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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1984-08-29, Page 2T Huron 4 xpositor4 SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST Incorporating Brussels Post ' 10 Main Street 527-0240 Published in SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning JOCELYN A. SHRIER, Publisher RON WASSINK, Editor JANET MACDONALD, Advertising Manager Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada $18.75 a year (in advance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (in advance) • Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, Or TARBO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1984 Second class mall registration Number 0696 cn Bravery or bravado In an election campaign which is unique in its lack of clearly defined issues, the selection of the two ridings in which the leaders will run leaves their sincerity open to question. Prime Minister John Turner has chosen to run in Vancouver Quadra and PC Leader ,Brian Mulroney has opted for a personal battle in the huge riding of Mariicouagan in eastern Quebec. Both of these constituencies are presently held by strongly -supported members of the opposite parties. Both Turner and Mulroney will have an uphill fight to win election, even if they could devote full -tines to campaigning in their chosen ridings. Obviously, as national leaders of their parties, they must spend much of their time in other parts of the country. It would appear that both men wanted to make gestures of political courage, to prove their individual prowess at getting votes. However, these gestures may indicate more bravado than bravery. Should either one or both of them suffer personal defeat at the polls, new and safe ridings would have to be chosen for by-elections so the leaders could take seats in the House of Commons. There would be additional delay for the country's business and duly -elected members of Parliament would have to be sacrificed to leave openings for the party leaders. (Wingham Advance Times) TO THE EDITOR Close contact important The Honourable Bette Stephenson, M.D.. Minister of Education 22nd Floor, Mowat Block, 900 Bay Street., Toronto. Ontario, M6A 11.2, "Matthew. Mark---" A true story. In the spring of 1973 two beautiful baby boys arrived at Seaforth Hospital. Our little man was named Matthew --our friends' named Mark. As the boys grow, we. as their parents. will have some tough decisions • • make so they can become independent-espon• sible adults. Where will our boys be educated? For our young lad it was a relatively easy decision. For the McClure family it was harder. Mark was born deaf. Mark has been receiving an excellent education at Robarts School in London, Ont. If the McClures wished for something better for their son it would be that they could be able to share in more of Mark's weekly school c -vents. etc. This, naturally would make any 11 year old happier too. If Mark's secondary school education has to take place even farther away at Milton or Belleville, as the Ministry of Education is considering. fewer. instead of more con- tacts can be made between the boy and his parents. Certainly, as concerned parents. we would be very upset if this ever happened in our son's schooling! And to think it could possibly be done without anyone ever asking us what'we thought was best for our chi{ " Cost should very definitely be at the bottom of the list of considerations in this matter. as far as we're concerned. Matthew. Mark—will your Lukc or John be born deaf? Who will help him? Sincerely George and Ruth Townsend and Family R.R. #4 Seaforth. Ont. Copy to: -M.P.P. Jack Riddell Robarts School Parents. Hensall, Ont. Farmers paying to quit r- COUNTRY CORNER by Larry Dillon It hasn't really made any headlines in the papers. As a matter of fact it doesn't seem to be a subject of great public interest at all. Farmers are noticing the situation and shrewd investors are starting to take advantage of it. Because of the growing disillusionment in the agricultural industry. farm land has started to sell for much less than the owners have paid. in some cases farmers are selling for less than they still owe on their farm. There are more and more cases of young farmers selling off part or all of their farms for less than the outstanding debt on the property. They are making alter -nate ar- rangehtents to pay off the balance of their obligations. These are not farmers taking desperate attempts to avoid bankruptcy • they are people who have decided to quit. They could perhaps continue in their fawning operations for many more years, but they are tired of the continual sacrifices required. They expected to profit from their labor and investments, but they haven't. They've been looking forward to a future in farming for themselves and for their children. but they can no Longer see it. To be able to sell out, farmers are willing to carry some of the outstanding debt and pay it off through other efforts. They are paying for the privilege of quitting. Though all farmers are not hi this situation or feel so strongly about getting out, the alarming remains to be that there are a significant number of them. These people are not the activists that we hear about on the evening news. They are not seizing equipment from