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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-12-11, Page 4,M. e +real �r..rr,�, •�..:�rsx�... , ' It .tea . ° have , v i missed altogether or' ;. sinat4 pref to neo a t. e, fact that your' `'memory - has goat difficulty :,recalling 0004 of that distance with any vividness $r de able acccuracy. Re aerdless, remember tie year. lit may be heralded as the year . . that distinguishes itself from the others. Ap- pare, attly, according to sources more .knowledgable than this agent, it already has. For those who have been labelled as Baby Boomers, 1973 was it, the last big year to make it. More than just an easy mark for the ingenious inventers of trivia games, Baby Boomers are a collection of people, now in their 30s and 40s, who were produced in the post-war era of the 19505 and 60s. It's kind of nice to be categorized, isn't it? It makes a person feel like he belongs. AVE SYKES There's a certain kinship and affiliation one feels for fellow Boomers. Like, have you ever been stopped on the street by a total stranger who looks you in the eye and with a hint of a smile asks, "Hey, are you a Baby Boomer? No kidding. So ail Z* , .. It also carries with it Cartabli ste ►t w of connotations, .It's us , , .., Boomers were the first el rest T for disposablediapers ' t ee Boomers wears the new semi -absorbent, semi -self adhesive, dispoSable diaper. But, considering that Boomers :grew up during the relative productive years of the 50s and 60s, we:entertain certain visions of lifestyle for ourselves in the image of our parents. Experts now say that our visions of a middle-class lifestyle are inflated and unrealistic. We will not be able to achieve the same standard of living as our parents, an economic professor at the University of Toronto says citing stats from an American congressional report that suggests we can't fulfill our middle-class expectations of com- fortable homes, financial security and oda��'canion for our c let etls, - The repoi't clallms'tk at the median fly . income id• 'tee;N ted .States • doubled nebveen.19 7 and 1973. In 1974, the im-. mediate world asve know`it, collapsed; for the Boomers. In the 19505 and 60s,' incomes grew by up to 30 per cent but for the decade after 1973, incomes actually declined. It was shortly thereafter that a communi- ty college inflicted my limited talents on the working world. Entering the work force on a permanent basis, I would have to admit that I entertain- ed visions of that certain comfortable lifestyle alluded to in the report. A decent home, with garage, throw m a couple kids, maybe an anianaor two for variety and call it middle-class bliss. It all sounds so terribly blase and boring. Bat MOO: ,drei before the community ty college sy locate an einployer wt►o e On this seditious scrine11 . leges amazement and, petbaj; a edf ,rc7lttctant employer was found. The yaai° was 1973 and the a eraile '30 - year -010 eare'd1 23,580x6,10p e e inflated adjuSted'dollars'tor. son 10 years later. In 1983, Cha ear old would have paid 44 per cent of his u- come to purchase a house coning— per on in per cent in 1973. Those who reached middle class status,. the report said, appear to have retained it but for those of us looking for it, the stan- dard is getting out of reach. 1 , And you thought being a Boomer was an easy chore. Opinion THE NEWS PORT FOR G©DERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Goderich SIGNAL STAR BOT ALL POUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA tarcuetian Class a500 45007C C N . Better N,wep4per ConpaMron 1984 P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINE ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK 000ERICH, ONT. N7A 486 PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded In 1848 end published every Wednesday at Ooderloh, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA. Bubeorlptlona payable In advance 922.00, [Benlor Citizens 619.00 privilege card number required) In Caned., 960.00 to U.B.A., 880.00 to ell other countries, Bingle copies 000. Oleplsy, National and CIeeelfled advertising rote. available on request. Risme. eek for Rate Card No. 18 effective October 1, 1986. Adv.rtleIng le accepted on the condition that In the of a typographical , the advertising epees occupied by the, erroneous Item, together with the reasonable ellowence for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rata. In the event of e typographical error advertising goods or services at is wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to falai!, end may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Mar 1s not rospon.Ibis for the. lose or damage of uneollolted manuscripts, photo. or other materials used for reproducing purposes. President and Publisher ROBERT G.SHRIER Editor Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...pleese phone (5191524-2614 Second class mail registration number 0716 Member: +C A c=1 . ecNA a Tough laws are needed against impaired- drivers It is unfortunate that we have to take such a tough stand against impaired drivers, but Justice Minister John Crosbie was right this week when he introduced new laws saying, " If you drink, it's your business. If you drink and drive, it's everybody's business." As of last Wednesday, tough new federal laws came into effect and by the end of this week the province of Ontario had planned to introduce tough drinking -driving measures in time for Christmas. The new federal law calls for longer jail terms, higher fines and even licence suspensions for people convicted of impaired driving or for refusing to produce a breath or blood sample. Previously, anyone convicted of impaired driving faced a minimum fine of $50 but that has now been increased to $300 up to the maximum of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. Anyone convicted of a second offence will get two