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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-11-9, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, November 9, 1994 Publisher: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Theresa Redmond News. Adrian Harte, Fred Groves, Catherine O'Brien, Ross Haugh Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Robert Nicol, Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner, Marg Flynn Transportation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert front Office & Accounting; Norma Jones, Elaine Pinder, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership • • inion Bad applLs spoiling it all s town council, once again, being asked to throw away the whole barrel because of a few bad apples? Many residents have complained about dangerous driving practices on Gidley Street which, to no one's sur- prise, seem to occur just as school gets out. Young children have indeed been knocked down less than a block away, by drivers who seem to flee the scene. Fortunately, no one has been killed...yet. One police officer tells us a favourite game earlier this year was for young drivers to "run" Andrew Street without recognizing any stop signs: a true test of bravery designed to lionize those who learned nothing about the move- ments of large bodies of steel and glass from grade 11 physics. Why, pray tell, should these immortal beings care less about 20 km/h zones in a "school zone" when they presently disregard current traffic signs? Why should those few high-risk min- utes per day cause the rest of the town's residents to reduce their travels to a snail's pace for the remainder of the time? The Gidley Street neighbours' con- cerns may have some merit to reduce the potential carnage on an otherwise quiet street. But first, council ought to look hard at enforcement. If there are laws being broken (and there are) then there are tickets to be written, fines to be paid, and court appearances to be made - and maybe even a few licences to be re- voked. For the majority of high school stu- dents who sensibly live in fear of traffic fines, demerit points, high insurance pre- miums, and possibly doing some inno- cent person some serious harm, there should be no problem with having the watchful eye of the law near the school at lunch and between three and four p.m., on a random basis. Those who thrive on reckless accelera- tion and squealing tires while crowds cross the roads to the school buses might well learn to leave their cars at home. IMO Your V Letters to the editor Crisis in health care "While most of these changes have been beneficial, the cutb6 cks cannot and will .lot end here" Dear Sir: I am writing this letter to inform the general pub- lic of the serious health crisis that our province is now facing. With the decrease in transfer payments from the federal to provincial governments in recent years, the hospitals have responded by streamlining services, cutting excess equipment costs, waste management and re-examining past policies and procedures. While most of these changcs Wye been benefi- cial, the cutbacks cannot and will not end here. St. Joseph's Health Care Centre in London, Ontario alone, must cut approximately 1.5 Killion from its 1995 budget. Unfortunately staff reduction is the most obvious answer. Hospital administration maintains that qual- ity of care will not be affected although they want to continue with present patient volume. One option is the replacement of registered nurses and registered practical nurses who have years of experience and college diplomas/university degrees, with personal care providers. (PCP) whose mini- mum job requirement would be a grade 10 educa- tion. The main advantage is obvious - the replacement of experienced staff with cheap labour. The disad- vantages are more insidious and far-reaching. Nurs- es historically have been the eyes and ears of the medical profession. They are an integral part of the health team since they arc in a position to provide most of the direct patient care and assess their re- sponse to treatment. Nurses also act as strong patient advocates. To say that a skilled professional can be replaced by a lay- person who has little education and less medical ex- perience is not only humiliating and belittling but downright dangerous. My question to the public is this: who do 31.01► want caring for your critically ill grandmother, your premature infant with a multitude of health prob- lems, your 16 yr. old pregnant teenager going through labour an•i delivery alone or your daughter undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia? Andy de Boer A View From Queen's Park e_ jjy.Erlc D New Democrat Premier Bob Rae is looking for catchy nicknames to pin on opponents that will hurt them in the coming election, but it is too early to say if he has found any. Rae, who is more noted for his erudite way with words, first tried to label Liberal leader Lyn McLeod as 'Dr. No'. This was on the ground that, as the premier saw it, she criticized his policies constantly without offering