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The Citizen, 1994-03-16, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16,1994. I C itizen ©•The North Huron CNA P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont N0M1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell r«m The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 The bottom line matters E ditorial With the approach of the fifth anniversary of the slaughter at Tiananmen Square that ended China's brief flirtation with democracy, one might think it was a century ago, for all the effect it seems to have had on relations with the West When you hear about China these days, it's not likely to be about repression of the people, but about the economic L_.....................................................I miracle that is taking part in southern China. Canadian and American companies keep holding up what is happening there as an example of how we must be more competitive. But nothing should make Canadians more skeptical about the "bottom line" ethics of today's business agenda, than what is happening in China. We should be asking ourselves if we want to be giving so much power to business leaders if this is how they see the world. China is indeed a mecca for people wanting to make quick money these days. It provides everything an entrepreneur without a conscience could want. There’s a huge potential market. There is cheap labour, with people having so little control over their own lives that it approaches slavery. There is a government that is literally ready to move mountains, and block streams and ignore all other environmental cautions are ignored, in order to attract business. There's no morality among western business leaders who are flocking there, however. There's only one measurement of success for them — the bottom line. While U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher was in Beijing last week chiding the Chinese leaders to grant more democracy, one wonders what the reaction would be if another Tiananmen Square happened today. Faced with the uncertainty of a budding democracy or the stability of a repressive government, one suspects the business leaders would be pressing western governments to make a good noise, but not make too much pressure for change. Too often in the past big business has been ready to support repressive right wing regimes in order to keep the profits coming. It would be nice to think that business people have matured, that we can create a world where we need fewer rules and regulations because business leaders have learned to respect the rights of others. Sadly, what's happening in China shows that when it comes to people or profits, too many business leaders will still choose profits. — KR Sad little creatures Anyone who wants to think positive thoughts about the generation just arriving at adulthood hopefully didn't watch CBC television Sunday night. Two shows in a row showed that there is something terribly wrong in the society that is warping our young people's values. The shows, "Talk 19" and "The Diary of Evelyn Lau" were both based on reality, a reality that most of us don't want to see. The second show would have been the easiest to dismiss. A drama based on the diaries kept by a talented young daughter of Chinese-immigrant parents who felt abused by her parents and took to the streets, turning to prostitution and drugs before finally getting her life together and becoming an award-winning writer and poet. This could have been dismissed as an isolated case of a young woman being lost between cultures and generations. More sad was "Talk 19", a follow up documentary to "Talk 16" which interviewed five young women at age 16 to see what a cross section of the younger population felt about their world. Sadly, three years later the young women are even more confused than they were in the earlier show. Most seem to see their lives in terms of physical appearance. One, a graduate of private schools, sees sex as her way to buy a rich husband who will look after her wants for the rest of her life. One worries her plain looks will get in the way of her dream of a career as an actress. One allows herself to be the decoration on the arm of a rock musician. One, a truly pathetic woman, feels her life can't begin until she has plastic surgery, surgery she feels her father should pay for because after all, "he gave me this nose, these eyes". Only one of the five girls, a Korean-Canadian first-year pre-med student with a deep Christian faith, seems to have a sense of her place in the world as being something other than based on looks. There will be those who will try to turn this into a case of sexual politics, to portray the women as victims of living in a male world but any realistic look at young men of the same age will show many equally lost. Nearly all the girls, for instance, have nothing good to say about men. Could it be because the lost boys they have been involved with are also bewildered about their place in a world where image and material possessions seem all that counts? What kind of world have we given our youth anyway? — KR Photo by Janice Becker P.S. I thought you should know... MP discusses budget, GST By Paul Steckle MP Huron-Bruce Finance Minister Paul Martin unveiled his first budget on Feb. 22, delivering to Canadians a host of election commitments. Mr. Martin outlined three main goals in the budget: to support job creation and economic growth, to renew social programs, and to reduce the deficit. Mr. Martin outlined a compre­ hensive plan to achieve our interim deficit reduction goal. The government's goal is to reduce the annual deficit to three per cent of gross domestic product within three years. Canadians told us they wanted the deficit reduced by spending cuts, not tax increases. We agree. The former government imposed a much hated tax on Canadians, specifically the GST, which undermined public confidence in the fairness of the tax system. To achieve greater tax fairness, we have closed a number of business tax loopholes. But for every dollar of new revenue, we have made $5 in spending cuts. Mr. Martin's budget allocates funds for every commitment made in the Liberal "red book," our election platform. We are doing what we said we would do. Canadians want a government that has the same priorities they do: a government that cares about putting people back to work and getting the economy moving. It's no secret that the Goods and Services Tax has been a disaster. Delivering on a commitment made during last year's election cam­ paign, the federal government has launched a process to replace the GST. The government's intention is to replace the GST with a new tax system that generates equivalent revenues, is fairer to consumers and to small buxinesses, minimizes disruptions to business, and promotes federal-provincial fiscal co-operation and harmonization. Fairness, simplicity, and harmon­ ization are our key objectives as we examine alternatives to the GST. With the input and co-operation of the provinces, business, and individual Canadians, we are confident that a new and improved tax system can be implemented soon. I want to inform farmers about the new Farmer Tax Information Slips. Although there has not been any change, in the tax treatment of -farm support payments, we introduced the AGR-1 slip to make it easier for you to report them. Sending tax slips does not change tax policy, but instead clarifies which of the over 40 types of Letters Reader asks for support THE EDITOR, The Blyth Rutabaga Committee has planned two fundraisers to help with expenses for the fifth Rutabaga Festival June 24, 25 and 26. One is a St. Patrick's Day Dance March 18 at Memorial Hall and the other is "Pay As You Pull" tickets for cash prizes. So far we've had very limited response and encouragement from the community in supporting this year's Rutabaga Festival with the exception of our local service groups. With only six members on the committee it is very difficult to plan many events as there is not enough of us to do everything. We are very much hoping that if anyone enjoyed any aspect of the Rutabaga Festival in previous years they will come out and support our fundraisers and give the committee some much needed support. Brenda J. Burkholder. federal program payments are taxable and which are not. Payments are being categorized on the slips according to their source, type and tax status. The summarized payment information should help farmers in preparing financial and income tax statements. You may receive several tax slips depending on the number and type of farm support payments you received. All tax slips should be in the hands of producers this month. Blood donor clinic, Mar. 31 THE EDITOR, The auxiliary to the Wingham and District Hospital and the Wingham Kinsmen are hosting the Red Cross Blood Donor Clinic at the F. E. Madill high school on Thursday, March 31. Donation times are 12:15 to 4 p.m. and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Two pieces of ID are required. The groups are urging the public to take a few minutes to come out and give. Remember the life you save may be your own. Ann Goodall, Co-ordinator.Os sill The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and should be accompanied by a telephone number should we need to clarify any infor­ mation. 3 DI