weeks in jail while a third and subsequent convictions will result in a minimum sentence of 90 days. The tougher provincial laws will call for an automatic one year licence suspension for first time offenders and two-year suspensions for second offences. There are also stiff penalties for anyone caught driving while under suspension. The federal government has also asked crown attorneys too seek higher fines and jail terms for serious drunk driving offences. The new federal legislation already in place, gives police the right to ask for blood samples of suspected drunk drivers who are physically or mentally unable to provide a breath sample. The federal legislation, and the pending provincial laws, come just in time for the Christmas season and should have a marked effect on the drinking habits of Ontarians and Canadians. With stiffer fines and penalties. and as roadside checks become more commonplace, drinkers will ultimately have to find alternate transportation. In the city, residents can rely more on the public transportation or taxis to get home. In rural Huron County, drinkers will either have to alter their consumption habits or employ the designated driver program. Society has become Tess tolerant of the drinking driver and the crackdown this Christmas coupled with the new legislation. will no doubt make people think about taking that extra drink. The legislation has already caused a stir and people are of the general opinion that while the legislation is required to reduce injuries and deaths from alcohol-related accidents, the penalties lean to the extreme end of the justice scale. Something had to be done and people are now generally aware that drinking and driving isn't worth the risk of the loss of a drivers licence for a year. Considering that people are do- ing a lot of talking about the new federal legislation and the pending provincial laws, people will be much more responsible about drinking and driving. There should be a conscious effort now to find alternate means of transportation when people know they are going to be out drinking. The consequences are severe, but somehwere along the line we had to get tough about the problem. D.S 4 - 'Tranquility 13a By Dave Sykes Su ar and Spice A strange bird is our Hugh. An odd bird, indeed. He can be as cunning and wily as an Egyptian bazaar merchant. Next moment, he can be as naive as a six-year-old who has been slapped for doing something un- thinkable in our rectitudinous Canadian society. I observe him more closely than I have in years, because of geography. For some years, he attended, occasionally, various universities, from Toronto to Halifax. He worked on a boat on the Great Lakes, and another on the Vancouver -Alaska run. He spent five years in' Paraguay. There were side -trips to Mexico, Israel, Guatemala, Costa Rica. He's been to Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. As a result, we didn't see much of him. Now, he has rented a winterized cottage at a beach near me, while maintaining his. practice in the city. Nobody but Hugh would rent a cottage which he must vacate from mid -lune to Labour Day. But he did. He arrives from the city on Friday even- ing. Does he rush out to his beloved cottage, which he rented to "get away from the ci- ty?" Not on your life. We have cups of tea, some food, a little yatter. He plays the grand piano and some new tapes he's disovered. We watch late TV. He sleeps late, showers, brings me a cuppa in bed, plays more piano or guitar, and halfway through Saturday afternoon, I almost have to kick him out to go to his retreat in the country. He returns to my place Monday evening and the same routine is followed. Tea, shower, music, TV. He catches the early bus Tuesday, usually, and goes back to work in the city, where he sleeps on a bed in the clinic he shares. A tough life. We spat, infrequently, but fairly fiercely. I'm a sceptic; he's a believer. In everything: holistic medicine, astrology, reflexology - the mind boggles when he gets on to the relation between music and the en- tire body. I ask snarky questions until his dark brown eyes begin to smoulder. But he has a great personality, and a wonderful curiousity. He is very fit, because he eats only the right foods, except that every time he leaves, my refrigerator is almost cleaned out. He charms people, and opens up to them. He is an excellent listener, except that he gets a bit of a glazed look when I go on about something he doesn't agree with, or has heard before, or doesn't fit into his scheme of things. He is completely amoral about money. He received a small inheritance from his grandfather, and admitted that it was just enough to pay his debts. (It wasn't, of course). He has friends all over Canada and the U.S., and sees nothing wrong with "dropp- ing in for visit" and staying a few days. And he's just as hospitable with his friends. He's asked them all up to his cottage, where he has an electric piano, courtesy of you -know - who, a TV, all the appliances, and electric heat. This may sound as though I thoroughly dislike and am suspicious of my son. Not so. It's just that he has a human spirit that is not easy to pin down. He loves his sister (who is another weirdo), his nephews, and at times, his father. He went on a long trek to see his grandfather, who is in his nineties. By Bill Smiley He came home the other night, and found his father draped in his favorite armchair, with a wet towel on his head. Was aghast. "Dad, what's the matter?" I informed him that I have come home late, left no lights on, carried four bags of groceries, had made a misstep on the back porch, and fallen (still holding two bags of groceries), and had cracked my head on the sharp side of the porch. By the time he got there, it had almost stopped bleeding down my neck. My mother taught me that a cold compress would ease the bleeding, years ago, when there was