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Page la THE WEEKEND OUTLOOK Friday March IS Editorial People abuse health system Last Wednesdays Toronto Star featured a story on the obviously 111 health care system in Ontario as it relates to Ontarios health insurance plan The headline leading into the story proclaimed Patients scapegoats as health bills climb As far as Im concerned the headline is misleading because when you get down to brass tacks health costs are soaring because people either knowingly or unwittingly are abusing the system It all comes down to the fact that when people perceive something is free as is the perception with OHIP like lem mings they will rush to make sure they get in on the bonanza whether or not they really need what is being offered To borrow and individualize a phrase used by the inimitable Bugs What a maroon OHIP is no free our provincial and federal taxes go towards pay ing for this service But dont tell that to those erstwhile who go rushing to the emergency ward or their doctor every time they stub their toe As the Star story reports one- third of Ontarios total budget or 3 billion will be spent on health care this year It is also reported that Ontario residents made 102 million bill ings to OHIP last year Consider ing the face that Ontario has only 9 7 million residents this represents more than 10 claims for every man woman and child in the province Are we really that sick in Ontario Brian Birkness chairperson of the board of the Ontario Hospital Association notes You hear it from doctors in emergency wards who say that only 20 per cent of the patients really need to be there The other 80 per cent they say should go to their own doctors because they come in with colds or headaches But even then I ask why bother going to the doctor because of minor cold symptoms or a headache These are minor irritations that will go away in time Surely people have enough sense to realize this But no off people trundle to the doctors office if they even think they might be coming down with a virus What a bunch of wimps To be honest I cant remember the last time I paid a visit to my doctor I dont even know if he still is my doctor He will likely have to shoo the moths off my file the next time I visit Ive been in the hospital once in the last 10 years and that was because I required surgery on a badly slashed arm I requested a local anesthetic because I wanted to watch what the doctors were As I See It by Gibson doing to my body It was sug gested I stay overnight case of postoperative complications I refused stating I would be more comfortable at home There were no postoperative complications I dont keep any pills at my place because I have a simple philosophy If you are sick its the bodys way of telling you something is wrong Give your body a chance to fight the alien intruders and nine times out of 10 the body will heal itself By all means if a visit to the doctor is warranted make the trip But not because of a sniffle or a hangnail Similarly children have taken on the same behaviour as adults in regards to dependance on our medical system The kid complains of a sore stomach or a sore throat Keep the kid out of school and get him to the doctor Horse feathers As a psychologist recently reported in a study on minor ailments among children most of them arent physical at all but mentally induced The child is either suffering from stress at home or at school or wants attention If the child cant get the attention he or she craves at home the child knows the doctor will give the youngster attention Kids also see the vast amounts of pills their parents take and are soon hooked on the same merry- goround A pill to get going In the mom vitamins to keep going dur ing the day dietary pills before or after meals and a pill to slow down at night Then of course a pill to get to sleep These same parents will then lecture their kids on drug and alcohol abuse Meanwhile the kid is thinking Where do they get off talking about substance abuse when our medicine cabinet is a mini drug store The health care system we have in Ontario is a privilege not aright as some people think Unless abuses to the system are curbed we will lose it or have to pay much more for it And we will have no one to blame but ourselves As I see it anyway Poets NATURALLY LONELY aint gonna make It Rolling hills of yellow working to and green Just to stay alive Wondrous visions by man got no fins unseen for the swim In the sea Moss covered boulders got no wings to fly Dark decaying trees but Im high Fall Is approaching Oh Im so high blow In the breeie no time for bad Reminders of man no longer well Its time to run exist nowhere to hide As urban sprawl no longer all I got left persists is a prayer and bottle of wine Thoughts so serene your soul and Im fine Is content got no fins The fury of life a distant event for the In the sea And as you travel through your got no wings to fly natural home but Im high Feelings of emptiness Oh Im so high As youre left all alone got no fins by Steve Acton for the In the sea there aint no wings to fly HIGH ON LIFE forme My my oh my but that makes me on time gonna ride so high Im high well I got one life by Wayne MacEachern and Its mine to live Acton The Halton Hills HERALD Home Newspaper of Halton Hills Established 1866 A Division Canadian Newspaper Company Limited Guelph Street Georgetown Ontario 326 ROBERT MALCOLMSON Publisher and General Manager 8772201 CLASSIFIED CIRCULATION Mail ACCOUMIINO SUBSCRIPTION BATES Copy In Canada all Mr DO Una montha GST and Tan HataM talma copyright on all original and malarial by Ita and putrilahad in hit National AnWliilng IS W Toronto Ontario MSK Montraal agraai that Ilia ahall not llaMa lor out anon In adnrtka- amount paid lor actually try that portion of tha In which arror oeeutrod artialtvar auch anor la du lo Hi aananta or and that no liability la Initruon an batond amount paid lor auch Sexual equality lawsuit Even as we speak a heroic blow for sexual equality is being struck in Providence Rhode Island A Grade 10 student named Brian Kleczek has just launched a lawsuit because his school refused to let him play on its all girl field hockey team I read this in the newspaper Brian Kleczek has decided that barring a boy from field hockey purely on the basis of his sex is rank discrimination and he refuses to compromise his prin ciples Brian has closed his ears to that cowardly inner voice that whispers If you want to play hockey buy some skates He has set his jaw defiantly when that voice whispers Skirts Brian Field hockey players wear those silly little skirts And knee socks No Brian is going to U S federal court to fight for the prin clple that is the riant of every red blooded American boy to play field hockey with the girls Pray for Brian Actually it comes as no sur prise that such a lawsuit has been filed Weve been warned foe quite some time that this would be the inevitable response to all those lawsuits launched by girls who want to play on the high scnool football team Fairs fair after all If Muffin wants to play middle linebacker you cant deny Spike his chance to be captain of the junior girls volleyball team The more I thought about Brians lawsuit in fact the more I began to wish someone had done this years ago The cruel fact is that my own youthful athletic career was blighted by the narrowminded authorities I might have been a star except they made me play Weirs World against boys my own age I have a few accomplishments to my credit But no one has ever denied that I remain unchalleng ed as the worst quarterback ever to play for John Peterson Junior Secondary School In the two years I played quarterback we didnt win any championships Or any games The first year we scored points My only real moment of glory came the rainy night I invented the famous fakefumble play Let me add that this Is tragically a true story The ball was slippery you see hus I set up to pass cocked my arm with professional aplomb and dropped it I promptly got out of the way But our fullback who lacked my finely honed survival instincts dove on it Several opponents pro mptly dove on him and were penalized 15 yards for piling on This became our most effective play so we used it regularly To the boundless delight of Anyway reading about Brians lawsuit made me think wistfully about his different things might have been had I been allowed to play girls field hockey instead Then I remembered Ive seen girls play field hockey A British once observed that rugby is a game played by gentlemen soc cer is a gentlemanly game played by beasts and American football Is a beastly game played by beasts And womens field hockey is a game played by women Ill stop short of using field hockey as proof positive that girls are just naturally more violent and aggressive than boys Lets just say that every womens field hockey game Ive ever seen featuring the sort of wildeyed stickswinging shin- splintering savagery that would send William The Refrigerator Perry fleeing to the Chess Club As such Ive changed my mind about Brian Kleczeks lawsuit Stick to football Brian Or rugby Or fullcontact karate Being a boy youre much too sensitive for field hockey Write us a letter The Herald wants to hear from you If you have an opi nion you want to express or a comment to make send us a letter or drop by the office Our address is Street Georgetown Ontario All letters must be signed Please include your ad dress and telephone number for verification The Herald reserves the right lo edit letters due to space limitations