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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-02-15, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, February 15, 2006 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 Battery: Surprisingly, if your battery is weak or dead, it my not be the battery. Instead of automatically purchasing a new battery, it may be cheaper in the long rim to have a reputable mechanic run an alternator and voltage regu- lator test. This will tell if your car's electrical charge sys- tem is working. If there's a problem, it may cost a few hundred dollars to fix, but it will save you hundreds in constantly buying new batteries while the problem goes unchecked. Exhaust Systems: When you go in for a new muffler, you may also be told you need new exhaust pipes, tail pipes, even a new catalytic converter. Make sure the mechanic shows you the damages on your pipes before paying out. If you're satisfied the work needs to be done, get the estimate and shop around for the best price. Tune -Ups: The old standby, the tune-up, is an old fashion term these days. Yesterday's tune-ups included carburetor and ignition system adjustments. Today's computerized systems take care of that for you. All you really need checked are the spark plugs, which could last about 48,000 kilometres. If your car is running rough and you know your fuel efficiency is down, explain the specific problem to your mechanic rather than just asking for a tune-up. Bodywork Getting bodywork done can be extremely expensive. You could also be charged for replacement parts when your old parts were simply repaired. If you suspect this, tell your mechanic you'd like to see your old parts and the packaging and documentation that comes with new parts. The most important thing to remember is to find a reputable mechanic that you can trust and don't be afraid to ask questions. It's your car and your cheque- book and you have a right to protect them both. Courtesy of ARA Content False 91 I Calls: Huron OPP has been busy attending false 911 calls for the month of January. Officers have responded to a total of 186 with the vast majority of these as non -emergent. The total number of 911 calls for 2005 was 1214. A large majority of these cases involve a person actually misdialing a number or causing the emergency number to be dialed due to the speed dial setting. In a number of cases children playing with telephones has been identi- fied as a cause for the call. When a call is placed to 9-1-1 it is treated as an emer- gency call for help. If no information is available on what services are needed as in the case if the caller hangs up, or says nothing, then police will be dispatched to the location where the call originated to ascertain if help is needed. The call will result in two officers being dispatched and becomes a priority call. False calls could result in a delay of service to some- one who is in actual need. Please for the safety of your- self, family and friends, be aware of the number you are dialing. CRUISE CONTROL -WET - ICY ROADS: A 36 year-old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence! When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened, he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She had thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on and your car begins to hydroplane -- when your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred. The highway patrol estimated her car was actually traveling through the air at 10 to 15 miles per hour faster than the speed set on the cruise control. The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver's seat sun -visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed -- but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry. The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totalled his car and sustained severe injuries. There is a two -letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two -letter word, and that is "UP" It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morn- ing, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is con- fusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary! In a desk -sized dictio- nary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP. When it doesn't rain for a while, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so... Time to shut UP... Gaps in Canadian health care Can you imagine a Canada where effective, state-of-the-art cancer care would be dependent on where you live? Is a B.C. resident more worthy of cancer care than any other Canadian resident? This country has huge gaps in care and the Cancer Advocacy Coalition in Canada report card confirms it. The problems run deep in the rich province of Ontario. Currently Ontario residents are writing Health Minister George Smitherman's report card and he's failing. He could step up to the plate and address a gap in care by putting an equivalent Section 8 process in place that would allow patients the newest and most up to date I.V. cancer drugs available. Some of Ontario's hospitals are administering the new I.V. cancer drugs with- out the promise of financial reimbursement from the Ontario govern- ment, while other Ontario hospitals are not. Don't all cancer patients deserve access to the newest and best treat- ments? What is an extra year or two of life worth? Mr. Smitherman has stated, "We are changing the health care system in this province. The status quo is not acceptable, and we all know that. We will happily discuss all of the various proposals that are bound to come along, keeping in mind always