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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-1-23, Page 4(THEBLY•TII STANDARD) 1 :p Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, ANUARY 28,1985 The Clinton News-gecord is published• o94h Wednesday at P.O. *go 39. Clinton, Ontario. Canada. NOM 110. Tel.: 402.3443. Subscription Rate: ro Canada -S19.70 Sr. Citizen • $16.75 pet year U.S.A. foreign -1443.00 Per year 1t Is registered as sA and Baas mail by the pool ofike under the runt number 0017. The Naves -Record* incorporated in 1924 the Huron News•.Record, founded In 1061, and The Clinton News Era, founded In 1663. Total press runs 3.700. Clinton News -Record Incorporaiin CCNA J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HALLENBECK - Office Manager e4A MEMBER MEMBER Display advertising rotes available on request. Ask for Rata Cord No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. Youth - making life better It's not easy growing up in an age where nuclear weapons are well developed; unemployment is high and everyday life gets increasingly complicated. The youth of today appear more sophisticated and more knowledgeable then their parents. But in this rapidly changing society where technology and politics play such an important role, the youth have to be aware and responsible. Their understanding of today's situations will increase their foresight for tomorrow, hopefully aiding in their selection of a career or lifestyle. 1985 has been declared United Nations International Youth Year. Participation, development and peace are the three themes, and at present, grants totalling $429,557 for 22 special projects have been given by the government. These grants are to be used on projects run by and for youth in programs reflecting the three themes. - The first theme, participation, is already evident in, the assistance given to political parties by youth. The second, theme, development, is designed to -help youth reach their poten- tial through experience and education. The final theme, peace, is an attempt to show.our future leaders that situations can bedealt with in a number of ways, not just the present way. Last month, the Honorable Andree Champagne, Minister of State for Youth said, "The projects approved today will encourage youth to take part in decisions which concern them, and to raise public awareness of the conce,rnsi, aspirations, and contributions of young people. Furthermore, this aid will enable youth groups to seek new ways to better respond to the needs of youth in 1985 and beyond." With our support, the youth of today can work to improve what already exists and strive to make life better for future generations. -by Anne Narejko. Behind. The Scenes By Keith Rocil,ston Food crisis looming The pictures of emaciated children and old men, their faces covered with flies they don't have the strength to shoo away, have brought. an outpouring of goodwill from Canada not seen, I suppose since the plight of the "boatpeople" shook Canadians from their self-satisfied lethargy. Yet there is a terrible irony that links the plight of thousands in Canada to those starv- ing people in Ethiopia. In searching for reasons for the tragedy beyond the simple answer of bad weather, the television jour- nalists have looked at government policies toward agriculture. Too little attention, they said, had been paid to agriculture. Govern- ment, concerned with obtaining more hard' foreign currency, had turned agriculture away from growing food for local consump- tion to growing cashcrops for foreign sale. This had damaged the soil, making it vulnerable to drought. Too much attention had been devoted to cities and to glamorous massive economic projects and not enough to the commonplace needs of food. It seems to take a crisis to bring things everybody should see to the fore. Perhaps that explains why Canadians continue to go blithely along doing the same things to their agricultural sector. Canadian governments, .consumers and the media have come to take having plen- tiful food so much for granted that they can't imagine ever facing the situation the people of Ethiopia face yet if we continue the present practices we have in Canada, 50 ' years or 100 years from now, it could be our grandchildren or their grandchildren who are being seen starving by people in some other part of the world. , We are guilty of the' same short- sightedness as the governments of Ethiopia and other third world oountries but we have been saved frdm our foolishness by a kinder climate and fertile land that produces despite what we do to it. For now anyway. There are three purposes of agriculture in KaIqidosc�pQ Snow storms can make people act in peculiar ways. Some become depressed and lethargic, others feel claustrophobic. frustrated, anxious and angry. Pepple talk about "cabin fever" and "go- ing squirrely." What's the all the fuss about? After all it is January and we do live in a snow belt coun- try. Now if I lived in Florida, I'd be upset right now, but for Huron County folk, snow shouldn't cause such distress and upheaval., Sure it's disappointing when plans must be changed and cancellations are forced and it can be frustrating to reschedule events. In the newspaper business we know what it's all about to have deadlines. cut short or altered because of an unexpected blizzard. But when it's storming so bad that I can't see the neighbor's house across the street, that's time for me to close the drapes and curl up with a good book. No need to be bored, there's always television, and few rousing games of Trivial Pursuit or crokinole. As long as I'm warm' and comfortable, preferably in njiy own home, it can blow and snow all it likes. Winter also causes another strange human rendition known as the "blahs." By Shelley McPhee