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6 -- PORT PERRY STAR = Tuesday, Janvary 9, 1990 The oul Bovey Shay, 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO PHONE 985-7383 FAX 985-3708 The Port Perry Star is authorized as second class mail by the Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50¢ EDITORIAL Publisher - J. Peter Hvidsten Editor - John B. McClelland News/Features - Julia Ashton News/Features - Kelly Storry BUSINESS OFFICE Office Manager - Gayle Stapley Accounting - Judy Ashby Billing Department - Louise Hope Post Office Department, Ottawa, for cash payment of postage. PRODUCTION ADVERTISING Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Annabell Harrison Advertising Co-ordinator - Valerie Ellis Subscription Rate: InCanada $20.00 per year Trudy Empringham Advertising Sales Representative - Anna Gouldburn Darlene Hlozan Pru aOIAN COMMU @n 4, w,, Wat a2éns A330C Retail Sales - Kathy Dudley, Linda Ruhl, Tracy O'Neil Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd. Port Perry, Ontario Editorial Comment COME TO-GETHER Remember Richard Nixon? Gosh, has it really been 16 years since he resigned the U.S. presidency or face im- peachment over the sins and crimes of Watergate. Richard Nixon has absolutely nothing to do with the message in this editorial, save for one small detail. Back in 1968, when he was campaigning for the White House, he latched briefly onto to a slogan "Bring us to-gether," a ref- erence to the trauma the American people were enduring that terrible year over racial strife and the Viet Nam War. One day on the campaign, Nixon was being heckled and harassed as usual. But out in the crowd was a young girl carrying a placard with the simple message, "Bring us to-gether." Her photo ran in magazines and newspapers and Nix- on picked up on the slogan for his campaign speeches. it was hokey, to be sure, and in light of the what fol- lowed in his presidency, as phony as a $3 bill. And the young girl, as it turned out, was not a Nixon supporter by any means. But that's all history now. A lot of water has gone un- der the proverbial bridge since the Nixon days south of the border. Still, there is something about those words "bring us to-gether" which relates directly to Canada in 1990. If ever this country needed somebody or something to "bring us to-gether," it is now. As a nation we are drifting on some pretty powerful currents these days, rocked and buffeted by gale forces which some observers fear may be strong enough to rip the country down right down the middle. The nation has endured storms before, but this time, we are without a rudder and certainly without an able cap- tain at the helm. ' It may be simplistic to lay the blame for our chartless course at the feet of any one individual, but certainly it is fair to say that the kind of leadership from Ottawa the past few years has not been of the sort that unifies the people of a nation. There are some arguments to be made that Brian Mul- roney's technocratic policies and presidential style have in fact driven huge wedges into the delicate fabric that is Canada. Never before, even at the height of the Quebec refe- rendum, has there been so much animosity among Cana- dians; animosity that follows constitutional, linguistic, cultu- ral, regional and purely economic lines. Since coming to office in 1984 Mr. Mulroney has somehow managed to divide and alienate Canadians like never before in our past. West of the Manitoba border, there is suspicion of Central Canada over economic policies; Quebec and Otta- wa have thrown all their eggs into the Meech Lake basket, despite severe protest by several provinces. The result is a feeling in some quarters that Meech is holding the rest of the country to ransom to placate one province. The back-lash over language policies Is being felt coast-to-coast, and in some areas it moves across the fine line from protest to ugly racism. In a move to cut costs, the Mulroney government has sliced into passenger rail service (as poor and incomplete as it may have been) but a service that was the life-blood of many communities and regions. * In an effort to wrestle the deficit down, his government has imposed an all-encompassing sales tax, which will (Tum to page 8) "THE counrry's BILLIONS IN DEBT AND you GO APE OVER AN' B82 OVERDRAFT?" Random Jottings by }. Peter Hvidsten DRIVING HAZARDS Last week's tragic accident near Black- stock, which claimed the lives of three people, was a grim reminder to me of how fragile our lives are, and how quickly they can end. One moment, we can be driving along the road minding our own business, and the next we could be a number in the statistic books. Police are saying that last week's accident was probably caused by driving conditions - which swayed the vehicle's tires off 'the paved road and onto the shoulder momentarily. In an attempt to pull back onto the highway, the car went out of control and was hit by a car coming from the opposite direction. | can't guess how many times I've encoun- tered the same experience, fortunately without the final result. I's not uncommon for me to be driving along, when suddenly two wheels leave the paved section of the road and land on the shoul- der. I'm not sure if it is experience, or something | was taught a long time ago (and can't remem- ber), but | seldom panic at this situation. Instinct tells me immediately, if there is any vehicles coming in the opposite direction, to continue driving with the wheels along the shoul- der, and slow down, until it is safe to bring the car back to the paved road. | believe it is instinct that also tells me to wait until the prvement and the shoulder are even (no large drop-off) before attempting to re- sume my position on the roadway. Both these manoeuvres help avoid a serious accident. By the time this column is printed, my daughter Sherri Lee will have turned sixteen, and will be well on her way to getting her 365 day temporary license. Oldest daughter Jannine has been driving for a couple of years, and aside from a few very minor bumps and scrapes has been accident free. But everytime I'm called to an accident, and in particular when there is a fatality, it reminds me of my kids, and scares me to think they will be out there on the highway trying to manoeuvre their way through thousands of vehicles every day. Just one moments loss of concentration, by any driver on the road, can result in a tragedy that will effect us for the rest of our lives. It's a scary thought, but something to think about the next time you get béhind the wheel of your vehicle. | al to everyone, please drive carefully, and defensively. The next life you save could be mine or your own. GROWTH OR NOT Should Port Perry continue to grow, at a rea- sonable rate, or should it not? Those are ques- tions facing Scugog Council, in the last couple of ears of their three year term, which will have to answered. But Council won't be the only ones having an impact on this decision. On one hand we have residents of the community who advocate, little or no growth, afraid, and rightly so, that taxes will skyrocket even more with further strains put on Scugog's services. Others feel some growth is not only good, 'but necessary if Port Perry is to remain a vibrant, healthy community. No matter what side you're on, there are some things that Scugog must attend to in the near future, for fear of falling so far behind it will be impossible to catch up. Some of these immediate needs are, im- proved recreational facilities, a new municipal of- fice and a large banquet facility. While there are many who would argue that they are all luxuries we can't afford, even if there is little further growth in this community, we are already in need of these facilities. Scugog Township has grown considerably in the past ten years, but there has been little add- ed to the facilities that we were using a decade ago. We still have the same size arena, and ten- nis courts. We do not have a banquet hall that can seat a gathering of over 250 people, some- thing that is desperately needed, and our munici- pal building is a disgrace. This past yoar we finally got a much needed new public school. | doubt anyone would argue the need for this facility. Scugog has grown, and oLr recreational and community needs are every bit as important as our educational needs, but there are many who don't see it that way. Pity! a ---- A. AJB 1 (A JIU ARN uw or mi