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Times Advocate, 1994-02-23, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, February 23, 1994 Publisher: Jim Beckett News Editor Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Publications Mali Registration Number 0186 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carder addresses 530.00 plus 52.10 Q.S.T. Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carder address $30.00 plus $30.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 Q.S.T. Outside Canada $99.00 (Includes $88.40 postage) Opinion EDITOR 1. Tax breakage Cigarette taxes had to drop in the province of Ontario. It isn't an issue of health, it isn't an issue of preventing our youth from taking up the habit - those things are troublesome enough - it's just that excessive taxation has turned too many Ontarians into criminals. The average guy who smuggles a case of cigarettes in the trunk of his car across the border doesn't believe himself a criminal. He's just looking to make a few extra dollars for himself, and his customers are glad to cheat the government of their "sin" taxes. High taxation dbes have its criminal aspects though. Gangs raiding local variety stores and gas stations in late night smash 'n grab robberies know it's much more lucrative than smuggling - particularly when their customers ask few questions about the source of the cheap cartons. With the cheap cigarette border now to become Quebec, Ontario has little choice but to follow suit and lower taxes - or face the prospect of an even greater number of people willing to bend and break the law. The nation's liquor producers have already joined the push for tax cuts, claiming 4.9 million cases of booze are smuggled into Canada, costing the nation some $1.23 billion in taxes. The whole issue is proof enough to governments that they are flirting dangerously close to upper limits of taxation. It isn't just a question of "sin" - taxes and contraband goods crossing our borders. It also has much to do with paying under the table for "tax free" services. In its extreme, there are the top doctors and top businessmen who leave the country, looking not only for new opportunities, but also to see fewer deductions from their six and seven - figure incomes. Free Trade and NAFTA have been blamed for the relocation of companies south of the border, but holes many went south to avoid taxes? Cutting taxes on cigarettes is only a symptom of a larger problem. Canadians and Ontarians will break the law, given the chance to cheat the government out of a few bucks. There are very real limits on how much taxation we can absorb before we rebel. They say those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps the truth is too few of our politicians recall the lessons learned during the 1920's, the days of Prohibition. The banning of booze may have pleased the Temperance movement, but it turned millions of Canadians and Americans into lawbreakers, and gave birth to powerful organized crime. A.D.N. What's on your mind? The Times -Advocate continues to welcome letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaints and kudos. The Times -Advocate reserves the right to edit letters for brevity. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6. Sign your letter with both name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. Guest Columnist By Val Thomson It's hard to believe that my first column ap- peared in our local paper one year ago. Time flies when you're having fun and I really have enjoyed writing. Many people have asked what got me started so I thought I would explain. Th¢ -notion of be- ing a writer had been in the back of my mind for quite a while but I couldn't muster up enough courage to give it a try. A year ago December, I became part of a study group that was taking a temperament type sorting test. We answered a questionnaire and the way we responded determined our per- sonality or temperament type. We were rated on four different scales, one of which was an extrovert/introvert scale. I knew I would score more on the introvert side but I was surprised to discover just how lopsided I was on this scale. I only scored one point on the extrovert side, while the introvert side had about 26 or so. I forget the exact num- ber. Being introverted doesn't necessarily mean I'd rather be a hermit, but for me it does mean that insecurities and shyness often get in tide way of doing something I'd like to do. Time to make a change When I saw the results of that personality type test I decided I would try to do something that might change the fact that I was such an in- trovert. I noticed that there had been a few guest columns in the newspaper so I thought, "Here's my chance." I was incredibly nervous when I took that first column in. After explaining why I was there, the editor came out and said, "Oh, we'll have to get a picture of you." "Do you really have to?", I moaned. "It won't hurt a bit," she assured me. "Should I take my coat off?", I asked, "If you like." "How about a bag over my head?" "That won't be necessary. Just give us a smile." Looked like I sat on a pin Well, I tried to smile and relax