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Section Two The Canadian Statesman. Bowmanville. June 24. 1987 .'t / ( i Sfje Canadian Statesman 623-3303 IXirfwn County's Greet Family Journal Established 133 veers mo in 1*54. Aleo Incorporainq The BowmenvWe Newt The Newcaade Independent The Oono News Second deas meM reqletradon number 1561 Produced every Wedneedey by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 6246 King St W., BowmenvWe, Ontario L1C 3KS JOHN M. JAMES Editor--Publisher GEO. P. MORRIS Business Mgr. RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. PETER PARROTT Associate Editor DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. AH layout» sod composition of advertisements produced by the employees of The Canadian Statesman, The Newceette Independent end The Jam»» Publishing Company Limited ere protected by copyright and muet not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. *17.00«year--6 months$9.00 foreign--$55.00a year strictly in advance Although every precaution will be taken to avoid error, The Canadian Statesman accepls advertising in ils columns on the understanding that it will not be liable lor any error in the advertisement published hereunder unless a proof of such advertisement is requested in writing by the advertiser and relumed lo The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or corrections plainly noted in writing thereon, and in that case it any error so noted is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman its liability shall not exceed such a portion of the entire cost ol such advertisement as the space occupied by the noted error bears lo the whole space occupied by such advertisement. Vote Now, Pay Later Finance Minister Michael Wilson's list of tax reforms represent a politically politically shrewd document. But its economic merit remains to be seen. On the political side, there will be a very large number of Canadian taxpayers taxpayers who will see reductions in income income taxes on their pay cheques about one year from now. This, co-in- cidentally, is around the same time that the campaigning for the next federal federal election may begin. Or, should the Tories wait a little longer, they will have the advantage of going to the polls when the taxpayers taxpayers are counting the money they have received from the hefty tax refunds refunds expected after the first year of tax reform. Mr. Wilson has, of course, put off the potentially painful part of tax reform reform until some time after the next federal election. It won't be until after the voters have gone to the polls that we'll see the Tories' exact blueprint blueprint for such ideas as a national sales tax or the broadening of the tax base to include a wider range of purchases. purchases. There may be some who suggest that it's a mistake to accuse the government government of timing tax reforms to coincide coincide with such an obvious and crude political agenda. But, politics is a rather blunt instrument. And you can bet next year's tax refund that the average average taxpayer won't remember much of the Wilson white paper but will surely understand a reduction in income tax contributions on the pay cheque or a hefty refund in 1989. But aside from the political impact of the tax reform proposals, there is also the economic dimension. And we're not sure that Michael Wilson's proposals represent any major breakthrough in taxation for Canada. Putting aside all the speeches, rhetoric, and economic arguments, government has only two ways of controlling controlling the purse strings. It can raise or lower expenditures or it can increase increase or decrease taxes. When we hear of the planned expenditures expenditures for big ticket items such as a fleet of nuclear submarines, it becomes obvious that federal costs are unlikely to be cut in the foreseeable foreseeable future. Therefore, we are left with the fact that somebody must meet the demands of the federal treasury. Governments have some leeway in deciding who those people will be. In his white paper, Michael Wilson suggests that those people will not be the poor or the individuals in the lower to middle income brackets who receive most of their income from wages and salaries. In fact, the Wilson white paper suggests that four out of five Canadian Canadian families will be paying lower taxes thanks to the new reforms. On the surface, all of these measures measures -- higher taxes for many corpo rations, a simplification of the tax return return form, the closing of tax loopholes, and the move to a system of tax credits rather than deductions -- appear to be ones which will be applauded by the public in general. But those who would praise these measures should also remember that Michael Wilson's reform program is very much a half-completed document. document. What we do not yet know is the impact impact of the second stage of tax reform. This is the point where the finance minister plans to introduce one of the following possible options: a federal sales tax which would apply across 1 the country; a goods and services tax; or a value-added tax. This is the concept which Opposition Opposition Leader John Turner has labelled a "money machine" since it could generate added taxes far in excess of the tax credits being handed out on the other side of the ledger. The government has given assurance assurance that it does not intend to tax such items as the sale of residential homes. But the possibility of a tax on a wider range of goods and services such as food from the corner store or a bill from an accountant or lawyer is cause for concern. On the one hand, it might be said that a tax on consumer spending is fair because it allows the individual to control his or her own tax rate by prudent management of the personal budget. If you want to avoid taxes, then avoid expenditures. But, on the other hand, it places a heavier burden burden on certain categories of Canadians, Canadians, including families who have no choice but to spend what they earn for necessities. Such criticism may, however, be premature, because no one (including the finance minister himself) knows how this