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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-08-01, Page 4PAGE 4 —GQ'Df RICE SIGN + TIU3,'WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1984 DAVE • SYKES -1 4! i By the time this paltry piece appears in print for edification, I will be enjoying second week of summer vacation and every Canadian will have been inundated and saturated with the comings and goings of politicians, pretenders and would-be politicians. It's election time and even the Queen of England couldn't halt the impetus of a steamrolling Liberal party. Well ahead in the latest of Gallup polls, Prime Minister designate, John Turner, hastily called a monarchial retreat and summoned the nation to share his good fortune at'the polls. There's no time like the present, eh John? Politically, there was no other decision for` the Prime Minister (I hate to refer to someone by the revered title of Prime Minister when he hasn't even been elected) to make. His party, ahead in the polls for one ` of the few times in the last 10 years, ' certainly had to be bouyed and poised. And so' the'eampaign is in low gear, with \p ties/ and their respective ,riding associations . scrambling to coerce reasonably sane humans into running in the federal election. It's a cruel trick to play on unsuspecting intelligent person. The three party leaders wasted no time in doling out hatldfuls of sarcasm and criticism but the one of best lines of the campaign to date must credited to NDP leader who referred to his two colleagues as the Bobsy Twins of Bay Street. The Liberal Party has lost a number of old stalwarts but while their presence and political experience may have helped Turner, they are also linked to the old Trudeau guard and therefore a detriment. So the Liberals may now be the least prepared of the parties as they enter the second and third week of the campaign. There are 282 federal ridings in Canada and alredy the Conservatives and New Demtocrats have nominated far chore candidates in those ridings than the Liberals. The Liberal stronghold is Quebec and there will be far more women candidates in that province than the party has ever fielded. -The Liberals, will, however, experience some problems west of Quebec where 'they have traditionally been weak. West of Lloyd Axworthy, the Liberals are hardly ever heard of. The Conservatives may do well in the province of Ontario which is the key to the entire election. Ontario Premier William Davis has promised to be active during this campaign and has urged party faithful across the province to help make Brian Mulroney the next prime minister of Canada. Whether or not his enthusiasm is a reaction to the accusation that Davis did little to assist Joe Clark, or a legitimate, commitment, is under scrutiny. Regardless, Davis can only Mulroney in the provincial ridings that could decide the election. Broadbent has uphill struggle all the way. National public opinion polls suggest his party's popularity has slipped to 'all time lows. To the depths of dispair to be more precise. The bulk of the party's support comes from the west but that will likely show definite signs of erosion. Turner turned heads this week with some rather free -spirited moves, namely the rear end patting of a provincial election co- chairman, a rather striking blonde. It is not likely. Turner will get away with that again. Some rather interesting policy will unfold on the campaign trail over the next few weeks such as proposed votes on the death penalty and economic plums that no-one may be able to deliver. It adds up to some laughs and dull television though. Member • Second class mail registration number 071 6 BL UE RIBBON AWARD ,1983 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Founded in 1848 end published every Wednesday et Goderich, Ontario. 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PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES - Editor P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK 130DERICH, ONT. N7A 4B6 G FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone [519] 5,24-8331 Caution, not panic Canadians should stay out of debt to protect,themselves from the next recession, which will probably happen sometime next year. That's the advice from Tom Maxwell chief economist for the Conference Board of Canada, who also advised in a recently published interview that the unemployment situation is not going to get better and if people have a job at present, they should hang on to it and not make waves. Maxwell may have valid grounds on which to base his prediction, but similar to most economists, is basically guessing. Few envisioned the last recession and their opinions have varied on how Canadians can get out of economic troubles. The problems with Maxwell's comments is that they may well prompt people to take the steps that will indeed make his prediction come true It is not unlike the situation with stock hustlers. If they can convince enough people that a certain stock will increase in price and get those people to invest in it, the stock will indeed increase in proportion to demand. Promoters, of course, scoop off their windfall profit during the increase and laugh all the way to the bank while other buyers watch as the stock starts to tumble after the artificially induced rise. The prospects of a recession are heightened when people begin to plan