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Times Advocate, 1984-10-31, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, October 31, 1984 imes- Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate (-() cn Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited L ORNE EEDY Publisher ►IM t3ECKETE Ad%erUsing Manager While the disparity between the have and have-not nations of the world continues to be well documented, there are constant reminders that members of socie- ty in this nation are victims of the same widening gaps. The story was related this week about- an unemployed London man who didn't have the finances- -nor the necessary funding forthcoming from welfare officials—to purchase a pair of safety shoes which he needed to obtain a part-time construction job he had been offered. BILL BAETEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistant Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $22.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' The gulf widens Compare that situation with recent advertisements offering everything from fur coats to summer camps for Cabbage Patch dolls. The latter are examples of the many excesses which some can consider while others have to be con- cerned only with how, or if, they are going to get their next meal. As the gulf widens, so surely must the bitterness of those on the wanting side. If you can't beat 'em That there is no honor among thieves apparently applies to some of the games political parties play ac- cording to events and reports of the past week. Already reeling from defections to the federal scene, the Ontario Liberal party lost another popular member when Kitchener MPP Jim Breithaupt was ap- pointed chairman of the Ontario law reform commission. Some may be surprised that the appointment was made by the Ontario PC government, but apparently one of the factors in handling out patronage appoint- ments is to dangle them in front of the noses of some of the "unbeatable" members of the opposition. That may not appear to be a case of political patronage in the true sense, but in reality it is intend- ed to open up a seat for one of the party faithful in the next election. If you can't beat 'em, get rid of them by giving them some plush appointment and hope that your party can win the vacant seat and retain power to keep that activity self-serving. On the heels of the Breithaupt appointment, several other sitting Liberal ' MPPs and former members reported that they too have been approach- ed with a similar goal in mind by the PCs. The record show the move has paid off with Conservatives winn- ing seats that were held by those appointed in the past. While the tactic is obviously rather dubious, it must be noted that the decision by the opponents to take the bait ranks well up in the same category. One thing is certain: it's a closed shop for most of those plush civil service positions for which beleagured taxpayers can only dream. They put themselves out of the running as soon as hey mark their ballot, regardless of which party is upported. s Prevent a mishap Accidents are the greatest threat to the lives and limbs of Canadian children; more of them die because of accidents than from all communicable childhood diseases combined. Many others are seriously injured, some resulting in permanent disability. Medicine can immunize against disease, but it is up to parents and educators to immunize children against accidents through protection and education. One area where a little care can make a big dif- ference is on the walk to and from school. Left to their own discretion, most children would choose the most interesting path home. Together you and your child should map out the safest route to get to and from school -- one. on a well -lit path, away from construc- tion sites, wood -lots, paiaking lots, blind alleys, and busy traffic. Explain why it is important to stick to the route you have chosen -- rules are more likely obeyed if a reason is given. Teach children to call home if they have had a change of plan that will make them late or take them on another route. Take a little time now to help prevent a mishap -- instead of a lifetime wishing you had. Several conflicts are apparent The leadership race for the Ontario Pro- gressive Conservative party is now under- way as the hopefuls toss their hats into the ring in the bid to become the next premier of the province. Already there is some controversy as opposition members have forwarded the suggestion that the campaigns should be conducted under the regulations of the Election Finances Act which dictate the disclosure of contributions and spending limit standards. However, Deputy -Premier Robert Welch has declared that contributions to the leadership hopefuls is strictly the Tories' business and no one else's. That's not quite accurate. The beleagured taxpayers of the province have a right to know what individuals or groups may be providing financing to par- ticular candidates in anticipation of future returns on that investment. The act, which was authored by the Tories, alsostipulates that no