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Times-Advocate, 1986-04-16, Page 4P Times -Advocate, April 16, 1906 imes dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario; NOM 150 Second Class Mali Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235.1331 ' CD C LORNE EEDY Publisher •.l.' .1.• V .1 J.1 • BM BECKETT Advertising Manager eNA ".4* BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK IONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Some faulty advice One of the favorite exercises employed by some people to belittle the expertise of friends is to ask them for a prediction on the outcome of forthcom- ing events and then to respond by sug- gesting they'll make the oppositepredic- tion because it will be undoubtedly be more accurate. That usually results in a good chuckle and no harm done to the friendship. However, that is not the case when people ask for serious advice or infor- mation and that's why Revenue Minister Elmer MacKay had few smiles this week after being taunted by opposition members regarding the expert advice being given out by tax department officers. The Toronto Star annually has a reporter assigned to test the accuracy of the information received from the infor- ma which Revenue Canada pm mo. "= :,,' ;aid to taxpayers needing hel I • - • it income tax returns. The reporter presented a list of 55 questions this year. The information of- . ficers provided him with incorrect answers for 43 percent of those. Replying to questions from a Liberal MP about the incredibly poor results, MacKay told the Commons "the depart- ment and myself are deeply disappointed and puzzled by this rather poor perfor- mance by our people." The Minister should be disappointed, of course, but perhaps not so puzzled. It turns out that the 43 percent error factor was only slightly above the 40 percent figure of 1984, although some improve- ment had been noted in 1985 when er- roneous answers were only given out on 31 percent of the questions relayed by the newspaper. Despite assurances from MacKay that some remedial action will be taken, the opposition spokesman noted that with about two weeks left before the deadline for filint Canadians now know they have no one to turn to for help in preparing the documents since "Revenue Canada doesn't know its own laws". Each year, millions of Canadians have refunds delayed because the department note there are errors on the returns. ... - - That now appears to'be a'ca"se of illete0 pot calling the kettle black and taxpayers should demand some assurance that the people checking their returns in fact know the difference between right and wrong. A 43 percent error margin is just not tolerable... unless, of course, it works to the advantage of the taxpayer. i RAW SIMPLY RAVED ABOUT OUR ACID RNIi PROPOSALS! uo MILLEIN SE Et Suppertime is hell I don't know what supper is like at your house. I guess it depends on your age, your family cir- cumstances, your life style, and a lot of other factors. At our house, suppertime can be hell. But that is going to change because on May 1, I fool you not, Peter's Plan will spring inion, , .;;:..��...:,,11r4'44144 A typical suppertime until naw has gone roughly.(no pun intend- ed) like this: Elizabeth: "Peter, would you, please, get the children to the table?" (Note the polite 'please' in the initial phase of the supper compaign! I approach the children in the following manner: "Supper is ready. I want everybody to go to the toilet, wash their hands and be in the kitchen in three minutes." This seems like a reasonable request, but it is always met by protests, non- compliance and escalation to Phase 2: I either turn the TV off and tell the kids to get moving or I physically carry, drag or push them first to the bathroom and then to the table. All this is, of course, accompanied by dialogue so ridiculous that I am ashamed to admit it. When all children finally somehow attach themselves to chairs by sitting or kneeling on them, hanging or swinging from them or rocking in them, the sub- ject of The Blessing is brought up. This part of the meal may go very smoothly, but more often than not it goes like this: "Dun- can, will you ask the blessing to- day please?" "No." "Stephanie, will you?" "I don't feel like it." "Alexander?" "I don't want to." And the blessing will be asked by an adult. Alexander doesn't eat potatoes. Stephanie doesn't care for chicken except for the skin. And Duncan won't eat anything un1t s it is smothered with ketchup. And so the grownups urge and cajole, Very enlightening game Grade 13 students at SHDHS are currently engaged jn a pro- cess that will undoubtedly im- press upon them the difficulty members of all generations face in making important decisions 'about the present and future. For the past few weeks, the 50 students under the guidance of four teachers, have been engag- ed in the "game" of deciding how Ontario will meet its electrical power needs to the end of this century and into the next. Some people have the mistaken idea that .the project is a brain- washing exercise ing promoted by Ontario Hydro. While the utili- ty is promoting the game, it was designed by an independent firm of consultants and almost every imagineable option for future power needs was given to the students to consider in. their presentation to their own energy review board. The simulated version of the review board hearings differs from the real one in one major area. The students are required to assume roles for the game and, of course, as in any situation where people virtually become actors, it is imperative to always keep in mind that the person playing the role does not necessarily agree with the opi- nions of the character that is be- ing presented to the audience. As a member of the audience for a portion of the presentation I can attest to the fact that the majority of students were quite convincing in their arguments and serious in their questioning, although there was evidence in some of the debate that a couple were finding it difficult to align their own thinking with some of the arguments they had been ask- ed to hack. While the game gives the students a better understanding of the pros and cons of the various options this province faces in meeting its electrical power needs in the next few decades, the main object of the game is to make them more aware of the decision making process and the difficulty that process presents for those involved in it. * * • * * * Wednesday's opening round consisted of -teams of students presenting four options for con- .................. .. ... Batt'n Around A ...with The Editor sideration of the review board. Those included the nuclear op- tion; hydraulics; alternative op- tions such as solar, wind, biomass and solid waste burning; and finally the demand side op- tion which examined conserva- tion, road management, pur- chase