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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-03-26, Page 4PAGE 4 --GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR,, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1986 It's difficult to estimate one's clout, isn't it" Whether it's of the social, political or work variety, we'd all like to assume that our sta- tions in life hold a measure of worth ur clout. Prime Ministers, presidents and royalty, by the nature of their jobs, tend have some • clout. And so it is with Harold Ballard. wives, pre-school children, bankers, politi- cians, professional athletes...well the list couldgo 011. But evidence would suggest t hal diplomats have clout as well. Especially Canadian" diplomats. Sondra Gotlieb, wife of Canadian Am- bassador to the United States, Allan Gotlieb, demonstrated that clout with a deft left that knocked the earrings off the embassy's social secretary, and sent thein skittering across the embassy yard. The incident surely was 'the hit' of the dio- 11111111111.111 DAVE SYKES neer honoring our Prime Minister in Washington last week and as a result, a la Rodney Ilangerfield, the prince minister finds that respect is hard to cone by. Eve ryoito is talking' about r ;of lieb's Opinion pugilistic prowess and that Muldoon fellow from up north is getting little ink. It's enough to make a prime minister want to send an ambassador to a remote outpost. But the Gotlieb left has sent sl and k wpraves es borough the usually r diplomatic corps. 1 .would submit that foreign government heads have been par- ticularly with these days for fear Sondra w would be dispatched nfled to their country to punch out the womenfolk of the dipolmat set. It has raised Canada's stature in the world of diplomacy. It's amazing what a good ft hook can do for One's inage. No doubt, Washington will sit up and take notice of its northerly neighbours now that it's obvious we can back up our words with a devastal nig putId1)1 two Perhaps the incident will ignite it new' trend in which all Washington black tie din- ners will end in avunch-qct or free-for-all ori manicured embassy lawns. it has definite possibilities. It Is also within reason to suggest that Ilur Sondra will be engaged as a double for Sylvestor Stallone in future Rocky shows. The aging actor could well use a good substitute who packs a punch.' And there is also word out of Toronto that Maple Leaf owner Harold Ballard is making a pitch to employ Sondra on a line with Leaf tough guy Wendel Clark. A little more mus- cle in the corner wouldn't hurt. Clout is hard to come by but I discovered, much to my amazement, that 1 exercise some clout in my own home. Unheard of. Son Bradley approached recently and ask- ed if i ould leave my reading and give his sista proper Beck for ;1 nusdcllnealir,r';Ile s perpetrating. •'I'm busy," I offered. "You talk to her ' aboutjt." "No, I want you to yell at her In that scar' voice," he explained. ' • i can't yell " like that." "I don't yell," I sublrut trying to keep my voice down. "I just try and explain things to my children as best I can." . • • No, you yell dad and I want you to come and yell at Laura to straighten her out," he insists while making elaborate hand gestures. "I'd yell at her but I can't make that harsh yell•like you do. That really, real- ly harsh one. Come on dad, just do it." already told you I don't yell and I don't have a harsh voice," 1 yell. "Oh boy," the kid says dejectedly. "I can't wait until I have children and can yell at thein in harsh voices and boss them around. Is it fun to boss kids around?" Some clout. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 ' Oe Gderic10EBT ALL POUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA ori,,b4wP Class 7500 45001C C" o Better Nw rnuVC, Cw.+UV44on 1964 SINAL -STAR P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST.' INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH, ONT. NSA 4136 ti PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded in 11345 and published every Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of thde CCNAmber and OCNA. Subecriptlons peyeble In advance 522.00, (Senior Citizens 1819.00 pr National and equired) in Canada, 2130.00 co U.S-A., 560.00 to all other countries, Bingle copies .BOC. Display, Cleeeif led advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rote Card No. 16 effective October 1, 1985. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the of a typographical , the advertising apace occupied by the erroneous item, together with the reasonable allowance for roten In the wilco` t be e charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be geld for et the app typographical error advertising goods or services et a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely en offer to sell, end may be withdrawn et any time. The Sinal -Star is not responsible for the lope or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photo., or other materiels used for reproducing purpoaee. General Manager Editor SHIRLEY J.'KELLER 'DAVE SYKES Advertising Manager DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone [519)524-2614 Second class mail registration Member: number 0716 €NA an CCNA Re ort is longoverdue p Last week the federal government released its report of almost 1,000 federal government 'programs. The report is 21 -volumes long and is the result of a year-long investigatiou,,,bea ' , ,r atua ed by Deputy Prime Minister Erik Nielsen. The report is overdue. Successive auditors -general have been telling Canadians for years government spending is out of control. Any,individual int country o snout who whack. s ad amount On the boards The to do with government departments knows