HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-07-13, Page 4•
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naa,
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the 'proYinelal
and :red , , • ingenious and id-
v,enOveirkeitteVell money. .
Your matteii altr•SdneW. is °my, And
lest there; ..,14,000 of rejection, ' let us
dutifully tidtl.thWatudetp4 brethren to that
wanted'. list. 60/11"naleati 3.101104 know
moreabout Spending Meng than a bored
housewife witlra handfulofcredit cards,
,.. .
Latta faae. Lt, theti.p their job. Politicians
are elected under the guise of democracy,
bastions of the tights of constituents who
mercilessly nail at corruption.
It's only a masquerade. Their real job is to
spend our money and so far, they are doing a
damn fine job. Damn fine.
Canadians, other than politicians, are
notorious savers. According to most
statistics. Canadians tuck money into
mattresses, sticks, nooks, craes, banks
and other dark places rather Mn spend it
on fridges, stoves, stereos, fur coats and
, .
atber•OgOtAlliiii -
ThatIf wrOi
110IOKIY al1008-0r4,*
Well Canadians may Yerab$
mountingsevideace indicating we are'1011ng
twobsponse with ff4W'Inke0.on lotteiles.
Pep* will spew that t4ria
thaii,b a chance at g a few hie
down the line.
In fact lottery ticket 'sales h Crinada•,%..4
arnowkt $42 aneatatit for every mark;
frt.
fader* liffnI0 0,648 r the*rt and OP
extended
to
tt, ,eartO„uad. •
. the fraklhavillt
"net Imo She lottery
i.
e' it will appeal•'and 09 oiortenaeik-,
Owe
rev ,u
the Winter -
woman and child While the odds of,a )10041. Hockey League Ina
vithey could win. hiduleirkennbOVregular V* Anlion to tisedfr''
-
PerSon whining a grand prize are in the . ,-43eason play and-tho tickets retrat or;Z 1. loti in 1988?
if the.. revenu
will • each week with-h-pkywo it,itast $10000 Olvmnien scheduled for -Calgary
ehan
nin patti 'o
eighbourhood of 600,00° tootle. ,
tOP P
Theti#47 sY,
e oddsa en' exactly g
io
es will be '
an easy amt
people keep buying. Sixty-six per cent of Now, in Inlidit lotteries all any 'Canadian "' Pa,#.11045**t04„, , 10..tost
ticket buyers have an Income of less than reouirectbido is Pimply purchase the the Obitntd,ce, Itanetteetl„leePilfe g from .
$30,000 a year which viorks out, to about p a The sports polio ijUiich different ill tillet the; theteXPactereeLlYP -
stand a better chance of being struck by wallet for a green one hittrthei have to .that we may; subsidize the games anyway,
that. _ big prize. °rt. -
week being spent on ticketi. Itilost people purchaser.; will ilietitlit9/0440,,,eig .4! UK!: $10.87prUlifettition of lAttera
lightning. Maybe we could start a lottery on the correct score of 15 NHL games to win the In me fact, Pll bet on or lightning can strike
Second clase
mail registration
numbe 0716
SINCE 1848
THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT
Founded In lin and publiShell every Wednesday at Ooderich. Ontario. Member of the CCNA end OWN*. Adver.
tIsIng rates on request. Subscriptions poyable i.advance '19.90 in Canada, '20.00 to U.S.I. '20.00 to all other count -
I tries, single copies SOC. Display advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rate Cord No.13 effective Oc-
tober 1, 1982. Second class mail Registration Number 0710. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the
event of typographical error, the advertising spate occupied by the erroneous item. together with reasonable
allowance for signature, will not be cIterged for but that balance Of the advertisement will be paid for at the ap-
plicable rate. In the wrens ate typogrephical error advertising goods or services 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 per.
poses.
PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED
ROBERT G. SHRIER -President and Publisher
DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising Manager
DAVID SYKES-Editor
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Methods aren't fair
The word productivity is much in the news of late. It's
the ability, even willingness, of the Canadian or American
working person to strive diligently for the dollar he or she
is paid for turning out a given unit of saleable mer-
chandise. According to latest reports, productivity lies
behind the, soaring Japanese share of world export
markets.
There are several reasons why productivity in this part
of the world falls behind the record of other nations. Chief
among these reasons is our system of taxation. Those
among us who work our butts off and manage to bring in a
few extra bucks have only to look at our pay cheques to
realize that a large slice of our earnings has been
deducted at the source to feed the hungry maw of
government. Higher earnings mean not merely higher
income tax at the basic level, but possibly a jolt up into a
new and more demanding tax percentage.
As farmers and small business owners approach the
end of their working years they face a new problem.
