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PAGE 6 - WATEROO m. meant. MAY 28. I” We're not ale-ing Suond Ctass Mail Retttstrauon Number 3340 Should we or shouldn't we allow the sale of beer and wine in corner stores? A tough question, but the answer, at least here in the city of Waterloo, seems fairly obvious. And that answer is no. The Ontario government, half-heartedly living up to one of its election promises, is slated to introduce legislation soon which would allow the sale of beer and wine in Ontario's corner stores. Covering their tracks as politicians usually do, the Liberals are prepared to introduce along with the legislation a "local prefer- ence" clause to let municipalities make the final decision as to whether they will allow the practice to take place within their boundaries. Tt . ' While some officials at the municipal level welcome the opportunity to contribute their input, many also view the "local preference" clause as a cowardly move on the part of the Liberals to dodge the ultimate responsibility on this touchy matter. Of course it is cowardly, but that's often the only way to survive in a minority situation such as the Liberals find them- selves. Of greater concern with this issue is how various municipalities, especially those in close proximity, will act on the local preference issue, a point brought up by Brian Turnbull, one of a majority of this city's aldermen who have indicated that they would vote against allowing beer and wine sales in corner stores. As Turnbull stated, chaos would reign if Waterloo turned down the new legislation while Kitchener and/or Cambridge accepted it. . I That our aldermen would turn thumbs down to the issue is not surprising; the current system is working well and an upheaval wouldn't likely be in our best interests in terms of the headaches of deregulation, new restrictions on young employees at stores selling beer and wine, and the potential for increased alcohol abuse and/or criminal activity. Emphasizing our belief that beer and wine in corner stores ismot an emotional issue in this city, we point to the consensus of recent interviews done by our man on the street Feedback reporter. Although each week we attempt to project a balanced response to the issue being discussed, the reporter found that few felt strongly one way or another about the proposed legislation, or Waterloo's reaction to it. ' . Certainly there will always be those favoring increased accessibility and those opposed. We hear about youngsters who would lose their jobs, how corner store robberies would definitely increase, how drink- ing-related problems would be magnified, how compa- nies would be run ragged with one set of rules in one city, another set mere minutes down the road; conversely, we also hear how the decision should be left to individual choice, and howgreat it is in the US. to nip out for a six-pack late at night. . That's fine, Americans have grown up knowing no other way, while if anything, our generations in Ontario have been overly-protected by archaic legislation. Until the government is prepared to make wholesale changes to our laws and back those changes with solid public awareness reinforcement, we see no need to alter the status quo. Added convenience seems to be the only real reason for introducing such legislation, and in honest response most would say it' is a luxury--and a potential headache-that we can well do without. L "EG ughobe: alien iiGrnes to making a decision, that our neighboring cities feel the same way we do. pubhsmed evefy Wednesday by Fairway Press, a dowsaon 0t Kitchener-Waterloo Record Ltd., owner a 225 Fairway Rd. S., Kitchener. Ont. Letters welcome address correspondence to wiles-loo ounce, " Ertt St F. , WateHou, oot NZJ ILT. telephooe 815-2330 Watertoo Chronicle one as Doomed m the Hamy‘ While Law Othce But-lama (veal enhance apps: Hoot) Paving at the may ot the Dunc-no Open Monday to fuday 900 a m to 500 pm Publisher: Paul Winkler Manager: Bill Karges Editor: Rick Campbell established 1 854 "So how was your weekend?" I innocently asked one of our advertising account reps the other day in the office. W/ ,:, _-iF' a = g”. OPEC“5E°g“ ___7;_ "Oh, nothing much happening, as friend called up Friday night and we went down to the weepee for a while. I guess it was a good time." "The weepee? What's the weepee?" "Not the weepee, silly, the O-E-P." "Ah, the OEP. And, uh, what might the OEP "Waddya think--the Olde English Parlour-- everyone knows that." Of course. Excuse me for living. That's been a problem of mine most of my life. Our world has grown to become a world of acronyms, and to be truthful, I simply haven't grown along with it. I don't have any particular aversion to their use; in fact, I use a few of them myself. For