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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-05-22, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, May 22,1996 Publisher & 10110,17 Jim Beckett Business Mang*: Don Smith Product101n MtOr Deb Lord A Barb Consitt, Chad Eedy New; Heather Mir, Chris Skalkos, Roes Haugh, Brenda Burke gyp; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner Itaagstpatipx.A1 Flynn, Al Hodgert front Orffca & Acowiting. Elaine Pinder, Sue Rollings, Ruthann Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers '.. •IA 04.,providing news, advertising and information leadership ' a -t • • inion Publications Mad Registration Number 0388 3u114cIPT)ON RUM One year rate for Ontario subscribes - $38.00 + QST Two year rate for Ontario subscribers - $83.00 + QST One year aubaoMion - $63.00 + 08T Two year subprlption - $118.00 + QST Outside + Published Each Wednesday Morning at 414 Main St., Exeter, ares. NOM 1.48 by 1.W, lady Publications Ltd. Telephone ..0.2,15-1.231 • Fax: 1141iR0:M SAT. /R10MMMOeia No credibility oes Prime Minister Jean Chre- tien have any credibility left? Not as the "little guy from Shawini- gan", which is the underdog image he perpetuates by repeating the description at most of his public appearances. The "little guy" image just doesn't wash anymore - if indeed it has for the past 20 years for those who watched this politician in action. There is noth- ing small about Jean Chretien, not in physical stature - he's tall, lean and tough - and not in political ambition or in arrogance. Chretien has not only been at the heart of power in the Liberal Party of Canada for decades, but he and his family hobnob with the wealthy De- smarais family of Power Corp. and oth- er corporate elite. The Prime Minister's daughter is married to the son of Paul Desmarais. Chretien lost touch with the little guys and gals of Quebec and Can- ada years ago. Now it appears he's lost touch with democracy. A few months ago, the peo- ple of Canada were treated to scenes of an angry Prime Minister bulldozing his way through a crowd in Hull on Flag Day. When a protester stood his ground, the Prime Minister put a head- lock on him. It was a prime example of a political leader who believes himself to be above the law and above tes MTS who Prune Minister's exhibition a bit of a joke are having second thoughts about his arrogant attitude. It has become very clear it's either the Prime Minister's way or the highway - and it doesn't much matter what the is- sue is. Politicians who opposed the gun bill were relegated to never-never land by the Prime Minister. Veteran MP Warren Allmand was stripped of his cabinet post when he dared to disagree with Chreti- en. The latest to be banished, not only from the circle of power, but from the party, was John Nunziata (York South - Weston). Nunziata's offence was to con- tinue to hold his government to election promises to get rid of the Goods and Services Tax. Regardless of what clever Paul Martin wrote in the Liberal Red Book, statements made for the record clearly have the Prime Minister himself saying he would scrap the GST. As for Martin's "harmonizing" the GST by signing up the Maritime Prov- inces and using almost a billion dollars of taxpayers' money to do so, the exer- cise is a sham. Ontario Premier Mike Harris is right to refuse to be a party to this shameful piece of business - espe- cially since it would cost Ontarians $3 billion a year more in taxes. Moreover, about the only concession Canadians got from the Mulroney government's imple- mentation of the GST was that the tax would no longer be hidden. In their growing arrogance, the federal Liberals are ignoring this as well. The harmon- ized tax in the Maritime Provinces again will be a hidden tax. Were it not for the infighting between the Reform Party and the Progressive '-rtmsetvativei4 thttbunch of Liberal "% would be lucky to be returned with a mi- nority government in the next election. However, the way things stand they will probably get another majority. We can only hope some key ministers, to whom their words means nothing, will be dealt with as they deserve. Listowel Banner Coverage appreciated "...I extend our sincere apprecia- tion for your kindness and support in our cause." Editor: A little note to express a big thank you for your xcellent coverage you've extended to us in the imes Advocate during our April campaign! On behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society, I ex- tend our sincere appreciation for your kindness and support in our cause. Yours truly, Pat Chorianeck, President Exeter Branch, Canadian Cancer Society. What's new Burke Let the cats roam free Recently a woman took her cat complaint to Lucan Council. The critters were spraying on her property, she said, and there was no way to control them. Titrairribifity of14141 t bylaw was dittifisedbileTti, Then set aside m favor of a wait-and-see approach. In the meantime, apparently cats are roaming the world's neighborhoods, digging up flower beds, spraying walls, getting into garbage and meowing beneath peoples' bedroom windows. I say, let the cats roam free. Keeping them under control, if that is possible, wouldn't be nearly as effective as simply getting them neutered and spayed. It won't stop digging and garbage shredding, but it would help discourage spraying and roaming and the creation of extra litters. But in this day and age with all the pet neglect that abounds, of course only the well cared for cats get such operations. But would a cat bylaw really prove effective? My home town of Owen Sound has such a bylaw but the cats still lead lives of their own. As for Hensall, public outcry TORONTO -- Premier Mike Hams has com- monly been called Mike the Knife and Iron Mike, tett