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Scugog Citizen -- Wednesday, September 8, 1 VIEWPOINT by John B. McClelland LETTERS TO EDITOR LATE SUMMER EVENINGS AND POLITICIANS It was the kind of an evening in late summer that serves as a vivid reminder that living in Canada is not such a bad thing in spite of what you might read in the media these days. The sky was a pale, quiet blue with a puffy white cloud here and there, the air still, the early evening sun was warm and bright washing everything in a hue of light gold that is early September. The event was Durham MP Ross Stevenson's annual bar-b-q and corn roast at the Blackstock Fairgrounds September 1 There were a lot of people out that lovely evening to enjoy burgers and hot dogs, fresh corn on the cob dripping in butter, hot coffee and cold drinks The mood was very relaxed, as it should be at these kinds of affairs as folks sat in lawn chairs and chatted casually about the weather, the crops, the kids going back to school, the summer visit with relatives, the Blue Jays For a affair with decidedly political over-toned, there was a decided lack of politics in the air In fact, one would have been hard pressed to guess that there is a federal election just around the corner The Golden Slippers, Scugog's musical ambassadors, filled the still evening air with their distinct blend of country, jigs and reels Ross Stevenson, heading into his second federal election campaign, was there, of course, along with members of his family. And so was his predecessor, Al Lawrence, a veteran of numerous tough campaigns, but now retired from the political wars Just afer 6:00 PM, Perrin Beatty arrived He's Canada's secretary of state for External Affairs, a cabinet post of huge importance ranking right up there with finance in terms of influence and power On this evening, anyway, the youthful Mr. Beatty (he's 43 but has been an MP for 21 years, almost half his life) looked anything but a minister of external affairs. No bulging brief case, no white shirt, no dark suit, no conservative tie, no highly polished black shoes. Just brown loafers, beige slacks, a short-sleeved sport shirt of many bright colours, and a bright smile as he was introduced by Stevenson to many in the crowd. His speech was very short (just seven minutes) because he had to catch a plane at 8:15 that evening, or perhaps because this evening was not the placé to intrude with a long address, heavy on Conservative policy. Another time, another place for that: His speech over, Beatty was presented with a bushel of big, red apples and before taking his leave (that 8:15 flight, remember) he posed for a few photos with the local candidate. I was struck by the fact that he seemed to have arrived alone: no entourage, no national media armed with mikes, lights and cameras, no RCMP body-guard (at least not visible) All of which made it even harder to believe this guy is Canada's ambassador to the rest of the world, holder of the most prestigious post in cabinet I left the Fairgrounds and was walking east towards the four corners of Blackstock when a small, brown Honda pulled up at the stop-signs, also heading east | glanced at the driver and it was Beatty behind the wheel, alone in the car. He looked over and smiled. | couldn't resist a quick comment about "no limo, no driver" "Nope, this is a low budget operation," he replied as he drove away, looking for that 8:15 flight from somewhere No doubt there are drivers, limos, bulging brief cases, a small army of executive assistants and RCMP body- guards waiting for Perrin Beatty somewhere But on that evening, anyway, it was fitting somehow, to see Canada's external affairs minister, all by himself, driving out of downtown Blackstock, after rubbing elbows with average Canadians as they munched on their burgers and cobs of corn Kids may have to set lower economic goals To the Editor In his August 31 Viewpoint in the Scugog Citizen, John McClelland worries about the lack of jobs for his well-behaved, studious children 1 don't think he should Countries that are plagued by war face a much more gnmmer future The occupied European countries, robbed and destroyed from 1939.45, had just about nothing left to build even a semblance of prosperity The immediate problem was to get a roof over one's head Mind you, not a roof to cover living room, bathrooms and three bedrooms with full basement. but just some combined kitchen and hving space, some kind of bathroom and a place to sleep A friend of mine at that time was thrilled to find a sloping attic where he with his young wife could have this limited living space. He was at least as happy and satisfied as a fairly young family here now, who think that after a few years of marriage , they need about 1000 square feet to raise two or three children Today, we may have to prepare our "good" kids to set their economic goals lower than what their parents succeeded in getting I'm not worried about our good, polite youth finding jobs (Also, we should not forget that Jesus points us to the birds who are fed and subsequently points us to put our trust in our God But for the "no good" (as we say) kids who just seem to drift into all kinds of bad behavior, the future looks dim Our whole society has a task towards them in the future John Den Boer Scugog Township Dump on County Rd. 57 'defies all logic' To the Editor; ~ Along Vigtotia County