auction sales. They don't barricade their farm gates. And they are not publicly blaming the banks or the government. They accept full responsi- bility for the losses themselves. They freely admit that investing in farming was a mistake for them and that trying to continue might be an even greater mistake. Ilan), such farmers admit they should have been able to look 'far enough ahead when they made their investments. They are businessmen who only now realize that they acted on expectations of continuing econ- omic growth. They made a mistake and expect to pay for it. The individual farmers in these situations express surprisingly similar opinions: "Ow• ing just S10-520.000 in order to get out, isn't that much. it's worth it just for the peace of mind. Mine hasn't exactly been a cash crop operation, it's been more like credit cropping. It's worth the loss just to avoid going down to the barn every morning and losing even 'more money through the livestock . " AT THE BALL PARK—The junior girls houseleague teams took part In the Minor Baseball Wrap -Up Barbe- cue at the Lions Park on Saturday. About 15 teams participated over the weekend. (Hundertmark photo) The strongest comment on the situation that I've heard was expressed by a farmer who has already sold most of his land. He said, 'If you don't like it, get the hell out! Nobody cares!" His opinion carries a little more truth than most of us would like to admit. The people who are leaving the farming business are doing so because they don't see a bright future in the industry. At the present time they are in the minority. At the same time their attitudes and the reduced expectations of investors has had a significant effect on the value of farms. Cash crop land is dropping in value. Livestock barns may actually reduce the 4aTite of a farm. But the tragedy of these farmers can benefit speculators who are willing to buy good farmland at reduced prices. There is an element of gamble involved. but the risk is much less than for the former owner who is already taking a significant loss. There is the potential for windfall profits for the speculator. If any of the promised government help ever materializes, it will probably be the new owner of the farm who benefits. Our politicians and the economic experts assure us that we are starting a recovery from the economic problems that have caused so much hardship for our younger farmers. if this is true, then the people who sold out at a loss will have once again made the wrong move. The problem is they believed politicians and experts in the past Their faith in the future has led them to their present difficulties. Diamonds are a girl's best friend Rough. roads lead to Big Apple 1 once read a jingle that went something like this: "It takes two weeks to get ready for a holiday, two weeks for a holiday, at the end of two weeks you're finally relaxed, and then g takes two weeks to get in the mood to get back to work. " I've had my two weeks and it seems I never really had a vacation. Next year I'm taking two months vacation. 1 thought the pace at work was hectic but after spending two days on the road, driving to and from the Big Apple(yuu got it, New York) and two days in the city. 1 was more tired than pounding out thousands of words on my typewriter. A foursome of which 1 was part of. spent many weeks preparing ler a trip to the largest city in the United States. in fact. the city of New York has four million more people living within its limits than the entire 8 million population of Ontario. HORROR STORIES Before we began our trip. I'd heard many horror stories about tourists being mugged in the city. We were told to hang onto cameras and purses with two hands and never to look up at buildings because that would give us away, The natives would know who we were• -that we were tourist --and they'd wait for the right moment to strike. So with horror stories in mind, we headed for the city in our rented van -camper i SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink conversion. Hoping to save some money. we camped along the way, stopping at a campground in the Catskill Mountains. Let me tell you that four people in a van is cramped. 1 was given the prime spot to sleep --on a bench above the sink but only two feet from the roof of the van. Talk about daustrophobia--I still haven't recovered my senses. imagine sleeping with your nose Only a foot from the roof. We decided to tour Manhattan Islan'd in the centre of the city, Upon entering the city limits, we had to stop for a red light. Immediately six black youths surrounded the van. offering to wash the windshield. Even though i insisted. "no, we didn't want our windshield washed,""one young entrepre- neur insisted that the windshield was filthy. We were warned of the windshield washing trick before' the trip and were told if we didn't tip the window washer. that the living daylights would be kicked out of our vehicle. So there went my first Si. Driving along the west side of the island, 1 Nerds Once in a long while. there comes along a movie that you hope will become a huge success even if you don't ever get to see it. Such for me is the summertime movie "Revenge of the Nerds". if ever there was a movie made with me in mind. this was K. But then there are millions of other nerds. wimps