for one. They stop making major purchases and sock their money away. Sure enough, the decline in purchasing results in industrial and commercial slow -downs and the entire economy starts to drag its feet with all the,attending problems. Maxwell's comments are worthy of consideration, of course, but it all should be noted that those who take steps to avoid the perils of a recession often find that the action will be justified in the end, but primarily because the action in itself feeds recessionary results. Obviously, it is a most perplexing problem, but one that requires caution and not panic. The Exeter Times -Advocate Here's one solution Canada should increase its armed forcer y at least 100,000 men and women The nation needs young people in its army, navy and air force and those same young people desperately need jobs. All right. We ('ai. hear the ;i:ri'arn.-• rr protest away. Peace - not war. Bread - not bullets. Rampant peace protesters fail to include realism in ti-elr vision of Canada's f,aturc our nulltar tl ,.c 1' ill as military equipment have hen all( ' ed shrii ,k arid deteriorate to the point where Canada L: an international joke ih terms of defence If, by ill enan?.c the Western World found itself at war -even though against its wishes - Canada would be immediately occupied by American forces The United States would have no choice. since at- tacks by air on this continent"W''uld come directly ar ross Canada territory If the Canadian armed torces were ;Maintained at even reasonable levels, they would be restionsibie perhaps with Amerkan assistance and equipment, for military operations within our own borders. The greatest single benefit of an enlarged enlistment program would accrue to the young meri and women themselves. Thousands of young people need employ- ment, which the armed forces would provide. In addition, today's solders, sailors and airmen are taught highly marketable skills which would be the foundation for well- paid employment upon retirement from the forces. Above all, military training is the finest possible way for yrlung people to learn the disciplines which almost in- variably turn them Into useful adls. Many of the dif- ficulties in which young people find themselves as unemployed civilians arise from the plain need for action and direction, both of which are supplied by military training. Do we really expect any Canadian government to heed the advice we have offered? No. Of course not. As a plank in any political platform increased militarism, no matter how good the purpose, is just not saleable. The party which proposed it would be shot down in flames. It is a sound solution to one of our major problems which will not be applied until we stand at the gates of disaster. Wingham Advance=Tirnes Daisy days of summer by Anne Narejko DEAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER Did you see it? Did you see the opening exer- cises of the 23rd Olympiad'. Wasn't that a show? Oh I know. It was pure Hollywood complete with razzle-dazzle and schmaltz. But that's what it was supposed to, be. Traditionally, the opening ceremonies are a review of the host country's music and culture and the producer of Saturday night's bash has admitted he set out to stage an extravaganza that tore at the heart -strings and ,reeked of down-home patriotism. So set all those sort of feelings aside. Forget you are a staid Canadian from The Great White North. Remember the reason for it all and enjoy. Enjoying was easy as far as I was concerned. The marching band was just exceptional. The massed choir was a treat. The dancers were fan- tastic The costumes were phenomenal. The showmanship was strictly first-rate as always in the U.S.A. As I sat there totally engrossed in the whole thing, I kept exclaiming aloud, "What a thrill it, would be to be part of all that:" I didn't find it at all difficult to believe that about 90 percent of the people taking part were doing so voluntarily. If I'd lived in California, i think I would have been auditioning too for something. And when the 92,000 persons in the audience raised those coloured cards and formed the flags of the nations of the world, I was completely flab- bergasted. All I could think of was the tremen- dous organizational skills of someone to have engineered that exciting effortless display. The grand march of the athletes taking part in the Olympics is always stirring. And this year, even with the boycott by most of the Communist countries, it was equally as impressive. Didn't you get a lump in your throat and a flutter around the heart when the Canadian team came onto the field? There were the white -clad high-stepping, smil- ing American girls who carried the banners bearing the names of each participating country. Then came the athletes from the various na- tions of the world - many in native costume, each one proud and expectant. There was the reaction of the people in the stands - cheers for the Roumanian athletes who stood their gro nd and attended the Olympics despite their Communist affiliation; waves of welcome for the tiniest delegations as well as the largest; recognition for the flag -bearers of the participating countries, each one a celebrity n his or her own way. And then, after all are assembled, there is the arrival of the Olympic flame with the tor- chbearers running into the stadium and up the long, long flight of stairs to touch