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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Monday, December 30, 1985 Editorial Comments Take A Bow Scugog With 1985 rapidly drawing to its end, the Port Perry Star would like to wish all of you a safe, happy and healthy New Year. While there may be much going on in the world today that gives cause to a feeling of gloom and pessimism, we feel it is perhaps ap- propriate to end 1985 on a positive note. To be sure, it is hard to ig- nore such pressing international problems like conflict, famine, the arms race and terrorism, and obviously it is our hope that somehow these issues are not so dominant on the world stage in 1986. However, since this is the last issue of the Port Perry Star before the New Year, we feel it is appropriate to blow our own horn a little bit in praise of the community where we live and work. To sum it up in a few short words, we think you would have to go a long way to find a better quality of life than there is in Scugog Township. We are constantly amazed at the vitality, the energy and the positive out-look displayed by the people who make up our community. v Scugog has developed a well deserved reputation in this part of Ontario as a very attractive place to live. And one doesn't have to look very far to find the reasons why. It simply has so much to of- fer. From fine schools for the young people, a flourishing commer- cial district, a strong agricultural sector and almost unlimited oppor- tunities for cultural, social and recreational enjoyment, Scugog Township in a word, 'has it all." It is little wonder that people are moving here from other com- munities looking for a way of life that is modern and progressive, yet still with that distinct and friendly 'small town atmosphere." It is little wonder that new homes are being built at a rapid rate, new businesses opening their doors and existing ones are expanding. And yes, it 1s also little wonder that the vast majority of people who move here, quickly come to the conclusion that they made the right decision. It's people who make a community a great place to live. And we can say without a moment's hesitation that the people of Scugog Township don't have to take a back seat to anyone. That's why at this ime of year, we'd like to salute the people of Scugog Township for their contribution, large and small, which make this community the great place it is. Take a bow, all of you. You've earned it. You deserve it. And have a Happy New Year What Justice? Something 1s terribly wrong with the system of justice in this coun- try when a person convicted of murdering three people faces a max- imum sentence of just three years in jail. The case in question, which has received wide-spread publicity In the national press, involves a 14 year old Scarborough youth who was found guilty in court December 18 of the shooting deaths of a man, his wife and their seven year old daughter. The murders were grisly Evidence given in court showed that the youth entered the couple's home and shot them in the head as they slept in their bed He then went downstairs and shot the young girl in the chest as she was watching her favourite TV program There was evidence to suggest the young girl had pleaded for her life The youth went to tnal under the Young Offenders Act, a recent piece of legislation that has been widely criticized by police forces (Turn to page 6) J ca rarer PPS gs 3 the Gc . dai DUT [a | . Ch om Ha J PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Pubhsher hada MYM ty Newspaper Assad a' ) 1 (Int ye Advertising Manager Ee op nunity Newspaper Asso ato boshed every Tuesday by 'he Dour Pe v Star vy Port Perr, Yate JB McCLELLAND Editor CATHY ROBB Ca News & Features Subscription Rate In Canada 315 00 per year Elsewhere $45 00 per year Single Copy 35 COPYRIGHT All Layout A030 COMPOS Tx Advert sements produced he adver Hs ng depar tment Of the Nort Per y Star OMPDANY L Mited are Protec ed UNIe: OY' Qh! ANd May AO! De rep TUCO w Thou! "he wr Men Derm san 1 the publisher i «ry 7 Chatterbox by John B. McClelland I don't know about you, but I'm confused. It seems that in many parts of Canada these days there are two seasons for Christmas shopp- ing: the one right before the big day, of course, and a second one, equally as frantic in the days right after Christmas. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist (or maybe I'm out of touch with reality) but I fail to understand why hundreds and thousands of peo- ple in Toronto and other major cities in Canada would stand in long lines to go shopping the day AFTER Christmas. A lot of stores were open on Boxing Day this year in Toronto, with owners and managers know- ingly breaking the law. The shoppers say they want to get in on all the post-Christmas bargains. Some store owners say they stayed open Boxing Day and risked a poten- tial $10,000 fine because it was worth more than that to be open. Something doesn't make sense here. It if is so lucrative for store owners to slash prices the day after Christmas, why would they not do it just prior to December 25. Profit is profit no matter what the day. Why is it so much more profitable to risk a big fine the day after Christmas" Can these stores not wait until the first legal business day to run their big sales after Christmas" Or why not slash the prices before Christmas so the tradi- tional hke myself can save a few dollars on Yule time shopping. I know this. You will never catch me standing in line to go shopping on December 26, even if stores are giving the damn stuff away. [ refuse totally and completely, and for the hfe of me, I can't understand why thousands of peo- ple who have just survived another hectic Christmas would go shopping on Boxing Day That's the one day of the year I want to do ab- solutely nothing except watch my kids enjoy the stuff they found under the tree the day before It's a vicious circle Retailers say they have to open Boxing Day to meet the demand and keep up with their competition Customers say they shop that day to get the best bargains possible And the law says stores can't be open on Boxing Me ~~ » | [ - { If I'm going to spend any more money right after | Day So who's night" Well. nobody. really But as far as I'm con- cerned. : ou can keep your Boxing Day shopping Christmas I'll wait for the January clearance sales In this day and age. does anybody still hold January clearance sales, or 1s the retail industry too busy pushing the new spring hnes in their merchandise" THE NEW YEAR Heading into 1986, I am firmly resolved to make absolutely no resolutions for the New Year. This is a habit I got into several years ago when I found that like most everyone else I know, those resolutions I made in the glow of New Year's Eve, didn't last much longer than the first harsh glare of light on New Year's Day. So why bother? And making New Year's predictions has pro- ven to be almost as fruitless a task for me as those resolutions which are never kept. I mean how silly it sounds to say the Leafs are going to make the playoffs or the Jays will win the World Series, or Brian Mulroney and the Conser- vatives will get through 1986 without a tuna scan- dal, or the weeds will disappear completely from good old Lake Scugog. It might be appropriate to WISH that these things will come to pass in the New Year, but not predict them. And of course, there are a lot of things that I HOPE will happen in 1986. Mainly, I hope that all of you are blessed with good health and hap- piness in the months ahead. if you make any resolutions, you are able to keep them, and you try to find something that is good in a world that doesn't seem to get much better with each pass- Ing year. Pessimism and cynicism have come to dominate the 1980's, and even a casual observer can't help but notice why But despite the gloom and doom, I firmly believe there is room for op- timism and hope in the coming months ahead. ------------------ a Sess RES I > ag ei fre oa a en SIN :