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( 2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, January 21, 1987 Section Two Efje Canadian Statesman 623-3303 Durham Countv's Greet Family Journal Established 133 years ago In 1854. ATsolricorpor sting The Bowmanville News The Newcastle Independent The Orono News Second class mall registration number 1561 Produced every Wednesday by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 62-66 King SL W M Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 JOHN M. JAMES Editor--Publisher GEO. P. MORRIS Business Mgr. RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. PETER PARROTT Associate Editor DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. 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Easy Way to As of this writing, it appears that the Oral Roberts' telethon for life has just about reached the half-way point, with nearly $4 million of the required $8 million having been obtained obtained at last week's end. This is probably good news to some, who fear a personal loss if the evangelist were suddenly called to join God in Heaven. But to many others, this recent fundraising fundraising campaign from Rev. Roberts is a sad reminder of how low some people can sink for the almighty dollar. dollar. For those unfamiliar with this recent recent fund-raising gimmick, the plot is pretty simple. Rev. Roberts announced announced on his Jan. 4 television program program that he had recently completed an enlightening conversation with God and was now turning to his congregation congregation for help. According to Rev. Roberts, the thrust of the conversation with the Almighty Almighty was that the heavenly plug on Roberts' life support system would be pulled in March if the congregation failed to raise $8 million before that time. This seems quite humorous. After all, what could be funnier than watching the weekly tabulations rise as supporters do what they can to give Rev. Roberts a lease on life. It offers a somewhat satirical stab at the fund-raising techniques more commonly employed by telethon hosts like Jerry Lewis. In fact, one can almost picture Ed McMahon announcing the latest figures figures as they roll in, while celebrities like Charo and Wayne Newton wait in the wings for their cue. Yet when you think in real terms of the people who send the money to this cause, the laughs wear pretty thin. It wouldn't be too bad if we could be convinced that only the rich and powerful participated in Rev. Roberts' scheme (we'll be bold here and assume that contrary to reports from Tulsa, Oklahoma, God has actually actually had no part in this plan). But we all know what really happens. happens. Quite often, it's the people who really can't afford to be sending ridiculously large sums of money to the evangelist that end up doing so anyways. In effect, these people sacrifice needed dollars so that the evangelist's projects will continue. Incidentally, the purpose of the Make a Buck latest fund-raising exercise, as explained by Oral Roberts, is the raising of funds to help finance his organization's medical college. His supporters will correctly say that we can't really prove Rev. Roberts doesn't donate every dollar he receives to the many missions and causes he has on the go. But at the same time, the occasional Sunday morning blitz with the channel channel changer has revealed that Rev. Roberts and most of his cohorts in t. v. evangelism aren't starving, even when they make claims to be on a one- month fast. One might be left to wonder how some of these people can live with themselves. After all, it's reasonable to believe that some of the donors do have some type of communication with the evangelists. Certainly, the conversations must leave a message in the evangelists' minds. It should become clear to some that despite their beliefs that they're bringing people closer to the Lord, they're also taking money from people who really can't afford to give. But not one has ever been seen offering offering to return the money. It's probably probably safe to assume most have found a way to overcome their guilt. And that's a sad commentary to all of us. For if we're to passively allow people to reach such depths in their pursuit of the almighty (at this point referring to the dollar bill), what right have we to condemn others who compromise their values for money? One possibility would be to create new laws which give the higher courts the authority to ban any religious programs which spend inordinate amounts of air time seeking money. Actually, such laws wouldn't be as tough to create as you might think. We already have laws banning pornographic pornographic material which is judged to be obscene. Similar laws could certainly certainly be put into effect for our evangelical friends. At that point, we would probably reach a stage where the airwaves would be free for religious programs with more sincere intentions. They do exist, despite what one might believe believe at times. As for Rev. Roberts, there is one other possibility left: he might fall short of his goal. In that case (assuming (assuming God doesn't renege on his part of the deal), we may not have Oral Roberts to kick around much longer. Free Trade Clear as Mud Don't be surprised if, during the next six months, you hear a lot less about the question of free trade. Even the proponents of this concept concept are not calling it "free trade" any more. They're arguing that the terminology terminology should be something like "freer trade". By that, they mean the idea of unrestricted access of goods between the U.S. and Canada is some- thingwhich would never really work. They are saying now that the whole exercise is merely intended to establish establish ground rules for commerce between between Canada and its largest trading partner. Those supporting the more watered-down watered-down version of free trade are also suggesting that there never really really was any intention to open up the borders. They claim that the whole idea of free trade has been distorted by journalists who either: (a) missed the point entirely or (b) oversimplified oversimplified the issue in order to make the news fit the headline. By now, we're wondering if free trade was really a political project rather than a serious economic initiative. initiative. It looked good, politically, for Canadian leaders to be seen exploring exploring the possibility of expanded markets markets for Canadian goods south of the border. But if