person, cor- poration or trade union is allowed to con- tribute more than $4,000 in money, goods and/or services to any political party dur- ing an election campaign. If those rules were seen as a safeguard against the possibiliity of future political indebtedness on behalf of any member of the legislature, then there is obvious grounds for suggesting it should apply even more stringently on the person who will become the next premier. Party leaders, above all others, should have their list of major contributors open to public scrutiny. • • • • The leadership race also opens the question that has arisen of late regarding the holding of public positions while engaged in an election. The matter was debated strenuously during the recent federal election in Lon- don where Mayor Al Gleason was a can- didate for the Liberals and took an unpaid leave -of -absence to campaign. 4 There were many in that community who thought he should have resigned his London position outright, rather than holding the door open for his return following an unsuccessful bid. Progressive Conservatives in Huron - Bruce have already lost their candidate when CNKX radio announcer Bill Thom- son decided to decline the nomination he BATT'N AROUND with the editor had earned to return to his open line talk show. Thomson had left that position in an- ticipation of a fall election. With the uncertainty nowsurrounding the date for the next provincial election, he decided it was obviously going to be too long a time to be unemployed. It is assumed that his company's policy dictated that he remove himself from the radio show at a time when he was a candidate for a political party. Candidates from public and private jobs often find themselves facing the same restrictions. Therefore the obvious question arises as to whether cabinet ministers should continue to hold their positions at the same time they are contesting the party leadership. • • • • Those positions can provide them with unfair advantages over candidates not blessed with similar party status, and while that tao may be considered as strict- ly the business of the Tories and no one else's, there is the matter of cabinet ministers using their power bases as a tool to gain support from their back-bench colleagues as well as to influence other party supporters through policies directed at interest groups with which those supporters may be aligned. Leadership candidates must obviously be free of detail programs or policies that would be instituted if they were suc- cessful. But, should they remain in posi- tions where they have - or are seen to have - some authority to use their offices to gain favor with the general public and with the party faithful in particular? There appears to be a decided risk that cabinet ministers would undertake the responsibilities associated with their posts in the interest of their leadership campaigns and there can obviously be situations in which that may not necessarily be in the interest of the general public. That scenario may not be as much of a detriment as cabinet ministers avoiding some of the more unpleasant aspects of their duties so they do not jeopardize sup- port from certain individuals or groups during their leadership campaign. Put in their shoes, the majority of peo- ple would find it difficult to display the toughness required in some areas of cabinet responsibility when those respon- sibilities must at least be subconsciously considered from the standpoint of not damaging or even increasing one's sup- port in a leadership race. There are three months to go before the convention and it must be assumed that some matters of urgency will arise for the government during that time or that new policies will be considered. That being the case, perhaps the cabinet ministers should relinquish the posts upon declaring their candidacy and allow the remaining elected members to rule without any fear or favor associated with the leadership campiagn. "My biggest fear is of being rescued!" Appearance not missed Merchants and hucksters across the land will gladly sell you a souvenir of the Pope's visit for eighty percent off these days. They over- bought, misled by the media, whose figures were on the high side, and scared away a lot of peo- ple who don't like mobs. On the other hand, no visitor to this country could command the huge crowds, Catholic and otherwise, who trudged through mud end were belted by cold rain and suffered cruel winds, to see the Holy Father. No other figure in the world could come to this country and say the things he did and get away with it, indeed, be cheered for it. Some of the things that came through from a week of Pope -watching were evident to all: the man's tremendous en- durance; his sometimes fierce insistence on spiritualism over materialism; his love of children and succour for the sick and crippled; his insistence on a better deal for the poor of the world. Even the most staunch Irish Orangeman could scarce forbear to cheer. It's going to be a hard act for the Queen to follow. She won't dare talk about native rights and poverty and the questionable politics of some provinces. Let's face it. II Papa has more clout than a distant descendant of Good King Harry, who broke with Rome, seized the Church's wealth, found himself a tame Archbishop, and married at will. 