and other Undesirables across the continent saying the same thing this summer. in fact the marketers for this movie have been very clever because they know that while the all. American fantasy may he to be the star quarterback on, 04 high school football, (or at least the star half -back) most people end up sitting in the stands after being cut at the first practice. or at hest., being the waterboy who the hems treat like the scum of the earth. The producers of the picture apparently sem to reviewers a whole kit that allowed you to judge just how big of a nerd you were and after reading some of the qualifications. I'm sure the ranks of nerdom had some rather couldn't but help notice the garbage along side of the road. There were even wrecked or burned out cars littering the roadside, And with two lanes of traffic rushing by me on both sides, I didn't offer to pick up the litter. And talk about rough roads. New York city streets are so rough that a milk trucker, going from one end of Manhattan Island to the other would have a truckload of butter instead of milk at the carrot his route: litiron County sideroads are in better shape. in fact the old main street in Brussels was smoother than New York city streets. My nerves were shot in about five minutes. And it didn't get any better. Looking for a parking spot was almost impossible. There were many parking spots. but the parking garages were too low for the van to enter. i stopped at an outdoor lot and parked. only to be told that, "We don't take vans." By this time 1 would have gladly burned that damn van on the side of the road. We finally asked --yes can you believe it -•asked a New Yorker where we could park. But that wasn't until 1 turned down 42nd Street in frustration and drove right through the city to the other side of the island to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Parkway. DRIVERS ARE CRAZY That was something eise.-1 don't mind city driving but after driving through New York, give me Kitchener or Toronto anyday. Try to imagine the sideroad at the Seaforth lagoons. That's about the average width of a New York sidestreet. The streets arc wide enough. but the drivers down there are csavy. They park on both sides of the street. when parking is, only alloeed on one side. and then proceed to double park. It seems as 3 drivers aliandontheir cars of which there are few. delivery• and garbage trucks, of which there are many. Driving down such a • street is like following a snake and not bending the blades of grass. Some passages were so narrow that I thought 1'd have to grease the sides of the van to get through. But we made it to the parking lot, nary a scratch. The stress was unreal. i was ready to head hone right then and there. And after we spent two days in the city, maybe I should have. (Next week more about the Big Apple) on't need a movie BEHIND THE SCENES by Keith Roulston surprised new members, What you thought was common sense, often made you a nerd. For instance. if you've broken your glasses and use a piece of tape to hold them together, you're a nerd. Since 1 once went for iboul six months with only one leg on my glasses, 1 must qualify for a very high rank of nerdom indeed. if you use one of those little plastic things in your shirt pocket to keep the ink of your ballpoint pens from staining your shirts (sensible idea isn't it?) you're a nerd. if you ride a bicycle and tuck your pants into your sock instead of getting a regulation bicycle clip. vou're a nerd. 1 forget what all the other qualifications were but there were plenty of them and I figure !qualified for more than my share, But the movlemakers knew we were ripe for a little revenge on all those people who were so perfect they looked like they'd just come out of hermetically•sealed plastic hag from the perfect -people factory. The logo for the movie shows a muscle• bound former nerd raising high the title ."Revenge of the Nerds;.; that has been carved out of rock. Clinging td• his legs. looking on with passionate ecstasy are tree luscious cheerleaders. the kind who only looked on nerds in school with a sneer. Nerds were only guys who kept bothering them when they were waiting for invitations to the nig dance from the hunks who starred on the football team. the track team or the hockey team. always wore just the right match of fashions. had cars of their ow•n and didn't have too borrow their fathers. Now we nerds know we don't mall need a movie of this kind. We know that if the gorgeous. shallow people of the world would just see beyond the surface appcaranccs they would find warm. intelligent and all round nice guys. Fact is. they don't want to look because they'd sec how superior we were Still. it's nice to he celebrated even now and then instead of always being the brunt of tar jokes of all the gorgeous people who scene to he everywhere in movies. In fact. 1 think ti's time the female equivalent had their own movie of revenge. There's only one thing that bothers mc What if the people who made this movie arc really the bronzed. blond California adonises who drive Porsches and eat only in the hest restaurants? Joke's on us again Summer rushed by at gold medal pace A plenitude of presents and politicians. topped off by a surfeit of visitors and Olyt spies, with a heat spell and lingering case of summer 'flu, have made this summer rush past at a gold medal pace. It all began in June, when the presents started pouring in, as my retirement was rfficially observed. 