that kind of access were to lead to a reciprocal right of Americans Americans to exploit the Canadian market then the concept of free or even freer trade doesn't look quite as rosy. To make matters worse, there were reports last week that the U.S. was interpreting free trade negotiations as an opportunity to re-open the Auto Pact. That particular item, which accounts accounts for something like one-third of all Canadian exports to the U.S., is not a chip that the Canadians had been eager to bargain with. But it's not loo surprising that the Americans have suddenly discovered the Auto Pact and its benefits to Canada. Canada. The pact was quick to surface in the talks surrounding this entire question, partly because Canadians never stopped "crowing" over the enormous benefits the auto agree ment gave Canada. At this point in history, it might be expected that Canadian free or freer trade proponents will slink back to the status quo. And it's doubtful if any position other than the status quo can be hoped for in the immediate future. If American industries were so overburdened that they would welcome welcome additional output from Canada, then perhaps a loosening of cross- border commerce would be wise. When the economy is booming, trade prospects between the two nations nations are excellent. It's only in tough times that each partner wants to protect protect its own territory to the exclusion of the other. In a competitive international marketplace, marketplace, Canada would in all likelihood likelihood get clobbered in the sort of commercial commercial free-for-all where both sides open their borders to the other's imports imports and exports. The recent import tax placed on Canadian softwood lumber products proves that Canada really doesn't have much room for discussion when the U.S. really chooses to put on the pressure. In the light of the American success in the softwood lumber debate, it seems difficult to imagine how Canada Canada would be able to negotiate a trade program which would be to its benefit. Perhaps, the government's effort in trade negotiations is reflected in the low scores which it received in public opinion polls last week -- polls which put the Progressive Conservative government government a close third to the New Democratic Parly. When all is said and done, the most we can hope for in Canada-U.S. trade is a friendly trading arrangement subject to certain restrictions which arc hammered out as situations demand. demand. In other words, we're talking about the sort of situation which exists today. The other point which somehow gels lost in the discussions is the Byline • • by Peter Parrott It has often been said that writers of satire are having a tough time these days because things which happen in real life are far more offbeat offbeat than anything which could be created by the imagination. Look around any of the printed media and you'll quickly discover a number number of stories in the truth-is-stranger-than- fiction genre. These are tales with plots that Gilbert and Sullivan would have been proud to call their own. Take, for example, the caper in which the die for Canada's new coin disappeared on the way to the mint. It's solid proof that the Canadian government never could hang onto its money (even before it gets printed). Somehow, the dies never arrived at the mint, in Winnipeg, although although they supposedly left Ottawa in good order. I suspect those voyageurs paddling the canoe on The reverse side of the coin just kept on rowing'and nobody knows where they are. So now, the government government is going to draw up a new die using the image of a loon on the reverse reverse side. That's right, a loon. Nobody knows which of the nation's prominent political figures figures will pose for the engraving. Then there's the story the other day about how "tabloid-style" TV newscasts newscasts will soon appear on the tube. The idea is that the newscasts won't carry the usual fare. Instead, they'll offer the kind of stories which have previously previously been seen only in tabloid newspapers. We're talking here about stories with headlines that read "Parents love their child, despite his horns." And then there was the tale of the man who was involved in a certain spiritual organization claiming to teach its disciples disciples how to fly. We're not talking about Cesnas or Piper Cubs here. We're referring to levitation levitation -- raising one's body off the ground without benefit of a pilot's licence licence or an Air Canada ticket. Anyhow, one of the persons who attempted to learn this technique said he didn't exactly take off. Therefore, he's suing his gurus for a rather high fee. And if he fails in the lawsuit, he'd at least have a great script for a situation comedy. The list of news oddities oddities continues with each day's crop of newsprint newsprint and every evening's evening's newscast. And, to me, that brings out an interesting fact about this information age in which we live. First of all, the only reason why we have so many news oddities is because of the speed with which information is exchanged. Having a whole world of information information to choose from, it's easy to see how the bizarre and the grotesque grotesque and unusual can find their way into print. Odd things have always always happened. But the modern informationgathering informationgathering process ensures ensures that they will not occur unnoticed. And this leads us to the point where information becomes our source of entertainment as well as knowledge. At one time, people used information for more utilitarian purposes. purposes. They wanted to become better informed so that they could, for example, do better at business or be better prepared to vote in an election. Today, it's permissa- ble to use information for pure entertainment. And that, by the way, is the reason for the popularity popularity of the game called Trivial Pursuit. It's an excellent example of the use of information for its own sake. We are at the point where, information often serves no useful purpose but it's collected collected and hoarded like driftwood or postage stamps. I've always felt that information information is something like money in that the more there is, the less value we attach to it. My grandfather used to read every page of the smaller newspapers which were published in his day. He'd start at the left hand corner of the front page and continue reading through in the same way you might read a novel. Today, it would take