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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-06-02, Page 6W iftg esd a y t :June ! L ,1i991 040 TIMES -ADVOCATE I)vOCATE: 1 PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 Jim Beckett PublisIe and Editor Don Smith Deb Lord General Manager Production Manager Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL When the going gets rough,the campaign p �� dirty' he election campaign is heating up. The various parties have gone beyond slinging mud at each other; they have progressed to lobbing grenades, Moietov cocktails, and anything else that promises to explode on contact and do a lot of damage. Campaign promises have been replaced by innuen- do, insults, scare tactics and out-and-out accusa- tions. Nasty little secrets are being ferreted out, and splashed all over the newspapers, television, internet and any other convenient medium. The aim isnot so much to make one's own candidate look good, but to discredit the opposition as viciously as possible. If enough bombs are set off, sooner or later some- thing important is going to get hit. And we, the vot- ers, are expected to sit back and watch the carnage. . It is not a matter of deciding which side has the better candidate; it is a matter of deciding, which side has the better aim. And we are finding the exercise distasteful. We may stick up our collective noses at this sort of campaign and sniff about "American style" dirty poli- tics, but like it or not, we are being subjected to it. Every major party is playing the game, for the simple reason that it often works. More than one politician on either side of the 49t11 parallel has been done in by some past indiscretion, be it an extra -marital relationship, a questionable business dealing, a friendship with someone who has a colourful past, or even a salty phrase or two quoted out of context. Remember Pierre Trudeau's immor- tal, "Oh, fuddle duddle? = In this sort of battle, not only is everything fair game, so is everyone. This includes the candidate's advisors (elected and appointed), staff and former staff, spouse and former spouse(s), children (legiti- mate and otherwise) and siblings. The damage incurred by a Billy Carter can never be .underesti- mated. In a down -and -dirty political battle, there is noth- ing better for the opposition than a sleazy brother oozing out of the mud, except perhaps a sleazy alco- holic relative, or, best of all, a couple of long forgot- ten drunk driving charges. . - The irony of the whole thing is that the sort of can- didate who would be immune from attack would never be running for election. One would tend to find such a person in sotne back office of a modest busi- ness, where his or her ineffective doddering does no damage, instead of centre stage at a political rally. It takes courage to run for office, and a supremely healthy ego. Our political system demands leaders who are risk takers, who have the capacity to befriend the power brokers, who thrive on challenge. They may fall off the horse every now and then - usually because they choose the most spirited one in the stable - but they _, hit the ground running, and are prepared to climb back on as often as it takes to reach the finish line. And there is no place they want at the finish line except first. Hopefully. this competitive, risk-taking spirit is combined with honesty, kindness and intelligence, as well as an ability to lead the team. But perfection is not a realistic requirement. There Is nAuch animal as a person of courage and energy who never makes an error. In fact, there has been only one human being in the history of the world who was perfect. If we dislike the sin and scandal method of cam- paigning, perhaps we should take our complaints, in writing, to the offending candidate or party - or at the very least, our local newspaper. Where have all the issues gone? Thank goodness it's almost over! The last 28 days have been, an embarrassing epoch in Ontario's political history. Mike Harris, Dalton McGuinty and Howard Hampton have collectively brought politics in this province to a new low. Name-calling, attack advertisements and cheesy gimmicks have unfortunately been a pillar of all three parties' campaign strategies. However the one thing we haven't heard from our "leaders" is. healthy debate of all the issues facing Ontario today. While health care and education have dominat- ed the agenda, important issues like the environ- ment, agriculture, increasing property taxes and user fees, and privatization have barely been touched. Municipal issues and the effects of the province "downloading" responsibilities and programs (into local municipalities have also been largely neglected. ,,The Association of Mu iicipa1ities of Ontario recently issued a document entitled "Municipalities at Risk." This paper detailed that between 1993 and 1998, municipalities lost $1.7 billion in transfer payments from the province. Municipalities are now arguing they need new sources of income and have even hinted they want a cut of provincial and federal gas taxes but the majority of the electorate wouldn't even know municipalities are suffer- ing to this extent. The politicians have been too busy driving under -aged kids to rallies (Pizzagae), mudslinging aqd basically sul- lying the profession they so vehemently pledge they want to change. Undoubtediy the lowest point in this campaign was NDP leader Howard "Harris Fighter" Hampton's slan- derous comments about McGuinty. While out on the hustings in Toronto Hampton told a crowd of support- ers: "They're trying to turn Norman Bates into John Wayne. Dalton McGuinty is no John Wayne." Huh? What was Hampton thinking comparing McGuinty to a serial killer played by Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock's thriller Psycho? His willingness to sink that low just to garner a fewmore points in the polls was completely uncalled for. What has happened to our so called leaders? How can they want to be the premier of our province when they lack such character and judgement? This is a complicated province with diverse interests and it takes a strong and wise leader to lead us. Unfortunately, we haven't seen any of themrise to the challenge. Politics is a dirty business but it's disparag- ing our politicians are slowly importing American-style campaigning just to win, Substance is out. Slander is in. As the electorate they so desperately want to impress we have a duty not to reward this type of politicking. We have the politicians we deserve because we often turn a blind eye. We take little interest in personally holding our politicians accountable and guess what — they know it! Don't be apathetic on June 3. Take a hard look at the candidates in your riding, analyze what they stand for and then make an informed decision. KA►'INE HARDING TO D IT HAD BE SAI About the Times -Advocate Address & office Hours t_g1es-Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, E eter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sal .(519) 2354331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates' One year rate for addresses in Canada: $35+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $63+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $102 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. Classified Rates Word ads: $9.00 for 20 words, 154 for each additional word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements, coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $11.00 + GST for up to 30 words, 104 for each additional word. All ads must be pre -paid. 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