second phase of tax reform will work. The possibility of a controversial new tax system based on goods and services or value added taxes was widely discussed before the white paper on reform. It's unfortunate that even after the delivery of this long- awaited document, we still don't know the ramifications of the sales tax changes nor do we even know how they will be implemented. That, according to Michael Wilson, is the subject of what will become a sequel to the white paper. And, in the meantime, we are left with a half- finished process of tax reform. This may be better than a tax reform reform project that has not yet been started. But perhaps judgement should be reserved until the entire tax reform program is in place -- not just the pre-election portion. It looks to us as though the dollars that the government hands over in the form of tax credits could very easily be taken away through the sales tax scheme. In other words, the taxpayer should wait for the other shoe to drop. Subway Vigilante Raises Some Disturbing Questions The so-called "Subway Vigilante" has been acquitted of shooting charges following a trial in New York. But the controversy surrounding the actions of Bernhard Goetz has made for some interesting philosophical discussions around the general topic of when is one justified in taking the law into one's own hands. Goetz is the chap who went on trial for shooting four young men who approached approached him on a subway and asked for money. Believing he was about to be robbed, Goetz opened fire. And the rest is legal history. In fact, the story will soon become part of urban folklore. Perhaps it will become the subject of a full-length motion picture or a best-seller. Who knows? The philosophical questions raised by the case arc not easy to resolved. For the most part, the law is inflexible. inflexible. The man or woman convicted of Crime "A" is assured of punish- ment"B". But, on the other hand, the law is not an exact science and there is a certain grey area where judges, juries, and legal counsel do their work. It is difficult to condemn someone such as a Bernhard Goetz for his actions. actions. Undoubtedly each case must be decided on its own merits. But let's hope that this acquittal doesn't set the stage for further violence violence as would-be victims fight back. If members of the public adopt the Clint Eastwood style of self protection, protection, some very dangerous things will happen. First of all, when members of the public fire upon those they suspect of committing a crime, they arc endangering endangering the lives of not only the criminal but also the innocent bystander. bystander. How long will it be before a child is the unintended victim of vigilante vigilante justice? And where will that leave the person who believes so strongly in his right to defend himself. himself. Secondly, the vigilante philosophy is wrong because it doesn't really cure the problem. There will be isolated isolated cases where victims fight back and successfully defend themselves. And we'll undoubtedly cheer for the good guy. But, over the long run, this Corvette Gets Strung Up as part of the Pine Ridge Corvette Club's Show and Shine on Sunday at Marina Chair Caning Display Part of Museum Exhibit The art of caning a chair is something that Donna Robins (right) doesn't take lightly. She is seen showing Dorothy Barnett some of the intricacies of the process. Mrs. Robins says that it can take up to eight hours to finish a chair and because no two chairs are alike, some improvisation is often necessary. Mrs. Robins and her husband, Don, were at the Clarke Museum on June 14 to demonstrate their talents. make-my-day philosophy will only frighten the timid criminals. The others will be more likely to adopt a "let's take no prisoners" attitude. They'll be apt to shoot victims on sight before the victims can shoot back. Thirdly, the concept in which citizens citizens arc entitled to walk the streets armed to the teeth makes for a certain inequality in the general area of protection protection against criminals. In a civilized society, the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, have equal protection under the law. The vigilante philosophy (if stretched too far) gives added safety to those who are the best shots or the best armed. The unarmed become second-class citizens. Finally, vigilante actions make a mockery of the justice system itself. In a civilized society, justice is upheld upheld by the police and the courts, not by individual men and women who act, within a split second, as police officer, prosecutor, defence attorney, and jury. There are criticisms that the process process of meting out justice is too slow. But split-second decisions made at the end of a gun arc not the solution except, perhaps, in rare cases of justified justified self-defence. Perhaps, laws .should be changed. Perhaps police forces should be enlarged. enlarged. Maybe there should be tougher penalties for offenders. But all of these considerations should be achieved within the social system. Going outside the law is no answer. The only reason why cases such as the Subway Vigilante arouse such interest interest is because they arc out-of-lhe- ordinary. Occasionaly, the actions of the accused may be deemed by the courts to be justified. In the case of Bernhard Goetz, that's exactly what happened. But the fact remains that our society society can only function in an orderly fashion if such occurrences arc few and far between. The so-called Subway Vigilante case should not be allowed to sot d a ngerous prccedonIs. Outlook By Carolyn Hepburn Is this postal strike really surprising anyone? I think not. But what I do find surprising surprising is the violence that has found its way into the situation. situation. Now, if I were having a dispute with management and they hired someone else to do my job, I would be less than impressed. Still, I would hardly get two of my friends to come to the office and trash the place to the tune of $10,000. What does that type of insensitive insensitive and inexcusable behaviour accomplish? Unless Unless you enjoy destroying properly for the sake of