The Brussels Post, 1975-04-16, Page 2rjr
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Amen
By Karl Schuessler
My Ontario government giveth and taketh
away.
I t bought that was something only the Lord
did. But then this isn't the first time we've
nibbled away at his perogatives.
The Ontario Government giveth. Beginning
May 15 it will give away every two weeks
$100,000 in that gambling scheme called
Wintario. And that's not all. There's 1350
smaller amounts besides that grand prize.
Ontario is now joining the ranks of Olympic
Lottery, The Irish Sweepstakes and your local
corner chance board. Pick a name. Pull up the
tab. See if you can pay or win.
But of course if my government giveth, then
it must also take away. Take away not only the
prize money -- it's estimated ab6ut 40% of the
total -- but also the profits. The government
needs profits. That's another ,40%. Then
there's the cost of administration. 20%. And
in round figures we're up to 100%. The whole
ventured accounted for, and its prospects very
promising.
13ecause my government doesn't go into
anything that big without ample samplings
and testing.
Yes. The lottery is very popular nowadays.
Research shows that more than 70% of the
population is willing. Willing to gamble a ten
or a one or whatever to win a, thousand. Or a
"You can win a million" sings its way into
everyone's heart. I can hear it now. I can see it
now. A yacht. A dream house. A trip around
the world.Goodbye pain. No more strain.
And if I lose? Too bad this time. Maybe
next. At least some lucky son-of-a-gun won,
didn't he? And besides, All those profits --
expected at 40 million dollars annually—are
going for good causes. Like Sporting events.
Coaching elincis, Art galleries. Potters.
Sculptors. Musicians. Historical projects. Ball
diamonds. And certainly these things are
going to make better people out of Its all.
You can't knock that, can you?
But I can.
I still can not understand why my OntariO
government, dabbles around in this sort of
game. Oh, ',know. We've put up with this for
years. Bingo. Raffles. Draws. Chances.
Give-aways. All this petty manoeuvreing that
raises money for some good cause. And the
churches put up with it too. Overly sensitive
ones draw the fine line between games of
chance and games of skill.
But my government? Who is supposed to
set example? Show excellence? Set high
standards? Lead? Has it become a victim of
it-works-and-everybody' s-doing-it?
After two years of U.S.Watergate and after
England's sex scandals, calls went out for a
higher morality in government. The English
lords knew exactly what to do when they were
caught cavorting with shady ladies. They
resigned.
One of them admitted that the average man
might smile at their capers and say "good on
you". But the lords knew that high position
means high conduct. For from our leaders we
want more than run of the mill. We demand
higher standards. We need shining lights. We
want them to stretch for the stars . . . often for
us.
We tolerate lesser things in lesser men.We
want far more in better men. And their high
office carries high expectation.
And if this isn't enough to keep out the
government in gambling schemes, then the
practicalities of gambling should. Who spends
his money on lottery tickets? Probably the
man who can least afford it, The man who
needs the pot at the end of the rainbow to keep
him going. The poor. And include the Middle
class poor too.
And all those losing lottery stubs become a
reminder. A reminder that, once again,
goVertiment's put another bite on his money.
One more bit of his income just dropped iiito
Ontario's plitso,
I'll keep my own ptirse strings closed.
I know the odds On gathbling, I'll stick with
the evens. Even plain old work to make my
dreatits come true.
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MITMA-10110
1172
Brussels Post
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1975
, Serving Brussels and the surrounding common16i.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited:
Evelyn Kennedy , Editor
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and.
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association..
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $6,00 a year, Others "
ccNik, $8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each.
010•110•10=1.1
Communication
Isn't it marvellous-this age of communication in
which we live! Just imagine-flying from London,
England to Toronto in a little over two hours! That's
what the new Concord jet can do, and since it beats
the sun by several hours, it could deliver a letter in
Toronto today that was sent from London
tomorrow-(barring a mail strike, of course). Now
that's communication! Meanwhile, satellites are
flashing picture messages around the world in
seconds; computers are spewing out a volume of
informative messages that boggles the mind-and
sometimes the computer. Hou many telegraph wires,
and cables are sending messages at this very
moment? Haw many telephones are ringing right
now with potential messages?
The irony of it is that in this great age of
communication we find more and more evidence of
lack of communication-between husbands and wives,
parents and children, minority groups and the
establishment, manageMent and labour, and
between nations. Individuals, groups and nations
reach out for the help of marriage counsellors,
psychiatrists, group therapists, strike mediators,
special ambassadors and truce teams-all in an effort
to communicate. Words pile on words to create a
monument to our tragic inability to communicate
with each other in a significant way.
There is an ancient story which is, in itself, useful
commentary on the art of communication. It tells of
an old gardener and a very close friend who shared
his love of gardening. They used to'take long walks
together and they drank their evening tea together,
saying hardly a word but exchanging views and
emotions by a shake of the head, a smile or a frown.
in time, the friend was sent to a distant land and
after many years, the old gardener was . thrilled to
receive a letter from him. The letter. was very brief
but it brought a flood of memories and Joy to his
heart. It said simply "Today I pruned my rose tree."
...It took months for the old gardener to compose a
reply to his friend-one that would express all his
affection, his memories and loneliness. At last, the
return message was ready-an expression of the ties
that bound the two old men together-and it read as
follows: "Today, I too, pruned my rose trees."
Surely, his friend got the message-loud and clear.
I ' I'Wow OtisiVE YOU CA/4 7716- 13,4770c0H ,V4 _ .
.11 I I SAME rit#Amt $0C/ eALL• all dtiFsA
BRUSSELS
ONTARIO