The best remedy for this condition comes with advice to "join in" rather than "fight" the winter weather. Information from the Ontario Safety League newsletter suggests that given you physical condition, your age and your geographical area of residence, there are several ways you can get in the swing of things by taking advantage of the season's positive side. Depending on where you live, you might be able to enjoy a walking, ge ice skating, sledding, tobogganing, cross country skiing. Remember too ,that area municipalities now offer a wide range of leisure and fitness programs. There's exercise classes, crafts, card parties, to name just a few. As well we have the advantage of having the only in- door pool in Huron County, at Vanastra, with a fitness room and sauna. A change of pace can also help the "blahs." You might want to revamp how you spend your evening hours. TV has its place as entertainment, but too many of us spend countless hourts'"glued to the tube" merely as a habit, rather than to seek enter- tainment. Winter is a particularly good time to catch up on some reading. or start anew project, urh, thor it he rraftc home improvements or personal enrichment. In fact, I rather look -forward 'to January and February. These are my quiet, peaceful months. They give. me an opportunity to tackle some extra projects and rejuvenate my energies. For thge most part, people expect too much from the winter months and they refuse to tolerate its inconveniences. Not me, I'm quiet happy to take a lesson from our animal friends, and curl up for a long winter's nap. + + + For another interesting winter activity., the Clinton Library will be hosting a mon- thly film series - Hats Off. This movie night will feature Canada's top' films, winners of Academy Awards. The series will begin on Tuesday, January 29 at 8 p.m. with the 1984 Oscar winner, Boys and Girls. This film was adapted from a short story written by our own Alice Munro. + + + Goderich Township History Books and collector plates are still available for sale. Please contact one of the following: Bev Orr at 524-7032; Alison Lobb at 482-7167; Gerry Ginn at 524-4163 or Hazel McCreath at 524- 7436. Canada from society's point of view: to pro- duce food for export; to produce cheap food for our consumers so they can have more disposable income for other manufactured goods ;-and to create city jobs in the process- ing of that cheap'food and the manufacture of machinery, fertilizers, chemicals 'and other farm inputs. A cheap food policy that suits consumers, also promotes the latter goal since farmers have to get bigger, have to borrow more money to buy bigger equip - ment, to spread more fertilizer and weed sprays on the ground to. try to grow enough to pay the bills. Increasingly due in no small part of government policies, farmers are losing the battle. Recent estimates put the number of farmers in serious financial trou- ble at one in every five. Worse even than what we are doing to in- dividual farmers is what we are forcing them to do to the land. In an effort to make ends meet they are literally mining the land. They are planting cash crops that over the years rob the land of its fertility and workability. We are only upholding yields by the application of ever -larger amounts of chemicals. Farming is more and more a huge hydroponic system where the land only holds the plants up while we feed them with chemicals. We are also losing more and more land to water and wind erosion because farmers are working soil harder and taking out swamps and fence bottoms and working hills that should not be worked in order to make a few extra dollars to keep them on the farm. There is already a crisis out on the farms in personal terms and id the terms of the futures of our small towns. There is a crisis brewing that will effect every person in our society if we don't act soon. Yet the atten- tion of our media and consumers is focussed a half a world away and not even a little time is given to really looking at the roots of a serious problem here at home. ;r Il ,,, Winter wasteland Sugar and Spice Welfare bums There are all sorts of people living in Canada these days. ,, Most of us are reasonable, ordinary, human beings, not evil, not particularly good, just slogging away a'day at a time. You and I, Jack. And then there are a lot of people just along for the ride. Welfare bums and politi- cians. Both species would deny it, wide-eyed with indignation. The welfare burns would insist that they are culturally deprived, victims of a non - caring society which refused to give them a decent education. This, of course, is. so much hogwash. Take a closerlook at ahem, and they are bums,. literally. They're not stupid. They know every angle of the . welfare, unemployment insurance, social subsidies game, .and they play it with finesse. They know to the last nickel exactly what they can skim off a pretty decent society which doesn't want anybody to be cold or hungry or homeless. Their favorite gimmick is to be photographed with their five or six children by Anne Narejko By Bill Smiley in front of their new television set. They like rubbing our noses in it. - The man of the house invariably has a sore back or some other vague disability which prevents him from working. The woman of the house invariably supports he: man, because she knows he's a bum, and if she didn't, he'd pound her and the children, and they'd have nothing. The children will grow .up in the family pattern, oeneving tnat society uwes tnem a living, and be sullen, cranky, i mean, if -anyone suggests they get off their tails and do something. Poor kids. Maybe I sound like a middle-class, right- wing pundit who believes that nobody should get any help from anybody. Lord forfend. I have a heart of gold, some might say brass, and I believe firmly in helping the helpless. 