a week to skim all contents of a weekend edition produced by one of the major metropolitan dailies. In our information age, we are becoming much more selective about what we read. Much of it goes "in one eye and out the other." And it's just possible that although we have larger volumes of information at our fingertips, we are not any better informed. Queen's Park Report By Sam Cureatz M.P.P. New Pay Equity Bill Does Not Meet Municipal Requirements Says Durham Region In my last column I expressed concern with the provincial government's delay in legislating women's right to equal pay for work of equal value. Bill 105, which guaranteed pay equity for the civil service, was introduced in February 1986 and held up in the Justice Committee for clause by clause examination since October. In November, the government decided to introduce a new package - Bill 154, which included pay equity for all public and private sector employees. But even this legislation has many flaws. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) asked municipalities to write to the Premier of Ontario and to local members oi the provincial legislature to voice their concerns about the role of municipalities in implementing the proposed legislation. Like many municipalities, Durham Region and the City of Osliawa called on the government to endorse the AMO. In a letter to Premier Peterson, they informed him of their opposition to the hasty application of the amended Bill 105 (Bill 154) to municipalities, and that pay equity for municipalities be contained in separate legislation that properly and specifically addresses the municipal circumstance. Some municipalities are afraid of having problems with the complex implementation process set out in the new bill. Others worry there will not be sufficient time to develop new pay equity plans. Finally, some worry there will not be enough money to meet the new requirements. The issues raised by the AMO are important ones and many of the difficulties in extending equal value to the municipal sector are attributable to the approach taken in Bill 105 itself. The AMO makes some good points.. As your M.P.P. I share the commitment of the AMO to workplace equality carried through a well-defined legislative framework. Some of the changes the Opposition parties have proposed to Bill 105 will accomplish this goal. However, equal value policies must be carried out in collaboration with other strategies to deal with the causes of gender discrimination. discrimination. Initiatives are needed on employment equity, training, and child care so that women can reach their full potential in the workplace. I was pleased to again have the opportunity of attending the various Oshawa New Year's Day levees for 1987. Sadly however, I had to say farewell to many of the organizations. Because of provincial Riding redistribution, redistribution, my responsibilities would be moving further north. Thank you for your long and gracious hospitality. Police and Local Organizations Examining Values of Students by Tammy Hill There is no easy way of protecting your child from "just trying it once because their friends did'. Nor is there an easy way of teaching teaching them to say no. However the Lions Club of Bowmanville, the Durham Regional Police Force, and several local whole question ol'why we must spend so much energy working on U.S. trade. Undoubtedly, the Americans will always be our major business partners. But this only places Canada in the position analogous to a small company which has a single very large contract with a much larger enterprise. enterprise. Ol'course there are advantages advantages to such an arrangement. But there arc also distinct economic disadvantages disadvantages to putting all of one's eggs in a single basket. It would seem that one of our trade initiatives should be to broaden our base of exports so that our sovereignty is not endangered by our economic tics to the U.S. Perhaps we will hear more of this alternative as the much-discussed free trade initiative fades into the background during the next six months. As a political exercise, the free trade iniliatve has failed. And as an viable business initiative, it was doomed before it ever started. schools have attempted to bring these issues into the classroom and leave students students with something to think about. Several of the public schools within the Norlh- umberland-Newcnstle School Board have recently begun offering a class tilled, tilled, "Values, Influences and Peers (VIP)." Presently, students enrolled enrolled in grade six classes at Enniskillen, Lord Elgin and Newcastle Public Schools are taking part in the program. program. The project is directed to grade six students because "this is the age they begin to form their values," commented commented Constable Nancy Dillon, inslriiclor of the classes. The VII' class is approximately approximately 18 weeks long (two days per week) and deals with personal and societal choices each of the students will likely be faced with in the future. Gernot Glcibs, the Lord Elgin principal said, "It gives the students a chance to discuss things they may encounter. And hopefully help them make the right decision." Each class is a one hour period and is jointly instructed instructed by Constable Dillon Dillon and the teacher on hand. Throughout the class they try to encourage students students to take part In discussions discussions and express themselves themselves without fear of embarrassment embarrassment or ridicule. Areas of study include topics topics such as: learning to accept accept responsibility for one's own actions; understanding peer pressure; the importance importance of self-respect; understanding understanding the need for rules and law; and knowing that other people experi ence the same problems. Children arc taught how to deal with these subjects through discussion (question (question and answer), films, field trips and role playing. Mr. Glcibs noted that in 26 lessons not every question can be answered, but the program will give students a broader outlook on the choices they have. Although the program was only introduced into the schools in Northumbcr- land-Ncwcastlc last year, there was a positive response. response. Mr. Gleibs commented that the students enrolled in the class last year thought it was a worthwhile program and that It should be carried on to other students. students. In March, 1987 Hampton Public School will be offering offering the class to their grade six students.