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PAGE A6THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, SEPTEMBER 11,2002 www.durhamregion.com Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Judi Bobbitt Regional Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Barb Harrison Composing Manager Œïjc Canadian Statesman Phone 905-579-440C Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-440/ General Fax 905-579-2235 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1805 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 ■Sept. 11,2002 > Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durhamrcgion.com Spare a thought for all the innocent victims of Sept. 11 T oday is a day of international international mourning focusing focusing on the most spectacular and shocking news event of our times. Just 365 days ago we were stunned to our core when suicide suicide hijacker pilots flew passenger passenger jets into the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon. The 3,000 who died that day leave friends and loved ones forever scarred by this cowardly act of terrorism. Today is the day we remember remember them, salute them, and shed tears for them. We will also remember those Canadian Canadian soldiers killed during friendly fire in Afghanistan. But there are others who deserve our compassion and consideration. We must remember the innocents innocents killed in bombing raids in Afghanistan. Despite the best intentions of U.S.-led invasion forces, women and children were slain. We can't forget them. Nor can we be comfortable with the thousands of Arab- Americans who were detained, detained, their civil rights denied denied in a land which boasts of being the home of the free. Freedom has taken some awful knocks' in': the U.S'. since Sept. 11. Let us not forget the vast majority of Arab-Americans and Arab-Canadians.who love living in North America'and embrace our way of life. To cast our suspicion upon millions millions of people who are revolted revolted by the behaviour of terrorists reflects poorly on us all. We pride ourselves on our tolerance, our multicultural society, our diversity. The real test of our willingness to welcome the entire world comes when we are confronted confronted by crisis. It's a test we must pass. From here, it will be so much more than trying to beef up security and prepare for the next attack. It will require require understanding of what's happening on the other side of the. world. At. its deepest core the Islamic Islamic extremist hatred of the west is sometimes borne of jealousy and envy of the lives we enjoy and which, for complicated complicated political and historical historical reasons, are denied the vast majority of Islamic nations. nations. Poverty is the key in the 60-plus countries which are dominated by a Muslim majority. majority. Over a billion Muslims look at a billion North Arner- ican-Europeans and resent what we have and how we conduct our lives. The real challenge in the years to come will be increased increased efforts by people on both sides of the divide to accept, accept, our differences and'live together in peace. To those who scoff and say that's impossible, impossible, let's not forget 70 years of paranoia and hate came down with the destruction destruction of the Berlin Wall just over a decade ago. Miracles can happen, if we want them LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to news room @<liirliamrcgion.cmn Wage is a disgrace To the editor: 1 was pleased to see in Jane McDonald's report on community community food banks (This Week, Aug. 23) she mentioned the minimum wage of $6.85 has not increased since 1995. The statistics speak volumes. Regarding minimum wage earners data from Statistics Canada's Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) show that: 61 per cent are adults (19 years of age & over); 64 per cent are women;' alîd 48 per cent have some post- secondary education; It simply isn't true that most minimum wage earners are teenagers living at home.. As a matter of fact only 19 per 'cent are in this category. The majority of the 61 per cent of adults are single single mothers with little or no chance of ever making ends meet, which explains the constant constant increase in the need for food banks. In 1999, Michael Goldberg & David Green co-authored, 'Raising 'Raising the Floor - The Social & Economic Economic Benefits of Minimum Wages in Canada.' Their analysis shows that the real value of the minimum wage (after inflation) in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec Quebec has fallen dramatically from it's peak in the mid-1970s. But why has our government allowed this to happen? That's simple, just take a look at who benefits from low wages in North America. America. To understand the disgrace of minimum wage other factors need to be taken into consideration: consideration: paid an hourly wage with no