that the ultimate goal has to be better care for all Ontarians, rich and poor. Surely we can sustain a debate about these things that advances beyond labels and name-calling to actual points of principle." I would almost bet that taxpayers' dollars go towards costs of extended health coverage for Queen's Park employees. BRUCE COLEMAN, Exeter become a Liberal MP and receive a cabinet position from Paul Martin. At that time 39 Conservative MPs supported an "anti -crossover" bill to prevent crossing the floor with- out a byelection taking place. So, what has changed since then? Should the voters who got him there not have a say in the decision? Hminm ... integrity, accountability, responsibility. We are also lucky to have a new Public Works Minister — Michael Fortier. Notice that I did not put "MP" after his name. There is a reason for this — he is not an MP. In fact, he did not even run in the election. That's right, we have a cabinet minister who didn't even run in the election! How does this happen? Well, promise number two — Senate reform. Prime Minister Harper campaigned on changing the way senators get their postings. He wants to have them elected. Great concept — too bad he doesn't practise what he preaches. In fact, Mr. Fortier is the Letters . Conservative campaign chair. to the What a great way to say thanks — appoint him to the Senate, give him Editor Senate pay of over $150,000 per year, the best pension in the country (don't even get me started on the Senate debate), plus the salary of a cabinet minister when he can't even sit in the House for debates. I've also learned that Mr. Fortier can not even be legally held responsible for anything his department does as he is not sitting in the house. Senate reform — right. There's democracy for you! You do not even have to run in an election to get a top spot in government! Lastly, I just read this morning that our new Defense Minister is Gordon O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor was involved in lobbying the armed forces to buy military transport planes that are now at the centre of the hottest military -supply controversy in Ottawa — one that he will have to settle. Wow, getting to settle the controversy you starred in. Lucky man That is like Mike Harris sitting at the head of the Ipperwash inquiry. Mr. O'Connor was a lobbyist for Airbus. His job was to lobby the government on behalf of Airbus. Airbus wants to sell its tactical airlift planes to the military. So now that Mr. O'Connor is the Minister of Defense, do you think there may be a conflict of interest? I wonder what the competition for Airbus thinks of this — Lockheed Martin. Mr O'Connor is already denying interviews to discuss this. Mr. Harper defends these decisions by saying they have to do this to get representa- tion for the three largest cities in Canada. If the three largest cities in Canada wanted representation, would they not have voted for it? Are voters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver not smart enough to know what they want? (Maybe I shouldn't ask that question.) Thanks, Mr. Prime Minister, what would we do without you? P.S. — we have a Liberal MP here in Huron -Bruce. Can you "fix" that for us, too? (Just kidding, Paul.) We really are a gullible country. All hopes of something "different" have faded. Accountability, responsibility, integrity ... can someone get these people a dictionary? It is true what they say ... "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I truly am becoming disillusioned and fed up with all this stuff. I am sure others are as well. JEFF E. KELLER, B.A.(Econ.), CFP, FMA, Writer is fed up And you wonder why voters are fed up with government ... I must admit, I think I have finally fallen victim to the "disillusioned voter" syndrome. Sitting in my office, reading the morning paper, getting grumpier by the minute. (Those who work with me know this is never a good thing ...) Through the whole fed- eral election campaign we heard the words "accountability, responsibility, integrity, election reform, elected Senate, child care, tax breaks, etc." We hear the same things over and over again. Maybe I can blame the fact that I am "young and impression- able," maybe I am even a bit naive. However, I was actually beginning to believe things were going to be different. So, here we are, two weeks after the election, three days with a new government, and already my hopes for change have vanished. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already broken two huge promises to the country. Yesterday, he announced his new cabinet. The new Minister of Trade is none other than Liberal MP David Emerson. Wait, no, sorry, he was a Liberal five days ago, trashed the Conservatives for the past nine weeks, spent over $100,000 of his Liberal constituents' money to run in the election, took advantage of hundreds of Liberal volunteers, only to slap them in the face and "switch sides" to get a cushy cabinet position from Stephen Harper. These people gave up money and countless hours of volunteer time to elect a Liberal candidate, only to have him defect. (His riding has now asked he return the $100,000. I have a feeling this won't happen.) This is all happening just one year after Belinda Stronach crossed the floor to Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaint, and kudos. By mail: P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 By fax: (519) 235-0766 By e-mail: editor@southhuron.com Please include your name , address and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. 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