Zurich Citizens News, 1977-12-15, Page 24Page 4
Citizens News, December? , 1977
"One thing you'll have to say about this government — what they lack in
intelligence, they manage to make up for in stupidity."
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Merits consideration
The debate around the role of the com-
mittee system that occurred in this
month's meeting of Zurich council is in-
dicative of the quandry that small elected
bodies find themselves in.
. The assumption behind the adoption of
the committee system for municipal
government is that a separate body con-
sisting of elected and appointed members
could offer more expert consideration
towards a matter and could resolve the
mechanical aspects that would tie up a
council meeting in inconsequential trivia.
The committee would then pass its
recommendation along to council.
In a large urban community where
there are hundreds of areas that are dealt
with by councils, the recommendation of
committee is usually followed due to a lack
of acknowledged expertise by members of
council in all areas.
When the same structure is used in a
much smaller municipality, the attractive
features of the system lose some of their
luster.
Members of Zurich council have to be
jack of all trades and as such, maintain an
interest in all of the community's affairs
but to revert to the system where village
council looked after all the affairs of the
community would necessitate a council
meeting twice as long as it presently is or
the adoption of more than one council
meeting per month.
Councillor Leroy Thiel's suggestion
that specific dates for committee meetings
to be set well in advance of the actual
meeting should be given some serious
thought by Council. Perhaps a section in
the minutes could be set aside for this pur-
pose.
A roan for the province
Mention the name Lewis in the context
of Canadian politics conjures up an image
of a man infatuated with the game • of
politics.
J.S. Woodsworth's agrarian socialist
party has come a long way from the days
when its basis of support lay in the wheat
fields of the prairies. It was a person by the
name of Lewis who took over the
leadership of the Ontario wing from Donald
MacDonald and tranformed a "voice in the
darkness" into a party with a real voice in
the destiny of Ontario.
A person whose wit and method of
delivery has made him one of the most
respected figures in Ontario politics,
delivered his last speech in the legislature
as leader of the Ontario NDPs and it was
fitting that it served as a prelude in another
attempt to bring down the Tory govern-
ment.
But once again it failed as it has
through several elections and numerous
non -confidence motions with the Conser-
vative fortress weathering storm after
storm.
A man whose favorite companions in
an election were his children and who had
the ability to change a child -like sparkle in
his eyes to a sudden hawk -like stare.
Stephen Lewis ... a leader who will
be missed.
FIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS
Published Each Wednesday IBy J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association•
News Editor - TomCreech
Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385
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Miscellaneous
Rumblings
By
TOM CREECH
Christmas from a
different
perspective
There is mystery in human hearts,
And though we be encircled by a host
Of those who loved us well and are beloved,
To every one of us, from time to time,
There comes a sense of utter loneliness.
A Solitary Way
Its at this time of year when the streets are full of peo-
ple laden heavy with Christmas gifts and the sounds of the
season are heard everywhere from progressive rock
stations to religious radio programs.
A general assumption that accompanies the Christmas
spirit is that mankind is just a little less cruel than it nor-
mally is and that people are more generous in their aid to
their fellow human being.
While it is true that the many service clubs in the area
devote a large amount of their energies to helping the
children, the old and the sick to enjoy this season just a lit-
tle bit more, the fact remains that the spirit of Christmas is
merely but a shadow of what it once was.
Recall back in September when the sun was shining and
the kids had just gone back to school, some radio morning
man in an attempt to shake you out of your Monday mor-
ning yawns, saying "its only 98 more days till Christmas."
This author will hazard a guess that the first thing that went
through your mind were the words: "Christmas shopping".
What could one expect from a consumer, oriented socie-
ty but there is too damn much commercial exploitation this
time of year and precious little emphasis on the spirit of the
season.
Christmas is the time for the celebration of the birth of
Jesus Christ. The name "Christ" and the word "humanity"
are in this author's books, synonyms.
Would it not be more in keeping with the connotations of
these words that a gift to someone less fortunate than
ourselves, be it across a street or across an ocean, capture,
the spirit of Christmas in a more meaningful way and
should it not serve as an embarkation point towards a
greater • understanding of the necessity of humans caring for
each other?
The writer recalls the chance meeting of someone who
through no fault of his own was 'finding it difficult to "make
it" in today's world.
This individual rode the same bus as the writer and
stood out from the rest of the riders. A tall bespeckled, thin,
young man, dressed in a gray winter coat, cheap blue jeans,
black rubber boots and a battered satchel that seemed per-
manently attached to his right hip.
One discovered that he lived with his parents in a house
not far from the apartment building which I resided in and
that he was classed as a slow learner. Every day he had
classes at the Canada Manpower retraining centre in an
attempt to upgrade his grade five spelling and reading
abilities while at the same time trying to find a steady job.
You could tell that he was not enjoying his present
situation but at the same time an air of powerlessness over
his own destiny seemed to follow this individual where ever
he went.
If someone a few short years before had noticed that his
reading wasn't quite up to the standards of. the rest of the
children, if somebody •had cared, had had some humanity,
maybe this person would not be faced with the bleak future
that is before him now.
"Christ" and "humanity" are not words that are used
in a particular season; why should their meanings only have
validity at Christmas?
A release from the United Church of Canada stated that
"It's a shame to plan everything and leave the renewal of
the spirit of Christmas' to chance. Each of us can plan to
take time to get in touch with the real Christmas spirit.
Christmas is not about things, or even about what happened
long ago. It is about something that can happen to each of us
today. Don't leave Christmas to chance."
To wish yon the
of this
Holy
Season.
Sincere
gratitude.
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