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Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, Decombér 27, 1M95 Page 7 By Alex Shepherd Are Ganadians so réally bad off? A survéy appeartng In "Maclean's magazine notes Canadians are- d'esponent about thèlr future, belleve governments wont proteot themr ln the future, and, sée their, childrens future doomed ta a life below the lMng standard théir parents enjoy. The United Nations deemed Canada the best country ln the world ta lNe. Vêt we lament about how bad we, as Canadians, are. Ves, govémments are transformlng. Rt Is an attempt ta Identlfy Inefficendies, ta streamllne the system, ta provîde basic service ta the. country at an affordable price to taxpayers. Ask yaursélf: Do you réally néed ta sée a doctor about your cold? Do Canadians really want ta use unemployment Insurance as an Incarne supplément? Or wauld they prefer ta make théir own living? Gavernment sn't abandoning people. Canadians aren't mean. After ail, colledlivelyr we've built a great nation and havé shared Rt with thé world. Canadlans wilI not alk>w their govemment ta turn thelr backs on people who néed hélp. But Canadians are demandlng effidiencles ln government. Théy want value for tax dollars. lronlcally, whlle Canadians criticize gaverméent for bélng ln debt - a debt we démandéd - some Canadians are living well beyond their means. Consumer debt, as a ratio of disposablé Incarne, has risén ta 90 per cent from 52 per cent oam the last 10 years. f someone did thé research 1 suspect wé would find this rising debt Is awed b y thosé under age 35. 1 brought this ta thé attention of thé Gavernar of thé Bank of Canada recently and hé agréed the statistlcs are causé for conicern. Wé have ta asic oursélves if aur own éxpectatians are thé cause of negatMvsm about aur soclety. Are aur expectalions weiI beyond what is attainable? To be.honest, I have difflculty arguing with a constituent about réductions in ernplaymént Insurancé bénéfits when that: constituent has two cars and a 30-foot boat slttlng ln thé drlveway. Banks and ather financlal Institutions havé dévelaped a stranglehald ovér thé nation by rapidly expanding consumer crédit ta asslst us ln building aur own pérsonal debt traps. This has ta be examined. Being morose Is nat part of thé human condition. Waking up ta new challenges is. Canada is expérienclng new ecanomic and fiscal chalenges affecting us ail. This Is a strain but our nation is stili the bést in whe hta Ne. We have thé resourcés, bath human and natural, ta pull us out of aur prablemrs. Wé have ta start working on saMng aur problems as wé say goad-bye ta thé 20th century and embrace thé challenges of the 21lst. More incen;tjtive Thé fédéral gavémménrs changes ta unemployment Insurance have beén announcéd. And. many wlll view thé changés as punitive and retrogressive. Canadas UI bénefits are thé highest in thé western world. Some argue thîs had led ta a décréase ln thé praductivity of labour. International comparIsons show praductlvity ln Canada. has decllnéd steadlly thraughout thé 'èos. High UI bénefits has résultéd in somé récipients being less concerned about being unemployéd. Wé ail know people wha regularly claim benefits for séasonal jobs in Industries such as farestry and fishing. Thé changes ta UI will réducé prémlums and therefare bénefits. Since avér haif of UI benefits are pald by employers, hapefully this wlll lead ta more hirlng by emplayers. At thé samée timé thé changés will reduce benefits and higher income éamners will sée their benefts réducéd. But statistios show this group is léss proné ta collect UI. The changes also méan less bénefits for thase wha use thé system fréquén4. Many woulcérs, G M employées come -ta mmd, will be affected by this. Thé idea, as ln athér farms 0f insurance, is that if. you usé thé system mare fréquently yau should applyr higher prémiums or, as in this casé, récelve léss benefits than those who use thé system lèss. GM argues they are justifiéd ln using thé system as is bécausé they draw onlyr 60 cents for every dollar théy pay into UI. In a sensé this argument is Justifléd sînce GM workers are subsidizing hlgh usérs especially those in thé east coast fishery and farest lndustry. S tilU1 lisaQn insu rance plan. A nd it's imposs ib ein on*e where OFFCERS 0F COMPO&ffM LODUE No..%0 &F. AND AI!, (LE Ll7N L TyMYE% 1952 Back Row: Ernest Stafford, Tyler AE. Stinson, Senior Deacon; Bert Guthrie, Junior Deacon; John R. Town, Senior Steward; Fred Marsh, Chaplain; R.G. Fenton, Organist: T.G. Fairman, Imner Guard; Charles Rycroft, Junior Steward. Front Row: W.M. Pringle, Treasurer, J.W. Elliott, Imniediate Past Master Fred Ing, Senior Warden; Maurice Slichter, Wors3hipful Master, Ronald W. Agg, Junior Warden; Arthur Archibald, Director of Ceremonies; Wesley G. Augustus, Secretary. Composite Lodge was founded in 1852. The Masonie Hall in which this picture was taken, was located where the Bank of Commerce je; now on Brock Street North. Whitby Archives photo 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, Deoember 23, 1985 edition of the WIHMTY FREPS * Hydre rates will go up 3.9 per cent on January 1, 1986. * Brooklin Concrete is expanding its premises. * Durham Region je considering the establishment of a waste-burning incinerator. * Elsie and Roy Davies celebrated their 5Oth wedding anniversary. 35 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, Deoember 22, 1960 edition of the WHJ[TBY WEEKLY NW (This issue is missing) 80 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, Deoember 23, 1915 edition of the WHITBY GAZETTE AND CHIRONICLE (This issue is missing) Bill Swan is enjoying the holiday season. He'll be back Jan. 10 1