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t t 4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, September 13,1989 S&t Canadian statesman Durham Region's Great Family Journal Established 135 years ago in 1854 Also Incorporating The Bowmanville News The Newcastle Independent The Orono News Second Class mail registration number 1561 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited ... - - • - --■ 3K9 62 King Street West, Bowmanville, Ontario L1C3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 John M. James Editor - Publisher Richard A. James Associate Publisher Peter Parrott Associate Editor Geo. P. Morris Brian Purdy Donald Bishop Business Mgr. Advertising Mgr. Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition of advertisements produced by the employees of James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Subscription Rates Six Months --$11.00 One Year--$20.00 Foreign -- $60.00 per year Although every precaution will be taken to avoid error, The Canadian Statesman accepts advertising In Its columns on the understanding that It will not be liable for any error In the advertisement published hereunder unless a proof of such advertisement Is requested In writing by the advertiser and returned to 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 K any error so noted Is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman Hs liability shall riot exceed such a portion of the entire cost of such advertisement as the space occupied by the noted error bears to the whole space occupied by such advertisement. How Much Would You Pay for a Politician? could be established. Exactly what is an elected official For example, an official elected to a worth anyway? local government post could be reim- This question comes up every time bursea for out-of-pocket expenses re- an elected group faces the ticklisn task lated to mileage or travel. If it were of setting its own salary. necessary to devote an occasional day Trustees on the Northumberland to meetings or other govemment- and Newcastle Board of Education related duties, a daily fee could be set stared down the barrel of the salary is- to reimburse the elected official for sue last month and opted for a 20 per any loss of income, cent pay increase. This is because the Most people in political circles will majority of the board believes that the scoff at the notion of voluntary service raise places their salaries in the same with only expenses reimbursed. But, league as school boards of comparable as men and women drawing salaries size. from the public purse, they are hardly Well, we suppose that's one way to impartial observers, settle the salary issue, although the Let's look at some of the advàntages solution is not entirely satisfactoiy. of the concept of voluntary participa- Trustees don't usually reach their de- tion by politicians: For one thing, vol- cision by saving: "Let's find out what . unteers would get the job done more the other school boards are doing and quickly and keep meetings to a mini- do the same thing." Like most elected mum. Volunteers would nave no time officials, they pride themselves on to meddle in the day-to-day running of making their own, individual deci- a municipality or a board or commissions. commissions. Settling the salary question by sion and they would, therefore, leave arriving at an "average" based on many routine jobs in the hands of the neighbouring boards of education isn't salaried staff. a very independent decision. Volunteers would be capable of But let's ignore the question of sala- ' making clearer decisions, knowing ries earned by particular elected offi- . that they have no financial stake in cials and think about the issue in non- the outcome of the next election. On specific terms. average, volunteers would serve short- What is a politician worth? er terms in office because they There's no accurate way of placing a wouldn't look at politics as a long-term value on the job because the prerequi- career. This would enable a oetter sites begin and end with the ability to turnover of elected officials and ensure get elected. Aside from citizenship, that more people participated in the there are no qualifications. This democratic process, means some of the world's most bril- In addition, the public would have liant people have held office and also more respect for its elected leaders that those from the opposite end of and show more co-operation if it knew that spectrum have been represented. that they were working in a volunteer The others are somewhere in between capacity. those two extremes Those who scoff at the thought of Perhaps, since it's difficult to place unpaid politicians will suggest that by an exact value on the head of an elect- paying elected officials we can be as- ed official, it's time to consider some sured that top-notch individuals will more radical proposals. seek office. But there s no proof that Has anyone considered the fact that such a thing would happen, maybe politicians shouldn't be paid at , Canadian government has, in fact, all? Perhaps the honor of playing a given its politicians a gold-plated sala- leadership role in a countiy they love ry package and thrown in plenty of should be sufficient reward. fringe benefits. And yet, a casual ! It's hard