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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed. September 5, 1984 editori | comments "Well, /'LL SAY ONE THING... LIBERAL PATRONAGE KkNows No BOUNDS |" chatterbox by John B. McClelland This is the darndest country. A tavern owner in Toronto went to court last week in an effort to keep his business open on election day. He was not successful. Seems Canadians are still not mature enough to buy a drink while the polls remain open. The law is supposed to protect us from corrup- tion. Evil politicians could buy our votes with free gin. Very Juaint. I've let it be known to all politicians that the only way they'll ever buy my vote is with an am- bassadorial appointment, preferably Paris. Or at very least a seat in the Senate. But cheap gin? Never. On the other hand, some jail bird in Kingston is go- ing to court to force the country to give him the right to vote. He says that just because he's doing time doesn't mean he can be denied the right to exercise his franchise. I'm not sure what the outcome of his case was, but the way people are bending over backwards for special interest groups these days, you can be sure cons will soon have the right to vote. Next thing you know, they'll be running candidates for office. Yes, it is a strange country. The average law abiding citizen still can't drown his sorrows on election day, but a nut case like Clifford Olson may soon have the same right to vote as you or me. In a column a couple of weeks ago, I didn't disguise the fact I am less than enthralled with the political pro- cess and the federal election Campaign which just end- ed. Not much has happened to change my feelings. THE BEST? For the last few weeks, Team Canada, 1984 version has been hard at work preparing for the Canada Cup, the hockey series which puts the very best on ice from the best hockey playing nations in the world. There has a lot of hype about this Canadian team, coached by Glen Sather of the Oilers and mann- ed by several of the players from his Stanley Cup gang of last spring. Welll, after watching Canada skate to a 7-2 win over a very weak West German squad, I began to wonder about all that hype. And the game Mouday night against Team USA confirmed it. Canada was hard-pressed to hang on for a 4-4 tie against the Yanks, and the reason was simple: Team USA out-worked and out-hustled Team Canada, showed more intensity and desire to win. On paper, Team Canada looks like a winner, but then all the teams we have put up in international com- petition in recent years have been winners on paper. I don't want to write the '84 version off just yet, but if they don't put some snap in the effort, the Czechs and the Russian Bear are going to devour them. And if Team USA continues to perform with such intensity, they could very well end up challenging for the Canada Cup. Most hockey observers feel that the United States right now is on the verge of emerging as a dominant power in the sport, and in a few years, it may be that country which challenges the Soviet supremacy on ice. However, this Canada Cup series is far from over and I have a feeling that Glen Sather and his troops are going to put forward a better effort than they showed against the Americans Monday evening. The Canadian team is loaded with talent. What it needs is spark. I'm going to pick Team Canada to wind up in the final against the Russians (maybe). THE DEMO DERBY It looks like demolition derbies are catching on in popularity. There was one at the Blackstock Fair a week ago and attendance was excellent. Same thing at the Port Perry Fair over Labour Day weekend. I was among the large crowd at the Port Fair Demo Derby and was a little surprised to hear that Don Forder was one of the drivers. Don is pretty well known around Port Perry, and it's no secret that he's not exactly a teen-ager. I asked him after the Derby how come a guy 39 and counting would jump in one of the cars and take his knocks and bumps on the track with drivers half his age. He chuckled and said it was just something he wanted to do. He admitted he was pretty nervous before the first heat, in fact he was having very serious second thoughts about it all. But once the action got going, the doubts disappeared and he gunned that old '74 Ford wagon with a vengeance. In fact, Don wound up quali- fying for the final. In the final, one of the fuel cans tipped over and he was forced out. He says he didn't like the idea of driv- ing with leaking gas in the car which makes a lot of sense. I asked him if he plans to become a regular on the Demo Derby Circuit, and he said not likely. Driving is 0.K., but there's a heck of a lot of work involved get- ting the old clunkers in shape for the competition. But he hinted that he might roar out onto the track next year at the Port Fair when the Derby gets underway. By the way, Don won 25 bucks for his efforts, just enough to cover the towing bill But he may have starteu .umething. I'll bet there are a lot of guys his age who would just love to climb into an old wreck, pull on the safety helmet and take a good run at six other cars, just for the heck of it. In fact, they may have to hold an event for guys over 40. Driving in Demo Derbies, might just become as popular as lob-ball and no-contact hockey. Just Where It Goes We have just come through a federal election cam- paign in which government spending was a major issue. There was lots of talk about where and how the parties would spend our money, and where and how they would try to save a little of our money. Just two days before the election, the Star receiv- ed a "news release' from the provincial ministry of citizenship and culture, telling us that another $244,000 has been added to fund a host of projects celebrating Ontario's Bicentennial. This brings the total grants to date to $578,296 for such projects. Now that figure of $578,296 is a mere pittance in terms of Ontario's expenditures, hardly worth mention- ing when stacked up against the provincial debt. And to be sure, these funds were made available from Wintario coffers. Woe are certain too that the $625 handed out to the '""Lovesick Lake Native Women's Association' in Burleigh Falls, for *'six evenings of wild meat dinners' is significant to the culture and heritage of this province. Likewise with the $3,000 dished out to Kingfest in Kingston for a "four day workshop for artists.' : Or the $3,000 to "Womanly Ways Productions, Toronto," for a "multi-cultural mosaic display of women." And it is hard to quibble with the $3,000 received by the Burlington Cultural Centre for an exhibition of shawls called "a woven heritage.' Even Scugog Township is a benefactor with $3,000 going to the local library for a couple of performances called "Ontario: 200 Musical Years," and "Birdseye Centre." The list goes on and on and on. Why, the World Lebanese Cultural Union of Toronto picked up a tidy $3,000 for an exhibit pertaining to Lebanese cultural heritage. Just what that has to do with Ontario's bicentennial is not explained. But the press release does breathlessly quote On- tario's culture minister Susan Fish as saying "these grants will assist communities to reflect upon our past and celebrate our hope for the future." Nobler words were never uttered by a minister of the Crown in a press release. As we pointed out earlier, the total amount of $578,296 is not significant. It would be nice to find on some street corner for the average citizen, to be sure, but not significant when the budgets of big governments are concerned. Culture and heritage are fine. They add something to the present. Buy why is government involved? Why is government spending dollars (albeit Wintario dollars in this case) on culture and heritage? Should these things not be left to individuals? Is this not an example of what has gone so badly wrong with all governments in Canada today: trying to do too much for too many people? Surely, if the Porcupine Camp Historical Society wants to celebrate the mining heritage, it could rustle up the $1000 on its own and do a fine job without any help (financial or otherwise) from Big Government at Queens Park. Likewise the London Library Group could hold a raf- fle or a couple of bake sales for the $500 it needs for a concert called 'Coming together in Song." It seems to us that our parents and grandparents managed to celebrate their culture and heritage quite nicely without government hand-outs. Why is it that today, whenever somebody wants something, they trot off to the government bank, and bingo, instant green. Government is leading us from birth to grave through all aspects of life, even culture and heritage. It has to stop. Somebody has to say to government: get back to your basic functions, and leave the citizens alone to sink or swim on their own initiative. The province of Ontario could start by doing away with the Ministry of Citizen- ship and Culture. Ms. Susan Fish, culture minister, says in the news release of last week: "As a province, we have continued to build on the colourful and diverse culture our forefathers pioneered." True, but if our forefathers saw the way govern- ments are blowing money, they'd reach for their pitch- forks. iii