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THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 9 COMMENT WATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLE LETTERS TO THE CHRONICLE "Have you ever seen anyone die?" Stephen King once asked his mother this question, when he was � ve or six years old. "Yes, she said, she had seen one person die and had heard another one," King retells in his non� ction book On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft. "I asked how you could hear a person die and she told me that it was a girl who had drowned o� Prout's Neck in the 1920s," King writes. "She said the girl swam out past the rip, couldn't get back and began screaming for help. Several men tried to reach her, but that day's rip had developed a vicious undertow, and they were all forced back. In the end, they could only stand around, tourists and townies, the teenager who became my mother among them, waiting for a rescue boat that never came and listening to that girl scream until her strength gave out and she went under. "Her body washed up in New Hampshire, my mother said." � is past week, I picked up a used copy of King's memoir on writing at the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market and was reminded how its one of the most insightful and brilliantly structured books I've read on the craft of writing. As the subtitle says, it is a memoir of one writer's life, from childhood expe- riences that in� uenced his writing to the adversity he faced as an adult, par- ticularly his near-fatal accident when he was stuck by a minivan while walk- ing in 1999. I'm inspired by King's ability to write with such simplicity. In my own writing, I strive for clarity of thought. I learned early on that as a columnist, you don't have to solve all the world's problems in 525 words. In this space, I go with one thought, and wrap 525 words around it. I also strive for the element of surprise in my columns. While re-reading King's book, I was reminded of his fresh and often funny perspective on the element of surprise in writing � ction. From his first novel Carrie, to The Green Mile to The Dark Tower series, with a � lm adaptation arriving in theatres around the world this summer, King has been heralded as "the master of suspense," with more than 60 titles to his credit. Even in his non-� ction work, King is adept at spinning a yarn that fully engrosses the reader, then suddenly surprises the read- er with a strange and uncharacteristically gruesome twist. His writing is clear and uncomplicated, but delivered with the deft touch of a writer who knows precisely how to make an impact on the reader, as he does with his memoir. "On some other day (my mother) told me about the (death) she saw -- a sailor who jumped off the roof of the Graymore Hotel in Portland, Maine, and landed in the street," he wrote. "'He splattered,' my mother said in her most matter-of-fact tone. She paused, then added, '� e stu� that came out of him was green. "I have never forgotten it.' "� at makes two of us, Mom." Actually, that makes at least three of us, Stephen. Probably thousands and thousands more. ••• Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL ARTS President Trump's "America First" mantra and other indica-tions of a pro-isolationist stance will undoubtedly create a vacuum to some degree on the world stage. While some may rejoice in this retrenchment, one cannot overlook the fact that the U.S.'s contribution to inter- national development and strategic alliances such as NATO dwarfs those of other counties in absolute terms. � e time is now for the Liberal gov- ernment to turn its own "Canada is back" mantra into concrete action by helping to � ll that vacuum. � is will require a complete rever- sal of our track record over the past 20 years. During that period, both Liberal and Conservative governments have raided the aid budgets like the prover- bial cookie jar in the name of balancing the books. From 1990 to the present, cuts to our aid budget were triple that of domestic programs in percentage terms. Given that aid accounts for a mere two per cent of total spending, this was nickel-and-diming the poor was down- right unconscionable. We now spend a miserly 0.26 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on aid. According to a recently released report Assessing Canada's Global Engagement Gap by the Global Canada Initiative, that is half the average of the G7 and "like-minded" countries. � e gap also compares what we've been spending in aid during the last 20 years to our pre-1995 historical average of 0.46 per cent. It is estimated that by not maintain- ing this average has cost over seven million lives using a cost-per-life- saved metric developed by the report's author. Two all-party standing committees, one on Finance and the other on For- eign A� airs and International Develop- ment have recommended that Canada reach the 0.35 per cent level by 2020. Although this is setting the bar pret- ty low and still leaves us below our peer average, any goal that aims to reverse the downward spiral in our interna- tional assistance should not be dis- counted. Given that we have best � scal position in the G7 according to the IMF and recognizing the myopic nature of governments, this intermediate goal is easily achievable for the most part dur- ing the government's current mandate. To be fair, the Trudeau government only inherited two decades of neglect- ing to meet our international commit- ments just like he inherited decades of neglecting to meet the commitments to our indigenous people. But at least he has taken ownership of the latter. Do not the world's poorest deserve as much? If the government chooses to con- tinue to avoid paying its fair share, it will have the dubious distinction of having the lowest commitment to international assistance of any Canadi- an government in the last half-century (paradoxically, our aid peaked at 0.54 per cent in 1975 when the prime minis- ter's father was in power). In the closing words of his election victory speech, the prime minister pro- claimed "In Canada, better is always possible." � e Budget will determine if these noble words will be put into action when it comes to helping the world's poorest. Stephen St. Denis Member of RESULTS Canada Fighting over the same slice of pie I understand that "feminist" is an emotionally-charged word -- often loaded with negative images and assump-tions. My de� nition of "feminist" may be di� erent than yours. I believe that being a feminist is about choice, whether that choice is related to employment, reproduction, parent- ing, safety, independence or opportunity. In my understanding of feminism, it always comes back to my ability to choose. I also hold the opinion that we have become lazy as a society about feminism. Among other important things. We think that these battles are historical, while the ram- parts have been eroding over time, due to neglect. I hope we can see in today's political climate that we should not be so complacent. People often claim that things are di� erent now in 2017. They point to female CAOs and politicians and say, "See!" It's not that simple. Let's look at compensation. In 2016, The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a report entitled: "Every Step You Take: Ontario's Gender Pay Gap Ladder." � e primary soundbite from this report illustrated one simple conclu- sion -- in Ontario, a woman's average annual earnings were approximately 30 per cent less than their male colleagues. � e data held true across employment sectors and educa- tional levels, while the gap widened as workers aged. � at last point may suggest that one gender progresses di� erently, over time, through the workplace. � e ever-per- sistent gender gap. Now, the report is from a left-leaning think tank, so I also checked the other side of the partisan coin for a rebuttal. In an online blog post entitled Discrimination not main cause of Ontario's "Gender Wage Gap," � e Fraser Institute -- a partisan "conservative" research group -- debunked the report and suggested it presented an overly-simplistic per- spective of the situation by ignoring items like "men disproportionately choose to enter high- paying � elds such as mechanical engineering and computer sciences, whereas women are much more likely to enter lower-paying � elds such as social work and early childhood educa- tion." Because that's supposed to be a better answer? � e two conclusions are equally concerning symptoms of the same root cause -- di� erent sets of expectations and rewards for di� erent people. What to do? I think it starts with acknowl- edging that we have a patriarchal society that fosters serious inequities for women and many other groups. I also think we need to stop thinking that, "if you get more, I get less." Opportunity is not a pie and a � ght to keep a bigger slice. It should t be about ensuring bigger pie for all to share? ••• Karen Scian is the co-founder of the Talent Business Solutions, an educator and a recovering city councillor. She is also chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board. You can email her at beinscian@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @karenscian. BEIN' SCIAN KAREN SCIAN Federal budget should restore commitments to foreign aid Writing tips from the King � e reality is there is no law against partial birth abortions