to imagine how members glance at the government decisions of parliament at the federal or provin- does not give any evidence that those cial level could serve without pay. But m power are high-quality decision- àt the local level of government, the makers. idea of zero salaries is not altogether Paying top dollars to attract quali- impossible. fied men and women in the various < We are all aware of the scores of levels of elected officialdom just hasn't people who give generously of their worked. In addition, the public could time as volunteers. They do a good job never pay the multi-million dollar sal- hut receive no rewards except the sat- aries necessary to match the salary of isfaction of lending their time and en- a corporate president in the private ergies and talents to a worthwhile sector. What's the point of even trying cause. to attract top-notch talent by dangling : In small and medium-sized munici- the right number of carrots in front of palities, the political leaders could (if prospective office-holders? they wanted to) take their cue from Let's consider the, other alternative, volunteers and work free of charge. Let's pay nothing. The incumbents could arrange to This would replace a number of promeet promeet in the evenings and their re- fessional office-holders with dedicated wards could be the same intangible re- volunteers. And our government just ceipts as those accorded to sports might be better as the result, coaches, Sunday school teachers, and The next time we hear elected offi- service club members. Chances are cials agonizing over the difficult ques- that a service club president or a Sun- tion of how much they are worth, we day school superintendent puts in just should suggest another option, as many hours per week as does a lo- Let's eliminate the idea of per central central politician. Why should the politi- age increases or decreases altogether, dans be paid but not the volunteers? Let's set the pay scale at zero. ■ Having suggested that elected offi- At the very least, nobody could ever cials ouglit to serve without pay, we accuse such volunteer politicians as might add that certain ground rules being paid more than they're worth. Whole New Meaning to "Go West Young Man" In Hungary this week, thousands of • citizens from the Soviet bloc are voting ; with their feet. • Despite the concept of "glasnost" Î and the introduction of additional free- • doms in their homeland, these citizens of East Germany are still opting to ; head for a new country and start life - all over again. » For years, those who have champi- ; oned the virtues of western democra- • cies above the Soviet system have not- ^ cd that many average citizens of Soviet countries would gladly leave their homes if it were not for barbed wire, guarded borders and oppression. The recent influx of refugees into the West suggests that this assumption assumption is true. And communist leaders must surely be watching the exodus with concern. Of course, it's impossible to think that an open border policy would drain the communist nations of their inhabitants. But the desire of so many communist communist citizens to leave their homelands is a good indication that glasnost has a considerable distance yet to go. Bobby Orr Helps Unveil Skate '88 Plaq Near the conclusion of the Rotary and Skate '88 dinner on Saturday night at the new complex, Campaign Campaign Chairman Garnet Rickard assembled key figures figures of that fund drive and others present who had supported the project. They stood in front of and behind behind the permanent donors plaque and special guest Bobby Orr joined them for the unveiling ceremony. Manager of Kingsville Team Says Thanks ^ As manager of the Kings-, j 5 ville Lion Club sponsored TVke Baseball team I would ' like to thank your Associa- tion for the excellent job ' that was done in hosting the Ontario Baseball Associa-;^ tion Tyke "B" champion-'" ships on the Labour Day 1 weekend. The hospitality T was great and we of the.-' Kingsville team were well received. We thank you for the lunch. We would also like to praise the Town of Newcastle who supplied men and equipment to work on the diamonds. Ontario Baseball history was made at Memorial Park on the Sunday of September 3rd as it was the first time a Tyke team has won four straight O.B.A. championships, championships, a feat that the Kingsville Kingsville team achieved. Tyke ball has been a part of the O.B.A. championships since , 1962. It also is a rarity, if not another O.B.A. record, that a player has played .' four years in one age brack- 1 et and been on four straight O.B.A. championship teams in the same age classification, classification, but that honour now belongs to Kingsville's Chad Wharram. He was also the winning pitcher in Kingsville's Kingsville's final two games and also he scored the final winning winning run. Again thank you T.O.N.B.A. for a job well done. Doug Sellars Kingsville Tyke Manager. ■■Bi I've come up with a great way for banks to make a little money by providing a practical service service to their customers. When one goes to open a chequing account, the bank should offer a course on how to balance a cheque book. I'd be the first one to sign up. I can remember when I opened my first chequing account last summer. (Was it really