1 was taken to lunch by twin of my favorite students. then to a reception for myself and a colleague, Petrie Rintoul. who. at 60. is so fit he could make a 32-year•otd Swede appear on the verge of senility. F,ach of us received presents from the student council, individual gifts from former students, a silver dollar from the town's mayor commemorating the Pope's visit, and a rather smarmy plaque signed "Bill Davis." along with a lot of good wishes from parents and friends, and a handsome encomium from our principal. Very nice, and we departed. laden with gifts for a great steak dinner at Perrie's place. The following Friday. last day of school, there was a big party•luncheon with a hilarious teaching and office staff present (teachers are even more hysterical than students on the last day, and the bar had been doing a roaring business). Again the gifts and good wishes poured in. My loot included a golf bag, a very handsome credit at the golf club, a pair of book -ends, and, most thoughtful, a commis- sion for an excellent young photographer to take a picture of my grandboys. Well, l haven't had a game of golf yet, and the picture is to be taken tomorrow, but it was a fine party, with everyone extremely SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley witty and many warm wishes from long-time colleagues. As well as gifts. i've been invited to visit the cottages of half a dozen friends. and out for dinner numerous times. It's good to have people who don't forget you're alive, even when they're absorbed in their own affairs and holidays. 1 have a feeling Canadians have been stunned by a plethora of politics in the last year or so. First, a Tory leadership campaign, with the rather pathetic figure of a nine -months Prime Minister, Joe 'lark, standing in the wings. bravely trying to smile, pushed off centre stage by the smooth -talking, smooth -running Boy from Baie Comeau. who will, one day. get the same knives in the back. Then we were inundated by U.S. polities. as the Democrats' front-runner, Walter Mondale, was seriously challenged for a while by a maverick senator and a black preacher, and later the rather daring choice of a woman as running -Mate. It jest- might pay off. which is all that counts in •politics. Once more into the ring, dear friends, as the liberals began the circus of choosing a new leder. The Golden Boy won it, as expected, so we now have a Prime Minister who held no office in parliament, and has shown a tendency to tumble the halt since he walked out of the Liberal, citadel some sears ago to get rich. And. of course. the national disgust at thr final gesture offtaideau. who once again thumbed his nose at us, but this time in the grand tradition. herding the pigs. winners and losers alike, to that big fat trough of political patronage. Turner will rue the day he signed the letter agreeing to all those plummy appointments. He didn't have to, though he says he did. As the party's chosen leader, he could have said "Stuff you. Pierre," and emerged with clean hands, and a• belief in his integrity. This is just sour grapes. of course. I'm pretty sore because he didn't appoint me to the Senate. Then, before we could catch our breath. the Golden Boy. badly advised, in my opinion, plunged us into an election campaign. if there is one thing Canadians don't need in summer. it's that. We have two months of the year in which we can truly enjoy the summer, and there is a great apathy among the electorate, despite the attempts of the media serfs to create a little excitement. There is touch more pleasure in going for, a swim, much more excitement in watching the Olympics, than in listening to the already thrice•reiterated pahltim of the politicians. They all promise the same things. in different terms. which erodes the interest of all but the party hacks and the dedicated fanatics of each party. Right now. I coui, n't care if the Rhinoccrous Party won the election, They couldn't do worse about inflation. unemployment. housing you name it. Enough. it turns the stomach. How about visitors? Well. my ,son escapes the city at least ever} second weekend and appears, sometimes with a friend He professes a simple. abstemious diet. and eats like an undernourished wolf, w hole trying to force- feed me on things 1 don't like. He's "keeping an eye on Dad" so that Dad eats enough. Then came the boys, who would stay here while their mother was on a trip to Israel. for two weeks. We're well into our fourth week now. and Kim has been here for two. Oh. well. What the hell. They're supposed to be going home ttlis week. and 1 won't have to play football with a bum foot, or take them out to gourmet dinners of cheeseburgers and chips. and 1 won't see them again until Christmas. if then. I'll miss breaking up the odd fight, the sometimes fierce hugs and kisses. the great intellectual conversations about the latest tock group. And my daughter has written a new composition for piano and strings, has a job, a new apar:-tent, however tiny and whatever the Bost (you wouldn't believe it) and got a chance. and found out it's not that easy, to write this column.