many alternatives, which had some truth to it. In recent months and with an election closer, however, McLeod has started to offer more in- dications of what she would do. The `Dr. No' appellation also is not original even in Ontario politics. The Progressive Con- servative premier, William Davis, used it effec- tively against an earlier Liberal leader, psychia- trist Smart Smith, in an election in 1981. Rae also called McLeod and Tory leader Mi- ehael Harris the 'twins of gloom and doom.' This Was because they have lamented repeat- edly that Ontario under misguided NDP poli- cies and management is going to wrack and ruin. Ra.t's more optimistic attitude is that, sure, these are tough times because of an economic recession which is no fault of the NDP, but they will improve and a golden lining already is visible. Rae has now switched slightly to calling McLeod 'Mrs. Negative' perhaps because she is more motherly then doctoral, and Hams 'Mike the Knife' a parody on the popular song from The Threepenny Opera. This is a jeer at the Tory leader's promises to cut government spending by 20 percent and provincial income tax by 30 percent in three years and balance the budget in four. Publications Mail Registration Number 0388 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (88 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addressee $30.00 plus 82.10 G.S.T. Outside 40 miles (88 km.) or any letter carrier address 830.00 plus 830.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 Q.S.T. Outside Canada 899.00 (Includes 888.40 postage) Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6 by 1.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519-235-1331 • Fax: 519-2350766 Y.S.T. OW.05210835 YOU'VE ANOWSEETNEM111! BOOK, Based on the book "On The Take" by Stevie Cameron BRIAN MULRONEY • MILA MULRONEY • ASSORTED GENEROUS MONTREAL BUSINESSMEN 'NE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY and YOU, THE TAXPAYER AOYITTANC• RE STRICTED NyQuil & OFFICE ABUSE BRUTAL GREED Your Views Letters to the editor. Debt not an advantage "Whether or not we amalgamate, to borrow or not to borrow and for what, will remain the more important questions." Dear Sir: The Middlesex County Amalgamation Report fa- vours amalgamation of smaller municipalities into larger areas because smaller municipalities arc dis- advantaged because of "their restrictions in incur- ring debt". Is that truly a disadvantage? With the economy picking up and welfare and U.I.C. loads dropping now could be the time and should be the time to be- gin reducing the national debt, especially the 25 per- cent foreign owned portion. However, if amalgamation gives local govern - ment the same opportunity to sink over our heads in debt local government could end up being unable to pay for necessary services in the same way federal and provincial governments are saying we can't af- ford police and hospital beds. On November 14, the voter will have opportunity to express his view of what direction local govern- ment should take... that is, if there are candidates who recognize the potential of the possibilities pre- sented to us. Economic upswing has not lasted for- ever in the past, but has served as incentive for bor- rowing. It will do that this time also. Whether or not we amalgamate, to borrow or not to borrow, and for what, will remain the more im- portant question. Robert Mosurinjohn Lucan councillor candidate Speak Out Letters to the Editor 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. The search for nicknames that stick Rae hopes the colorful epithet -will catch on and engrave Harris on voters' minds as a leader who intends to hack public jobs and services to ribbons. Nicknames have not stuck much in Ontario politics. Ontarians have lacked the inventive- ness of, say, the British with Margaret (Iron Lady) Thatcher and Winston (the British Bull- dog -- he looked like one) Churchill. For wellknown nicknames, you have to go hack almost into history: to Leslie Frost, the Wily Tory premier from 1949-61, whose flow- ing mane made him inevitably The Silver Fox. There was Walter 'Six Bucks' Harris, who ran unsuccessfully for the Ontario Liberal lead- ership in the 1950s and was so called because as a federal minister he raised old age security by a paltry $6 a year. One of the few nicrilbes that struck in more recent years was the opposition's snigger at Darcy McKeough as 'the Duke of Kent' be- cause he was elected in Chatham -Kent riding with the silver spoon of wealth and arrogance to match. McKeough seemed to relish the title which classed him with the aristocracy, although he also became one of the long-lasting Tory re- gime's most competent treasurers. In one case a nickname caught on and had a devastating effect and that was when Davis la- belled Smith 'Dr. No' and this added to the im- age that opposition leaders usually have of be- ing anti and negative and obsessed with tearing down rather than building up. Smith felt it cost him the election and certain- ly it hurt the opposition leader -- Rae will be looking for more of the same.