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The Times Advocate, 2005-04-20, Page 44 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, April 20, 2005 =CNA Editorial Opinion ,p0.1F/OQ n = *cute<O MIEM TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager ii Published by Metroland Printing, ri Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Thank you to all our volunteers Volunteering used to be something done by ladies of a certain social class. They would get togeth- er to drink tea and roll bandages, or organize penny carnivals to help the poor. Upper class ladies considered too delicate for the busi- ness world, ran extensive fundraising campaigns to build and furnish entire hospitals and churches, both at home and in foreign countries. They looked after soup kitchens, funded orphanages, supported missionaries and bought supplies for TB sanatoriums. The ladies were formidably efficient and effective, and deserve a major vote of thanks for their efforts over the years. Today's volunteers are, at first glance, different. For one thing, both genders do volunteer work, and the ages of volunteers range from children to senior citizens. Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes, from the burly, bearded young coach of the local minor ball team, to the great-grandmother who bakes all the pies for the lunch- es her group caters - and they cater a lot of lunches; and from the petite high school girl who sorts donated items at the food bank, to the retired police officer on the charity's board of directors. However, they have a great deal in common with their counterparts of yesteryear - primarily a willingness to give of their time and talent for the benefit of the entire community, and a need to accomplish important things that fall outside the range of paid employment. Young people explore careers and gain employment skills through volunteer work. In addition they learn valuable lessons on how to work with people of varying ages and from different backgrounds, and how to strive to achieve a common goal - lessons not necessarily taught in the classroom. And in a world where "it is not what you know, but who you know," they meet some pretty high-powered community leaders through volun- teering Seniors who have a wealth of life and business experi- ence can continue to play a vital role in their community through volunteering. Today's seniors tend to be a pret- ty healthy, active lot, and many regard retirement as the chance to do the things they never had time for when they had to go to the office every day. This often includes taking a leadership role in various community groups. Volunteers these days are not necessarily upper crust, but they all have something to give. And the giving is not a one-way street. Many people have discovered - by choice or otherwise - that volunteer work offers useful experience that looks good on a resume. It also fosters the sort of self-respect that can only come from doing something important. And there is no better way for someone new to a community to meet people and make new friends than through volunteering.Without volun- teers, minor sports programs would virtually disappear. However much volunteers contribute to their commu- nity, most would say they get more than they give. What they do not get enough of is the gratitude of all the people they help. To all the volunteers past and pre- sent who have made this community and country what it is today, thank you. Your efforts have enriched the lives of all of us. (FROM WINGHAM ADVANCE TIMES) It's that time of year again "Hello Mr. Nixon, I'm calling on behalf of Stephen Harper, wondering if you would consider voting for the Conservative party ... " I hung up before the Tory flunky could finish her sen- tence, but I have to admit the phone call to my home last week put a smile on my face. It confirmed to me what Canadians had already suspected since testimony at the Gomery inquiry started hurting the Liberal party's popularity — a federal election is looming, whether we want one or not. And if you can believe the latest polls, Canadians don't want another election, because apparently it's too much trouble to find out who the local candidates are and actually go out and vote. So why did I hang up on the Conservative caller with the pleasant voice? It wasn't necessarily because she was calling on behalf of the Conservative party. I would have hung up no matter which party she was representing, since it's been my policy for a few years to hang up on every telemarketer, no matter what the topic is. They annoy me, and they never want to talk about anything interesting. I once spent 15 minutes on the phone with a telemarketer doing a survey on fast food restaurants. I'll never get those 15 minutes back (not that I want them back). I briefly considered having a conversation with my caller last week, saying something to upset her, such as "I wouldn't vote for the Conservative party if it was the last party on Earth." But I didn't feel like it, so I rudely hung up. I don't have a huge problem with the Conservatives, just that I happen to disagree with nearly every single policy they have. The fact their leader looks like he was born with that choirboy hair- cut wearing a suit and tie doesn't help matters, either. I can also do without the social conservatism and the paranoid fear of change, but hey, that's just me. But I am interested in the outcome of this election. Rightly so, Paul (I knew nothing about it) Martin and his Liberals are seeing their popularity plummet. These guys have truly worn out their welcome. While they have climbed in popularity polls, the problem for the Tories is they're still not getting the huge bump they thought they would get — many dis- gruntled Liberal supporters seem to be heading to the NDP and the Green party, which raises an interesting question: What if a Canadian election was called and no one voted for the Liberals or Conservatives? It's an appealing thought, although probably not something that will happen soon. Unless Canadians get even angrier about Adscam and decide to leave the Liberals in larger numbers, this country is going to find itself with another minority government, probably Conservative. Canadians, while understandably angry at the Liberals for a number of reasons (Adscam, incredible arrogance and broken promises to name a few), aren't yet willing to hand over a majority government to the Tories. It makes you wonder just how badly the Liberals have to screw things up to lose. Perhaps more Canadians would like Harper if he didn't sound like a George W. Bush wannabe. It's possible to be a Conservative and yet still come across as Canadian, yet all I hear SCOTT NIXON AND ANOTHER THING out of Conservatives and their fan club is nega- tivity like how much this country stinks and how much better things are in the Excited States of America. How about some positive ideas for a change? How about admitting this is 2005 and not 1955? Just a thought. At any rate, get ready for a late spring or early sum- mer election. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to hanging up on the rest of our parties when they call me looking for votes. 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