Naturally they want to make sure they have enough
money invested to guarantee their years of retirement
will be worry -free financially. But as soon as they start to
make plans for the future they face the fact that the
selling price of the business venture will be sharply
reduced by what is known as capital gains tax. No matter,
how hard they have worked, how efficiently they have
managed their affairs, half of the difference in valuation
between January 1971 and the 1983 selling price will be
sliced off in taxes.
Never mind that inflation has vastly increased the
selling price -nor that inflation has created the need for
ever -larger amounts of investment income for the future,
the government gets its slice. And that slice will be used
by government to provide- services for which few of the
aging retirees have any need.
Just last week the federal government passed
legislation to start a new lottery, this time to finance the
Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. Naturally, there will
be some big winners. A few lucky individuals will win big
prizes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars -money
which will probably leave them without a financial worry
for the rest of their lives. But not one cent of these win-
nings will be returned to the government in the form of
taxes which might, conceivably, lighten the burden for all
the rest of us.
Yes, of course our governments must have revenue, but
at times we feel their methods of getting it are less than
fair. (Ningham Advance Times)
Social services always suffer
Ten or 15 years ago the Ontario government recognized
the problem which existed for working mothers of
younger children. In an economy which frequently
required the incomes of two parents there was a need to
provide reliable day care for smaller children of pre-
school age. '
Hundreds of day care centres were built and staffed to
meet those needs. The centres are particularly important
to single parents who are the sole providers for their
children.
Now the same government is warning that public
funding may be curtailed or even cut off for all but the
parents who can prove special need because of limited
income. Meetings of concerned parents have been told
that fees for day care could run as high as,$20 per day.
None of us like high taxes and, admittedly, we cannot
expect a full range of services and low taxes all at the
same time. But one wonders about government priorities.
Public expectations have certainly been established by
the very positive investment which the government has
made in day care establishments. We have all read and
listened to endless information about equality of women in
the work force; labor laws make it mandatory for en-
ployers to provide jobs for those mothers who must go on
temporary maternity leave. In other words motherhood is
encouraged and indeed subsidized. But what is the point if
working mothers cannot afford the fees required for day
care?
For some reason, when governments must cut back on
spending it seems that social services are always the first
to suffer.
Summer Beach
,
By Dave Sykes
DEAR READER'S
SHIRLEY KELLER
You know, dear readers, we live in a mar-
vellous part of the world. I know. Some of you
younger folk think this is Dullsville. You can
hardly wait to get out of here and off to the Big
City - or some other part of the world entirely.
But let me tell you that if you look at our area
with appreciative eyes, there's a whole Io to
rave about.
During the spring, summer and autumn
months, one of my favourite pastimes is to drive
around our area ... .up and down some of the
little -travelled roads and around and through the
countryside. And I'm always amazed at the pure
beauty there is out there, just a -few short miles
from Goderich.
Take Goderich Township for instance. Sunday
was a beautiful day for an outing in the car - not
too hot, not too cool. With the windows down and
lots of time to spare, we set out through Goderich
Township's nooks and crannies.
I tell it was a scenic feast. Miles of tree -shaded
roads. Hills and hollows filled with greenery and
fascinating fence rows. -Crops laid out in neat
rows. Cattle grazing. Beautiful farm homes,
manicured for summer and edged with flowers
of every hue. Stone walls: Interesting barns. A
panoramic view of pasture land, woods and blue
skies.
+++
Not long ago, I heard one tourist to our area
complain,"This is the most boring part of
Ontario I've seen so far."
I wish that young man had been with us on
Sunday. For we had a fabulousi day with lots to do
... and not enough time to get everywhere we'd
planned to go.
First of all, we made a swing around Goderich,
particularly the harbour area. How that place
has blossomed in the last few years. With some
vision and hard work -by previous councils, we're
just beginning to see the fruits of those labours.
St. Christopher's Beach is really shaping up.
There's even sand down to the water's edge!
And a friend mentioned we should take special
note of Captain Fats place ... which we did.
Haven't seen that corner of the harbour area
looking so elegant in years.
The Marine Museum sits proudly at the foot of
Harbour Hill for all to enjoy ... and at the top of
Harbour Hill is Harbour Park with the new
picnic shelter and band shell put there with the
assistanceof the local Lions Club.
One of the things we didn't get time for was the
band concert Sunday evening. Maybe soon.
Then I hiked up by the old jail and almost got
drawn into the giant flea market set up there. I
promised myself that one of these days I'm going
to take a couple of hours and just browse through
those odds and sods. It looks like such easy fun.
Did a spin up to the airport ... I like to watch
the planes take off and land. Okay. Okay. So I'm
a bit strange that way.