full well something of paperwork necessary for almost anything having to do with government is not only frustrating, it is very expensive. Too expensive. The Nielsen report, from what the immediate media blurbs have informed us, reinforces our worst fears regarding the workings of our government. The report details how goverment programs have mushroomed to the point where even thegovernment is not aware of them all. It also details how in many cases those programs _duplicate each other. The review, by 21 separate study teams of government and private -sector officials, com- piled a list of $36 billion in tax subsidies and $57 billion in other expenditures. It states this country has too much regulatory "red tape" which costs an estimated $30 to $60 billion The review itself cost Canadian taxpayers $3.7 million. It could be the best money, the annually. ,• • federal government has spent in a dog's age. It could be - providing the government does something more with it than it does with most If this government with its overwhelming majority fails to implement measures to curb Studies. the waste, then this government should not be returned for a second term. Having said that, one must question the integrity of the opposition parties regarding their reaction to the Nielsen report. With less than a week to study the voluminous report, opposition members have criticized the report as being a "Conservative agenda for an uncaring Canada". Come on. Unless we can get a handle on our government's runaway spending we won't have any money left to be anything but an uncaring country. The opposition parties in this government have done much that is commendable. They have forced an inexperienced ruling party to clean up its act on 'a number of occasions. Howefer, incriticizing the review of of tics at the governmentxpense of making a real rams in the contribution toward better n manner it has, the oppositon is playing p government for Canada. That might sound corny, but in reality, it borders on being criminal. Ottawa NDP Michael Cassidy's statement that, "This is a shopping list for Bay Street at the expense of Main Street," might impress some shallow thinkers as being catchy and smart. However, for Canadians concerned about this country's deficit and at the same time anxious to preserve our humane social programs, comments such as those made by Mr. Cassidy are unbelievably stupid. too 1t is time the opposition got neyona its silly game of trying to provoke thedeputy is m minister into saying something he will regret. The overhaul of sloppy government portant in issue to relegate to being nothing more than vehicle on which to score points and play smart guy. Of course there will be portions ot these reports whrcn will raise naclUes. 1 nere mignt wen be sections no one in his or her right mind would agree with; however, with this much material to work with, there must also be recommendation's which would cut spending. Some improvement in the "red tape" tangle alone would be a start. If the opposition really wants to score points with the voter, it can offer to sit down with government members and use the review to reach decisions which will cut at least a portion of the waste we are, now supporting with our tax dollars. Those dollars are needed ,to con- tinue essential social programs and to lower the deficit. Voters across the country would do well to tell their MPs jut that. There's a time for partisan politics in our democratic parliamentary system, but this i n't a a =Imp 1 ii nut`s an e unclear, . says re still� o tree R t�+4f,n-�' 7M,.-`'� fix, � A, V, �1W. ).t"Y \ . {� BY JACK RIDDELL, M.P.P. reason that the iiovernment or untario has.., HURON -MIDDLESEX withheld any formal indication of approval In the last several weeks, many consti- or disapproval of the anticipated negotia- aised concerns on the '`free IQtions. The case for, or against the "free tuents have r trade" issue. As this issue may be one of the trade"talks remain to be proven. most important challenges facing Ontario In particular, I am concerned over the im- and in ,particular the agriculture and food pact of these negotiations in Ontario's industry, I would like to take this opportuni- agriculture and food industry. If, as the ty to respond to their concerns in some Americans suggest all sectors are "on the depth. 1 table", then I have a number of serious con - The Prime Minister of Canada has in -terns. I am not ready to see the supply itiated these bilateral trade negotiations, or managed segments of this industry lose "free trade" talks as the media has coined their, hard fought stability, nor am I certain that all of the food processing sector can them. The Government of Canada believes that such an action is necessary to maintain compete with the vast capacity and low and enhance the economic future for our wage structure of their American counterparts. county. Yet, I must recognize that segments of The Premier of Ontario, the Honorable Ontario's agriculture and food industry are David Peterson, has spoken out very strong- very competitive with the Americans and ly that he is unsure of the economic benefits could benefit from increased access to that and he has advocated a cautious approach market. The net benefits" or costs of these pending further ,analysis of the possible negotiations are still unclear. I remain un - impacts. convincedto date by the arguments of the I share the Premier's concern over the federal government or other provinces of lack of information; the unclear role of the the absolute need for these talks. provinces, and the real likelihood that not However, it would be irresponsible to all sectors of the provincial economy will aioid these talksif and when these