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§ Ian Oliver Publisher 2 Robert Glasbey Advertising Director % Norman Alexander Editor O Geoff Hill Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager My comment regarding the Senate is that it should be abolished and this is a view that‘s shared with the majority of Canadians. The Senate as it now stands is a useless branch of government. It serves no real or necessary funcâ€" tion and seems only to provide a cozy ensconce as a reward for political favors. A serious question does, therefore, arise: Where is the merit or common sense in maintaining a body which is an unnecessary tax burden and a disâ€" graceful waste of public funds? Douglas Nash If the CAW thought this humor conference was such a good idea, why didn‘t they pay humorists Sheila Gostick and Mike Constable, to come and make them laugh? We suggest that the reason this wasn‘t done is simâ€" ply because the union executive, or the membership at large, would have rebelled at the idea of spending $30,000 in union dues to pay for such a conference. But when it‘s the government‘s money... well, why not? In this case, we all know who‘s going to get the last laugh. ‘ x re recently ran a story on how the Halton Police Services Board wanted Halton Region to dip into its reserve funds to help ease f the pain in slashing the police budget. We‘re lukewarm to that proposal, given the problem with funding other social service agencies. In particular, we single out the Halton Children‘s Aid Society which is looking at $41,000 in regional funding cuts. And if the province goes through with its funding cuts, the CAS will be short more than $200,000 on its budget. The CAS is coping with higher caseloads, thanks to a rising population and a recession that has put unbearable stress on some families. If any agency deserves to catch a break, it‘s the CAS. ust when you thought the Ontario government was actually sincere in its attempt to lessen the province‘s debt, comes evidence that they have a long way to go to get their act together. The example comes from no less an elite governmentâ€"funded body than the Ontario Arts Council. It seems the OAC thought it was a good idea to shell out $30,000 of Ontario taxpayers‘ money so two humorists can travel to the Canadian Auto Workers‘ Education Centre in Port Elgm and present a workshop on labor humor. The money came from part of the OAC‘s Artists in the Workplace proâ€" gram. The grant will also help pay travel expenses of CAW members who attend the August conference with the union picking up the travel costs for attendees coming from out of province. No matter what kind of face you put on this plan, it‘s a ridiculous waste of taxpayers‘ money and more importantly, a questionable expenditure by an arts group that‘s always crying hard times. Just last year the Art Gallery of Ontario was closed ‘because the province wouldn‘t bail it out. And always there seems to be stories coming form various segments of the artistic community complaining that they need more funding. After hearing this news, we‘ve no doubt that not many taxpayers are laughing. A CAW member in Windsor suggested the idea and said it wouldn‘t be a waste of money. Why do you think the Senate should or shouldn‘t be abolished? EDITORIAL No laifihs here Worth the money 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 QUESTION OF THE WEEK What‘s the best thing about summer in Oakville? All callers are allowed 45 seconds to respond and must provide their name, address and phone number for verificaâ€" tion. A sampling of the best answers will be published in the next Weekend ediâ€" tion of the Oakville Beaver. Give us your opinion on this topic by calling 845â€"5585, box 5012. uddy, you can spare a B dime? I‘m just kidding. I‘ve got a dime. If you could spare three or a thousand bucks, this might turn out to be a meaningful conversation, but never mind, forget it. We‘re all singing the Short of Hard Cash Blues. Most of us anyway. In place of dollars and cents we‘ve got bills and dreams. That‘s what keeps us plugging away at our nineâ€"toâ€"five grinds, buying lotâ€" tery tickets and investing mad money in a few shares of Consolidated Moose Pasture every once in a while. There‘s no shortage of folks trying to get rich, but you hardly ever come across someone who‘s trying to be poor. No money in it. Still... did you ever wonder what it must be like to beâ€"rich? Really rich? Rockefeller/King Midas/Scrooge McDuck rich? Well, I can tell you it‘s no picnic. For one thing. a billion dolâ€" lars won‘t buy what it used to, you know. Not by a long shot. Why, measured in 1987 dollars, a billion today is really no more than a measly $795 million according to Fortune magazine. Which explains why there are more than twice as many bilâ€" lionaires in the world as there were just six years ago. Back in 1987 there weren‘t even a hunâ€" dred people in the world with a billion bucks to their name. Today, the club membership Slands ar 233. It‘s interesting 10 poruse ime list and pick out the cream of # + Only one thing separates the rich from the poor....money the crop, the 10 richest people in the world. One of them is a woman. are three Japanese, several Arabs and a handful of Americans. Put away those Maple Leaf flags folks. There are no Canadians among the top ten. You have to go all the way down to number 17 before you uncovâ€" er a Canuck. There you‘ll find media tycoon Ken Thomson and his modest $5.7â€"billion dollar grubstake. Queen Elizabeth is the one woman on the list. They reckon her stock investments, race horsâ€" es, jewellery and art, not to mention ahh... real estate, means Her Majesty (make that Her MajeS$ty) is worth just under $8â€"billion and number nine slot in the top ten. You know all those Mars Bars you‘ve eaten over the years? Well Mister Forrest Mars Sr. would like to thank you most sincerely for that. Your patronâ€" age earned him the title of the world‘s third richest person with a fortune of $14â€"billion, give or take a nickel. And yes, Virginia, there realâ€" ly is a legendary American famâ€" ily called the Waltons, but it ain‘t the folks that live on Walton mountain. This Walto® family owns the Walâ€"Mart stotg §A SÂ¥ves number --crunch- ers figure is worth $23.5â€"billion. The richest person in the world? A rotund and smiling chap in white silk robes whose business card â€" if he carries a business card â€" would read Sultan of Brunei. Brunei is a laughable little chunk of sand not much bigger than Prince Edward Island. Fortunately for the Sultan his patch of sand sits atop the riches known oil and gas deposit on the planet, which makes the Sultan worth a cool $37â€"billion. How much is that? How much is thirtyâ€"seven thousand million dollars? Who knows? Who knows how much anything is these days? We live in a world where a manâ€"child like Robbie Alomar gets four and a half milâ€" lion bucks a season for playing second base in what used to be a kid‘s game. Ivan Boesky proves the truth of Hemingway‘s retort to F. Scott Fitzgerald. "Let me tell you about the very rich," said Fitzgerald. "They are different from you and me." We live in a world where a crook like Ivan Boesky, the conâ€" victed securities dealer, can tell a judge with a straight face that he needs $20â€"million from his exâ€"wife because he‘s "barely surviving." The judge agreed. He also ordered Boesky‘s exâ€" wife to pay him $180,000 a year for life and to throw in a $2.5 million dollar mansion in California. Yeah, that oughtta keep the wolf from the door. "They haye more "Yes," I CIQONS®@ mongy., Zieuna in g w ay