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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-06-30, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1082 DAVE SYKES - This week the nation celebrates its 115th birthday, an auspicous occasion in the history of a fledging nation. More to the point, it means a deserved day off for the nation's hard-working .nrelet.? iat With pay of course.... Buit Ca-nada.'Dsiyr;�sll iii'°'L�` itterctioaai, called, is more than a day off tel frolic with loved ones in the summer sun. It is also a day for reflection on the great country that is ours. Canada is many things but above all it is a great country in which to live. The future holds no promises' but we have the resources and the dedication to make it a prosperous one. But, to the 20 million plus people stretched across thousands of miles, Canada is: A brilliant sunset over the calm and unruffled waters of Lake Huron. Another stimulating budget from Finance Minister Allen MacEachen. A misty fog rolling in over a serene fishing village in Newfoundland, The boyish smile of Knowlton Nash as he signs off The National with a high-pitched "good night." A young boy playing hockey on forzen ponds in the prairies till dusk. A..rousing debate in the House of Com - name calling. Crystal clear lakes that stretch for miles along the untouched landscape of the north. The Toronto Argonauts football team discovering a calamitous new way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The imposing figure of a grain elevator as it looms out over the expansive prairies. Reading the French version of the ingredients on the corn flake box at the breakfast table. Another rate increase for the post office or Bell Canada. - High unemployment rates, interest rates and mortgage rates. A new constitution that guarantees . freedom for all Canadians. Pretending our high priced athletes' are the best in the world even if they can't beat a Russian team. Rolling farmland that stretches for miles in rural Ontario. . The..r„eacn, e„of,ns-ane-lea,ged-athletiein hid-,. dream to run: across the country. The smells of an outdoor farmer's market. The chill of a wicked north winds as it sweeps across the lake, reducing visibility and closing roadways. The sights and sounds of a crisp autumn day ina wooded area. The serenity of a leafy retreat in one of thousands of national parks. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police musical ride. The ethnic flavour of the city of Toronto. Government deficits that grow with each new budget. The premiers of the 10 provi;rlces quibbling over reesource or constitution rights. The chief, John Diefenbaker, beginning an address to the nation with "My fellow Canadians." Sail boats scooting over placid lake waters. Cross country skiiing over fields of fresh fallen snow. aq:w�Roble the object .ofe entameray wthe_ _ annual seal hunt off the east coast. Having the distinction of being among the leaders with respect to days lost to strikes. The awesome and breathtaking beauty, of the Rockies as they rise majestically over the Alberta landscape. The rugged coastline of British Columbia. A new beginning for refugees from all corners of the world. Wayne Gretzky dodging and weaving between opposing defenders. Howie Meeker getting excited as heck while watching hockey highlights. Enjoying religous and personal freedoms. Canada is also much, much more. Have a happy and enjoyable Canada Day. BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1979 Second class mail registration number -0716 SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT Founded In 11411 and published every Wednesday at Ooderlch. Ontario. Member of the CCNA and CANNA. Adver- tising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance '111.N In Caned°, 'WIN to U.S.A., 'WAN to a11 other coun- tries, single copiesW. Display advertising rata available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 11 effective Oc. tuber 1. 151. Second class mall Registration Number 5715. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of typographical error. the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Nem, together with reasonable sneering* for signature. will not be dwrg.d for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for et the ep- plkeble rate. In the event of • typographical error advertising goods or melon at a wrong price. goods or services may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star Is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing pur. poses. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER.President and_Publisher DONALD M.:HUB.ICK-Aay.ertising Manager DAVID SYKESIEditor. P.O. BOX 220; - HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH NTA 4B6. G oae�ci SIGN FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 acEachen fails • Finance Minister Allen MacEachen and his tactics must ce y . o kireffigreferetehaaithirtinilstul But there was no mention of price controls in the budget. er, a a -C -T di-aiia-WaT getrto practice lmtary----- restraint program with cespecfto wages. Prices are still.. Climbing. ' The budget will apply to all. Canadians,; especially in the area of limiting personal income tax indexing to six per cent this year' and five per cent the following year. That likely means.that personal income tax will rise again. ' Naturally, people with higher incomes will be asked for a larger percentage at tax time, but all taxpayers will be asked to share in the burden of the $20 million deficit. There was little hope for the unemployed in the budget and while the finance minister has 'pledged $450 million towards job -creation programs, it will not generate the number of jobs needed to dent the unemployment figures. this Week. r . itis budget of November 1981 did little to move the Caria- dian. economy in any direction and the fact that he relented and consented to deliver some new offerings this week, indicates he admitted defeat. The propsects for the new budget are not that great either. Admittedly MacEachen had little money to work with and was merely . shifting available dollars