occur. benefit from these negotiations. It is for this The Ministry of Agriculture and Food will it. Time for a spring fling The arrival of .warmer temperatures ,and the approach of the Easter weekend serve as true indicators that we are indeed well into tie spring season. , While it may be folly, living on the shores of Lake Huron in the snowbclt , t o submit. that the ravages of winter are behind us, it could now safe to assume that better things are in store for us. m - Easter and particularly, spring, bring promise of new things and of new beginnings. it's a time of rebirth. A time to shed the cobwebs of winter and to change our thinking and perspective It's rather intriguing to witness what warmer temperatures and the prospect of the first long weekend of the cele dar year can do to people. Hopefully the two will Combine to regenerate people and t heir ideas at id their out looks. Easter and warbler temperatures are just in time. nti-ritu s sian .propaganda Dear Editor; Recently I ' went to see the movie 'Highlander'. The movie, although violent in parts, was imaginative and • entertaining. There were the traditional 'good' guys and 'bad' guys representing all nationalities, creeds and religions: Amidst the good guys was the inevitable hero and among the bad guys the predictable arch enemy. The I arch enemy was portrayed as a vicious unfeeling monster with no scruples and no morals. He frequent1' jeopardized the lives of others and final impression of this fellow was wholly negative. Somewhere in the lengthy string of dialogue, in one sim- ple subtle line, mention was made that the arch enemy was of ltussion descent. • by Dave Sykes ra iddell h�S7,~4'aF'9'1 be taking a lead role in encouraging farm •-pr-ocessor, retailer and agribusiness groups to undeRi stand and respond to this issue. Moreover, this Ministry will attempt to co- rdinate an industry -wide consensus if possi- ble. It is my intention to speak out clearly on this issue on behalf of all participants in the agriculture and food industry. As I have indicated, until the Government of Canada begins to reveal its,own position on these trade talks, it is only speculative to focus on the outcomes of the trade negotia- tions. I am concerned as indeed are many other Canadians over the "trade-offs" in other sectors, the protection of our culture " and sovereignty, and the need to have specific policies to meet local or regional economic or social demands. These are'only a few of the issues -that will be raised in the bilateral trade discussions. It is my hope that when the Government of Canada proceeds on these talks, it will do so based on hard, factual analysis of the possi- ble outcomes and the net benefits accruing to all Canadians. Moreover, 1 would also hope that the current focus on bilateral Canada -U.S. 'trade does not hinder the real need to maintain and enhance our multilateral trade. is a crime • LETTERS 1 inn sick sou En cd .ot being put on the receiving end of this form of propaganda. In the past number of years 1 have en- countered many movies that portray the Russian people as either the enemy(Rocky IV and Firefox1 or a nation of political and social unrest ( Reds, Dr. Zhivago, Peter the Great). I have yet to see,a movie portraying the Russians as peaceful civilians. 1 l believe that peace begins with the people not the power figures. 1 also believe a vast number of Canadians and Americans, like myself, know virtually nothing about the. average. Russian citizen and the society in • which he lives. Like a 'growing child, a per- son's first impression is the one from which he learns and begins to live unless taught otherwise. It,appears to Inc that comments such as 'dumb commie' and 'those damn Russians' grow frorn subliminal messages about the Russian as the enemy. Ignorance is bliss and bliss encompasses peace. Yet our ignorance is being perpetuated by propaganda set on the silver screen and that in nay opinion is e. ours a truly, Michael Bedard 1985 �.JNICEF thankssupporters jeopardy. The role of the Canadian public and government in extending these basic services to the world's children has been and continues to be both substantial and important. In our campaign messages we urge On- tarians to "Give the Children A Tomorrtow". Your assistanceover the past year has done just that for hundreds of thousands of children: May f extend thanks on behalf of these children and the UNICEF volunteers in Ontario. Sincerely, Elizabeth Haig, Provincial Chairman, Ontario UNICEF Committee Dear Friends of UNICEF, itiative ,on the part" of the United Nations On behalf of the Ontario UNICEF Com- Children's Fund (UNICEF 1- universal child mittee, I wish to thank all the people in On- immunization by 1990. Using simple coist- tario who supported UNICEF this past"year. effective vaccines it is possible to eradicate Through the Halloween collection, generous the ;six major child -killing, and disabling donations and thoughtful purchases of diseases j tetanus, Measles, polio,i tuber- UNIiCEF cards and gifts, UNICEF Ontario culosis, diphtheria, and whooping Cough. realized over $2 Million to help the world's New fethe technologies and the ccommitmentof lof in children. dividualls , and govtit'nrnentS in both' The success of our 1985 campaign was due developed and cleveiopilig Countries, make in no Small way to the many volunteers who it pohsible to drastically reduce Child gave -'their time and enthusiasm to" Our deaths. organization. This was complemented by This year, UNICEF also celebrates its the warm response UNICEF received from 40th anniversary neducationrsry aunt r health care water, to utr - the media in Ontario. 1986 will mark the launch of a major in- milions of children whose lives are in