WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23,1l9 80,W14ITBY FREE PRESS DO YOU About abused children. A few thoughts about govern.ments and services provided by same. 1 would like to compile a iist of services available froni ail levels of government but I am afraid it would be an everlasting task, We, the people eleet our members at ail levels and then they, in turn, become a target to shoot at for what ever reason. We talk with forded tongues. We blame government for big spen- ding but at the same time we make demands which equal this. We ask for less government, a constant cry but our demands for services increase at a faster rate. It is extraordinary how individuals and groups feel ail levels of government must comply with their requests. Everyone wants a piece of the pie. Taxes and government spending go up plus goverument borrowing; a viscious circle and the list is endless. Governments too can grab a piece of the pie and are guilty of heavy spending; it works both ways. We have to keep a con- stant vigil but we must realize that, if our demands were less and our eiected representatives did not have*to piacate us, we in turn couid make demands in other areas and cail the tune. Many of us do not make demands but we pay the piper. In al innocence, I returned the first baby bonus cheque which I KNOW YO UR TO WN?v We 'Il pay $50, $25,9 $10, and $5 to the first four correct entries drawn from those received by noon Monday. Ail you have to do is answer the following questions then clip and mail (or hand deliver to the Whitby Free Press, 131 Brock St. N., by noon Mon- day April 28, 1980. Thedecis ion of the judges will be finail. Last week's wlnners: lst - Doreen Savoie, 114 Athol St.; 2nd - Mary Jen- ninga, 3 Lloyd St.; 3rd - Anne Cullen, 8 Ingramn Court; 4th - Metty Varty, 48 Quthrle Cres. The answers to ail questions were true. AIl prizes wIII be sent to the wlnners. :Downtown Contest Entry Forrn Tu * 1. Our Mayor has prociaimed this week Don't Volunteer (check one) Week!E * 2. Orne local store selis over 30 different flavours of ice * cream, another selis 35 bIends of cof fee and 125 biends cf E * tea. 3. If you're getting marrled, you can arrange for your in- vitations and announcements, photographer, brides * magaiznes, tuxedo rentais, brides maid dresses, f iowers, " wedding cake, make Up and hairstyiing for the wedding " party, Church, reception, attendant's gifts, honeymoon, " furniture, paint and walipaper, carpeting, TV and applian- * ces, interior decorating and accommodation ail in down- E *town Whitby. s on *Address *Phone False *SSSeS@eee..le Sponsored by the Downtown Improvemnent Area Board D. THAPAR Denture Therapist 214 Dundas St. E, Whtby 668-7797 HOURS: Mon. - Sat. & Evenings By Appointment OnIy received with a letter to the effect that i did not wish to accept this cheque and wouid they refrain from sending me any more. At that time this was an unheard of thing; fine for people who were in need but not a hand out for someone who couid manage. Needless to say almost by return mail, the postal service was excellent in those days, I received a letter from Ottawa. I would have to accept the cheque as wouid everyone else or we wouid disrupt the accounting department! True enough and now today it is a way of life. Some of us have a clear idea of how our money is spent by government but others have no idea and care less. Life we are told is a perilous adventure these days. More and more responsibilities are turned over to agencies of one kind and another, a costly exercise. This was brought to mmnd the other day whiie taiking to a foster mother who used to be on hand for emergiencies, an emergency mother. We have to proteet children at ail costs and this is done by government agencies at great expense. Chiid abuse of ail kin- ds seems to be getting worse and certainly we hear more about it. If you try to sock your mate or another family mernber you may injure a child instead. You could miss the target and this can cause fractured skulis, broken bones, bruises of major porportions and much more. If you are reaiiy in poor shape you burn your child with cigarettes, a rather common occurance with certain types of people. If you bash, batter and beat a chiid you may go scott free uniess someone sees you aithough now more professionals are on the alert. These casuaities are often blamed on fails and tumbles. A parent may walk out and leave a baby, toddler or an older child alone sometimes without food. Some babies are given water and littie else; others wear the same diaper for three days. The later upon arrivai at the foster home must be soaked in a. tub for some time. Some of these chiidren are terrified of water and cry for their mommies. Others have neyer had a bed pillow or sheets both of which they don't want and prefer to be on the floor, maybe on a mattress or on a couch covered by acoat. The stories go on and on, unbelievable and horrible to the point of disbeiief that such people exist. We know they do and what can be done about it? Nothing realiy other than what is being done now by our government agencies. Education is there, another service but uniess people are willing to learn and change their ways nothing can be done. This sort of thing often carnies on from one generation to another. How do you alter a chain of events like this? A dictatorship to take people out of certain circurnstances but none of us want that. To send a child who has been abused back to it's own en- vironnient would destroy me but it is generally done. The child no doubt goes back with delight as he really knows no other way and home is familiar territory. If utopia couid become -a reaiity and people reiied upon theniseives, took responsibility for themnselves and their own, the tax burden could be lessened by millions and the money put to better use. Rather than police and -social workers spending countless hours processing drunks, wife beaters or husband beaters, chiid abusers and so on the money saved could be used for other things such as medicai research. We could have such things as kidney machines in every hospital across the coun- try. Many people including littie ones benefit fromn the system. Others are not so iucky and some aduits are maybe we could say abused by the system. I am thinking of my friends at Eastbourne Beach by the con- servation area. They have been without access to their homes for more than three weeks, a totally unacceptable situation. I CONT. ON PAGE 15 YOURTAXES WE B AC K If your H&R Block- prepared tax return is questioned, we step in to represent jAiso ISearsi the~a EATO N'S