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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-05-07, Page 4PAGE 4--GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1956 While my powers may not rival that of NHL president, John Ziegler or baseball's late Bowie Kuhn,and I may not exhibit the panache of Pete Rozelle, but I am the self- proclaimed commissioner of the office hockey pool. Irrespective of the fact the title was bestowed out of my own generosity, the posi- tion carries with it a measure of prestige and respect. By the nature of their work, commis- sioners tend to command respect. To be honest, it's the only form of compensation offered by the remaining pool players. Tamper with the money and well, new com- missioners, apparently, are easy to come by. Tamper with the points, and well, as previously mentioned, any idiot can mas- querade as a commissioner. But the respect comes cheap. And as the warm southerly breezes of DAVE SYKES May buoyspirits and psyches, I am giving serious consideration to relinquishing my role. It seems silly for grown men to be wat- ching hockey almost until its time to pack the family wagon for summer vcacation. In previous years, because of work and hockey pool commitments, the lawn was never cut until the playoffs were officially declared dead. If I was to abide by those rules this year, the children could go miss- ing for days in theard. I have all but losi erest in the office hockey pool this year, only because, point wise, I have languished near the bottom of the standings in the 16 -man event. It's tough for a commissioner to dutifully dole out the official pool statistics to a reavenous pack of poolies, while his own selections are playing golf at exclusive resorts. The point discrepancy between my own team and those who are battling for bucks widens with each game and I suspect that those in lofty positions are giggling with delight. People in lower portions (we're talking basement) of the. pool standings tend to become objects of derision as if the point total reflects on their hockey knowledge, manhood and ability to function as a human being. The leaders would pretend to know- ing that the likes of Edmonton and Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and company would be unceremoniously disposed of in the second round or that basically sound hockey teams like Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago would be relegated to hockey of the table -top variety in early May. Of course, hockey pool leaders could have prognosticated such a turn of events had they only been asked. Hockey pool leaders tend to be arrogant and self-serving and take absolute delight in detailing why their team is doing so well. The view from the bottom of the pack is not pretty, folks. But while my team has fallen to the depths of despair, my role as commissioner carries on. There are certain qualities inherent to commissioners, pretenders and candidates for the job. A commissioner must be available 24 hours a day, he must be adept a ciphering, he must have be able to instantly recall the accumulative points of any player involved in the playoffs, goals against averages of goaltenders, he must be cogni- zant of injuries, breakfast cereal and sexual preferences of the players and other relg- vant bits of information. And, of course, a commissioner's cerebral apparatus must be inoperative or suspect. I have been summoned to the phone dur- ing working hours, while in the shower, late at night and during games to consummate player transactions. There has even been consummation before the playoffs began. I may be out of the running, but I still hold the money. Opinion THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Gthe ClEST ALL ROUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA Godericl,f-rcubUun ass 3500 aSC01C C h 4 Butter Newspaper Cweq,ebt+on 1804 SIGNAL -STAR P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH, ONT. N7A 426 PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded In 11346 end published every Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA. Subscriptions payable' In advents $22.00, [Senior Citizens E$19.00 privilege card number required] In Caned., 1$BO.00 to U.B.A.; BBSO.00 to all other countries, Bingle copies 60C. Olepley, Notional end Classified advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 16 affective October 1, 19B6. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typogrephIcel error, the advertising space occupied by tha erroneous Item, together with the reasonable allowence for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rete. In the event of e typographical error advertising goods or services et a wrong price, gbode or service. may not he mold. Advertising le merely en offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star le not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photo. or other materiels used for reproducing purposes. General Manager SHIRLEY J. KELLER • Editor DAVE SYKES Advertising Manager DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone, [519)524-2614 Second class mail registration number 0716 Member: PCNA A lesson in Chernobyl The nuclear disaster that unfoldedin the Ukraine near Chernobyl last`rtveek has served to reinforce several lessons about the use'of nuclear power• both at home and around the world. Such nuclear accidents and other incidents of a nuclear nature, cannot be confined to regional or even national borders. As is the case with the Chernobyl incident, nuclear ac- cidents involve the global community. It was both interesting and disturbing to note that the Soviet Union officially claimed that two people had died and another 200 were injured in what world experts called the worst nuclear accident