Also took a few minutes to just sit and ,look out
over the Maitland Golf Club, Saltford and the
North Harbour Road from the north side of the
river. It's one of my favourite views anywhere ...
and I've seen a few.
I wound my way through the town looking at a
few of the town's parkettes and many of the well -
kept homes along our streets, and then headed
south out of Goderich down Highway 21 to
Bayfield.,
That charming little village's main street was
lined with cars ... but we found a shady parking
spot and and walked with dozensof other tourists
up and down the gravel pathways .., poking in
this little shop; chatting- with that friendly
merchant and generally feeling content.
Bayfield folks Were smart. They haven't let the
urgete modernize, tear down and build up touch
their business district. The old -houses with their
slanty floors and picket fences are still there. So
are the flower beds, the trees, the birds, the
chipmunks, the squirrels. And so is the lazy,
relaxed atmosphere that goes with things from
yesteryear.
After wandering this way and that through
Goderich Township, we arrived in Benmiller for
a short visit.' I don't have to tell you what lengths
have been taken there to maintain the country
feeling ... even though it's now perhaps one of the
best known and most elegant rural getaways in
all of Ontario. So much of nature's beauty
preserved and enhanced. I love it.
Then a final spin along Colborne Township's
sideroads and highways brought us into Saltford,
and the view of what used to be the dump .... and
is now another lovely park.
My hat is off this week to all the people of
Goderich and the surrounding area who are
working so hard to make this one of the most
exciting parts of rural Ontario anyone could
visit.
Maybe my young tourist friend I mentioned
earlier prefers the tinsel and tawdry tension of
noisy arcades, showy sales arenas and busy,
blacktopped boulevards.
But I hope he never finds them here, in our
lovely home along Lake Huron shores. I like our
country ways - our quiet style. I suits me fine.
Friends of dogs, unite!
I am sure your last week's letter writer
did not expect to be let off easily; he knew
that many a blood pressure went up when he
unleashed his uncharitable and unfortunate
comments showing that man is not always a
dog's best friend, much to the detriment of
man.
The subject of dogs lends itself seldom to
impartial and cool observation, as it has to
do with bonds of mutual- admiration,
devotion and loyalty - all very personal
feelings not always appreciated by out-
siders. I am a confirmed insider.
My husgand and I share our home with a
Dachsund who entered into a partnership
with us 13 years ago. Any person who is
sharing a dog's lifetime has a wealth of
unique experiences and Individual events to
tell. Or perhaps to keep. I should like to
mention only that Fritz has developed a
distinct personality of his own, with clear
preferences and traditions and with a most
delightful sense of humour. We think of him
as an extraordinary little creature of
fascinating character who has a place
beside us in the nature and order of things.
And I think that he is satisfied with the way
we keep house for him.
A. to the more controversial and ob-
jectionable aspects of dog expressions in the
parks and on the pavement - there is no
reason why the owners cannot acknowledge
their responsibility. I have devised my own
type of stoop -and -scoop bag and it works
just fine-. You may call me for engineering
advice or even for a demonstration. Unless,
of course, I decide to apply for a patent!
Having said that, I should like to add a
different kind of observation. If you want to
ban from the parks those who make them
dirty, you would certainly have to start with
people - children as well as adults. Nobody
leaves behind more refuse and spreads it
over a larger territory than people do.
Next time when you go to the races, ball
games or other such public gatherings, look
around you - I mean, really. You start with a
perfectly clean place and in no time at all
you are wading in cigarette butts and
packages, ice cream papers, chip bags and
candy wrappers; picking your way through
mustard -stained and relish -sticky papers,
dripping paper cups, empty cans, blobs of
gum - the whole range of evidence that
"civilized people have been here". All this
with garbagecans every few feet prac-
tically calling to us. That, my friend, is
dirty.
There are large dogs and small dogs, pet
dogs and working dogs. Those who can fit a
dog of any description into the warmth of
their affection probably know dog adventure
books and have their favourites. I should
like to mention a couple of stories I like.
Most of the "dog people" are probably
familiar with Farley Mowat's hilarious
adventures of "The Dog Who Wouldn't Be",
although it is nice to read it again.
Perhaps less familiar is Rudyard
Kipling's beautiful tale "Garm - A
Hostage". My husband discovered it and I
quickly added it to my favourites. The story
can be found in „Kipling's "Actions and
Reactions"; if you cannot find it, you may
borrow ours. It is just a short story.
Speaking of Kipling I have a parting
word for the gentleman who said nasty
things about -dogs last week. Ile ought to
remember that when all the animals were
wild - "as wild as wild cduld be - and they
walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild
lones", it was the Dog who came bathe Cave
first and the Woman said to the Man - "His
name is not Wild Dog any more, but the
First Friend, because he will be our friend
for always and always and always."
ELSA HAYDON