destroying destroying it, it accomplishes nothing. The letter carriers find themselves in a very awk-. ward position. They are attempting attempting to bargain for more money, better working working conditions and job security, security, yet there are people hired to do their work. To put it bluntly, I think that that decision slinks! By hiring hiring replacements for the striking workers, the powers powers that be are undermining the whole contract negotiation negotiation process. How can management management possibly come to the table in "good faith" when they know that there are people out there doing the job of those they are bargaining with. Confusing? Confusing? Strikes, and contract negotiations usually are. I can remember when my father, who has been a cable tester at Bell Canada for many years, was on strike. It was tough, it was bitter, and mostly there was a sense of degradation. The whole situation had sunk to such a level that simply talking didn't seem lo do anything. I doubt that my father, or his fellow employees, employees, or their families will ever forget striking. It's not the picnic that the baseball playing letter carriers are trying to make it out to be. But, it would appear that the picnic may indeed be over. The lime of threats, fights, car's being stoned and people getting hurt would seem to have arrived. Unless there is some sort of power bargaining session and a whole lot of surfacing common sense, I won't be surprised to hear of some extremely serious injuries or destruction before my column hits the paper. I'm not into predictions, and I dearly hope that I am wrong, yet, all the events of recent days point to a very scary scenario. When people are pitted against people there arc winners and there are losers. In the game of the letter carriers vs. the post office hierarchy, there will be no winners. And I hope that it doesn't take many more front page stories and photos before the parties involved realize it. High School Awaits Data Opening Proposals On Early by Jeff Ilubbell Courticc Seconday School staff and students may begin the school day a little earlier next year. But Principal Earl Wolff says no definite decision on an 8:30 a.m. starting time has been made. "We didn't expect lo make decisions yet," he said. "We're waiting for information information from the Transport Department Department concerning what happens lo the bus routes. There's a number of buses (servicing Courticc) tied into Hobbs (M.J. Hobbs Senior Public School). They're trying to give us and Hobbs our own bus routes, so any decision will have to wait for that." Having classes begin half an hour earlier was the subject subject of a survey held at the school among staff and students. students. Most of the replies were positive. The 8:30 a.m. start makes for an earlier finish, allowing students more time to work at part lime jobs, or take part in athletics or other extracurricular extracurricular activities. The school has experience experience with early starts. A few years ago, Courticc .students .students had to share their building with students from Bowmanville High School while Bowmanville High School was cleared of asbestos asbestos materials used in the structure. At that time, the school day was altered so that Courticc students started their classes at eight a.m. It turned out to he popular popular with the students and staff, who liked the earlier dismissal. The school put the question question lo parents at a meeting held at Courticc, June 16. The meeting --attended by only 15 to 20 people according according to Mr. Wolff -- brought mostly negative replies to the plan. "One woman told us that she lives on a farm, and that her son helps with the chores in the morning," said Mr. Wolff. "The earlier start to school would mean he'd have to wake up all the earlier". "We understand this. That and the fact that working working parents could find it difficult." difficult." "Originally, we had planned planned for an 8:00 a.m. start to classes, but that was changed to 8:30. I really wonder if a half hour is There were seven blood donor clinics held during the past year and the results were as follows: February 5, 1986 - Lions Centre - 442 attended, 47 deferrals, 395 units collected. May 7,1986 - Lions Centre - 402 attended, 27 deferrals, 375 units collected, May 9, 1986 - Bowmanville High School -122 attended, 21 deferrals, 101 units collected. Auguste, 1986 - Lions Centre -380 attended, 12 deferrals, 368 units collected. November 5, 1986 - Lions Centre - 380 attended, 22 deferrals, 358 units collected, February 4, 1987 - Lions Centre - 377 attended, 25 deferrals, 352 units collected. February 11, 1987 - Clarke High School -112 attended, 15 deferrals, 97 units eollceted. Total collections for the ■year: 2,046 units. During the year, many groups and organizations donated time, food, money going to make much of a difference." difference." The next step is with the Transportation Department. Department. If separate bus services services cannot be made available, available, then the question is redundant anyway. But what Mr. Wolff is concerned about is even more basic: Doesn't anyone care? "The number of people (who turned out) was disappointing. disappointing. We sent out a newsletter lo the parents with all the students. We don't know i f the parents got them or not. Plus we put in ad in the paper," Mr. Wolff said. "You begin lo wonder if people just don't care.]' and advertising to promote the blood program. Special thanks to those people and to the donors. I have resigned as chairperson chairperson and welcome the new chairperson, Mrs. Gloria Russon. Gloria's committee met early this year and the meeting was attended by Janet Seymour from Toronto, who will greatly support Gloria in her new position. Janet is Manager for Central Ontario East. Please support Gloria and her committee who are listed below: Registration - Mrs. June Siebarth, Telephonists - Mrs. Kay Moore. Publicity - Mr. and Mrs. W. Picrsma. Awards - Mrs. Georgina Dalrymple. Refreshments • XI Zeta Lambda Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sororities. Shirley M. Coyle Blood Donor Report