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Clinton News-Record, 1985-08-28, Page 4P 6.4 -.CW, fTO ,y`Ys'f'C,,OR f WENE$+DAY, A GNq, 190 Tint Ctitif4.n'-144 l !?r4 1# puhllkhed eati>, 44e4444848 at. P.4. lox 39. brltario. Canada. NOM 41.0. Tel.: 483.3443. Subscdptiop.RgFus Canada • S19.83 Sr. Citizen - 914.7'.3 par year U.S.A. foreign - 959.80 par year 0. 7,17 9 1t 1s,repiWter.ed RS,secand c)gos �rr9U hY. the, psat offlcn ander the permit number 083l. The N .0.00likorord .Incorporated hi 1924 1;40 iiy eePHI NOec.,gird. founded In 138.1. and - T.heCibonn. liew,$Ero,. feunded.1n 1803.1.ofol pre,u runs 3,700. Clinton i�ews-Record Incorporating THE BLYTII STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN1- Publisher. SHELLER McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENRECK - Office Manager GGNA a. A MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Cord No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. No fond farewell for Frani Miller Frank Miller will long be remembered as the leader of Ontario's Con- servative party, but the memories won't be sweet. Right or wrong, the former Conservative leader will be remembered for the downfall of the Tories. The defeat of Ontario's reigning party after 42 years' of power will rest on Miller's shoulders. Undeniably Frank Miller made many mistakes during his short seven months at the helm of the Conservative party. However he led a political party that was obviously crumbling at its foundations. From the beginning of his term as leader, Miller lacked the full support of his party. From the time that he won the Tory title at the January leadership convention, party supporters were divided. Many didn't back the choice for party leader and the general public was keenly aware of the dissension among the Tory ranks. • Frank Miller may have been unable to reunite his party and the strength of the Tories in Ontario, but in the end he showed that he is a responsible politician and a man of integrity. With the fall of the Conservative party at the election polls, it was ob- vious that Frank Miller was not the man to lead his party and the Con- servatives were no longer the rulers of provincial politics. It was a gruelling defeat, both for Miller and the party, but he took full responsibility for setbacks that befell, the Conservatives. Miller admitted his mistakes and valiantly tried to rebuild the party from the ruins. Up to the day of the announcement of his resignation, Miller toured the pro- vince to meet the people, in an attempt to regain their confidence. Yet, he faced the realization that he would not be able to reunite his par- ty in tirne,for another election. • Frank Miller's short reign at the head of the Conservative party was not an illustrious one. While many predicted the fall of the Tories under his leadership, the Darty and Miller himself did not face this reality until it was too late. • Can the Conservatives win another election? Only time will tell. The Conservatives have learned a fough lesson and this should compel them to take a long, hard look at the party and the future prospects for leader. As for Frank Miller. He may be long remembered for his mistakes, but hl' should also be remembered for his devotion to his party. His resignation as party leader restored his credibility. By willingly stepping down as the Conservative leader, Frank Miller publicly acknowledged his own defeat and gracefully put his party's interests ahead of his own image. For this Frank Miller deserves a great deal of credit. -by Shelley McPhee. r A year in waiting, Counting off the. mon- ths. the weeks, the days, At last, summer vacation time. A summer holiday at the cottage is rest, relaxation and rejuvenation time. It's a time of easy living. There are no telephones to answer, no newspapers to read, no clocks, no whew; to go, no one to answer to. • The biggest decision of the day is what to eat for supper, barbecued hamburgers or hot dogs. The biggest exertion is moving the chaise lounge into the sun and fixing another glass of iced tea. And summer at the cottage is a time of simple pleasures. - Of spending a lazy, day with a big paper- back novel. - Of watching a sunrise. A sunset. By Shelly 1019,1i, - Of an evening campfire and the peaceful feeling that comes from watching the mesmerizing effects of the dancing flames. - Of finding a perfect stick to toast mar- shmallows over the coals. - Of calm, warm lake waters, and an inner tube to float the afternoon away. „ - Of lying on your back, watching sea gulls gliding through blue skies; Fluffs of white clouds floating on air. The Milky Way. A falling star. But, alas,. summer is drawing to a close for another year. This weekend marks sum- mer's