The Times Advocate, 2008-10-08, Page 44
Times—Advocate
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
OC
Editorial Opinion
TIMES ADVOCATE
PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511
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Canada
Deb Lord — Manager
Scott Nixon — Editor
it The Times -Advocate is owned by
Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850
Media Group Ltd. Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • 519-235-1331
Doug Rowe -General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division
EDITORIAL
Economic woes
Iast week's announcement of the clo-
sure of the Volvo plant in Goderich is
Jdevastating news not only for the 500
or so families affected by the closure, but
for the county's entire economy.
And with markets across the globe in flux,
the Volvo closure isn't likely to be the last
bit of bad news we hear in Huron. The
manufacturing sector has been hammered
with job losses and closures lately and it
seems every week there is news of layoffs
or closures in places like St. Thomas or
London. Locally, the Volvo closure comes on
the heels of closures in South Huron of the
CanGro and Dunline plants.
While the Volvo closure most immediately
affects those who work there, the closure
will no doubt have far-reaching impacts
across the county — how many other busi-
nesses in Huron are customers of Volvo's?
How many of them rely on Volvo completely
for business? How many businesses will be
forced to lay employees off because of the
affect Volvo's closure has on them? These
are the types of things the county has to
worry about.
There isn't only bad news, of course. The
recent announcement that Goderich
Aircraft in Huron Park is expanding with a
new 43,000 square foot hangar and 70 to
80 new jobs is great news not only for
South Huron, but for the entire county.
There is also news of a new plant coming to
Huron East. These are the types of develop-
ments that can soften the blow of the Volvo
closure. But losing a well-respected manu-
facturer after more than 125 years in busi-
ness hurts and the fact the county held a
special press conference last week in
Goderich to deal with the issue shows just
how concerned the county is.
And we should all be concerned, particu-
larly for the families most affected by the
closure.
We have not
yet begun
to fight...
Never was so much
owed by so many to
so few...
Distributed by Canadian Artists Syndicate
11/ r
How about some truth?
During the 1993 federal election, then
Conservative leader Kim Campbell made her
now famous comment that elections
weren't the proper time to discuss issues.
The comment was one of the final nails in
the Conservative coffin that was trying to
avoid the boulder of the Mulroney years
rolling down the hill at it.
While Campbell was ridiculed for her
comment, 15 years later her analysis of
elections remains truer than ever.
The 2008 election hasn't been a shining
example of Canadian politics, with more
"sound and fury signifying nothing," than
ever.
Under the microscopic glare of camera
phones and Youtube waiting for them to drop
the football, literally and figuratively, the cam-
paign teams have kept their candidates on a
tighter leash than ever.
What is lacking though, among the rhetoric of
change, green jobs, sustainable economies and
kitchen tables are honest appraisals of what
politicians can or should do. An honest assess-
ment would be that compared to much of the
world Canada is in an enviable position and
that while it isn't going to get much better, it
can certainly get worse.
The reality is that no politician not
wanting to be run out of town on a
rail, much less to be elected, can say
what needs to be said — namely that
the 40 -year gravy train of entitlement
spending has come to an end and
both consumers and politicans have
to cut both spending and services.
When Canadians go to the polls next
week, they may ponder a ballot initia-
tive that Massachusetts residents will
vote on in November.
On the ballot for the voters will be Question 1,
which would eliminate the state income tax
and save the average taxpayer about $3,600 a
year. Annual revenue from the tax is about
$12.5 billion, roughly 45 percent of the state's
budget of about $28 billion.
And while state officials are worried about
the effect of losing the tax revenue, supporters
of the bill say it would cut government waste.
While it may not be another Boston Tea Party,
it's a start.
Alm. -ti le
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