benefits, work when they are needed (if business is slow they arc sent home early); if they happen happen to work over 40 hours they sometimes work overtime without without time and a half for fear of losing losing their job. The list goes on and on. You can never be sure of how much money will come home at the end of the week. This causes other problems like depression and confusion, which in turn can be responsible for alcohol and child abuse. The dangers of a low minimum wage are far more reaching than the average person may care to see, but they affect everyone, not just the low wage earner. It is interesting that according to a 1997 survey in 'Nations Restaurant News,' corporate salaries had risen by 20 per cent over the previous year. In 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser he says that a $1 increase in the minimum wage would raise the price of a fast food hamburger by about 2 cents. Prices in the fast food industry have climbed steadily, while wages have not. But then again, I wonder how many of our politicians have stock shares in fast food conglomerates? conglomerates? Debra Muise Bowmanville OPINION OPINION e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com Training day frustrations for all ""V"T Telcome to the lab," . \ A/ the sign reads. Y Y "Take a number and take a seat. Have your requisition requisition slip and your health card ready." I lake No. 28 and take a seat. The patient currently currently being waited on is summoned to a computer station in the corner, where an employee laboriously laboriously enters information into the system. Name. Address. Postal code. Two of her colleagues colleagues wearing white lab coats arc peering over her shoulder, coaching her. "Move your cursor cursor up one line. Now hit enter. Now enter the code." Four or five other White Lab Coals arc lounging against the wall, arms folded. The waiting room becomes crowded. crowded. I'm lucky today because I'm only giving blood. A number number of other patients are required required to give a hit more; they're handed plastic containers containers and are forced to carry them hack through the wailing room In the washrooms in the hall. It is the trip hack through the wailing room, I imagine, that would he more embarrassing. embarrassing. "Are you No. 28?" a White Coat suddenly demands* "You just got here." Her tone is accusing. accusing. "That other lady put the number hack," the White Coal continues. "She put it hack and she left." She takes my number away from me and hands me No. 32. No. 30 is called to the computer computer and protests that I arrived arrived ahead of her. I wave her on. This turns out to be a mistake, as No. 31 proves a lengthy challenge challenge for the computer operator. She's from out-of-province, elderly, elderly, and has angry purple ankles swollen to the size of grapefruits. grapefruits. Finally, I am behind the curtain, where another another White Coat tics a tourniquet on my right arm, and laps with her fingertips, looking for a vein, Then she switches to the left arm. Then back to the right. She shrugs in frustration and asks my opinion on the best spot to draw blood, Then she calls for Help. Help arrives and lies the tourniquet on the left arm. Then she calls for a Third Opinion. "Do you see a vein?" Help asks Third Opinion. "Yes." "Well so do I!" Help almost shouts. "It's so big I could see it in my SLEEP!" She rolls her eyes at me. "We're training new people here today. That girl's just too nervous. I don't know what her problem is." I am free to leave. Nobody's perfect, but it occurs occurs to me to hope No. 3l's Woodwork isn't entered on my record. Judi Bobbitt Regional editor c-inuil letters to ncwsn)om@(lurliitmrcgion,côm Flaherty fights oblivion Eric Dowd Queen's Park E rnie Eves's defeated chief rival for premier, who vanished vanished as abruptly as if he had been taken for a ride by the Mafia and filled with concrete overshoes, has suddenly suddenly shown he is still alive. Jim Flaherty was the province's second most important politician, politician, deputy premier and finance minister with a finger in every ministry, when he ran against Mr. Eves for Progressive Conservative Conservative leader and premier. premier. But Mr. Flaherty committed several unpardonable unpardonable sins. He called Mr. Eves a pale pink imitation imitation of a Liberal, which he has turned out to be; he called for more privatization, including selling TVOntario, of which Mr. Eves's companion, Isabel Bassett, Bassett, is chairman, and he advocated advocated forcing the homeless off the streets, while Mr. Eves was intent on moving the Tories toward toward the more fashionable centre. centre. Mr. Flaherty also showed himself the parly's most exciting speaker and the darling of its right wing, which hangs on like a barnacle, and Premier Eves immediately immediately exiled him to Ontario's Ontario's equivalent of