only a year ago?). I felt as if I had acquired acquired the first trophy of adulthood. I even said to my friends: "I feel like a real ADULT now, I have a cheque book.",, If I only knew then what I do now. What a thrill it was for me, those many months ago, to write that first cheque to my mechanic. How convenient it was to just whip open my wallet, wallet, write the exact amount I owed him on a piece of paper and sign my name. It was so much fun I couldn't wait to write my next one. I was wise in the beginning, beginning, though. I was given 15 free cheques when I opened the account account and that was all I was ever going to need. They were for emergencies emergencies and I would keep abreast of where my money money went, right to the last penny. Oh, how I long for those days when common sense ruled my account. In a few short months my cheques had vanished. vanished. I knew where they went, though. The analytical analytical part of mv brain compelled compelled me to keep up my records. I ordered new cheques and with them came a separate book for me to keep track of my transactions. transactions. The book now floats aimlessly in my purse but when it first came, I diligently diligently recorded every deposit, deposit, withdrawal and payment. But then, as fate would' have it, the heater in my 1977 Firebird gave its last gasp at winter's approach approach last year. If I were still a student I gladly would have put up with thé cold. But, a student I was not. I was an adult with a job and a cheque book. 1 U-j fi.iivteq irx iiU- cv ■ M' I bought a new car. At the time of purchasing purchasing the next token of adulthood the best method method of payment seemed to be to let the lender take the monthly sum directly from my account, It would be easy to arrange, since I haa a cheque book. And since I was one of those people who would remember to do something something two days after I was supposed to do it, this approach seemed to be the nest. I consider myself fortunate fortunate to be able to look back at events in my life and point out the exact circumstance or mistake that resulted in the position position I am in now. That void cheque I handed to the lender was a turning point in the relationship relationship between my finances finances and me. I kept forgetting when I tried to balance my book that each month a payment would come out. I knew the exact sum and the days the payment would be made but I always always forgot to record it. I'd wait for my statement statement to start my records anew but, the statement would come too late and I would have already spent money in the meantime. I have tried on numerous numerous occasions since that day to keep up to date on my financial situation but continue to fail. My recent attempt has been in the past month. I very determinedly tried to keep track of my where my money went. Over the past weekend, weekend, I sat on my bed amidst the strewn pieces of paper that contained •my spending history of the past four weeks. Scraps of paper with Federal Tax Needed to Reduce Massive Deficit dates and amounts scrawled on them ("Is that • a payment or my balance?") stared at me, mocking my feeble attempts attempts at restoring order. There still remains a major , discrepancy be 1 tween the amount I think should be in the account and the sum my instant teller assures me is there. While groaning in frustration frustration for the 14th time, I glanced out my window' to see the four-year-old! S irl next door playing on; er swing set. ; I wondered if she; might like a reluctant; adult for some companyT' • ■ '1 Reader Defends 9% GST Dear John: After reading your editorial editorial September 6th, 1989, concerning the New Goods & Services Tax, I feel compelled compelled to state my views. I agree with you that the government government is pouring money down the drain with the two page ads in the paper to sell their new tax. Most people will never read it and if they do, it will fail to change their mind. I also agree with you that the average Canadian Canadian will end up paying more tax. Why not? This is the whole purpose of the new Federal Sales Tax - to derive more revenue, to help slow the deficit. Having said that, I must admit that you & I differ, the basic reason being that I am for the new G.S. Tax and you are against it. If I were in the business of selling papers faced with an added 9% tax, I would probably be negative negative as well. At present, your only Federal sales tax is on machinery and chattels that Councillor Responds to Accusations of Writer Dear Sir: If L may, I would appreciate appreciate the opportunity to answer answer Mrs. Guselle's Question of how seriously I take Citizens' Citizens' issues, a question she posed in your edition of Wednesday, August 30th, 1989. (It is unfortunate that she chose not to ask me personally personally when she saw me at the Region Planning Meeting Meeting in Whitby, the morning of August 29th, 1989 and I could have answered her immediately). immediately). Yes, I did receive a letter dated July 25th, 1989 posing posing a number of what I consider consider very valid and serious questions - questions I wanted wanted to ensure were answered by our trained, professional staff and not with just my personal opinion. As Mrs. Guselle stated