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PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, December 12, 1989 -- 7 THE NEXT DECADE You may have already read Peter Hvidsten's column this week in which he takes exception to a theory in a new book (written by an American, by the way) which suggests that in not too many years Canada will be led up by the United States. Peter soy no way, it will never happen. No matter how closely entwined we become with the Americans economically, political integration is an- other thing altogether, and there is just no wa) are- as of Canada will become five more states in the American Union, | agree that assimilation into the United States is almost an impossibility. Having said that | might add that looking into the chrystal ball for the 90's, leaves me feeling a bit gloomy as far as the future of this country is con- cerned. | will not be completely surprised to see over the next decade some fundamental changes in the make-up of the country we know today. Things are coming un-glued. The spin, in my opinion has been gaining momentum over the last two decades, and | see nothing to suggest that mo- mentum is slowing down. In fact, the opposite may be true. The momentum is gathering speed. I am convinced that before this century ends, Quebec will hold another referendum on whether to remain within Confederation. Though | won't make a bald prediction that Quebec will vote itself out, let's just say | won't be terribly surprised if that hap- pens. And assuming it does opt for complete inde- pendence, | think the rest of the country will frag- Viewpoint by John B. McClelland ment as well. There is no way, for example, that ei- ther the Maritimes or the Western Provinces would remain in a federation dominated politically and ec- SRomically by Ontario and more specifically by To- ronto. But all this is just supposition. It may not hap- pen. What | think will happen before the turn of the Sot is that Canada (or what used to be Cana- da) will move even closer to the United States eco- nomically. That's happening today, and by the end of the 90's, the whole of North America will be a single economic unit, and the real power will not be cen- tred in the hands of elected politicians in Ottawa or Washington, but with a few economic boards or commissions that decide such things as interest fates, money supplies, and international trade poli- cies. Whether we like it or not, the world is rapidly polarizing into a handful of economic units, one of which is North America. The others include Europe, Southeast Asia and South America. And Southeast Asia will probably emerge as the dominant force economically in the next decade or two. Countries like Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and even China are showing signs of successfully adopting the Japanese model of a highly skilled and disciplined labour force working for low wages (compared to North America and tech manufacturing of consumer goods. Canadians and Americans will have no choice but to merge closer economically if they want to compete in the global marketplace by the year turned into a urope) in high 2000. Whether Canada is a country as we know it now, or a collection of political ties will be immaterial in a wor nomics. Gloomy? Perhaps. But wishing otherwise won't alter reality. SHAKING HANDS What's in a hand-shake?. A lot, as far as I'm concerned. If you have attended a minor hockey game recently, you'll notice that teams shake ands before the match gets underway. It used to be that the teams would shake after the game was over. But it seems there were too many "problems" with the post-game hand-shakes. More than once it awl, so Minor Hockey in the prov- ince said congratulate your opponents before the game. : In my open, Minor Hockey is ducking its re- sponsibility. Part of the reason for congratulating an opponent after the game is to show that no matter how hard-fought things were, once the final buzzer sounds, the game is over, the competition ends and one ceases to be a "gladiator." Sure, it's sometimes tough to shake the hand of an opponent, especially one that just a few mo- ment earlier may have been breaking a few rules of the game. But Minor Hockey, indeed all minor sports has an obligation to stress sportsmanship. By all means, play your hardest to win, but once the game is over, it's over and the rules of common sense and decency must prevail. (Turn to page 8) independent enti- dominated by eco- Letters to the editor 5 When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 21, 1944 We are glad to hear that Gordon Goode has recovered suffi- ciently from his recent operation to be able to return to his home. Owing to the condition of the roads and uncertain weather, there will be no shows at the Town Hall Theatre