1.11 ley l.ulle 1 lit*Ve UCC1, ticipeu, QI,u Iuive helped others. Most of the people who helped me, I have hated. And most of the people I've helped have hated me. That's the way Riddell urges changes in harness racing An open letter to Robert Elgie, Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations. I am writing to you regarding a matter of urgent importance requiring your im- mediate attention. It concerns the recent decision by the Ontario Racing Comrnission of December 20th to allow afternoon and night post times for thoroughbred racing on the Ontario Jockey Club circuit in 1985. In view of the stalemate in negotiations on any possible solutions to the Ontario harness racing strike;, I request your immediate review of this situation. I need not tell you of the serious hardships for a great number of persons and organiza- tions which is created as a result of the stop- page of standardbred horse racing, in the province. The standardbred indu.ltry has deveroped racing operations in every area of the province creating significant invest- ment and'employment. Your lack of involvement in helping to resolve this situation is totally unaccep- table. Moreover, my attempts to contact you or the Chairman of the Ontario Racing Conuiussion on a nunkber of occasions to help resolve this sitiiation have been futile as my telephone calls have not been return- ed. I hope that your actions on this matter are not an indication of the lack of importance with which you view this situation. If that is the case, 1 would urge that you ask the Premier to transfer the jurisdiction of the Ontario Racing Commission to the Minister of Agriculture and Food to where it rightly belongs. As you. are abundantly aware, racing after dark in this province has traditionally remained the sole preserve of the standard- breds who pioneered night racing in the pro. vince. The decision of the Ontario Racing Com- mission is a complete reversal of traditional "and declared preference by the thoroughbreds for early afternoon racing until very recently. Moreover, that decision remains even more baffling in view, of the fact that the Ontario Racing Commission reversed their original position as conveyed in a letter of December 13th to the industry A not to allow 4:00 p.m. thoroughbred racing as had been requested by the Ontario Jockey Club. As the Minister under whose jurisdiction the administration of the Racing Commis- sion Act falls, I again request that you review this situation immediately with the view of correcting the inequities being plac- ed on standardbred racing through a change in the latest decision of the Ontario Racing Commission. Yours truly, Jack Riddell, M.P.P. (Huron -Middlesex ) Homemakers say thanks Dear Editor: The raising of available funds is one of the biggest challenges of the Board of Town and Country Homemakers. On behalf of each member of the Board, I am delighted to send this note of gratitude to the many supporters of our 1984 fund-raising campaign. The donations totalled over fifteen -thousand dollars (1415,000). Service clubs, private individuals, companies, church groups, charitable foundations responded most generously to our request for help. Also, the Board wishes to recognize the contribution by the sponsdrs of' the placemats, Leda McAlister of Bayfield for the art work on the mail -out brochure and Gwen Kiar, Goderich, for the layout work of the brochure and placemat. - Best wishes and a sincere thank you to everyone who supported the Town and Country Homemakers in helping us to "keep a good home going". Yours very sincerely, Thea Trick Chairman of the Board she goes. Better to do it anonymously. And now we come to the other welfar� bums: the politicians. They are not cor- porate welfare burns, as David Lewis called them, becoming more and more boring as he did. They are individual welfare bums. Most of them are small-town lawyers with a yen for the public eye. Having wheezled their way into the nomination, they defeat a lot of born also-rans, and take a back seat in Ottawa, Toronto, Victoria. At a drop of the hat, they vote themselves pay and pension increases, though their only desire is "to serve my constituency to the best'of my ability." At the appearance of a camera, they whip out a cheque from the federal or provincial government, and a new five miles of road, or a dock extension, or a post office is born. With a few exceptions, they steer clear of gun control, or abortion, or anything else that might upset the "committee" back home. When it is time for re-election, regardless of their records, they fight like tigers to hang onto that infinitesimal bit of power and ai prestige. Have you ever heard a politician stand up and say, "I'm a futz. I have not represented you; but only myself. I will not be running for re-election because I don't deserve it?" I am not saying that there are not people who go into politics with ideals, with a desire to serve their fellows. There are. But they are few and far between, and even the good ones seem to succumb to that insidious love of power, after a bit. It's little wonder that so many Canadians tpday are angry. They have worked, more or less faithfully, for years, with an organization. Suddenly they are turfed out. They go on unemployment payments. They don't feel good about It. They'd rather work. They look around -and see all sorts of layabouts drawing the same money. They are too old to move. They have mor, tgages. They have children to educate. And they see their "leaders" playing games: ar- rogant Liberates, pugnacious Tories, wet Socialists. It's enough to make a grown man weep. Not to mention a grown woman. Welfare bums at both endsof the stick, hangingon grimly, happy in the knowledge that you and I will pick it up.