off the fire that will burn throughout the Olympics. What a mo- ment! The oaths and pledges, the speeches and the plaudits - these are customary. Wisely they are brief, to the point and non-partisan - a necessary housekeeping detail that is carried out officious - ly and efficiently. Then in these particular ceremonies came the two thousand or so ordinary Los Angeles and area citizens, dressed in the costumes of their ancestors and demonstrating to, all that the U.S.A. is indeed a melting pot of the nations of the world. Without warning, completely spon- taneously, these people began mingling and dan- cing with the athletes, showing so beautifully how mankind should live in peace and harmony, forgetting their differences and accenting their humanity. The man who orchestrated this Olympic show admitted on Sunday that particular unscheduled demonstration of friendliness was the highlight of the evening for him. Of all the emotional highs built into the show, this unplanned re.,ching out was what made him weep. • It would be foolish to believe that the passion of that special Olympic moment will last. It will not. We all know that. But tor just a few hours Saturday evening, many people of the world were single-minded. Their purpose was to take part in the opening of the 2.3rd Olympics. They willingly set aside their petty problems and their old grudges and joined their hearts and their spirits and their bodies in one magnificent show of solidarity. And it lifted my hopes. It gave me something to hang' onto when so much about this universe seems so wrong. A few weeks ago Mr Don Hasson wrot a public letter in which he described his family's unfortunate experiences during a strawberry social in the Livery. The Hasson family incudes a handicapped daughter. I and I know a number of other people ) have waited to see some kind of explanation or an apology on behalf of the Livery ex- ecutive in one of the subsequent editio4rs. but there has been an astonishing silence. The Livery depends on public good -will and money; it is most regrettable that it has not seen fit to remove the smudge from its reputation. No, I do not think it is good enough to look away in the hope that the let- ter will be forgotten by the public. The point is not that a mistake was made; it can happen anywhere. The point is that the mistake was not properly admitted, with assurances to the public that it will not hap- pen again. i have been brought up to think that our treatment of the handicapped members of our human family is a measure of our civilization and i feel strongly about it. So do many others. And we are still waiting.' Turning to an, entirely different sub'ect, I wish I could move to. expressions of delight, but again the occasion beckons for words of concern. There is something about the direction iri the treatment of our town parks that is star- ting to worry me. A growing number of signs in the parks celebrates individuals and groups in a way that looks like an intrusion. The most obvious is the monument the town council has just erected on St. Christopher's Beach. The beach park com- municates directly with the people. The monument appears to celebrate the present town council. The slap stands forlornly in its location, without relating to the character or being an integral part of the ambient en- vironment in which other elements are un- ified in the flow and purpose of design. The feature in question was not part of the developrnent plan. However, if this council, as the finisher of one phase of the previously started project that will continue, wanted to mark the occasion, I do not imagine that anybody would have been critical. An unob- trusive and more natural way might have been to fasten a small compatible plaque on- to a large stone near the water. A short text could have referred to the joint undertaking by the Town of Goderich and the Province of Ontario, with the date of the official open- ing. It was my understanding that something like that was first intended; there is even a committee's recorded recommendation to this effect. However, what finally materialized looks like a tombstone over the resting place of good intentions and creative continuity of municipal progress. It is to be hoped that our waterfront parks will not he dotted with similar municipal memorials by the time the whole plan is implemented. I am very pleased that the present council and the administration appreciate the im- portance of our waterfront and other parks and that they not only follow the good tradi- tions, but add valuable and positive eprts of their own. I am asking only that no feature be handl- ed in isolation, but that a thoroughly thought out and sensitive overall approach be taken in determining how the separate items and features could blend and be compatible with the character of the- area and with the design of the whole. I also hope that no commercial or political ambitions will be free to insult our parks. Furthermore, it is up to the town to co- ordinate into the total picture the well- meaning and highly apprecia+ed parks con- tributions made by various community groups. Needless to say, the idea is to sup- port and enhance the parks and flowers in harmony, not to clash and distract. The town council holds many of our com- munity valuables in trust. I am sure it does not object to hearing the views of the shareholders. ELSA HAYDON