was to do. 1 guess I should have turned the light out in the fruit room because we're all trying to save electricity. I could have argued that her list hadn't included checking for un- necessary lights. But this would have been de- structive counter -criticism on my part. 1 know perfectly well that things like garbage. mouse- traps. and checking the light in the fruit room are my responsibility, and I shouldn't have to be reminded constantly. Yes, criticism is necessary. It keeps us on our toes. People who don't like to be criticized should live only with dogs (who, as George Eli- ot said, never criticize anyone). That's George Eliot the poet, not George Elliott who lives over on the 8th Concession Line. My day usually ends as it begins - with con- structive criticism. I'm glad it does. Where would I be if 1 never collected all those dailies and weeklies and magazines littering the bed- room floor? Where would I be if I never picked up my shirts and pants and socks? Where would I be if I would forget to set the alarm? Why, I'd be in dreamland forever.