instance, I always insist on WD (well-done) fries, am first to hop in the car when I hear it's GBB (Grand Bend-bound) time, and can easily see myself as a future card-carrying member of PEOP (Party to Eliminate Obnoxious Politicians). But lately I've found we're drowning in a sea of acronyms, in newspaper headlines, in official documents, in every aspect of our daily life. My worry is that if the trend is allowed to continue, soon we will have little or no need for the English language, which most of us butcher anyway. My initial exposure to acronyms came way back in junior high when Mr. Thompson, our grade 7 geography teacher. had several up his sleeve to control class behavior. A nervous, twitchy type, Thompson would always allow things to get out of hand, and then turn and scratch a three-letter acronym on the border. Dying of curiosity, we would fall silent at the threat of being the object of the acronym's intended action. I can't remember all of them, but let's see, there was IST (Instant Separation Treatment), FSR (Front Seat Relocation), LLP (Late Lunch Privileges) and, ASE (After School Extension), among others. I believe one year Thompson was nominated MUT (Most Unbelievable Teacher) of the year. Junior highs aren't the only area of education where acronyms can occur. Why, Just a month ago the Waterloo County Board of Education (WCBE) was taken to task in an editorial by Bob Verdun. editor of the Elmira Independent and Independent National Edition. tor having a glossary of abbreviations to facilitate the understanding of specific budget documents. Verdun listed 40 abbreviations used in the documents and de- scribed them as mechanisms of ,e)f-protectipet. Then there is the high school field of athletic competition. At the county level. you have students competing for WCSSAA (Waterloo County Secondary Schools Athletic Association) honors. However. regionally they compete for CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association) titles. but have no fear, provincially we have OFSAA (Ontario Federation a" Rick Campbell Chronicle Editor Huh'? of Schools Athletic Association). Take your pick, twin S and twin A, twin S and single A, or single A and twin A. Pronunciation? The same. Wick-sah. Kwah-sah. Off-sah. And in university? I was a member of WLUSU (Wilfrid Laurier University Student Union) our newspaper was a member of CUP (Canadian University Press), our government voted against OFS (Ontario Federation of Students), and the school was accused of keeping WLU (Waterloo Lutheran University/Wilfrid Laurier University) so they wouldn't have to order all new letterhead. Imagine. And hey, I don't intend to sit here being a PIGH'I'S' (Person In Glass House Throwing Stones), either. Check the top of the page, we're members of OCNA (Ontario Community Newspa- pers Association), CCNA (Canadian Community Newspapers Association) and SNA (Suburban Newspapers Association). Got that straight? I'm also a member of the ISWNE (International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors), a graduate of API (American Press Institute) and our sports editor Richard O'Brien is a member of the ONPA (Ontario News Photographers Association). Be- lieve it, that is also just the tip of the iceberg as far as journalism is concerned. Like watching TV? It used to be Just networks like CBC, CIN, NBC, ABC, and CBS. Now we have access to such networks as PBS, TSN, CNN,,TBS and a host of others. Me, I prefer Global, though I usually tape on my VCR, which is either VHS or BETA, I'm not sure. Maybe your field is world affairs. No shortage of acronyms these days, what with NATO, NORAD, SDI, MX-missiles (just what does the MX stand for?), OPEC, EEC, NED, CDC and so on. What about sports? WWF' wrestling is all the rage. CFL training camps are open, with NFL and USFL not far behind. The PGA is now compte- mented by the TPA, car racing fans flock to NASCAR events and locally there's never a summer shortage of l-C baseball, In. fastball, and KDSL soccer. In recent headlines we have the OMA in its fight against extra-billing, the ongoing research to combat AIDS, some brewery workers joining the UAW. and REAL women still claiming their place is in the home. And wasn‘t it heavenly last month to switch back to EDT from wrr to give us an extra hour of sunlight? How about cars? You‘re simply not cool if your car model is not followed by RX, LE, STE, GT, SE or some similar such designation to place it a cut above the rest. I suppose this onslaught of acronyms does simplify matters for most people, but not for folks like me who rarely bother to tInd out what they mean. Why on my last pay ralse. l was promised a decent COLA. Come payday. there wasn‘t a bottle of soda pop to be found. _so_rneeattdommutttteweertee andbought my own