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6-The Canadian Champion, Fniday, July 18, 1997 **-OPINION Box 248, 191 Main St. E., The Canadien Champion, published twice weekly at 191 Main St. E., Milton, Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 Ont,, L9T 4N9 (Box 248), is une ot The Metroland Printiug, Publishing & Distri- buting Ltd. greup nt saburban campanies which includes: Ajan Picknring News (OfV~ R'7 ..'~~/11 Aivertiser; Allistun Herald/Cnurier; Barrie Aduasce; Brampton Guardian; ""'I) 878'-2341W B urlingtou Pont; City Parent; Collingwood / Wasaga Cunuection; East Yurk Fax: 878-4943 Mirrur; Etubicuke Guardian; Georgetuwu Iudependent/ Actun Free Press; Classfied 8753300 Kingstun Tis Week; Lindsay This Week; Markham Ecunumist & Sun; Midland / Classfied 8753300 Penetanguishene Mirror, Mississauga News; Newmarket / Aurura Era Banner Northrumberland News; Nurth York Mirrur; Oukuille Beuver Grillia Tuday; Ian Oliver Publisher Oshuwa / Whitby / Claringten / Port Perry This Week; Peterboroughr This Week Neil Oliver Associuee Publisher Richmund Hill I Thuruhili / Vaughaun Liberal, Scurberuugh Mirrnr; UubrrdgeI David Bos General Munaeger Stuflille Tribune; Tuday's Seniors. Rob Kelly Euirrr Advertising lu accepted un tire conditiun thut, in thre event et a typugrapical Kare IlusmanCirelari,,r eenuger errur, thut purtion ut thre udvertisirg space occupied by the errunenus item, Kare Husma CiculaionManger tugether with a reusonuble altumance for signature, wili nut be charged for, but Teri Casas Offiice Manuager the balance ut the udvertisemeut will be paid tor ut thre applicable rate. The paub- Tim Cotes Produc no Manager lisher reonrues thre right tu categoriun advertisemeuts or decline. Can the tail wag the dragon? Hong Kong will change, despite everyone's beot intentions. The former British colony will cither lead China into the 2lst century or slip inno the maw of the Red Chinese rnonolith. Unfortunately his- tory, econornics, culture and social policy do not favour Hong Kong leading China but rather being sucked into a communist vortex, first with. ucrearnu, second with international concern and finally with hardly a whirnper as other Asian Tiger economies simply filI the voidi. Econornically and technologically China is still a country stuck sornewhere between the years 1500 and 1930. It is ideologically bereft and diametrically opposed to everything that Hong Kong stands for: Cultural, economic and political freedom. Hong Kong, a city that has benefited econom- ically by flot having to carry a hinterland on its back, bas now acquired the biggest hinterland in the world. Look at what happened to Montreal when separatistu gained political control of Quebec. They imposed language laws removing every- day freedorns frorn citizens, and companies began to leave for more hospitable business cli- mates. People soon followed and now Montreal, once the premier city in Canada, ix simply an empty sheit, a provincial backwater. The communiat Chinese have examples ai around thern. Shanghai, once an economie pow- erbouse, is now merely another urban area. Taipei, Taiwan ix a giant economie boom town on a piece of property that was largely uninhab- ited 50 years ago. The Chinexe might see these thingu, just as the Soviets saw thern in Europe. However the These girls were winners ai the Halton County 4-H achievement day in May, 1972. Cathy Van der Eyken, Janet Schreiber, Kim Mauro, Helen Van den Boom, Anne Opsteen, and Lorraine Cooper ail received county honours. Absent were Connie Course, who earned the same and Gail Douglas, who earned provincial honours. Coming clean on housework Soviets avoided reality for almoot 75 years. Communism in China is flot yet 50 years old. More than 1.2 billion people live in China. That's 40 people for ever single Canadian. One city, no matter wbat its wealth, would have a monumental task canrying that weight. In 1850 there wax nothing in Hong Kong. Given the freedorns of British rule, and the cultural mix of east and west, Hong Kong grew into arguably the most dynamie economny in the world. Many people in the region seern pleased that Hong Kong ix back in the Chinese fold. Perbapu it makes sense, historically, given that the British bullied their way into region in the firxt place and were too sbortsighted to seutle the colony's legal position. One cannot help but hope that Hong Kong will become a case of the tail wagging the drag- on. One muet hope freedoms enjoyed by those in Hong Kong make their way into the reot of China. However, 1 arn okeptical about that happen- ing. t remember the bloodshed when China gunned down its own protesting students juot a few short years ago. 1 knew it was to good too last. 1 arn up to thre now, the number of bouses that I have to dlean. It is flot enough to have a house in town to keep in some varying semblance of order, and 1 can appreciate that someone bas to be in charge of the cottage too, but what 1 hadn't counted on was having the rentaI cottage foisted on me. Bt aIl worked wonderfully the past few years. When gueuts checked out Saturday morning, we shooed our eldest out the back door of our cot- tage with cleaning gear in hand. The kid couldn't argue; after ail, he did get paid for his efforts, although it certainly wasn't his firot choice of activity for a summer weekend. That systern changed this year when that same young man decided to spend the summer in town, permanently plugged into computers, CDs and MucbMusic. Following in his footuteps ix the 14-year-old, who was to have undertaken the task of cleaning