Siberia. Mr. Eves had enough policy differences with Mr, Flaherty he could not leave him in his old posts with the possibility sometime sometime they might disagree publicly. publicly. The new premier also did not want to leave the only threat to himself in the party in a position in the public eye where lie could build an even stronger base, as Jean Chretien did with Paul Martin. Martin. So Mr. Eves made Mr. Flaherty Flaherty Minister of Enterprise, Opportunity Opportunity and Innovation, a portfolio he dreamed up which includes the former economic development, development, trade and industry industry ministry and responsibilities responsibilities for promoting promoting science and technology. technology. It sounds an important job and could be one, but ministers of economic development have never ranked high in the pecking pecking order. Decisions of great economic economic importance are usually made and announced announced by the premier or finance minister. Economic Economic development ministers have few opportunities to make statements or answer questions and obtain the publicity that is a politician's lifeblood. Recent holders of the office include Tory Bill Saundcrson, New Democrat Allan Pi I key and Liberal Hugh O'Neil, who would not be recognized once they stepped outside their front doors. Mr. Flaherty has had to resort to prompting Tory backbenchers to ask him questions to get even a few minor openings on TV. He vanished almost as surely as if he had been designated a non-person non-person under a Communist regime or put in charge of the Province's operations in Moosonee. Mr. Flaherty has re-emerged briefly, but not because of anything anything connected with his obscure ministry. I le gatecrashed a conference conference of federal Tories and urged them to renew efforts to unite with the further-right Canadian Alliance and said if they did, Mr. Eves's predecessor as premier, Mike Harris, might run for leader. Mr. Flaherty also hinted that if Mr. Harris could not be coaxed he might run for federal leader himself. He would be a serious candidate on his performance of campaigning for premier and on the convention platform, although although still too far right for many traditional Tories. Winners of leadership races pushing their closest rivals into obscure posts is nothing new. Mr. Chretien must wish he could have done this with Mr. Martin, who always had too big a following following to be relegated to the backwoods. The best-known Ontario example example was by Tory premier William Davis in the 1970s. Mr. Davis beat Allan Lawrence, a junior junior minister who came out of nowhere, by only 44 votes out of 1,536. Premier Davis was obliged to give a prominent post in his cabinet cabinet to Mr. Lawrence, who had his strength in the party's grassroots grassroots while Mr. Davis's was in the establishment. At first he did, by making Mr. Lawrence attorney general, traditionally traditionally a heavyweight post constantly in the public eye. But Premier Davis, within a year, switched Mr. Lawrence to secretary for justice, a new post that would supposedly initiate and develop policy in all ministries ministries in the justice field, including including attorney and solicitor general, general, consumer relations and corrections. corrections. It sounded a worthwhile job, but ministers in the traditional ministries were reluctant to surrender surrender their ability to make policies policies and Mr. Lawrence, left in obscurity, quickly gave it up for a career in federal politics and it could happen to Mr, Flaherty. CLICK AND SAj^ Today's question: What is your reaction to Durham's proposed new bylaw that would ban smoking in most public places? □ Too strong □ Fair for everyone □ Doesn't go far enough Cast your vole online al infodurhamregioii.com Last week's question: When should Prime Minister Jean Chretien leave office? □ 2004 48.7% □ Immediately 46.2% □ 2003 5.1 % Votes cast: 156 HAVE YOUR SAY Question Do you agree with the Senate's recommendation recommendation to legalize marijuana? Frank Surette "You can regulate beer, I know my limit, but how do you regulate how much THC is in your system? I could go have a couple of tokes one day and I might go over." William Luxton "I think it will lead to harder drugs; that's the way I feel about it." Lisa Patton "It would bring people to do harder drugs. Younger kids, it's hard to get now so if they legalize it, they'll just try to get the harder stuff because it's not so easy to get their hands on." Danielle Andringa "If you can buy it and it won't do anything, (marijuana use) may stop. More people will stop doing it because it's not as much of a thrill." ®je Cmmbinn &tntc6iwm is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Bowmanville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman Is copyrighted. copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction Is prohibited. jxpcua ©» HOC