HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-05-18, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News, May 18, 1978
Middle-of-the-road hog
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Vie point
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Fiscal restraint
The budgets presented by area councils in re-
cent weeks are an indication that fiscal restraint is
possible providing that all levels of government are
willing to work at it.
Municipal councils always bear the brunt of
any grass roots criticism so it's to the
municipality's advantage to have their own house
in order.
That message seems to have worked its way
upwards with the higher levels of government
showing similar restraint.
While both Hay and Zurich councils have held
the line, they've taken different approaches in pass-
ing the benefits along to their constituents.
Hay council has taken the more direct ap-
proach of passing the saving along to the taxpayers
in the form of a tax cut.
On the surface this a good idea, in that it shows
to the taxpayers that council is concerned about
keeping costs under control.
On the other hand, budgets such as presented
by Hay could be considered to be short sighted in
that it fails to take into consideration the
municipality could be facedwith a largeunforeseen
capital expenditure in the next few years. Instead
of keeping the mill rate constant and accumulating
a surplus, taxpayers could be faced with a large in-
crease in the mill rate. Needless to say, council
would feel the wrath of the taxpayer.
Although municipalities in Ontario are in
theory to be run on a break-even basis, putting
funds in reserve has become the rule rather than
the exception and in the long -run, serves the tax-
payer better.
An upper level of government that had been
showing restraint could have a change of heart and
an accumulated reserve fund could help soften the
blow to a beleaguered taxpayer.
There's one thing you can say about both
systems: you always end up paying.
Natural conclusions
In the language of logic, there is a phrase
reductio ad absurdum. It means to carry any argu-
ment to a ridiculous extreme as a way to
demonstrate truth or falsity.
Now that 1977 is behind us, and Canada enters
the last years of the decade of the `70s, it might be
worth while to look at a few of the trends of the last
few years and see where they're taking us — reduc-
tio ad absurdum, over the next 50 years.
For example, if the costs of the Post Office con-
tinually rise while the service provided declines, by
the time another half century has passed (give or
take 40 years) we might expect the Canada Post Of-
fice to be handling next to no mail, while charging
anyone brave enough to slip a letter into a mail box
several hundred dollars.
Similarly, if the main way for Canadians to get
rich continues to be by selling out to foreign in-
vestors, we could end up with no Canadian owning
anything.
In 50 years, everyone would work for the
government — a prospect as depressing as the op-
posite extreme, of everyone depending on private
enterprises for employment.
Those who work, that is. They'll earn the
highest wages in history, while supporting the
largest number of unemployed in history. Or if
you're really pessimistic, you could argue that in 50
years, no one will be working; we'll all be on un-
employment insurance.
Everyone will carry a gun, for defence only, of
course. No urban dweller will venture out at night
or answer the door.
Our per capita energy consumption, already
the highest in the world, will climb. We'll continue
to disregard warnings of physical and economic
limitations to the energy supply. Until in a final
splendidly selfish fling, we'll squander the last
barrel of oil in a gas guzzling car, or chop the last
tree for an oversized Saturday newspaper, and then
settle with a wheeze back into the Dark Ages.
Is that the way we want it?
The British anti-nuclear physicist Amory
Y
Lovins frequently uses his own reductio ad absur-
dum He says that we should dump p y u d imagine
the kind of world we want to have 50 years from
now, and then insure that our present decisions
make that world more possible, not less likely.
His idea has not proved popular. It requires
personal and national self-discipline. It demands
conscious planning. It may mean sacrificing some
ambitions or expectations, even sacrificing some of
our present standard of living. Who knows where it
could lead in the battle to save the environment of
this small planet!
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Miscellaneous
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TOM CREECH
Junk food
for the mind.
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Today, my exercise in verbal frustration will be
on the medium that everybody loves to take potshots
at; that's right, the purveyor of passive entertain-
ment, the boob tube.
From the outset I want to make it perfectly clear
(I think somebody else also uses that line) that I
watch television just as much as the next person. If
after a hard day's work you desire a form of entertain-
ment that doesn't tax the mind, that box with the hunk
of glass in the front serves the purpose.
This writer is indeed a product of the television
age with an early memory,of:being;ableto stay up and
watch Phil Silvers in "Sergeant Bilko" and arising
before the rest of the family on a Saturday morning to
watch "Rocky and Bullwinkle" (Whether it's the fact
that I watched this show during my impressionable
youth or that the mind, might not be all there, I still
think that was one of the funniest shows on the air).
A big treat on a Sunday evening was being per-
mitted to stay up past the bed time and watch the last
half hour of the "Ed Sullivan Show."
One obvious observation; all these shows that the
writer has mentioned are American. One would
presume that "Cross Canada Hit Parade" never
caught my attention.
One finds today that the television tastes of the
person with his picture on the top of this column have
changed considerably. (Although he must confess an
affection for the"BugsBunny-Road Runner Hour") .
The top three shows in this reporter's very private
poll are (You wait with breathless anticipation) :
"America 2Night", "The Gong Show" and "Get
Smart".
These shows are parodies of television programs
that are presently on or that were formerly staples of
the television viewing public.
"America 2Night" is number one in the heart of
this writer because Martin Mull as Barth Gimble and
Fred Willard as Jerry Hubbard are the best comedy
team in many a year.
Some people would call Mull crazy and I would
tend to agree but it's the manner in which his madness
comes off that makes him. successful.
Fred Willard is Ed MacMahon but with an extra
dash of stupidity.
The show's combination of "real" personalities
and "fake" personalities (There might not be much of
a difference between the two) is an unusual mixture of
fact and fiction which seems to work. On what other
show can you find out that wearing leisure suits
causes cancer?
"The Gong Show" it great because it is just plain
stupid. One finds it hard to take the world seriously
when watching this zany creation of Chuck Barris. If
had not been for this show would we have ever heard
(or cared) about Gene, Gene the dancing machine, the
unknown comedian or J.P. Morgan?
"Get Smart" was television's answer to the series
of Matt Helm spy -spoof movies that plagued the wide
screen a few years ago. This show gets my stamp of
approval if for no other reason than Mel Brooks (Blaz-
ing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety)
produced the show.
The sheer stupidity of Agent 99 is attractive for in-
dividuals with the most inferior of inferiority com-
plexes.
Why does the author enjoy these programs, many
of which people consider to be wastes of time and ef-
fort? I hate to use phrases but television to a great ex-
tent is a waste -land and these shows help to bring that
point home.
Aside from his opening monologue, Carson's
Please turn to Page 5
Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
E:NA
News Editor - Tom Creech
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