would prefer people think of him as Mr. Nice Guy. The Progressive Conservative premier has started a sometimes -contrived .cat ign to sof- ten his harsh image. • • Harris earned his earlier nicknampi because his nature was to be aggressive with opponents as opposition leader and his main theme was the essentially tough one of cutting services and jobs. Being seen as tough also has helped him, be- cause it was his promise to chop relentlessly, when the Liberals also promised cuts, that won him the 1995 election. Harris as premier has been tough, for exam- ple, in cutting welfare payments, which most probably agreed were too high, to levels on which recipients can barely exist, and never .. seemed to stop talking about slashing and root- ing out waste and cracking down on malinger- ers and criminals. Cutting services, it can be argued, is not harsh, because it will reduce debt and provide a tax cut. But Harris was ostentatious in having little sympathy for public servants on strike, saying they were like kids with candy, and when welfare recipients complained they had to live on canned tuna, Harris retorted too bad, that he once had to do the same. Hams snarled that those who live on the streets generally do so by choice and teachers who lose jobs could go selling real estate. Harris did not care that people thought he was tough and even relished it, but he is now recog- nizing there is no gain in offending gratuitous- ly. He also has announced tax cuts that genuine- ly soften his image and has been persuaded to try to show he has a warm and considerate side to go along with it. The premier began his metamorphosis by vis- iting a food bank. His name is not much asso- ciated with food banks, except that 50 per cert more people are using them since he got in government. Harris knew so little about this bank that he and petitions abounded when cats were threatened to be controlled there. And London, as with so many other issug,,it simple yes or no decision into yet another issue for council to wrangle over. For spraying, can't you buy some stuff in a non -aerosol can that repels cats? And as for gardens, does the odd cat really do that much damage? I suppose if 20 or 30 of them got together... And with garbage, what about putting some of that blame on stray dogs, racoons, seagulls or the odd monkey that escapes from the Metro Zoo and hitches a ride over here when he's got nothing to do? Being a cat owner, it's extremely difficult to sympathize with those who complain about cats, which I find basically harmless unless they happen to be walking funny and foaming at the mouth. It's supposedly a myth that Hensall cats help control mice at the feed mills but surely they must be responsible for a little pest hunting. Don't they catch those litte moles and chattering birds from time to time? I think it's time to take a stand for the right of the cat. Felines, by their very nature, are meant to go wherever adventure takes them and do whake7/ertheir instincts tell them to., The cat is the only 'free' domesticated animal left in this universe. Deciawing them, keeping them indoors and on leashes against their will...Isn't it kind of unnatural and absurd? This attitude we have about getting rid of all pests gets annoying. If we control all cats, what next? Muzzles for horse flies. Perhaps some complaints involve strays. If this is the case, community animal control people should be able to catch them, just like they catch dogs. If there are to be any cat regulations at all, perhaps they should simply include a unique indentification system. Blue tags for pet cats. Red for strays. Pink for rose bush violators and purple for garbage mongers. That way, cats could be identified and dealt with, utilizing appropriate punishment to deter their dangerous and immoral actions. Mr. Nice Guy? earlier accused its director of campaigning to prevent the Olympic Games being held in To- ronto but later admitted he was confusing him with someone else. But Harris said he had a good visit and saw how a food bank operates, and some people will feel it suggests the premier cares. Nothing makes people more human than be- ing seen with children and Hams and Finance Minister Ernie Eves decided to make the often stiff and dry budget a little more human by put- ting a drawing by a child on its cover instead of a traditional landscape by an adult artist or the official flower, the trillium. The Tories held a competition among a class of nine -year-olds, chose a drawing of' a child flying a kite and displayed it over a hint their party offers a better future for children. They even paraded the children on TV, implying that the Tories have children at the top of their agenda. Once was not enough, and Harris and Eves also set up a fund to which people can donate to reduce the provincial debt, officially called the Ontario Opportunities Fund, but which Eves described emotionally as the "Chelsea and Samantha Fund." This was because the first donation to it was from two young sisters, Chelsea and Samantha Smith, who saw public service strikers on TV and sent the contents of their piggy -banks to help pay their wages and keep their jobs, which is not quite the same as reducing public debt, but the sisters and the Tory government seem- ing to pull together were all over newspapers and TV. The Tories are missing few tricks. There were suggestions Hams would look more human if he was seen with his wife, so the premier and his attractive wife, Janet, suddenly are seen stepping out at ch*rity balls. Hams insisted modestly between foxtrots that he is no Fred Astaire ani, has "been described as one who should be taking dancing lessons." But voters should be wary of all this fancy footwork aimed at showing there is a kinder and gentler Mike Harris.