'Twas not always so. The stay-at-home Popes, huddled in the Vatican, became almost symbols, with the odd exception, of everything reactionary, timid, and nonsensical, f Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley thereby creating a virtual revolution within the church. John Paul II has not ex- actly won over the feminist movement, nor the priests who want to get married (silly idiots), but at least he goes out and lays it on the line, not hiding behind the skirts of Rome. He has been shot, threatened, and probably cost more in security ser- vices than anyone in the world. I don't know whether he has created a great resurgence in the R.C.'s. I'll count the cars parked outside my house this Sun- day, and for several after- wards. It's only two blocks from the church. Personally, I didn't get to meet him, though my arthritic foot should have got me in the front row. I didn't exactly expect him to kiss my foot and make it better, though k'd have kissed his hand if he had. I have an apology to make to His Holiness. I ac- cused him of not saying a prayer for Team Canada against the heathen Rus- sians. That column was written just before the Canada -Russia game. Ap- parently he got the message, and sneaked off for a minute to have a word with the Lord. Anyway, we won that night, 3-2. Thanks, Pope. Despite the fact that he was only three miles away, I didn't go to see or hear him. It involved swimming a lake and wading through a marsh. I don't think he missed me. Instead, I went to visit Mammon, my bank. At 5:30 on a Friday, I was the only customer in the bank. I proceeded to a vendor of potables, which had hired extra staff for the day. I was one of two customers there. A striking blow for His Holiness, methinks. Frankly, I don't care if I never see another fac- simile of John Paul. I have been confronted by them in every store window, newspaper, fast food shop and gift shop for three or A worthwhile goal Sometimes people get to thinking that because they are past a certain age that they are going to become useless, a drag on society, that nobody cares whether they live or die. I talked recently to a friend of mine, a former principal who had retired at a relatively early age. He's going crazy, or the next thing to it. He's got all the things around the house fixed that he can possibly fix, the roof need- ed patching, the rec room that never quite got done, and now hes at his wit's end. With earlier retirement ages becoming a fact of life and with people living healthier lives it would seem that a lot of attention is going to have to be paid to making those lives pro - sure packed a lot of living. Perhaps not quite as much as the previous forty or so Perspectives ductive and enjoyable. They certainly can be if a person works at it. My Aunt Nettie could be considered a senior citizen since she's in her late eighties but into the last twenty years ore so she's By Syd Fletcher st when whe was a head nurse in a Salvation Army hospital for unwed mothers but still a fair amount. She got married (for the first time) in her sixties and when that gentleman wl— four months. He's a hand- some chap, for a Pole, but enough is enough. What I do wish is that I hada video of him kissing children, blessing the af- flicted, and doggedly ser- ving mass in a wind - whipped arena without saying, "get me the hell out of here." Something I don't understand is that the hucksters didn't sell Pope headgear. There was his tall hat, which he didn't wear too often, but would be priceless for Hallowe'en parties. Then there was his beanie, or skull -cap, which he wore often, and must have used Krazy Glue to keep on, in some of those winds. A guid, canny Scotsman could have made a fortune out of those two head- pieces. But I hear stories, in- stead, of people at the Pope's site trying to sell hot-dogs for $1.75 and hamburgers for $1.95 and having to give them away at the end of the day, because we're not a'that stupid. Pirty. Anyway, we won the Canada Cup, thanks to the Pope's little duck off for a prayer, and God's ap- parently in His Heaven, and all's right with the world. And I had an advocate, saying a prayer for me, right up there with the Pope. I haven't checked it out yet, but if she didn't say that prayer, we're both in trouble. She with me, I with the Lord. died five or six years later decided" that she wasn't going to be grounded for not knowing how to drive the little 'Beetle' which the two of them used to can- vas for the Red Shield drive. She learned how to drive and got her license. Drove right up to the last couple of years or so too. She flew out to Calgary to see her brother many times over the last few years. Didn't let severe arthritis or pain stop her in any of these ventures. To me it has seemed that she has had a deter- mination to live her life to the fullest, a worthwhile goal for any one of us at any age.