HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-08-31, Page 4Page 14
Citizens News, August 31, 1978
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A headache of a,positaon
There's an old saying that used to hound
Richard Nixon - the famous, "Would you buy a used
car from this man?" It's a saying that Frank
Miller, Ontario's new provincial treasurer, has also
heard on occasion before he entered the legislature,
Mr. Miller used to make his living selling used cars.
The used car business is credited with teaching
Mr. Miller something about survival in the real
world. Survival skills are probably the major
prerequisite for anyone who tackles the respon-
sibility of handling the government's pursestrings,
on either the provincial or federal level.
In the past, finance ministers have tended to
have shorter reigns than their counterparts in the
other portfolios. Remember the Honorable John
Turner, the man touted as Canada's next prime
minister? Well, although his political career is
hardly totally eclipsed yet, Mr. Turner's stint as
Minister of Finance led to his withdrawal from the
political arena in order to salvage some of his pop-
ularity.
Then of course there was Donald McDonald,
another veteran member of the House of Commons
who decided to retire from politics after a period of
handling Canada's finances. Only time will tell
whether Jean Chretien will be able to survive the
cabinet post any better than his predecessors.
On the provincial level, Darcy McKeough has
fared a little better. The Chatham -area politician
managed to survive a conflict of interest scandal
some years ago and bounced right back into
politics. He was the man most people hailed as the
successor to Premier William Davis.
In the last two years however, even things in
Canada's wealthiest province haven't been quite so
rosy. Mr. McKeough had to withdraw his original
proposal for a hefty O.H.I.P. increase and the
municipal tax reform he had been advocating for
some time has been temporarily abandoned, ap-
parently at the urging of Premier Davis.
McKeough, who might easily have waited
another decade in the wings before William Davis
steps down from Ontario's top job has decided to
pursue his fiscal policies in the private sector.
Frank Miller is a brave man to step into the
breech. The finance portfolio, even for a former car
salesman, can't help to create headaches in these
days of inflation and a shaky economic outlook.
If Frank Miller can survive the duties of
Treasurer of Ontario, then he'll prove himself a
better man that many of the other veteran
politicians who havetackled the job.
Huron Expositor
Circle of danger
Each day an ever -widening circle of danger
surrounds mankind. It is a vicious circle that
reaches the front pages only occasionally. It is the
combination of babies and bombs. Each day, the
world's nations are spending considerably more
than $1 billion on their bombs and their Military es-
tablishments. And each day, 170,000 new babies
come into a world threatened by a shortage of basic
resources.
In a century that is haunted by the memory of
two global wars and countless lesser but
nevertheless grisly conflicts, the great powers and
all of the smaller nations are spending between $375
billion and $400 billion on various military expen-
ditures each year. The $350 billion figure for the
year 1976 represented more than the combined
national product of South Asia, the Far East and
Africa.
The danger of the proliferation of weapons is
matched only by the other potential disaster facing
humanity - overpopulation. If present trends con-
tinue, Mexico, one century from today, will have a
larger population than the Soviet Union and China
combined. An unchecked population in the poorer
lands will mean that the already crowded island na-
tion of Indonesia would have 1.78 billion people in
100 years, or almost half the present population of
thetobe.
g
The circle of danger can and must be broken. A
greater awareness of the twin curses that haunt us -
arms proliferation and overpopulation - can help
meet the crisis. Once people understand fully that
only they themselves can control the destiny of
humanity, the solution will be at least within our
grasp.
From the Office of Church in Society, United
Church of Canada.
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Miscellaneous '
Rumblings
By
TOM CREECH
12. It's not divine
to get banned
August 31, 1978
Anytown, Ontario
Dear Herbie: Huron county
How in blazes are you? It's been a dog's age since
I saw you and all the boys back there in Middlesex
county. It's hard to believe that I've been away from
all you turkeys for almost an entire summer now.
If you think of it, please tell your dad that father is
enjoying his new job up at the Bruce Nuclear plant and
that he wishes your family all the best.
Herbie, would you believe we'll be heading for our
final year of schooling? It seems like only yesterday
we were killing frogs down by the pond and making a
fort in the middle of the corn field.
I'll tell you one thing about moving up here, the
girls are fantastic and they really get off on touring
the back roads providing there's a case of 24 handy. If
you're bored some weekend, come on up and I'll show
you a good time.
Have you heard about the book banning hassle
which they've been having in this part of the country?
What a farce! Apparently the people who are leading
this crusade think the teachers in this county are
teaching the students how to swear through the use of
some of these blacklisted books. Hell Herbie, any kid
worth his salt knows how to swear, or at the least,
recognize bad language by the time you hit grade 13.
Big deal if there are a couple of four letter words in a
book. If we want to go to university next fall we have
to get the bloody marks which means understanding
what the book is about and not just counting the bad
words.
Well Herbie, its been real but I've got this great
urge all of a sudden to go get the latest issue of
Penthouse and a six pack of beer. Catch you later.
Harold
*
I'm mad. I don't usually get mad, but this time
I'm mad. Who is Art Haverkamp? Who is Lloyd
Barth? Who are John Alexander, Harry Hayter,
Donald McDonald, R.K. Peck, Charles Rau, John
Henderson, Eugene Frayne, Murray Mulvey and
Clarence MacDonald?
Are they professional educators? Have they any
particular insight which they can offer into the
teaching of English literature? Can they say with a
clear conscience that they know better than the
teachers of this county?
August 21 will go down as a black day in the
history of education in this county and has made this
county appear backward before the people of this
province.
The writer is not so much concerned with the
removal of any specific book from the English
curriculum, but it's the dangerous precedent which
this bunch of narrow minded individuals have forced
upon this county that's the important point. ,
It's this writer's opinion that there is clear
differentation between the roles which the board of
education and the teachers play. The board should ad-
minister and set overall policies.
One of the many things that's sickening about this
entire controversy is the fact that one group of adults
is dictating to another group of adults what is "good"
reading or "bad" reading, contrary to what "The
Group of concerned Parents" say.
While it is true that the banned book "The
Diviners" will still be available in the school library
system, the motions have been started to have the
book removed from the school system entirely.
It's obvious that these people are sincere in their
beliefs and that's something which should not and will
Please turn to page 5
\ 1151 WIIN EOM NIWf
Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
News Editor - Tom Creech
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