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IS tan PAC ANT RCE MR LR CER AN La NEN wf IR RY Ge A) SNE aba Frat SRE ; SNH ey ART Le pA Ld AR he PAA a SHENG TAS POR Ig LR Br . SURVEY SAMMAOREN PAE a Sas ChE 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. February 15, 1983 AAP PIE AE SLE I LT A EN Ca A CRE ERR ETRE Se TE LE AS Se BTA Er TRE ASU NA yale I, A 3 Nol, | 5%. § fh EATS be SA ey 3 0 RL NEPA] AEE EE aaa MLE ERAT E01 SUN RLY I A NE IR FR A LO Ati at A RR a aX 8 Bn PE SE ay Sy) PLEX EAR Eee MEY BREN 3 Ga A ah x FNS NE ER - itorial comments 3 ed SEN RG 1) Shocking Shocking, dangerous, and just plain dumb is the on- ly way to describe the way a few people behaved on the ice of Lake Scugog during the past weekend of racing. When there are large numbers of people watching an event like the weekend of racing, why is it that a hand- ful of fools feel they must risk the safety of others by driv- ing cars, trucks, motorcycles, three-wheelers, snowmobiles and an assortment of other vehicles in reckless fashion in close proximity to the crowds of people. It is just a matter of time before there is a serious mishap that could result in somebody getting killed. It was a dangerous situation caused by a handful of peo- ple who must think it's '"'neat" to risk the safety of inno- cent people who are trying to watch a sports event. The only "neat" thing about some of the antics was that nobody was killed. But it is just a matter of time. Surely, there must be some way to keep a few idiots well away from spectator areas as they obviously don't have the brains enough to figure out the dangers for themselves. The organizers of the racing weekend put in countless hours of work staging these kinds of events for the enjoyment of those who like to race their machines and those who get a kick out of watching. One serious incident could have marred an otherwise very successful weekend. In The Army The Federal government is going to study a proposal that up to 50,000 young people aged 17-25 be taken in- to the Canadian Armed Forces for job training as a way of helping to relieve the horrendous unemployment pro- blem in this country. The proposal came from a group of back-bench Liberal MP's, and apparently there are enough Liberal Cabinet ministers willing to at least take a closer look at the idea. There is no question that young people in this age bracket are hardest hit by the unemployment problem in Canada, but taking 50,000 of them into the Armed Forces is probably not the answer. First of all, do the Armed Forces want them? Are 3 | |chatterbox by John B. McClelland The thirst for power anda place of prominence in the history books does not mean that politicians are insincere and 3 gc a, IN ATNE RT ANS . PES JOE CLARK I don't know how you feel about it, but I'm starting to 3 get a little tired of the almost daily barrage of the trials and tribulations of Joe Clark and the Conservative party. One comes to the conclusion there is nothing else going on in Canada these days, other than a few hockey games here and there. The big question on the tip of the pens of editorial and column writers is whether Ontario's Bill Davis and-or Alberta's Premier Lougheed will step into the leadership race for the Tories. Frankly, I hope one (or both) makes up his mind very quickly because trying to keep up with all the rumours has become tedious to the point of boredom. : As I see it, the essential point being clouded by all the smokescreens is still the question of Joe Clark's leader- ship. And I have to agree with his critics who say he's had his day in the sun. Now it is time for someone else. that the next leader of the Conservative party stands a decent chance of becoming Prime Minister of the country. Joe Clark did not exactly set the world on fire during his brief stint as the PM. But he wants another shot at it. Of course, he does. If he didn't fight tooth and nail (as he is doing now) Id say there is something wrong with the guy and it really is time that he exit from the political stage. He's a politician, after all, and he's had a taste o power, which is a most intoxicating brew. - Joe is like all other politicians. He wants to decide when to step down, so when somebody pushes, he pushes back. . For the same reasons, I think that Davis and Lougheed are just chomping at the bit to get into the leadership race. Oh, sure, they can talk publicly all they want about their respective commitments to the people of Ontario and Alberta; that they are not all that interested in the job as leader of the Conservatives and possibly Prime Minister of Canada. Both of them have been very successful as politicians in their own back-yards, in their hoige provinces, and they will rank more than just a foot-note in the history books of Canada. But leader of the, Conservatives and the Prime "Minister of Canada will get entire chapters when the history books are written; a chance to leave one's stamp on the face of this country. Both Davis and Lougheed and all the others who are mentioned as possible leadership candidates know this, and you'd better believe that each and every one of them would dearly love one chance to grab the brass ring. Another thing that seems to be obscured is the fact when they talk of doing what's right for the country and the people; good decisions, good management, the betterment of society and all that stuff. Most politicians actually believe they are helping to build a better society, but the personal power trip is a very potent force. Just ask Pierre Trudeau. Some observers are saying that Joe Clark is doing | himself and his party harm by not stepping aside in the leadership race. Time will tell if they are right. But Clark is merely behaving now like any through and through politician; he doesn't want to go and he ain't goin' anywhere without a fight. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not a great admirer of Clark, but the tenacity he's putting on now shows he may be tougher than he looks. - I'm half sorry he didn't display some of this toughness during his election battles with Trudeau. If Clark had been able to win the last election, he wouldn't be fighting for his life right now. But that's another story altogether. The history books are filled with sentences which begin with the word "if." Ah, those history books, again. Clark, Davis, Loug- heed, Mulroney, Crosbie, Crombie, even Pocklington; they are all acutely aware of the path that could be open to them in the next few months. They are at a personal cross-roads with one leading to possibly the highest office in the land, the other leading quietly to political obscurity. And speaking of this guy Peter Pocklington, who just happens to own (among other things) the Edmonton". Oilers hockey club, can you imagine the impact he'd have on the campaign trail with Wayne Gretzky at his side? 'Publicity would not be a problem. Talk about a media picnic. I GOOFED When you make a goof in the newspaper business, there is no way to cover it up or push it under the carpet. Once it gets into print, there it is for all to see. Last week on the front page, we carried a photo of a young-man in front of a gas price sign, and we identified him as Len Franssen. Of course the man in the photo is Dennis Franssen, as more than one person has pointed out to me in the last few days. It was my mistake. Sorry about that Len and Dennis. As for the story about the gasoline prices in Port Perry. Well, no sooner was the paper off the press last week with that story about falling prices, when the price of gas began to go back up. Pretty good timing, I guess. Again, my apologies for the wrong name in the photo. Secondly, is it the function of the Armed Forces to be a training ground for young people who are having trouble finding work in a tough economy? Thirdly, what of the cost? One MP instrumental is putting forward the idea says the cost would be in the neighbourhood of $200 million, and that's over and ~ above the hundreds of millions already ear-marked by the government for job creation and re-training. The Armed Forces is supposed to be doing two things: carry out Canada's military commitments under treaty; and stand ready to protect the vital interests of this country from external threats. There has been much said and written in recent years that the Armed Forces is falling down on the job; mainly because of out-dated equipment and military hardware. Maybe the money would be better spent beef- ing up the forces with the latest equipment. There is nothing wrong with trying to recruit young men and women into the Armed Forces. But the first "priority should be their training-as professional soldiers, not just a convenient place for them to hang their hats for a year or two while they get a little training for civilian occupations. Let's not turn the Armed Forces into a vocational school. Recruits who want to take advantage of Armed Forces training opportunities should be encouraged to .do 80. But they should be required to.make a commit- ment to the Forces for five years atleast. The Armed Forces is no place for someone who doesn't want to be there. i { ( INCOME ILTAX OFFice | "DID YOU HAVE TO USE ROMAN NUMERALS 7 Be LERERCERERO SET KS