Times Advocate, 1994-8-31, Page 4Page 4
Times -Advocate, August 31, 1994
Publisher: Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Manager= Don Smith
Composition Manager. Deb Lord
Achmiuslna; Barb Consitt, Theresa Redmond
>; Fred Groves, Catherine O'Brien, Ross Haugh
Ply: Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson
Robert Nicol, Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber,
Laurel Miner, Marg Flynn
Transportation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert
Front Office & Accountinc Norma Jones, Elaine Pinder,
Ruthanne Negrljn, Anita McDonald
C)pinion
its5'
I'])1'FOR1:k1,
It sure is a gamble
o you like to gamble?
If you answered "no", you're in an in-
creasingly shrinking minority.
And if you said "no" you might want
to reconsider. Because gambling cov-
ers everything from betting on the hors-
es to buying a lottery ticket or playing
bingo. And God knows you've likely
done one of those.
Which brings up an intriguing point
now that the provincial government has
approved gambling casinos in selected
sites to raise itself much-needed funds
from a public already over -taxed and
over -burdened by it.
Just prior to the opening of the Wind-
sor casino, the Addiction Research
Foundation did a survey to determine
just who is gambling - and how much
and at what they are throwing away
their money.
The survey offered some interesting
insight into•our psyche and reveals
some problems along the way.
For example, three out of every four
Ontario residents regularly buys at least
one lottery ticket a week.
In addition, 21 percent gamble during
card games, 16 percent gamble on
sporting events, 15 percent play bingo,
just under nine percent gamble at chari-
ty casinos, and another eight percent
gamble at professional casinos and
eight percent bet on races.
The 18-20 age group was found the
most likely to gamble in all categories;
except lotteries and casinos.
The 30-64 age group is most likely to
purchase lottery tickets, but once people
reach age 65 and above, all forms of
gambling drop off dramatically. I guess
there's something to be said after all
about "older and wiser".
In the battle of the sexes, the survey
said men are more likely to bet on
sports, card games, at casinos and on
other games of chance than women.
Except bingo. While 8.5 percent of
men said they regularly play bingo, 21.6
percent of women say their little num-
bered cards are full (or they wish they
were) on a regular basis.
The Addition Research Foundation
went a step further and found that 16.6
percent of all "heavy gamblers" - which
ARF says is anyone betting $50 or more
a month - admit their habit has hurt their
personal finances and home life.
So what's it all mean?
It means most of us bitterly complain
about high taxes, high food prices, goug-
ing at the gas pumps, out of reach mort-
gages, and the general high cost of liv-
ing, period.
Yet most of us happily fork over a
good portion of our hard-earned money
each week to the government for a crack
at winning "the big one".
Of course, most of us don't win. Nor
shall we ever.
But, dammit, we keep on trying don't
we?
From the Smith Fails Record News
Ethics vs. greed
"How. far will someone go in order
to make a sale? I guess it de-
pends on the.ethics and integrity
of the individual sales person."
Dear Editor:
How far will someone go in order to make a sale?
I was able to find out the answer to my question
first hand just a few days after my Dad passed
away, when a local real estate agent phoned my
Mom with regards to listing her home. You can im-
agine the shock and feeling of horror knowing that
she had never called the agent in the first place.
Why should anyone have to be subjected to that
kind of harassment?
I know thcre have been times when a widow/
widower has been approached during their time of
mourning by an agent, caught off guard in a weak
emotional state and end up listing and eventually
selling their home. A few months later they find
themselves living in an apartment wondering why
they sold.
My Dad's advice to anyone put in the position of
being left alone was "if you can financially afford it
- live in your home for one year - then make the de-
cision of selling or keeping your home." That way
you are selling your home on YOUR terms and be-
cause YOU want to, not because some real estate
agent has preyed on your emotions.
I hope it never happens, but for anyone who may
find themselves in a similar position - stop and think
before you sell your home! Take my Dad's advice,
and maybe down the road you won't be sorry.
How far will someone go in order to make a sale?
I guess it depends on the ethics and integrity of the
individual sales person.
To the remaining sales agents in this town that
have not called my Mom (or anyone else in the
same situation), or come knocking on her door -
"Thank You" for showing some ethics, kindness
and respect.
And for those that may still be wondering..."No -
my mother's home is not for sale."
Anne Gould -Sullivan
A View From Queen's Park
The New Democrat government already faces
a rough ride to re-election with only about 17
percent in polls and is risking making it even
bumpier.
The NDP has ordered photo radar machines
on highways near Toronto that gradually will
be expanded to other areas. It says the aim is to
reduce speeding and therefore accidents, deaths
and injuries and it would be difficult to dispute
that this is at least partly its motive.
The cameras presumably will reduce speed-
ing, because many motorists will slow, fearing
they will be caught by an,unseen camera and
forced to pay a fine that based on the number of
killometres over the limit can quickly run into
hundreds of dollars.
But there are aspects that will make motorists
angry, in some cases justiflably. While police-
men patrolling can stop.and identify a driver,
the cameras can take a picture only oft Ileehte' •
.
By Eric Dowd
Publications Mill Registration Number 0386
Su ES; (MUMoN RAT
M Mrt 40 tattle. (SS tan.) addressed
to non latter cants addresses $30.00 pits $2.10
A.S.T.
Outside 40 miles (65 tan.) of airy latter wrier address
$30.00 plus $30.00 (toted 00.00) 4 4.20 A.s.T.
Outside Canada $99.00 (include. $55.40 postage)
Published Exeter, Ontario, NOM 3wfd by LW. 6 Pvbamas, Morning Nca0ene 424 Min
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Telephone 19-235-1.331
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Hold that thought...
