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I 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 18, 1985 'editorial co The Pensions Brian Mulroney and his federal Conservatives are finding out that trimming that infamous deficit is no easy The Party's budget of three weeks ago.hit most Canadians in the old wallet, including the nation's senior citizens who face partial de-indexing of their pensions. That limit on indexing was supposed to save the federal treasury some $1.6 billion by 1990, by increas- ing pension payments only if the inflation rate was higher than three per cent. The Opposition Parties have jumped on the de- indexing measure with both feet, and senior citizens all over the country have become very well organized in an effort to have this measure shelved. There are signs that the Government may back down, as just last Sunday Mr. Mulroney was quoted as saying he wants to look at all the options in this issue. The arguments against de-indexing pensions for senior citizens are simple enough. Many elderly in this country live below or near the poverty line now, and a further erosion of their pension buying power would put them in a deeper financial straight-jacket. Even a few dollars per month means a great deal of difference to a person on a fixed income. We have to agree that there are many seniors in this country who would be truly hard hit by the measure. Should the battle with the deficit be fought on the backs of pensioners, who have worked hard all their lives and in most cases, have made valuable contributions to this country for years? The answer should be a resounding "no."' A savings of some $1.6 billion is nothing to sneeze at, but surely the Government can find ways to trim costs that won't burden those seniors who have no other way to cushion their incomes. : They can't take part time jobs to earn more money; they can't take job re-training or further education for a promotion; they can't put in for overtime; and in many cases, they just can't trim their living expenses any more because there is nothing left to trim. If inflation goes up by five per cent, the buying power of their pensions will in fact be reduced by some two per cent. That's the bottom line. Politically, the pension issue has put Mulroney and the Conservatives in a pickle. If he relents to the pressure, he leaves himself open to the charge that he's "soft" when the going gets tough. If he pushes ahead with the plan, the resentment is going to show up at the ballot box, because the nations's seniors feel strongly about this and they don't neglect getting out to vote on election day. But if the government back-tracks in the face of this pressure, maybe it will do the same in the face of similar organized pressure from other interest groups like big business or big labour, who may find some of the deficit fighting measures not to their liking. On this issue, the Conservatives are really between the proverbial rock and a hard place. But we suspect that a lot of Canadians, including those who are not pen- sioners yet, would rather the Government put a little more of the burden somewhere else. Surely this coun- try if big enough enough and rich enough and strong enough to give pensioners a bit of a break and even a small measure of financial dignity for the contributions they have made to Canada over the years. We should not forget that the standard of living for most Canadians is as high as anywhere in the world, thanks partly to those who are now in their senior years. The Equalizer History is expected to be made at Queens Park this week as the reins of power switch from the Conservatives to a 'coalition' of Liberals and New Democrats. It the scenario runs true to predictions that the Liberals and new Democrats topple the Government on a motion of non confidence in the Throne Speech and Lt. Governor John Aird agrees to hand over power to the Liberals with NDP backing. it will mark the first time in 42 years this province has been without Tory rule There has been a lot said and written about the so- called 'agreement' worked out between the Liberals and the New Democrats. which 1s supposed to run for the next two years. at least Conservatives have called it a mockery, and say it runs contrary to the traditions of the Legislature There may be more than just politics in those sentiments However, the question for the people of Ontario re- mains what will it all mean for this province and the peo- ple who live here? (Turn to page 7) - ) CAN -- FP ATTEN, Po RT PERRY 51 Pr 198 S50 & hh 4 chatterbox by John B. McClelland By all accounts, the 3rd Annual Elimination Draw and Dance at the Scugog Arena last Saturday evening was very much a success. The winner of the $4000 grand prize for the final ticket pulled from the drum (out of 880 sold) was Brian Evans, of R.R. 4, Sunderland. Rick Gould of Caesarea had to settle for $250 as the second to last