around. But, the frightening aspect of his financial statement Mon- day, is that he will allow themation's deficit to rise to near- ly im million. The government has all Canadians trapped in an en- vironment of increasing inflation and exorbitant interest rates. Because the government has spent beyond our means, the dollar fell -to new lows, money left the country and unemployment increased to record levels. Certainly itis much easier to look back and offer some solutions in retrospect: The deficit is out of hand and there is no indication the recession will ease. If there was any positive measures in the budget, it was the government's commitment to holding increases for civil servants. The MPs themselves will have to take a pay cut and government employees will only receive six per cent increases this year and five per cent the following year. It will not sit well with the employees but that type of stand was required years ago. The government finally showed some leadership in that respect, but Mr. MacEachen it is a little late in the game. Many Canadians are being asked either to grant conces- sions to employers or to accept the same wages and. salaries for the next year. For the first time, Canadian . politicians will take a pay cut after years of substantial in- creases at the expense of the Canadian taxpayer. Public service wages will be held to 11 per cent over the next two years, and while there will be much grumbling over the imposition of ceilings, it will help, only to a small degree, in.holding government spending. The private sector has been asked to follow suit with respect to wage controls and certainly everyone must get the feeling that if MacEachen's suggestion is not followed, the government would definitely consider wage and price controls: Home buyers have again been offered a small plum to rejuvenate the construction industry and money geared for home construction is a safe play for MacEachen''he government will get more jobs out of each.. dollar in the • housing industry than anywhere else. . There will also be some money available for interest rate relief but manyof these measures seem relatively iseless unless the inflation rate can be brought down to • acceptable, levels. That's one of the major problems plaguing the country. Stimulation and job creation can be generated from the private sector more easily than spending programs in- itiated by the government. Tackling the inflation rate might stimulate the private 'sector and encourage such recovery. Prime Minister Trudeau has met with the premiers of the .province and no doubt has encouraged each to take heed of the example of the federal government in limiting civil service increases. It's the one promising feature of the budget and all, premiers and MPPs should take, a similar approach. In just one decade, while preaching restraint and tight control over spending, the federal budget rose to $75 billion from $16 billion, whicxh hardly speaks well for the prodigal spending, habits of our government. Hopefully the provinces will take a hint from the budget and make an honest attempt to reduce goverpment spen- ding at the provincial level as well. In the meantime, there is no great optimism looming on the horizon. D.S. Dirty is cheaper a-- You may not be too happy with Frank Miller's budget either, says the Fort Erie Times -Review, but don't forget that the provincial treasurer had to find a way to help pay for Ontario's new oil company. It was, after all, an interesting juxtaposition of stories that evolved -this May. First, there was a' report in the Toronto Globe and Mail quoting 'experts as saying the government phid about $300 million too much to acquire Suncor, for which it committed about $650 million in tax- payer's funds. Just a week or so later, treasurer Frank Miller releases his new budget, adding the seven per cent sales tax to enough items to make a lady angry. The increased revenue, coincidentally enough, is expected to bring the government an extra $300 million or so -which seems to be just enough to meet the alleged over -payment for the Sun- cor deal. To the government of Ontario, of course, that oil com- pany f or part of It; the government bought only a minority share for $650 million) is more essential than soap, tam- pons and toilet paper. That's exactly what Frank Miller was suggesting to taxpayers in justifying the increased coverage for the sales tax. "In general, consumer items draw tax unless they pre considered to be absolutely essential items,'' Miller said, suggesting he was dealing with luxury items such as tobacco -and booze, which always feel the brunt of govern- ment tax squeezes. In general, then, what did Mr. Miller and his govern- ment consider nonessential'(and taxable)? Well, items now subject to the sales tax include deodorant, toilet soap, toothpaste and brushes, sanitary pads and tampons, skin- care products for babies, shaving cream and all prepara- tions for laundering clothes. The government appears to be saying that cleanliness is no longer essential. Well, that's fair for a government that usually nlaysalirty. Sunday concert By Dave Sykes DEAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER I can't remember 'who said it. But not long ago, someone told me the business schools in Canada should be teaching young, aggressive menand women "entrepreneurial skills' I guess that's why I was .so interested in a newsletter my son sent to me from The University , of Hawaii where he is a student for the next few months., The spring Ka teo Oka; Po'e Ho'ohana (The Voice of Managers) contained a feature about Robert 13. Huff, currently -president and chief ;: operating officer of Bell and Howell. Huff was speaking at the University's College of Business Admimistation's 5th annual alumni day on the subject "Strategy and Its Role in the Management of Change". In his address, he warned that the strategic planning that MBAs (Master • of Business Administration) learn in business school may be of little help in the real world of business. He also commented that the qualities that take for ' business success, suchas en- 'frepreneurial teal, may beunteachable. - Nevertheless, Huff ' challenged business schools to undertake teaching courses in en- trepreneurial skills and•operations. According to my son, Huff really got his audience thinking. I'm certain his comments about "the real world" would make an ideal basis for discussion among students and faculty just about anywhere. But I think Huff made a valid -point. Like Huff, I wonder if something as intangible as "en- trepreneurial zeal" is an innate talent rather than a teachable skill. I wonder if it is something you either have - or don't have. Maybe Huff is right. Maybe you can't turn out entrepreneurs on demand. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true. If so, then this country - all countries - should do everything in their power to seek out, assist and guide those with such vital entrepreneurial skills ... for that's one thing most nations sorely• need more of. . Think about it. How many true entrepreneurs do you know now? How many have you known? For that matter, what is a true entrepreneur? Webster's dictionary defines entrepreneur as "a person who organizes and manages a business undertaking, assuming the risk for the sake of the profit". I guess that's a pretty good description. But I've always thought of entrepreneurs as slightly more than that. I've always considered them to be men and women with a dream who didn't give up until they saw that dream become reality. Entrepreneurs to me, are folks who have a brand new idea. They take that idea through all the stages of development and disappointment, working the bugs out of it and making it happen when all the world says it can't succeed. They are more than inventors. They are take charge people. They do more than get good ideas. They take action - and they persevere long after others give up. They are risk -takers, yes. But they aren't foolish about it. They calculate their chances with care and cunning - and they only lose when they quit. I think entrepreneurs are a breed set apart - and while there's a real danger they will be so zealous they can cause some damages to people and places along the way; their contributions are absolutely essential in a healthy society that is moving ahead and setting the pace for others to follow. I would guess that one of the greatest dangers a nation can face is the loss of its proven - or potential- entrepreneurs. In- the midst of economic difficulties such as Canada is facing right now, there's often a drain of entrepreneurs to other more favourable economic climates - or at least, a deadly supression of those most necessary entrepreneurial ventures. Canada can't, afford that loss- and must find some way to prevent any exodus of en- trepreneurs and their projects, however slight. And while true entrepreneurial zeal may be unteachable, I would`' -join. Robert Huff in his challenge to educators to become entrepreneurs themselves - and to develop courses in our schools that will create an ,awareness of the tremendous need there is for men and women with daring vision to put their best foot forward for Canada. I would encourage private bup'ness and public legislators to find ways "to identify the en- trepreneurs wherever they are - and to funnel those most unusual talents into productive channels. - We won't be able to create another Henry Ford or Alexander Graham Bell overnight, but let's at least shed some clear light on . the en- trepreneurial opportunities in this country - and remove the road blocks that get in, the way of those who would travel such select pathways to fame and fortune. Referendum in the free world only is naive Dear Editor, In -a letter to the editor in your June 23rd edition, Tony McQuail states that many municipalities across the world are participating in a referendum on nuclear disarmament, and we should encourage our own municipalities to do the same. I hope such a referendum would be more than a ques- tion of, "Are you in favour or against nuclear disarma- ment." The biggest majority of people are in favour of disar- mament. I would like to ask Mr. McQuail "How many municipalities behind the iron curtain are having a referendum?" "When is there going to be a rally for peace in Moscow?" LETTER History tells me in the thir- ties every country disarmed itself except for Germany and Japan. We all know what happened. If Britain would have had 5,000 men on the Falkland Islands instead of 75, that war would have never hap- pened. I think a referendum in the free world only is a little naive. Maybe a referendum on whether people would support a total economic boycott of countries that do not have a democratically elected government would be better. Let's get rid of the generals and dictators. Then we can set up a United Nations task force to hold free elections in those countries and give those peo- ple the right to express themselves through, referendums, peace rallies, etc. When the people in those countries can express themselves freely, as you and I can Mr. McQuail, then peace and disarmament won't be tar behind. John A. Van Beers, R.R. 1, Blyth. P.S. Communist countries are the only countries that have military parades on the first of May; they remind me an awful lot of Hitler. Thanks Dear Editor,. This year Goderich and the Goderich area has raised over $18,000 so far in their 1981 campaign for cancer funds. We were able to reach and -surpass our objective and much of the credit must go to the enthusiastic cap- tains and can`bassers who took part in the campaign. The Goderich Branch of the Cancer Society wants to officially thank you for helping so capably to reach, the fine results achieved. It' is difficult nowadays to find time for these extras - your giving so generously of your time . was greatly ap- preciated. Your assistance will help the Cancer Society to extend its support of cancer research and will enable the society to broaden its education and service to patients programs. Again we thank you for. ydu1 interest in our work and for the help you gave us to reach our goal in the 1981 . campaign. Sincerely yours, Argyle Lockhart, -' Urban Campaign Chairman, Goderich Branch, I,