to occur at a power generating station. • • -The full extent of the accident may never be known and the Soviet stance is irreprehensi-' ble considering the ramifications of the accident. The implications extend far beyond the political realm of the spectrlim and truly, many human lives are at stake. The Soviet Union has been condemned, and rightly so, for deliberately masking the events that unfolded at the Chernobyl power station last week. While it seemed the Soviets, under Mikhail Gorbachev, were making ambitious efforts to open the lines of communication bet- ween the major powers, the nuclear incident has obviously made a major dent in the policy of openess. But, .ironically, it is in a case like this that the world leaders and the public, need to know exactly what the score is. It is simply vital to share information about the accident and its implications; People in countries outside the Soviet Union have to be protected and in order for coun- tries to take adequate measures, information must be freely supplied. • That hasn't been the case with the Soviets and it would, appear they were keeping a lid on the accident, hoping that by sheer luck, it; would somehow go'undetected. Because of the discrepancy between reports from the Soviet Union and those purported by otllr sources, it was difficult to accurately guage the extent of the accident and ,the suffer- ing it has, and will continue'to inflict, on people living in Europe and Soviet Bloc' countries. The accident also serves as a grim reminder of the destructive force we are dealing with at home. People have always questioned the safety of nuclear power, but Ontarians, having grown up with several generating stations, are almost complacent about the use of it. The situation has caused concern for the people of Ontario where most of the country's nuclear reactors are located. We live in the shadow of the Bruce Nucelar Power Develop- ment and while its presence may have provoked some thought, we tend to trust technology and what it can do for us. • It is easy to suspect that the government of the day is looking out for our best interests in the matter. The incident has prompted people to questipn the safety of such reactors and the possibilities of such accidents occuring within ourown system, Ontario Hydro has answered the "could it happen here", question many times since the Ukraine incidents but regardless of its assurances, nuclear power will always carry with it that nagging risk factor. The element of risk, failure, and human error will always be there. But there are certain measures, in the wake of the recent disaster, that must be employed. Ontarians would do well to pressure the government into taking more than the necessary precautions with respect to safety. And we have to be kept informed. D.S. The schoolyard bully I i The American attack on Libya is still being aplauded by 60 percent of that nation's citizens as a brave action carried out with "skill and courage. The remaining 40 per cent are less convinced, judging by comments we have listened to on American TV talk shows. Mrs. Thatcher, prime minister of Great Britain has been just about the only international leader to condone the American attack, but then she was in no position to argue, since the bases from which the American planes flew out on their mission are leased from and located in Britain. Without exception other world leaders have condemned the action as either ineffective or ill-advised, or both. Adding to world-wide outrage is the fact that innocent civilians suffered in the bombing, including the children of Col. Khadafy, the Libyan leader. There appears to be convincing proof that the Khadafy faction in Libya has been pro- viding training and safe haven for terrorists, but the American attack has served not to stop such activities, but rather to cement oplinion against the U.S. throughout the Arab world — which occupies no inconsiderable space on this planet. Since the attadk, terrorist bombings have been increased, and anti-American protests have been staged in dozens of European cities. Bravery and prompt action are indeed necessary when there are no other alternatives available. In this case the Wed view of the Aiiiei'ican action is that the nation with the preponderance of military might and ready money acted the part of the school -yard bully. (Wingham Advance Times) • Balloons in flight by Dave Sykes iberals had five weeks' notice Dear Editor, Re: Letter to the Editor Apr. 30, 1986 "Liberals ' made every effort to send representative to forum" I am surprised that Mr. Riddell should wish to raise the embarrassing question of Liberal party non -participation in the Huron County MedicalSdciety sponsored Health Care Forum held Apr. 16 in Goderich. Readers may recall that the Progressive Conservative position was represented by Larry Grossman, Leader of the Official Op- position„ but no Liberal representative agreed to appear to debate the implications .of the proposed Health Care Accessibility. Act. Mr. Riddell states in his letter to the editor that "with only 10 days notice, we (Mr. Rid - dell's office in concert with Health Minister Murray Elston) were told of the Apr. 16 meeting". My telephone bills (which I will gladly share with Mr. Riddell) indicate that my initial calls to Mr. Elston were placed both to his Toronto and Wingham Offices on Mar. 12 fully five weeks prior to the forum, and at about the same time as initial re- quests were made to the Grossman staff. - Subsequent follow-up calls with Mr. Elston's office were placed on about a week- ly basis thereafter as tenacious efforts were made to secure Liberal participation. A variety of dates were suggested to Elston's staff, but when no progress was made, I sug- gested to