YMiitby Free Pr9ss oedmAy,,Janua> 2O.0,e4fiRp rZ PAGE -SEVEN .Boom! They've chased me alm life They've desroyed eve hing in their path. Baby Boomers. Used to be, see, the world ran boringly along. People died. People were born. People went to sehool. People got married. People died. People were born. People ... You get the idea. Growith? Well, yes. Kids got taller. Aduits expanded at the waist. But economic growth? Slowly, fellow. You grow a society the way you grow a tree -- at nature's speed, no faster. Where I grew up, ify ou wanted to build a M -> new house you had to wait untd an oId o ne fell down. Then after the last war, a whole buncha soldiers came home. They looked around. They saw young women. They dcn't seen women for the whole war, five, maybe six years. The young women looked back. They saw young men. Many hadn't seen men for five, maybe six years, not counting draft rejects. They got together and started having babies. These babies were called Baby Boomers. Because they wuz part of Boom times. The end of the world had begun. Remember the parable about thewolves who eat the rabbits who eat the lettuce that depends on wolf droppings? You know --the balance of nature. WeIl, that's what happened to the Baby Boomers. Not enough predators. So pretty soon we got too many of W them. First they kinda invented Kinderatn, Next they hit elementary schol. But schools ý weren't ready. Someone invented portable classrooms. In spite of that, the Boomers ruined the elementary school systemn with open classrooms, untamed tea- chers and PTA. By the time the elementary sehool system realized what had gone wvrong, there were too many to strap, so0 theybanned corporal punishment. Kids haven't had to mid since. The elementary schools tried to warn high schools. Nobody believed them. "We know how to run things," the highi school people said. "lia, ha," said. the elementary school types. "That's what wve thought. There's so many you'll have to, hire CASSEMs OAD BAS'1'OF EALDWIN STRErT, BROORLINI1909 rnany teachers. Ruin the balance of nature. Youll éaséîs Road was caled Mil Street until the 1950s. The hous at contre ha. been have ta, pay teachers a living wage and pooff. there demolished, and the spire of the Broolin Methodiet <now United) Church can be seen eat of goes the education system." this bouse. Picket fences were conunon at this time. "'fa ya"» was the reply. Whftby ArcbivoepbMoo So le bioomers destroyed the high school system. Between Kindergarten and high school they inven- ted music, which they called 'Rock', no matter what it sounds l*ke.10YC S G Then the littie buggers hit college. 1 EB G «Get ready for these Boomers," said the high froen the Wednesdauarl,18 dto fh schools. WJTYFE ~8 "Hahaha,"sai thecoleges "Ve knw hw aa*'Pie Town of Whitby ha. $1 million invested in one of three trust compamies whose assets mntig.'ll leam 'em real good." were seized by the provincial govennxent. So the J3ooersdsryd otscnar dcton uialtxswl increase by only 4.9 per cent in the town's 1983 budget. Afterafew<ea1sthe uiverstiestriedta wanxth more borbing raids on Iraq. 80 X1BAI<SAUiJ Pretty soon we'll have one as Prime Minister. (Kim Ilom the Thuraday, Jsnuary 16, 1913 edition of the Camnpbell, are you listening?). IlWITBY GAZETTE AND CEONICLE Now they're in power, and middle-aged, expect a The fire department tested Whitby's municipal water system on Jan. 4. them to tax the youn and the old. * mhe Sunday schooletJWhitby are spongaring ahockey league for boys under 17. The can do for e country, the continent, the 9 The cost of electric power i. being reduced in Wbitby. World,what they've done for schools, jobs, housing, A bridg for the new Canadian Paciflc Railway lins over Dundas Street is the current finance, housing. topic o débate at the town council. M w