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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-05-18, Page 4Page 4 Citizens News, May 18, 1978 Middle-of-the-road hog IItIIllltllllllIIIlltllllillllllllllltlllllllllllllllll►11111111111111Iltllllltlllllllllllllllllltlllllllltlllllllltllllllltlllllt11111111IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIItIIlIIIIIIIIIIItIIlIIIIltltllll= Z.CoN„ Vie point nulnenuunnnunllunnunlnnnllnnunullun►m►►nnitnunnnnnnntuunnunnluuuunnnnllutlnnnnntnlltunnnnnlnuunulnnlnnn►ntl►unnlunnnulC 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! jiminlnlunnnnru►Iltl►nunmunnuntl.^'. Miscellaneous Rnnt bli�.ngs 8y TOM CREECH Junk food for the mind. nl�l�uuulll.vlr.l,A 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 Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 Subscription Rates: $7.00 per year in advance in Canada $18.00 per year outside Canada SinigIe copies 20¢