final fling, for adults and children alike. Adults are preparing for the onslaught of the busy fall season and children are ready- ing for the start of school next week. And the memories of swnrner will linger ori. Another year to wait. This summer Clinton's vSelaw ,far', qn. Wheels wasvisited by anore'f;ban50Q peapie,,,' and in the near future more people will'be • learning about the unique story that sip - rounds the old CNR rail coach; The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation f ( CBC -TV) has prepared a television series that is loosely based on the' story of the . School on Wheels and th ! Sloman family. , The first show, And .1Miles To Go, will ,be • aired on CBC -TV op Wednesday, September 11 at 9 p.m. Wise FanWy Meets • On August 18 the families of Anna Wise gathered for a picnic. Rain washed out the original plans for the day and the event was held at Wesley Willis United Church. A highlight of the day was the celebration of Mrs. Wise's 89th birthday, complete with cake, cards, gifts and many best wishes. Worthwhile messages Dear Editor: „. The "Music and Messages" shows, held at the Bayfield Fall'Fair, were meant to com- pliment the fail• and were considered a suc- cess. We would like to take the .opportunity to thank the village council and the fire depart- ment for permitting us to set our tent on their lot. Gospel the Clown had three shows on Saturday, because of his popularity with the children, and we were able to hand out many new testaments. Thank you to those who helped in any way. It was deeply appreciated, John 3:16 Behind The Scenes By Keith Roulston Ironic and tragic When the 40th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki rolled around the world was deluged with controversy, a controversy that unfortunately obscured a valuable lesson of hope. The anniversary brought those out who said the bombings should never have hap- pened, daho with the hindsight of 40 years, in these 'days when Japan is a friend, not an enemy, can say that there was no need for the bombings at all and that the U.S. leaders were guilty of a crime against humanity. On the other side there were those who deplored the attention paid to the climactic conclu- sion to the war with Japan without recalling all the atrocities Japan had perpetrated to bring about that war in the first place. Lost in it all was the reality of Japan then and now. In the late' 1930s and 1940s, Japan invaded and occupied nations to create what it called the Greater East Asia Co - Prosperity Sphere. The aim was to secure for Japan Sources of raw materials and markets for the finished products of their in- dustry. When free trade was strangled by protectionism during the Depression years Japan suffered. The growing' mood of frustration gave the military more and more influence until in 1941 General Hideki Tojo became Prime Minister and the military had control of the government. The bombing of Pearl harbour came weeks later. Within four years Japan lay in ruins. The U.S. occupying forces put the civilians brick in charge of the government. A new con- stitution was adopted to make sure Japan would never again become 'a militarily adventurous nation. Only a tiny 'armed force was allowed, strictly for defence. Military spending was limited to one per cent of gross national product. Japanese ingenuity and aggressiveness was ,hannelled insteadinto industry and the rest is history. Japan became more power- ful in peace than it was in war. As one observer noted, even if Japan had won all its objectives in the war, the nein markets could not have supported the kind of economy Japan has today, The United States could, and should, take a lot of credit for this marvellous transition, this beacon of hope for a peaceful world. Un- fortunately, it doesn't. Stung by competition from this new business rival, many Americans are crying foul. It is unfair trade, they say, when the Japanese spend so little on defence while the Americans pour a huge portion of their gross national product into defence. The American government is now pushing Japan to rearm. To scut American defence budgets and, one suspects, drive up the cost -of doing business in Japan because of higher taxes, the Americans want Japan to build an air force and navy that can protect sea lanes up to 1000 nautical miles from the Japanese shore. For Americans; who now pay to pro- tect Japan this is fair. It is, however, both ironic and tragic that the one nation that has learned how to win more from peace than war should be pushed to spend more on arm- ed forces. Takin' it easy By Anne Narejko Sugar and Spice Growing old comfortably . How to supplement your income when you go into retirement? This is an.occupational hazard of