Road 57, approxiately 1 km east of Highway 36, a 300 acre megagarbage dump is being "proposed. The size and location of this dump defies all logic and all common sense. The Victoria County Waste Management Committee whose chairperson is Terry Staples, Reeve of Manvers Twp, is taking the position that a "safe dump" can be constructed on this site economically and with a minimum impact on the surrounding community. If you look at the evidence it is not difficult to see the problems. The proposed dump is located in an area which 1s part of the head waters of the Scugog and Pigeon Rivers. The construction of a "safe dump" would require & large hole tobe dug on the site, then the hole would be lined with clay to prevent effluent from leaking out into the surrounding environment The effluent from the dump would be collécted and transported to a treatment facility for detoxification and then returned to the dump site for release into the environment. At present the nearest treatment facility is in Lindsay The plan seems reasonable enough until you realize that for every one inch of rain which falls over an area of 158 acres there will be an accumulation of 3,584,546 imperial gallons of water The dump site receives on average 26 inches of rain per year not including snow fall, so the minimum accumulation on the 158 acres would be 93,198,196 imperial gallons of water per year. How do you collect, treat, and return that volume of water safely and y to the envir If it is to be treated in the nearest water treatment facility, which is in Lindsay, how is it to be transported there? Do you truck it there, or build a pipeline to it? Both options introduce some interesting environmental and economical question The human race 1s a collection of optimists and the Victoria County waste management committee fits in very well. They think technology will prevent the residents of Lindsay and Janetville from drinking this toxic cocktail." If a garbage dump of this size goes in this location there will be no way to prevent the toxic cocktail from seeping into the water table Thé dump 1s projected to receive waste for the net 25 years. Do you really believe that their guarantees will save you and your children from this poisonous efMuent It 1s time for the residents of Lindsay and Janetville to speak out about this poorly thought-out proposed "safe dump". It is up to you to get involved before the politicians do it to us and our children again Phone or write the Victoria County Waste Management Committee and eXpress your concerns Lee Diamond R.R.#2, Janetville Manvers Against Committee Dump (MAD) The real election issue facing Canada To the Editor Many people ask the question, "So what is this election about? | could list all the issues such as, NAFTA The Deficit, Jobs, National Unity, Law and Order, and so forth, but ultimately they come back to a basic belief in ourselves and our ability to control our own destiny The Tory agenda of the NAFTA Trade Deal, The G.8.T , changes to Patent Drug Legislation, and so on, were all examples of agreements foroed on the general electorate without their consent. As a result people feel helpless and despondent, as if thee is nothing they can do that will change the course of their lives-and few seem happy about the course that they are presently on Depending on your view of History, when the first settlers arrived in this country they were not beset by restrictions and taxes imposed by governments, nor were they subjected to forced agreements with their fellow citizens They were able to develop of their own free will The obstacles, however, would, have been horrendous, notably a harsh environment With belief in themselves and mutual respect of others, a country was born In order to restore Integrity and Honesty in Government we must also do so among ourselves For instance, we must stop er services (Medical Income support. Etc ) which we do not need Financial integrity is merely an extension of one's personal views to these social aspects. For instance, you would not expect a reasonable person to go and acquire great assets (A 3000 #q.ft. house of a Cadillac) without first having expended energy in acquiring it Here | note that money is simply stored energy. This view must follow through society and be reflected in the government in general. What difference is there between 43 Helicopters and 50 if you have no money in the bank From a belief in ourselves we also extend to a belief in others. For instance it is only human to be concerned about the plight of the sick, the poor and the homeless This raises questions as to what one is going to do about it. Obviously people attempt to help their neighbours where their neighbours are in genuine need and unable to help themselves In a nut shell, help must be help to restore one's self respect. help one who has fallen to stand. but not to be carried It does not mean a perpetual life of social assistance unless that person is so disabled as to be unable to participate in society in any meaningful way As a consequence, if we believe in ourselves and each other we must move to restore the dignity and self respect to those who are now unemployed or on Social Assistance To We must develop an active program to create new jobs and challenging careers ting the formation of small business This is clearly more sensible Turn to page 12 do this we must create new jobs by a