HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-01-23, Page 44
Times—Advocate
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
OC
Editorial Opinion
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Doug Rowe -General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division
EDITORIAL
The game
of politics
Minister of Justice and Attorney
General of Canada Robert Nicholson's
stop in Exeter last week was an eye
opener.
What was enlightening about what Nicholson said
is that he is clearly frustrated with his government's
minority position in Parliament and his inability to
get the Tackling Violent Crimes Act passed.
Nicholson, who has been in his role for a year, said
he remains "somewhat optimistic" about the
Conservatives' attempts to get things done in
Parliament, but even that attitude may be overly
optimistic — this is a minority government, after all,
and the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois aren't
going to go out of their way to make things easy for
the Tories.
But should they? What if the shoe were on the
other foot. If the Liberals were leading a minority
government right now, would Stephen Harper and
his Conservatives be clamoring to give them a help-
ing hand? Would they be jumping up and down to
help the Liberals pass legislation? It's doubtful.
Most Canadians would probably agree tougher
laws on gun crimes, bail provisions and sexual and
violent offenders are a good thing, as is raising the
age of consent for "non -exploitative sexual activity"
from 14 to 16 years of age, but we shouldn't be sur-
prised the Liberals aren't helping the Tories get their
legislation passed.
If the Tories could actually get themselves in a
position to win a majority government, things might
be easier for them.
Positive development
Good news out of South Huron council's meeting
Monday night is that the concerns about the site of
the proposed Exeter Honda have been addressed
and it seems the project will go forward at the south
end of town.
On the heels of news of CanGro's impending sale or
closure by March 31 (with most expecting a closure)
the possibility that Exeter might lose the proposed
Honda dealership to London was another piece of
bad news the area didn't need.
But after a meeting last week between the munici-
pality, Honda and current property owners Gerald
and Jeanette McBride, the stormwater management
concerns will be looked at in a preliminary stormwa-
ter management study, and planner Claire Dodds
said she believes an agreement on the Highway 4
access issue can be found.
This is a good development, as losing a new car
dealership is something we can't afford to do.
ViStTiNGT4!RoOPS �
WILL IMPROVE YouR
IMAGE AT HOME,
SIR,
71141 /oB
Are we ready for honesty?
Politicians are always blamed for playing fast and
loose with the truth, if not outright lying. But it's
even worse, as one said last week, when they want
to tell the truth but can't because either a)
they won't get elected, b) they'll be tarred
and feathered, c) they'll drive the economy
into the dirt, or d) all of the above.
Taxpayers, like wives asking certain tough
questions, don't want to be told the truth
and politicians, like husbands if they know
what's good for them, know better than to
say it.
The political road is littered with the
bones of politicians who were honest with
voters, only to be tap danced on by smarter,
if less honest politicians such as Pierre
Trudeau, who in 1974 opposed Tory leader
Robert Stanfield's wage -and -price control proposals
only to adopt them after the Liberals won the 1974
election.
Six years later in 1980, Trudeau defeated the
minority Tory government led by Joe Clark over the
Conservatives' budget proposal to impose an 18 -
cent -a -gallon gasoline -tax hike, only to institute a
National Energy Program that devastated Alberta's
economy, chilled relations with the United States
and pushed up federal gasoline taxes far beyond
anything conceived by the Clark government.
There are times when it is possible to tell the truth,
as John McCain found out in Michigan recently while
campaigning in the Republican primaries. McCain
said of the state that has been gutted by job losses in
its auto manufacturing sector, "there are
some jobs that aren't coming back to
Michigan."
McCain's message didn't put him over the
top to win the state but neither did it see him
run out of town on a rail by unemployed auto
workers who may have wanted him to say
everything will be all right and they'd have a
guaranteed job for life.
How much honesty are any of us prepared
to hear? Do we want to hear and vote for
someone who says that the lush social pro-
grams put in place 40 years ago when there
were more people putting in than taking out,
have become unaffordable and most of us paying in
now probably won't see a dime of it in 30 years
when it comes time to cash in?
Are we willing to admit that one of those cherished
social programs that will help the big -eyed kid on
the front page of the paper with the disease of the
week for just a few measly dollars can't be squeezed
out of the middle class anymore?
And is there a politician with nothing to lose who is
willing to say what no one wants to hear? Because
it's time we all took our medicine.
PAT B
BACK 40
VIEW
OLEN
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