By Adrian Harte
Lightning does strike twice, or more
Everyone talks about the
weather, as if it is some control-
ling influence in our lives. In
some ways it is. When the car
is completely buried in snow,
and even the plows can't get out
onto the streets, the weather
tends to disrupt our plans. If it's
raining,.cats and dogs, we don't,
really want to be sitting out on
the beach.
Farmers watch the sky, hop-
ing for that magic balance of
sun and rain that will make the
crops bigger and stronger than
ever. But in the end, for most
of us, the weather should be no
more than the determinant of
what we're going to wear that
day. Why should we let it rule
our lives?
At least that's the way it
should be.
Reality is that in Canada any-
way, weather can kill us. In the
winter we can die of exposure;
in the summer: heatstroke. If
you're sitting in a trailer park
you watch every cloud with sus-
picion, and wonder why torna-
dos always seem to have it in
for trailers. Slippery roads
claim their fair share of cars in
the winter. We can even suffer
from frostbite and sunburn, only
months apart.
Or we can get struck by light-
ning.
The recent tragedy near Ham-
ilton, in which a young baseball
player was killed by a lightning
bolt, put the chills in alt of us.
Even though a few people get
killed by electrical storms every
year, particularly golfers, that
event seemed particularly hor-
rific by happening right in front
of a crowd of people.
I felt especially creeped out
by the news of that tragedy, be-
cause lightning had struck so
close to me only a few days be-
fore.
Sure, I've been close to light-
ning strikes before, when the
flash and boom are virtually si-
multaneous. I thought they
were close at the time, but when
I was in the bathroom that night
in Exeter I truly understood
what close was.
The hydro pole out back was
hit by what sounded like a burst
from a large machine gun (or
how I imagine a large machine
gun might sound). I swear I
could feel the electrical charge
in the air, and my hair standing
on end. My ears rang for a
while afterwards, and I took
several hours to settle down
again.
I don't recall seeing much
though, apart from some light
coming through the small bath-
room window, so it wasn't what
I would call a visual experience.
Well, it can't be that often
lightning comes so close. It
will be years before I'm that
close again...or so 1 thought.
Saturday night, what was just
a little bit of wind and rain here
in Exeter, was a violent rain-
storm to the north. Joanne and I
had just left Port Elgin, and
managed to enter the storm's ep-
icentre near Kincardine.
What had started•out as an ex-
citing light show out over the
lake was now razing the earth
itself all around the car as I tried
to continue driving south
through sheets of rain, too terri-
fied to stop the car.
We've all driven through
some crummy weather in our
times, but this was one trip no-
body would forget. In addition
to blinding columns of light
etching their outlines on my ret-
inas, Joanne and I saw not one,
but two hydro poles blasted
right in front of the car. As the
showers of sparks arced towards
the road, all I could think of was
"I'm not stopping until this is
well behind me".
Every time I passed a clump
of trees, I could picture one
splitting•in two and landing
across the road. My luck with
lightning in 1994, I was certain
was running out.
Thankfully, we made it
through safely, but I still felt
like kissing the ground in front
of the Tim Horton's in Gode-
rich.
Well there it is, I've learned
my lesson. For a guy who
doesn't like talking about the
weather, I'm going to make
damn sure I listen to the weath-
er forecast before setting out on
long drives on dark nights.
Despite the fact we all have
places to be and schedules to
keep, there are some things not
worth the risk.
plate, so the fine will be the responsibility of
the owner, who may not have been driving at
the time.
Owners will receive tickets by mail, which
automatically will irritate them more than if
they were stopped and informed at the time,
and sometimes for offences committed by fami-
ly members and friends driving their cars.
Tracking flow on the real driver will provide
immense potential for family conflicts and of-
ten prove impossible.
The lack of human involvement and use of
cameras is prompting complaints that Big
Brother is watching. Photo radar does nothing
to counter offences such as improper lane -
changing, tailgating and use of unsafe vehicles
that cause accidents. While it can be argued it
will catch more speeders, one danger is that po-
lice understaffed by budget cuts may think they
have done all they can by nailing the speeders.
Photo radar will make drivers angry -
Photo radar also is easier on the wealthy.. Be-
cause the camera cannot identify the driver, the
province doesn't deduct demerit points and
paying fines means less to the affluent than the
average person.
Ontario has 6.5 million registered vehicles in
a population of 10 million. People use cars be-
cause the population is scattered and public
transit inadequate. This is a province that has a
love affair with the car.
A government would normally go out of its
way to avoid irritating such a large and poten-
tially influential group close to an election the
NDP has to call within the next year.
Motorists have shown they can use their
clout. A Progressive Conservative government
in 1974 promised to make use of seatbelts man-
datory, but reversed when motorists objected.
Later, the Tories reduced to a minority govern-
ment were forced to accept seatbelts, which
have since proven their worth.
The NDP also has brought in photo radar a
week after a motorists' organization claimed
the cost of running a car has jumped by $372 to
$7,403 a year while the overall cost of living
has remained almost static.
Most governments would steer clear of add-
ing another irritation like photo radar, but the
NDP needs revenue to avoid an r budget
deficit of $10 billion and has gon about as far
as it can in announcing new taxes.
The NDP likes to talk of photo ar as a
safety measure and not of the million a year
and more in revenue (which also suggests it
will not force drivers to curb speeding as much
as advocates claim.)
The NDP is going for the money and ignoring
the political dangers -- sometimes it seems like
Mario Andretti is driving this province and not
Bob Rae.