but to me it ended up looking like I'd just sat on a pin. Eve- ry time I see that picture I remember that day. At least I can laugh about it now. The nervousness was not about to end. I had to wait until the paper came out and see what kind of reception my column would get. The newspaper reaches us country folk on Thursday morning. It was Thursday noon and the phone rang. It was my old boss, Ian McKay. I thought, "Oh no, here it comes." "I was just reading through the paper," says he, "...and I nearly fell off my chair! I had no idea that we used to have an inspiring writer working on our farm," "Neither did 1," I admit- ted. We talked and joked about it some more and the anxiety I had felt was not nearly so bad. That phone call really helped. Calls and letters of praise QN . BL UE RIBBON AWARD "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macaulay Pub Ish.d Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St, Exeter, Ontario, NOM 156 by J.W. EEedQyy PWMsatfons Ltd. Telephone 1,511-2851331 CULT. es105210431 WARNING .May lead to a larger deficit, health benefits taxes, more child smokers and . damaged provincial / federal relations. But hey, at least Quebec will be happy. Your Views Possibility of Catholic Secondary School "Huron Perth R.C. Board has the right to ectahlich their own secondary school in Huron" Dear Editor: The Huron County Board of Education and the Huron Perth Roman Catholic Board of Education are discussing the very real possibility of establishing a Catholic Secondary School as a shared facility at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. Negotiations are proceeding in a professional co- operative manner. The Huron Perth R.C. Board has the right under law to establish their own secondary school in Huron County. That right is acknowledged by both negotiating parties. The Huron Perth R.C. Board now want to exercise that right and establish a Catholic High School in Huron County. As a taxpayer I can understand the wishes of the Huron Perth R.C. Board. It is natural for a jurisdiction, institution, or group to want to expand. My only question is 'Is it in the puhlic interest to do so at this time?' The cost of establishing a Catholic High School at CHSS in Clinton is estimated will cost between five and six million dollars. A cost that will be shared by all the taxpayers of Ontario. Politicians, special interest groups, and all of us are going to have to put the good of the general puhlic first, before our own special interest, if we ever hope to turn the provincial financial crisis around and avoid economic disaster. Bob Burton Bayfield Ontario Celebrating a first anniversary already Then something really neat began to happen. Over the next few days, I received other phone calls and comments from neighbours, family, and friends; all positive, all encouraging. I soaked up every bit of that encouragement like a sponge; enough, in fact, to try another col- umn. And so it went from there. People have been so kind with their compli- ments and one of the best things is that some have taken the time to write to me. I have re- ceived some very special letters and notes over the past year, ones I'll always treasure. I think it's great to get people writing and expressing feelings. It helps the world around us to be- come more personal. I'd like to thank everyone who has told me that they enjoy reading what I have written. All that encouragement, whether it be through the spoken or the written word, really means a lot to me. Thanks to the folks at the newspaper, who keep printing my columns. And special thanks to the Seed and my children for being such good sports and letting me write about them. I went to a Rita MacNeil concert last fall. She often sings about simple, everyday things that people can relate to, much like the sort of things 1 like to write about. She was once very shy and if she were to take that personality type test, I'd hazard a guess that she would score much the same as me on that extrovert/introvert scale. Still not an extrovert Incidentally, I just took that personality test again. As part of the same study group, we were to see if our type was still the same over a year later. Guess how many points I scored on the extrovert side this time. One. Oh well, its not easy to change certain traits. Being an introvert isn't so bad. It doesn't mean we don't like being around other people, it means we usually draw our energy from within ourselves instead of from being with others. Maybe being an introvert has helped me with my writing. During her concert, Rita MacNeil spoke of overcoming shyness to become a performer and she said, "When you finally find your strengths, it's a wonderful feeling." So, take heart, all you introverts. We can find our strengths without changing who we are. One of the letters I received during the past year was from my aunt's friend, who happens to be a writer. She told me that she sees her writing as "a God-given talent that should not be wasted". I think that's a good way to look at it. Hopefully, I'll find the time to keep at it. (Editor's note: Val Thomson lives on a farm near Granton with her husband and four chil- dren.)