power, co -generation and heat pumps. The concluding day heard the arguments of various interest groups that either sup- ported or denounced some of the options. Compounding the decision- making process is the fact the review board is also made up of people with varying, and therefore at times contradicting, interests. The board had representatives from the large employer group, trade unions, municipal utlilities, engineers, civic leaders, in- surance and medical people. So, as in real life, the board not only had widely divergent views presented tojt, its own member- ship had biases that not only came into play in the manner in which the opinions were accepted and believed, but also in the ac- tual decision they will have to make in about two weeks when the game comes to its conclusion. * • * • • Deb Homuth, who co-ordinated the game with the grade 13 sociology, geography and biology department staff, opened the hearings by noting the game will be successful if students become more knowledgeable about the difficulty encountered in such major decision making processes and also in comprehending how people with divergent views pre- sent their cases. That success appeared evident in the. portion of the debate witnessed by the writer on Wednesday and it was particular- ly interesting to hear the com- plaints from students when their alloted time was announced elapsed by the chairman and they were left with more questions or opinions they wanted to air. Members of the student au- dience were also upset over not being allowed ample time for questioning under the rules of the game or became perplexed when various interest groups succeed- ed in having review board members ask questions on their behalf. The time clock added an unusual dimension but was an oh- viously necessary aspect. All in all, it is a most enlighten- ing game and the educational value appears extremely high, from a variety of aspects. I too await with considerable interest to hear the final review board decision; although it will probably be the least important aspect of the game. Work they implore and beg and bribe and threaten their way through the "main course", the general- ly unpleasant, dreaded part of supper that is tolerated by the - kids only because of the prospect of "DESSERT'' "What's for dessert?" they ask, and the answer to that ques- .).trion --will determine, their. behtiviour during the main course. Fruit for dert will This winter has been a long cold one with a lot of cold bitter grey days that made you just Want to shrivel up and stay in next to the fireplace. I guess that's why everybody just went a little crazy that weekend just before Easter when the sun was shining and the temperature shot up about fifteen or twenty degrees. People were out at the Pinery Provincial Park in droves looking at the whistling swans and people were even lin- ed up at one of the hamburger stands in Grand Bend as it if were a weekend in May instead of the second last week in March. The joggers and bikers were out in droves. i looked at a big group of bikes as they breezed down the main The Peter Hesse' Column result in nibbling, dawdling, pun- ching holes in the table top with forks or spoons, pinching your sister under the table, and other manifestations of displeasure. "So if they tell me I can't have a pear or an orange for dessert, so what?" Duncan will reason. And he will continue making patterns of ketchup on and around his plate. Adult conversation during the family meal? Forget it. Elizabeth or I may start a sentence, but the overlapping interruptions are always too much to compete with. No point in even trying to talk. Just get The main- course cleared, and bring the dessert to those who deserve it. If the dessert is chocolate pudding, there will be fifteen seconds of silence while it is slurped down in huge, overflowing spoonfulls. And then: "Can I get up now?" Suppertime. A stressful, noisy, tumultuous time that oftefi ends in tears for more than one tired little tot. Now enter: Peter's Plan. As of May 1, on an experimental basis, suppertime will go like this at our 9 house: . Elizabeth: "Peter, would you, please, get the children to the table?" And I will round the lit- tle ones up and address them as follows: "The grownups are go- ing to have supper now. We have what we think is a fine meal, a delicious main course followed by a, yummy Wit. e. are going to enjoy ourselves because sup- pertime is going to be a time of celebration. We are going to celebrate the fact that we are all together as a family and that we have this great chance of sitting down together over a good meal. . We're going to have some nice conversation and talk about the good things that happened today. Would any of you children care to join us.? ' This question can only be answered with yes or no. A child may opt in or out. Those who opt out will get no food of any kind un- til breakfast. Otherwise, they may do what they want, as long as they stay out of the kitchen where supper is being eaten.Those who opt in will be expected to follow the rules: go to . the bathroom and wash their hands immediately, come to the table within three minutes, sit down without upsetting the chair, eat most of their food and not com- plain. They may talk - one at a time. They will not be inter- rupted, and they must not inter- rupt others. For each "offence" there will be one warning. If the offence is repeated, that child will be removed from the kitchen and go without food until breakfast. There will be no scolding, no rais- ing of<voices. As I mentioned, this will be an experiment. We may get under- nourished children and a drop in food consumption. Or we may get a quiet, enjoyable suppertime. Who knows, the kids may get to look forward to having supper with their parents? .Wouldn't that be a blessing! for something street of the 'Bend': 10 s rac- ing bikes, every one of em. You never see a plain ordinary single - speed coaster -brake bike anymore. Kids just have to have By .the Way by Fletcher a racer or at least one of those low -slung dirt bikes with the balloon tires. When I was about 12 we lived in Hamilton. Over a period of four consecutive weeks 1 made seven dollars selling some livestock tor my uncle down on the city farmers' market. I hoarded the , money till I had enough, then took it down to the bike shop and bought a used bike. I took it home and painted it bright blue. It had wide wide handlebars with a stiff front wheel that let you ride no hands right down any road. Sometimes that machine seemed almost a part of me, so well did we ride together. Perhaps it was the working for it, the satisfaction of owning my own vehicle outright that made it so important to me. 1 hope that parents give their children a chance to work for something sometime in their young lives so that they too will learn to value what they receive.