the rentaI cottage. She had one go at it. That may or may flot work out as her beart isn't in it, even if she ix rewarded witb extra spending money. And already she has escaped for a week, leaving her responsibilities to yours truly. I won't ever admit it to these kido, but 1 sure wouldn't do that job for the paltry $ 10 that we Corne July, you finally workfor yourself This yeaï's tax freedorn day - the day you start working for yourself - felI on July 2 in Ontario. Frorn January 1 until then, your farnily incorne went to cover the expenses of ail levels of goverinent. Lant year's tax freedorn day came on July 5. The improved 'tax freedorn' is partly the result of provincial income tax culs, wbich returned $504 to the average Ontario fam- ily wallet. Ontarians eager to celebrate should note that July 2 ix still over a rnonth later than 1985's date of May 26. The Fraser Institute estirnates that the average Ontario family will eamn $59.846 this year (this includes govemment transfers, pension earnings, etc.). 0f this total, $29.826 (or 49.8 per cent) will go to govemment coffer. Not surprisingly, income taxes take the largeut bite, making up more than $11.501 (39 per cent) of your tax bill. Social security taxes (including CPP and El prerniurns) corne second at $5.352 or 18 per cent, followed closely by sales taxes at $4.715 or 16 per cent of your tax bill. What about the other 27 per cent ? Here's where the tax collector employs cloak- ing devices. Hall of every dollar you pay for gas goes to govemments. If you chose to buy beer with PAL PAGN EL and spirits, 70 per cent of the bill will end Up in govemment hands through taxes. Ontarians also psy more to municipal governrnents than any other Canadians, at an average of $2.776 per family. And don't forget business taxes that are passed on to consumers. Add licence fees, levies, service charges, contributions and tolls, and soon you find yourself working hall the year for yourself and your family. And if you're worried that the rich are flot paying their share, think again. Statistico show that the top 30 per cent of income camers earn 54.6 per cent of national incorne but provide 62.4 per cent of national tax revenue. Isolated tales of wealthy tax evadero can't hide the fact that the average tax rate for the top 10 per cent of incorne esmners is 60.8 per cent. Not only do governrents spend 49.8 per cent of our incomes; they go out and borrow billions more. For instance, the 'fiscally responsible' federal goverfiment still spendu $47 million a day more than it takes in. If taxation rose to bal- ance the federal and provincial budgets, Ontarians would have to work until July 23 to rneet the higber burden. Wbat does ail this mean to the average Ontario family? It proves that despite the Harrs government's impressive reduction in provincial personal income tax rates, our overaîl tax burden is still far too bigb. And it also proves that it is definitely tirne for legislation wbicb limits the ability of govemments to tax, borrow and spend. Wben federal, provincial and municipal govern- ments consume haîf of your housebold income, taxpayers have every reason to dernand a refer- endum on any furtber tax hikes. The Harris govemment bas provided hope and leadership by ils quick action to allow taxpayers to keep more of what they make, and by its elec- tion promise to enact rneaningful balanced bud- get/taxpayers protection legislation. But that's just a start. On the Ho mefron t psy them. 1 was hard pressed this paat Saturday to get it done in the tbree bours between guests. Maybe I have lost my touch; I haven't been a chambermaid since rny Btint 30 yearx ago at Banff Springs Hotel. t might add, at this point, that 1 had to face a couple of duîeestic challenges. For starters, the vacuurn cleaner, our latest one at that, kept quit- ting on me; at least the power head dîd. Twice, 1 disconnected that horrid appliance and carried it to the workshop for hubby to lix. If I have to drag and push a noisy monster about a bouse, wby can't 1 end up with one tinat: actuaîly does the job? One of these days I amn going to get exasperated enough to buy an industrial-strength cleaner that can suck up a rug. Added to that irritation was a surprise thanks to my brand-new, razzle-dazzle mop, whicb fell apart wbile I was squeezing it out. I purcbased it tbinking that just because I bad a useleus vacuum cleaner, I didn't also bave to put up with an equally ineffectual rnop. I was reduced to finish- ing Up the floors witb an old-faxhioned string mop wbile bubby reconstructed the new one, wbicb be reassembled backwards on bis first try. If tecbnical difficulties weren't enougb, nature's finest descended lapon me. Initially, I made the mistake of leaving the front door open; the rnoxquitoes figured I bad laid out the wel- corne mat and an entire squadron attacked. And then frorn below, the ants marcbed militantly acrons the floor and tbroughout the kitchen drawers. I arn surprised a dock spider didn't crawl up from the waterfront tojoin the party. There ix one advantage to cleaning the rentaI cottage. There ix no accumulation of junk to shift around, just furniture. If only our cottage and bouse were so clutter-free. I took one last look around. The sink was shining, the counter clear, firewood was stacked neatly beside the stove, and fresb wildflowers sat on the table. 'Me place looked good. I stepped out of the cottage, rnop in one band and psul in the other, the mosquitoir following in rny wake. Our cottage would be staying as is for the time being. Looking Back 0.,