potential retirees, who, after liv- ing in this country for the past thirty years, know full well that their paper money is go- ing to be good for starting fires with, and not much else, in a decade or so. Canadians are extremely security - conscious. They don't give a diddle about growing old gracefully. They want to grow old comfortably. • It's hard to believe. These are the same people whose ancestors came from the fogs of Scotland and the bogs of Ireland and the smogs of England, with plenty of nerve and not much -else. They paid their dues with hard work, tak- ing chances, raising and feeding huge families. The lasthings in their minds were pensions, condo niums in the south, the falling dollar, or yrabs. They didn't need oil; they cut their own wood, they couldn't even spell con- dominium. There was no such thing as a , pension. The old man was Grarr'ipa, and he hung onto his land, bullied his sons, and made most of the decisions, until he retired to senility and the fireside. ' The old lady was Gramma, and she helped birth her grandchildren, bossed her daughters, had a wisdom that only hard liv- ing can give, and was buried thankfully, but with copious tears all around. They lived with a certain ugliness: brutal work, vicious weather. cruel child-bearing by the women, until they were warped and arthritic and sick in body. Flew pleasures like music and books and drama and automatic dishwashers and television and milk in a plastic carton in - By Bill Smiley stead of a cow. But they didn't need two martinis to give them an appetite for dinner. They didn't need . a couple of Seconal to put them to sleep, or a couple of mood elevators to relieve their depression, or a couple of,. Valium to relax their muscles. They ate like animals because they work- ed like horses. They slept like animals because they were exhausted. They didn't need mood changers because they had only two or .three moods: angry, tired out, or joyful. They didn't need muscle relaxers because their muscles were too busy to relax. Now you may think I'm making a pitch for "The good old days." I'm not. I think they were dreadful days. I remember the look on my Dad when he couldn't even make a pay- ment on the coal bill. I remember watching my mother, who never cried, weeping over the sewing machine at midnight, When she thought no one was looking. But in those days, people grew old with a certain dignity, if not beauty. They accepted their final illness as "God's will." Most peo- ple today say, "Why rhe?" when they sire stricken. Today people want to be beautiful when they're old. They want to be thought of as "young at heart." They want to be comfor- table. They don't want to be ill. They dread the cold. They fear poverty. They search. sometimes desperately, for some sort of womb, or cocoon to go back to, where they will be safe and warm and fed, and never have to look that grim Old Man straight in the eye. And modern economy lets them down. Their hard-earned,. and hard -saved dollars dwindle into cents. They come close to heart attacks and strokes when thug have to ' pay $3.i30 for a pound of beef, 89 cents for a lousy head of lettuce, over a dollar for a pound of butter. They are disoriented, confused, and frightened. And it's not only the old who are frighten- ed and insecure. I see it in my'younger col- leagues. They don't talk about Truth and Beauty, Ideas and Life. They talk about pro- perty and R.R.S.P.s, and the price of gold, and inflation, and the terrorizing possibility of losing their jobs. Some of the smart younger teachers bought some land when it was cheap (they're oot so young anymore, eh?) and built on it. The smarter ones have a working wife. The smartest ones have both. Most of them, even those in their thirties, are already- figuring on a second income when they retire: selling real estate or boats, do- ing the books for some small businessman; market gardening; antique shops. Who can blame them? ' But I have the answer for every one of , them. No problem about retirement.. Just follow Bill Smiley around, dp exactly the op- posite to what he does, and you'll come out healthy, wealthy and wise, when it's time to put your feet up. If Smiley buys equities, buy blue chip stocks. If Smiley buys gold mining stock, buy a swamp. If Smiley calls the Tories to win, vote Liberal. If Smiley buys an ounce of gold, dump yours fast, because it will drop $200 overnight. If Smiley gets into seat- belts, because they are compulsory you get out. The law will change. I could go on and on, brit I won't. Just watch what I do, and do the oposite. And, have all the papers to proVe l3ttt I'fri charging twenty per cent of ever ng you make. And that's how I plan to weather in- flation and retirement.