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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2017 5THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 20174 Just a thought Dear Santa--Please raise the bar! sports talk By Trish Bell Is it really just 40 days until the Olympics? By Michael Oke Either through reprimand or review, you wonder, has this column become less controversial? Has this writer lost her edge? With a season so dedicated to love, joy and peace, I admit it can feel counterintuitive to rehash the constant mis- takenness of others, thereby tempting me to stay on the safe side of criticism. It takes a toll on one's spirit to constantly point out the ironies and flaws of our system, its leaders and our- selves to a society too busy to take notice, and my inner never-wanna-grow-up child desperately worries about her place upon Santa's list. But this job isn't about be- ing right so much as it is about creating dialogue. I like to think Santa knows what kind of person I am and that I make him proud by simply taking a side or at least giving voice to one, exercising my civic right, nay responsibility, to be in- formed, have opinions and to express them openly and honestly without hiding behind popular rhetoric, political correctness or so- cial media. Santa knows we can't preach to our kids about making the world better, if we aren't willing to stand up too. And better doesn't always mean differ- ent, nor does it always mean going along with the status quo. So, to this end, may I present a naughty list of my own--and keep your socks on, it's not X rated. At the very worst, I will secure an abundance of coal to use as an alternative fuel source as my hydro bills soar beyond my beleaguered paycheque. So, where does one begin such a list? Sadly, this year, there are many viable op- t ions , bu t my space i s limited, so I'll have to keep it to my top one. And before you ask, Donald Trump is not it; I believe that horse has been thoroughly flogged by better writers than I. What hasn't, in my opinion, is the corruption and con- tempt that plagues Canadian politics. Political affairs should be a great example of how people can have vastly different dogmas and still find a compromise that helps, not hurts, all. As the saying goes, there is more than one way to catch a fish. Economics, history and just simple cultural awareness prove that there are numer- ous ways to run an economy, deal with social issues, or provide health care, but more than anything else they emphasize that there is really no one all-encompass- ing right answer. Overall, variance provides a rich context in which we piece together an adaptable sys- tem that not only works for most, but that defines most as well. But like life itself, there are exceptions to the one size doesn't fit all rule, and honey, ethics is it. The very nature of ethics make it a right or wrong, and the only way to make an ethical case even worse: preach to the masses tirelessly about being above such atroci- ties when you yourself are its biggest culprit. It is in this pitch that our Premier Kathleen Wynne, Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault, Prime Minister Justin Tru- deau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and countless, countless more in these governments have earned their way to an inked place at the top of this naughty list. Scandal after scandal, lie after lie, these elected of- ficials have broken not only our trust but our system. They talk of integrity with theirs decisively shattered by a constant betrayal of the very people they were sent to uphold. And Canadians seem complacent enough to all such corruption with no outcry for justice. Why would we allow such de- vious folks to continue to make decisions for us and our kids? Democracy doesn't mean settling for indignant governments full of rich, powerful people doing the wrong thing, simply because it is better than the imagined worse- case scenario. These people knowingly made choices that will affect the quality of life for countless others and still made them; nothing screams accountable more. What's worse, when con- fronted, they back up these choices with more lies; cheating our meager checks and balances to ensure they get away with it. It makes me sick to think how many family businesses have closed; how many seniors lie waiting for care; how many children will outgrow the help they desperately need, and how many of us everyday--as the Liberals say, "middle class and work- ing hard to join it"--folks are struggling to simply be honest, hardworking, tax paying citizens of this great nation will have our futures stripped by those who pre- tend to be better than us. Those who claim to speak for the masses, when they know nothing of the plight in which they ensnare us, share an arrogance that even a Roman god would shud- der to boast. It is ridiculous that our laws do not protect us from these law mak- ers; those who hold office, and all the power therein, should be held to a high- er standard by the society that entrusts them. This appears one of those big idea things that true Can- adian ingenuity--you know us folks that invented the light bulb, zipper and gar- bage bag--should be able to solve for the world. God knows this rock needs a solution to the old adage, "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." Isn't it time Canada gave them one? So, shame to all who abuse the trust placed in them by the seniors, the vulnerable and the hard- working "little guys" you belittle on a daily basis. I'd wish you nothing but coal but you'd likely carbon tax us all for it. I t i s roughly 40 days until the open- ing ceremony of the Wi n t e r O l y m p i c s taking place in PyeongChang, South Korea in February. Yes, the Olympics are that close. One would be forgiven for not knowing, given all the drama surrounding this particular Olympics. Firstly, there has been--and still is--concern about poten- tial military threats from the Kim Jong-Un the leader of the North Korea, who was recently derided as "little rocket man" by the American President. The North Koreans have re- cently defied all international pressure to de-escalate their ballistic weapons program and have resorted to testing long range missiles on a regular basis. The fact that the Olym- pics will be held in a city that is less than 100 km from the North Korean border is a ma- jor cause for concern for most countries. In addition to this very ser- ious situation is the Russian doping fiasco and the sub- sequent ban on all Russian athletes from competing in the games under the Russian flag. This is due to well docu- mented allegations the Russian State orchestrated a systematic doping program for its athletes at previous sporting events including the Olympics. As i f these two issues were not serious enough, we have had the issue of top athletes probably missing the games in its entirety either due to injury or contractual heavy handedness on the part of the National Hockey League. A really sad turn of events for a global event that is meant to bring countries together. When the Olympics were awarded in 2011, there was a lot of optimism about the healing effect these particu- lar games would have on the much-troubled Korean Penin- sula. At that time, no one could have predicted the emergence of Donald Trump in America and a more belligerent Kim Jong-Un. Looking on the bright side, Canada tends to do much bet- ter in the Winter games--we are currently fifth on the all- time medal table compared to 20th on the all-time summer games medal table. Few things get the whole country more excited than a Canada versus USA gold medal hockey game. I pray everything settles down and we have a wonderful and successful Winter Olym- pics. I wish you a very Happy New Year. The New Tanner welcomes your Letters to the Editor, but, please keep in mind that letters must include the author's name, address and phone number in order for us to contact you if needed. Letters that are sent in anonymously will not be published. They may be edited for content or length. They are published as a first come first serve basis and we do not guarantee publication due to space availability. Hillsview Active Living Centre had a visit from the Grade 2 class from MSB on Thursday. The students delivered cards and hand-made ornaments for the seniors. - Submitted photo