Mr. D. Lamont (Constituency Assistant to Murray Elston) that I would organize the forum around any date that LETTERS • Mr. Elston or his designate could attend. My follow-up ,call several days later secured Mr. Lamont's reply that Mr. Elston "was not willing to take part in a public forum, but would meet personally with some area physicians". Three dates were subsequently presented to Mr. Riddell's courteous staff to see if he would be able to "pinch hit" for the reticent Health Minister. In fairness to Mr. Riddell, he had previous arrangements by this time, and his office attempted to arrange an alter- nate speaker to represent Liberal policy. Yet with adequate notice, the Deputy Minister of Health, Chris Ward, 'declined and no other minister, caucus member or ministry official would come' to Goderich despite the efforts of Ministerial Assistants MacDonald and Keene. Eventually, Mr. Elston's office retracted his refusal to attend for obvious political reasons, and simply evaded the issue by claiming further timing conflicts. Specifically, no dates in April were volunteered by Mr. Elston's office, by Mr. Riddell's office or by any Liberal represen- tative around which we could arrange the seminar. Needless to say, this created considerable frustration for the Medical Society in our ef- fort to present the non-partisan,, the non-partisan,, balanced forum of opinion that we were seeking. Our experience has been that a full disclosure of the facts relating to Bill C-94 lends support to the overwhelming view of Huron County • doctors that this legislation will be destruc- tive to the quality of healthcare in Ontario. The most recent OMA proposal suggests the elimination of full billing (so called extra -billing) practices for senior citizens, those on OHIP premium assistance ( social assistance recipients and the working poor) and•for those needing emergency care. With this offer, there exists the possibility of a compromise arrangement that could serve to improve our health care' system without sacrificing the vital independence from total government control that both patients and physicians prefer. I suspect that any failure to reach agree- ment with this,.sort of proposal on the table relates more to a government reluctance to Challenge the dated Liberal -NDP accord than to any genuine effort to serve the best interests of Ontario pitizens. I challenge the. Liberals to show the courage to break free from this bondage,;to negotiate a fair solution with the medical profession, and to take this matter to the electorate if Bob Rae and the NDP begin fussing. Sincerely, D. Neal Secretary Huron County Medical Society Doctor's attitude towards public and politicians is disappointing, says reader Dear Editor, This is the fist letter I have ever written to .the editor, bot after reading Dr. Watts' comments in a recent Signal -Star about ex- tra billing I feel compelled to reply. Being not an expert but rather part of a public which Dr. Watts infers is "gullible and easi.brainwashed'; 1 won't try to argue with the doctor's convoluted scenarios or with his prognosis for life without extra billing. I will argue with and what is truly disappointing in Dr. Watts' let- ter is his attitude towards the public and our politicians. We have a strong, rich country which has flourished by being both strqg and accom- modating. We have deve'rop' d a unique balance between necessary social programs. and a free market. Only a total distortion and an almost paranoid overstatement of the doctors' case would attribute nazi -like motivation behind our politicians' actions. But just as insulting is Dr. Watts' belief that the people of On- tario would formulate opinions based on simplistic manipulations of the facts from the press and the politicians. It seems that we hear more about who is right and wrong in this debate, rather than what is right and wrong. The questions in this issue do not revolve around who works the longest hours or who has the most in- itials after his name. Rather the issue should be one of principle and fairness, and it is one which our elected representatives haveevery right on our behalf td decide. ' The medical community asks us to list& and respect their views' because in 'pact, they have earned .by their service special consideration. But although such considers- • tion should respectfully be given, the sounli- ness of your ,case must then take over: And if it doesn't, and the public and the politi- cians do not agree, the fault lies not with o>'ir elected representative§ or your fellow citizens, but with the soundness of your argument. Don't forsake us all because we disagree, ,• or you believe an arrogance and disrespect which does your profession a disservice. Keith Doherty Doctors are not the only ones undervalued Dear'. Editor, Dr. , Watts has impressed us with a thorough analysis of the Health Care Ac, cessibility Act in his letter to the editor last week, 1 suppose we must accept his exper- tise in his reference to Nazi Germany and fairy tales since he has 46 letters following his name: He says that doctors are the only members of society that must accept 70 per- cent of their wages, prices or salaries. A simple fact that many of us non -experts know is that women in this society earn on average only 59 percent of the wages of the average male. Other women who do valuable work for society as mothers, volunteers and homemakers earn 0 percent of their deserved income. Until women and other disadvantaged members of our society are paid 70 percent of their worth f I feel the plight of poor under- valued doctors like Dr. Watts should be put on the shelf ! Respectfully, Just Another Undervalued Homemaker and Mother, A.B.C., D.E., da .G.H,I., J.K. M.N.O.P., Q.R.S., T.U.V., W.X.Y.2. 'f