ticket drawn. And there were numerous smaller cash prizes handed out during the evening. All the proceeds from this draw and dance are turn- ed over to the Scugog Arena, and the money is used to help off-set the costs of running that facility. It takes a small army of volunteers to run this draw and dance; everyone from those working the bar to the people who keep a very careful watch on the draw itself. As each ticket is pulled from the drum, the name of the ticket holder is posted on a large master board, so everyone at the dance can see the names of those who are "still alive' in the draw. It really helps add to the excitement as the evening progresses. All the people who worked in any way to make this evening such a success deserve a vote of thanks. Maybe next year, all 1000 tickets will be sold. The real winners, of course are the people in Scugog Township who use the Arena. This kind of community fundraising venture helps to keep the cost of ice time from increasing and that in turn helps to keep down the cost of figure skating, hockey, broomball and other sports. If I have one complaint about the evening, it's that darn sound system. Where I was sitting, it was almost impossible to tell if the DJ was playing Bach or the Beach Boys. And I couldn't hear the names of the ticket holders being read as the tickets were pulled from the drum. But that's a small complaint and sooner or later, that sound system at the Arena will be replaced. In any event, let's hope that next year, there won't be a single ticket left unsold. THE IMPOSSIBLE? As | scanned the sports pages of my daily paper over coffee Monday morning, I noticed that for the first time this season, the two "Canadian" teams in baseball were on top of their respective divisions with the best one-two record in the majors. The Blue Jays, of corse, have been on top of the AL. East almost from opening day, and the Expos have been charging lately to climb to the top of the N I. East I chuckled quietly to myself at the thought of these teams squaring off in the World Series come October To have the entire series played in a foreign country I'm sure would just about drive the Americans around the corner But the possibility 1s there To be sure, the Blue Jays and Expos are based in (Canada, but the management and players are American Knowing the way our friends south of the border love their baseball, a World Series played com- pletely north of the 49th parallel would almost be treason. There is still a long way to go in the baseball season, of course, but ever since the Jays joined the American League in '77, fans in this country have secretly and openly dreamed of the day the Toronto and Montreal teams would meet in the finale. It is going to be a reality sooner or later, why not in '857 Talk about baseball fever in Canada. This coun- try would go bananas. But can't you just hear Howard Cossell broadcasting a World Series Game from Exhibi- tion Stadium, and then from the Big 0? PIONEER DAYS The Scugog Shores Museum will be presenting its Annual Pioneer Days at the end of this month, and the displays and demonstrations are always interesting and informative. If you'd enjoy taking a peek at life the way our forefathers (and mothers) lived it in this part of Ontario, take a trip to the Scugog Shores Museum on June 30 or July 1 from noon to 5:00 p.m. Far too often, our history and heritage in this coun- try is taken for granted (or simply ignored). Here's one chance to become a part of history for an afternoon. By the way, Pioneer Days, like all community events, runs on volunteers who put in long hours and a lot of hard work. I'm told there is a ned for volunteers to work during the Pioneer Days Festival. If you'd like to help out, give the Museum a call at 985-3589. AND FINALLY ..... You may notice an article in this week's paper by yours truly about what it's like to collect the garbage in Scugog Township. Last week, I spent half a day with Edgar Brown and his crew working on one of the gar- bage trucks. It may not be the most glamorous way to make a living, but let's face it, where would we be if there was nobody to collect our trash? Reading the article, you will come to the conclusion that I was impressed with the way Edgar goes about his job. And I was The guy is an independent businessman under contract with the Township, and even though I only spent a few hours working with him, I came away with the distinct impression he enjoys what he's doing and even more so, enjoys doing a job well. Next time you see Edgar or one of his crew work- Ing on a blistering hot day, or in the rain, or in the freez- ing cold of a January morning, give him a wave or a nod ~ By the way. Edgar. I appreciate your offer of work, but I think I'll hang on to my job. for the time being. But you're right about it keeping you in shape. | was looking for the A535 the next day TD he 5 Te aan ito - Wt BE a Gp bi TT SN an