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| Advertising Manager 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, February 25, 1986 Editorial Comments No Severance Pay 'Durham Region council may be on the verge of considering a benefits package for its councillors which would include a severance pay provision. It's sheur folly. The idea of paying a municipal politician a lump sum when he or she is defeated at the polls or steps down for other reasons is something the tax-paying public will not endure. Regional councillors do not work full time at the job. They are paid nicely as it is: about $16,000 per year, plus mileage and ex- penses, plus stipends for attending conventions. They also receive a salary from their local municipalities. Most of them have other work. it has been proposed that a Regional councillor receive one month's pay for each term served on retirement or defeat in an elec- tion. That means a two-term councillor would pocket some $2400. This proposal should be put so far back on the shelf that it will never see the light of day. Even the mere suggestion of severance ~ pay for defeated councillors is a public relations disaster. It deserves to be shelved, forever. . Nuclear Omelette The world watched in grim horror last month as the ill-fated space shuttle disintegrated in a ball of flames seconds after lifting off fror the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Also last month, an American cruise missile being tested in nor- thern Canada crashed about 50km short of its target landing on a frozen lake near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Unlike the shut- tle disaster, the crash of the cruise caused no loss of life and little damage, except to the missile itself which broke into pieces on impact. A massive investigation is now underway into why the shuttle exploded, but already it appears as if the cause was a leak in the - solid fuel booster rocket. : As for the crash of the cruise missile, American officials disclos- ed last week that the thing simply ran out of fuel and hit the ground because the parachute failed to open. Ran out of fuel? Here we have the testing of a new missile that ~ Is supposed to be vital to the defense of North America and the darn thing runs out of gas. Seems the head winds were a trifle stronger than predicted on the day of the test. A good thing it was only a test. The cases of the cruise and the shuttle serve to underscore the fact that despite all the advances made in technology, there really is no such thing as a fail-safe system. The computers which are sup- posed to calculate and monitor down to the finest detail, themselves are subject to failure on occasion. They are after all, only pieces of equipment made by human hands and programmed by human minds. There will always be the chance for error. These two incidents cast something of a shadow over the much talked about SDI or Star Wars program that American president Ronald Reagan thinks will protect us all from Soviet missiles and bombers. This is a multi-billion dollar plan involving the extensive use of computers in space that would throw an apparently invincible shield of protection over the North American continent and ultimately render obsolete most of the missiles and bombers that are now supposed to be our salvation in the event of nuclear attack. We can't help but wonder just how reliable such a system would be. If something as simple as a fuel leak can bring down the shuttle, (Turn to page 11) -- the S Kae pao se oO) #0 #0190 i cn MT Arey ONY Balla vive \ 3 J (40) 903.730) --= Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co Ltd . Port Perry Ontario J. PETER HVIDSTEN ~ Publisher J.B. McCLELLAND Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post Ottice Department. Ottawa. and for cash CATHY ROBB payment of postage in cash News & Features Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 MAO AN « Muy Eg , Eon "wo 0 Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year Elsewhere $45.00 per year. Single Copy 35° Sy n, A200, Avy OCOPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copy: ight and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher | amet PL TTS A od Chatterbox by J. Peter Hvidsten GREAT KIDS I was deeply touched last week while atten- ding the convention of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA) in Toronto when I was invited to the Lt. Governor's suite at Queen's - Park to witness Ontario's Junior Citizens being honoured. - Among the 15 youngsters being honoured for various deeds of bravery, community service, overcoming handicaps etc., was, young Jennifer Geer from Prince Albert. I first met Jennifer the evening before the awards presentations at a reception in honour of the Junior Citizens. At the reception were members of the OCNA, the recipients, their parents and many other relatives including brothers, sisters and grandparents. It became very obvious to me after observ- ing her for only a short time that she was indeed a "model" Jr. Citizen, not only for her efforts in helping and comforting her brother when he was extremely ill, but also by her conduct during the reception. She played the piano in front of a large crowd of strangers, played with the youngsters and mingled with her peers throughout the evening and always appeared courteous and happy. The atmosphere in the room was very infec- tious as proud parents and other relatives stood around discussing the youngsters achievements and the importance of the awards program. Last year there were 115 nominees from across the province for Junior Citizen Awards, but only 15 would eventually receive the honour. While speaking to one of the judges, it became very ap- parent that sifting through the mounds of letters, press clippingsand recommendations for all these worthwhile youngsters, was a heartbreaking and difficult job. Weeding out the 15 winners meant that 100 had to be eliminated, and at times the process seem- ed almost cruel the judge said. But in order to make the award meaningful it is not possible to have everyone nominated a winner. To give you an example of the types of youth who received the award this year, I will sum- merize a few of the recipient's achievements: There was David Brown, 8, of London who climbed down a deep drainage hole to reach a three year old girl who had fallen into about 3 meters of water. He grabbed the terrified girl's outstretched arms and pulled her to the ladder, then helped her up and out of the hole. Kevin and Sherry Peltomaki, 12 year old twins from Huntsville, were praised for their tireless ef- forts and continuing service to the handicapped. -Lauren Vancaeyzeele, 10, of Newmarket, noticed a parked car with three youngsters in it had caught on fire. Without thought for her own safety, she opened the back door allowing two four year olds to escape and then tried to remove the 2 year old in the front seat. Frightened, the young girl refused to come, so Lauren ran to the other side of the car and dragged her out. Casey Morrison, 7, of Collingwood, who is described as the most popular student in his school has cerebral palsy and is unable to use his arms and legs. But he doesn't let this get in his way as he is intelligent, determined and cheerful, and has offered to help other CP victims whose families are frustrated with the problem. Casey can only communicate with the aid of a Blissybolics board . which he operates by touching a control plate with his head. : And finally, young Cory Bendzsak, 11, of Windsor, who has shown great courage and pro- ficiency despite severe and constant pain resulting from arthritis. The disease has stunted his growth, caused kidney problems and left him legally blind. But Cory hasn't slowed down, he has achieved straight A's in school, and topped his class for the past two years. He was also the school's top chocolate bar salesman last year, and is an *'unof- ficial teacher' to whom students turn when they need help or ideas. These are just a few of the Junior Citizen's that were honoured last week in Toronto, and everyone of them is a model citizen and a source of great pride to their families. The purpose of the awards is to provide recognition to youths between the ages of 6 and 18 years for outstanding achievements or acts of courage and initiative. The program includes in- dividual awards presented for meritorious con- duct, plus group awards to recognize the efforts of young people. Those honoured under the Junior Citizen pro- gram will exemplify values such as courage, in- genuity, resourcefulness, selflessness and for- titude which are fundamentally important in our society. Jennifer Geer is one of these people, and un- doubtedly there are others in our community. If you know of someone who you feel may be deser- ving of such an honour, contact the Star for a nomination form or further information.