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Times Advocate, 1999-10-13, Page 66 Exeter Tim.e,Advocats Wednesday, October 13, 1999 Editorial&Opinion 4astrr, Atlir TIM 1s -ADV( )LAI I PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 Jim Beckett Publisher 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 To stay or not to stay: the choice is his The election may be over, but the battle contin- ues, waged via the fax machine, and in some cases, email. Not a day goes by without something from the provincial Liberals, federal Reformers, and both federal and provincial NDP, accusing the govern- ment in power of mismanagement, incompetence and/or out-and-out dishonesty. One recent fax addresses the brain drain theory. The theme of the fax is that Canada's federal gov- ernment must lower taxes and create opportuni- ties for youth, or this country will continue to lose well educated young people to the United States and other countries where salaries are higher and taxes are lower. _. For several years, Canada's education system has effectively outpaced the employment market. Most people know, or know of some talented young university graduate, perhaps a teacher or nurse, who could barely get a job slinging burgers here, but found a well paid job in his or her own field overseas. That these people have the courage to seek opportunities far from home should come as no surprise. We are a nation comprised of the descendants of the most restless and dissatisfied, the ones whose quest for a better life took prece- dence over ties to family, town and nation. The young, well educated people who seek opportunities elsewhere deserve our admiration for their enterprising spirit, but apparently some of them want our sympathy. The former is easy to give; not so the latter. The fax told about a young engineer who was unable to make ends meet on a $35,000 per year salary in Ottawa, and so chose to seek employ- ment in foreign countries. He bemoaned the fact that high Canadian taxes were driving people like him south of the border. There are quite a few people in this community who would dearly love to try "making ends meet" on $35,000 per year. That looks like unbelievable wealth to someone trying to raise a couple of chil- dren on welfare. That sort of income would cer- tainly be enough to provide comfortable housing, nourishing food and warm clothes - perhaps not mink lined pajamas and caviar, but a lot better than a third floor, roach infested room, and bus fare to the food bank. 'The answer is not lower taxes, but realistic expectations. Anyone who takes an advanced degree in a field with few employment opportuni- ties close to home, cannot expect to have wealth and status handed to him on a silver platter. If he chooses to remain close to home and fami- ly, he will have to contend with the remnants of this country's post war baby boom for a few more years. He may choose to do just that, secure in the knowledge that the present surplus of well' educated professionals will correct itself. ; Then again, he may choose to spend those years ' nanding his personal horizons overseas, shar- ing his education and knowledge with cointries where people like him are in short supply. Either choice is valid for someone with a great education, and freedom to travel and seek oppor- tunities in other countries if he so desires. There are too many of us who do not have those choices, and wish people like hien would stop whining about having to leave home because his expectations are too high for his $35,000 Canadian salary. Of Jr. D hockey and the feminine touch The image most people get of Jr. D hockey is of strapping young lads skating, shooting, passing, checking and, yes, sometimes fighting towards their goal of an all -Ontario championship. But what makes a team successful isn't just the talent that's put on the ice game in and game out. It takes a great organi- zation from the players, coaches and trainers at ice level to the executive that works behind the scenes to make organi- zational, personnel and financial deci- sions. That behind the scenes power has a dis- tinctly feminine touch when it comes to the two Jr. D teams in the Times - Advocate coverage area. Exeter Hawks secretary Annie Sullivan is well known for being a tell it like it is dynamo. She can dish it out as well as she can take it. Arguably she is the true go -to person in the Hawks executive. No offence to the male members of the executive who do a bang-up job, but if the boys around the table want something done other than pure hock- ey stuff, they look to Sulli. She does much of the leg work and organizes most of the off -ice. Hawks activities. It's her touch on things like the annual banquet and the Lawrence Cole -Chris Wilhelm (LCW) Memorial game between the Hawks and the Hensall Sr. A Sherwoods. Sulli is helped out by a great group of other females, notably Monica Keys, Linda Farquhar, Becky Nash, Joanne Hodge and Elizabeth Kerskake. Well done ladies. Looking to the south, the Lucan Irish have their own den mother: Ann Hardy. A long- time executive member, Hardy has served as the club's president more than once. She has a special relationship with many play- ers and their love of her was more than evident after her boys defeated the Wellesley Applejacks last spring to bring CRAIG ORADFORD semou3Nat musics the all -Ontario banner to the Lucan Community Memorial Centre. AIways opinionated (and almost always right), the no-nonsense Hardy knows how to get things done and is the mostly silent (at least publicly) power behind the executive that also includes other talented women like song bird Wendy Hardy. It's the tale of tht,,two Annies when it comes to the saga behind frith of the Hwy. 4 on -ice rivals. And as the adapted for hockey cliche goes, behind every good hockey team stands an even better woman. About the Tires -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Boa, 850, Exeter, 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 sales (519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number fordepartments (519) 235-0766 SubscriptionOne 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. 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