Port Perry un- til further notice. Our forces need books, magazines and short stories. Please - leave them 'on the 2nd floor of the Post Office on Friday ~ afternoons. . : 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 23, 1954 The retiring chairman of the Port Perry Public School Board, Mr. W.T. Harris and Mrs. Harris, were hosts to the Public School Trustees and their wives and the teachers and their wives and husbands on Dec. 15. On Saturday evening, December 18, a surprise celebration was held for Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lee of Greenbank on the occa- sion of their Silver Anniversary. -30 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 24, 1959 The members of Scott Junior Calf Club and their parents were the guests of the Uxbridge Kiwanis Club at a Prize Night held Friday, December 11 at Uxbridge High School. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron and son of Beaverton, have moved into the former Mr. D. McTaggart house in Prince Albert. Six year old Kenneth Ballinger received head injuries and severe bruises and abrasions on Saturday morning heran into the side of a car while sleigh riding down Elgin Street. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 23, 1969 Well over 1,000 of Mr, S, Farmer's book, "On The Shores of Sicugog," have been sold to date. Four Port Petty and area electricians have successfully passed an course held at the Ontario Hydro Regional Office in Wi dale. Recei certificates from H.W. Cooke, farm , were Jim Rick Larocque, Carl Gilbank and McMann. Mrs. Maude Crosier has resigned from the position of welfare administration in Reach . Her 21 years of ser- vice in the Township proves in itself that most ra ers were satisfied with her work. - tepay : Little Krista Carr had her first party on Thursday evening when Unit 1, Seagrave U.C.W. staged a surprise for her mother (a member of the group), and came gifts for baby. | . (Turn to page 10) a To the Editor: Last week, upon reading a let- ter written to the Star by a Mr. Frank Godley, I became both outraged and insulted. Mr. Godley began his letter by poin- ting out to Canadian youths how fortunate we are to'live in a coun- try such as Canada. Being 17 years old myself, I agreed whole heartedly with him when he stated that we should take note of those freedoms and privileges which we, as Canadians are ~~ granted. However, I must ask just why Mr. Godley directed this message specifically at our younger Thanks! To the Editor: This is an "open letter' to Don and Ginny Masterson who operate the Blackstock General Store. I am a very small customer of yours but I want to thank you for running the Blackstock General Store. I come to your store when I need a couple of last minute - items. You have single-handedly saved more recipes and dinner forties from disaster than anyone Last Sunday however was the best! My son was oe sick and we badly needed Tylenol for his fever. The only Drug Store Sunday closed its door as I pulled into the parking lot. Part way home I though I will try Master- sons. You didn't let me down when I needed you most. Thank you Mastersons for run- Bing the Blackstock General Yours truly, Carole Chorostecki Blackstock generation. The blunt tone of his letter indicated that "he feels we teens have been taking our for- tunes for granted, and been acting in some particularly rude and un- patriotic manner. But it was not this that outrag- ed me. After giving hisreaders an extremely negative image of teenagers, Mr. Godley directly accused these same 'ignorant' youths of stealing Christmas lights! It is obvious that Mr. Godley has had his own lights stolen recently. But rather than making an unbiased judgement, he has chosen to blame the 'disrespect- ful' youths of our community for his losses. tL It is absolutely ludicrous for Mr. Godley to make this accusa- tion. What proof does he have that it was a teen who stole his, or anyone's, Christmas lights? To Smile For The Day Why blame youths for everything? the best of my knowledge, he has none. - Ironically, my family had a - Christmas wreath stolen from our front door last year. That day, we traced the footprints from our door, directly to the house of two adults. Eventually, we found that it was in fact an adult who stole our wreath. } So please, Mr. Godley, before you chose to condemn the youth of our society, please think twice. I'm sure that if you flip through the pages of the Port Perry Star, you will see many articles about young people who are achieving academic excellence, performing volunteer work, and excelling in athletics. I think that articles such as these will out number any theft reports. Sincerely, Marnie Luke, Port Perry Gift | CounseLorR "What would you recommend for a wife on whose birthday cake | put one too many candles?' A,