in her letter, the July 24th meeting was Council's last meeting until we resume on September 5th, 1989. During During that summer break, our staff members take their vacations vacations at varying times and thus the people I needed to ensure her questions were answered as accurate and as professionally ns possible, have not been available, Also, as has been stated in the local press, I have unfortunately unfortunately found it neces- sary to be away most of the past month and a half due because my mother has been seriously ill. Since Mrs. Guselle's questions were not matters that required emergency action, action, I felt it would not cause serious problems if the letter was held until September 1st. when all around Town Hall would be fully operational operational once more. Mrs. Guselle's letter is now in the hands of our professional professional staff for a very detailed detailed reply. As to Mrs. Guselle's in-' quiry as to how seriously I take citizens' issues and concerns. concerns. I will stand on my public record of the past nine years when I have tried, to the best of my ability, ability, to work very dlosely with any and all individual citizens citizens and citizens' groups in addressing any concerns that they have brought to my attention. Thank you for the opportunity opportunity to answer the quoiy that was passed through your newspaper and not to me directly, Yours veiy truly, Diane S. Ilamre. Regional Councillor, Ward 3. are manufactured in Canada. Canada. When you purchase these items they have a hidden hidden 13 1/2% tax already built into the price. I am for the basic principle principle of the new Goods and Services Tax for the following following reasons: 1. I do not want to pass this country on to future generations leaving them a legacy of a 350 billion dollar national debt. It is our generation generation that has lived beyond beyond its means, having created this noose around our necks, and I am willing to pay a fairer tax to help eliminate the national deficit. deficit. 2. I am averse to hidden taxes. The 9% will be charged when I buy an article article or receive a service. Most people are unaware that 13 1/2% federal tax is hidden in the price of Canadian manufactured manufactured products. 3. It is unfair that manufacturers manufacturers in Canada are paying paying 13 1/2% on goods pro duced, while their competitors from abroad are excluded from this onerous tax. How long can one stay in business charging 13 1/ 2% more than their competitor? competitor? 4. Manufacturing today accounts for less than 20% of our jobs, while employment employment in services is increasing increasing dramatically. In years gone by, most meals were prepared at home. Today, more than 30% of the people are eating out in restaurants. restaurants. Think of the number of people that are now employed employed in service industries. The' largest percentage of Canadians now work at service service jobs, in anything from sports, entertainment, day care, nursing, education, travel or consulting. This leaves a diminishing revenue revenue to the federal government government when only manufactured manufactured goods are taxed. 5. Ever since World War Two, Canadians have been living beyond their means, until today we can no longer compete internationally. Personal credit including bank loans, credit cards, mortgages is at an all time high. We Canadians are greedy for such material goods, as cars, wine, televisions, microwaves microwaves and large homes, a visible show of affluence. Maybe - just maybe, another 9% tacked onto the price of these luxury goods, where it is visible might slow down our overspending. I admit that my views are in the minority, but I am convinced in this case that the government is doing the right thing despite the unpopularity unpopularity of this intended end use tax. It will be very difficult for the Mulroney government to stay in power another term if this is adopted. I admire the fact that they are unswayed unswayed by public opinion, even though it may lead to their demise as a government. government. John, I do believe that! our differences stem from; the fact that I think as a! business person-and you as; a statesman or maybe as ed-. itor of the Statesman. I will; read and try to understand- your point of view if you will', do the same. Respectfully, Robert L. Stevens. Ed's Note: Unless I am very much mistaken, the growing opposition to this tax will persuade the Mulroney Mulroney government to alter or drop it before the next election. election. Their survival will take precedence over the merits of the tax - if any. They'll have to explore other ways of cutting spending or adding to their revenues. I can't help wondering if you would be quite so enthusiastic enthusiastic if a Liberal govt, had proposed proposed such a tax. I may be having somewhat the same problems in reverse. September Recognized as Big Brothers Month Big Brothers, Little Brothers, Mayor Hubbard, councillors, board members and volunteers came out in full force last week to help recognize September as Big Brother Month in the Town of Newcastle. Big Brothers is a non-profit organization, funded by the United Way, that is designed to give a boy from a fa ther-absent home a chance to form a friendship with smile if you do.