no such thing as an emergency ward. But Hugh was horrified. He insisted, over my objections, that we go to the hospital. ( He loves driving my car.) It turned out that the cut was fairly deep and wide, and the doc stuck some stitches in it. Did you every try to get a bed in a hospital? It's like getting an engraved in- vitation to a garden party at Buckingha Palace, except that I doubt the Queen's signature would get you in. I'd been waiting three weeks for a bed, and there I was, with a little cut on my head, being cosseted and sewn. Oh, it was worth it. They put a great, flapping bandage on the cut, and then tied a thing around my forehead, so that I looked like a hippie or an Indian or a long-distance runner. My neighbor was delighted by my band. But it fell off in a few hours. It was apparently designed only to hold my head together. So. You see? If Hugh hadn't come home, and wanted a chance to drive the car, I could be sitting, dead cold, in my own blood, still reading the paper. First, please, let me get a small but nagg- ing matter off my chest. Even if I disagree with a person or a philosophy most vigorous- ly, it is always my aim to do so politely. It feels more comfortable. Thus I was a little put out when I read my last week's column in which a few editorial office adjustments had the effect of making some sentences a bit mannerless sounding. Many newspapers have a policy of dropp- ing the title (councillor, mayor etc.) when naming a person after the first reference, using only the surname from there on. In a sentence where some names appear for the first time and others are repeated, it can result in particularly clumsy combinations which come across as harsh and rude, in- truding on one's style. It is not a big thing. However, as the col- umn was outspoken in substance, I felt that it deserved even more careful courtesy in style. Yes, explaining it has given me con- siderable comfort. A person who wants to understand public matters would find it useful to take a look -at the land annexation being processed by the town of Goderich and the township of Goderich. Last week's local paper carried a public notice to the effect that any comments ( I take this to mean objections or support) are to be delivered in writing to the town hall by Dec. 12 which 'this Thursday. The point rbr be made is that one cannot really comment on a matter about which one has not been given information. The town council has dealt with the matter in two closed sessions. Some council members also attended a closed joint meeting with the township council. There has been no public meeting. At this stage such an information meeting would be in order, followed (not preceded by a deadline for comments. For a reason that eludes this observer, there seems to be confusion in the town council circles concerning public participa- tion in the annexation process. Information from the town hall stated that a public meeting is not required, but further enquiry revealed that one might be called. When the process was originally explained by a pro- vincial ministry official, public meetings were an assured certainty. Furthermore, consider this quotation from an official handbook explaining The Municipal Boundaries Negotiations Act, 1981, as follows: "At the end of negotiations, anti before any action is taken by the municipal coun- cils, at least two separate public meetings are held. The first meeting or meetings serve to explain what the negotiating com- mittee has recommended, and why, and what it means for the community and in- dividual ratepayers. The second public meeting affords any interested person or group the opportunity to comment and to make submissions, before any action is taken by the municipal councils involved. Notice of these meetings is required to be published in a local newspaper at least 15 days in advance of each meeting." One can only conclude that last week's notice concerning public comments was premature. The provisions of the act add, among oiler things, that the municipal representatives who are serving on the negotiating committee conclude their work by signing a document known as recommen- dation for agreement which becomes a public document and is available for scrutiny and input. That is, if you know of its existence. Attitudes towards public participation in public affairs should not be half- hearted and in need of prodding and pulling. Apart from legislative requirements, the town ELSA HAYDON council of Goderich has a long and practical tradition of opening the maximum of doors for public input, in good time for it to be meaningful. It is to be hoped that there is no Change of direction. The annexation is uncontested by the township. It may remain entirely without objections at the end, but if there are ques- tions, now is the time to set the stage for in- formation and discussion. Is the annexation changing only the boun- daries and leaving the land in private ownership? Who benefits? Is the town going to purchase the land in a related transac- tion? Does it affect assessment, taxes? What about services? At present the town's industrial park has 50 acres of land available, 40 of them unserviced. Additional 30 acres have been under option for years. The area to be annexed is about 43 acres. Was the annexation initiated because a man wanted to sell some land? Why is it better to be left with 83 acres (not counting the op- tioned parcel) of unserved land instead of starting to spend on the expensive servicing of the existing acreage? The map included in last week's public notice does not show that the land to be an- nexed is separated from the industrial park by the protected woodlot. Does li have any bearing on services? Is the 'annexation reaching in the right direction? '`" The annexation realities ougho be kept in a businesslike distance froni ftspenseful tales of popular appeal and no sui Stance. 9