Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 25, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Sunday life editor Brian Cole / 697-7044focus sunday free press b q Winnipeg May 25,1997 do read this then have a Nice Day a lot of kvetching can be healthy readers of this column have come to appreciate Many of the Good things that life has to offer a Day at the Beach fishing with friends browsing in a Bookstore and family bonding. But life As we All know is equally full of problems headaches and minor irritations. Some of us accept these Man made obstacles with a shrug or a laugh others of us do not. I am not ashamed to admit that i fall into the latter category. It goes by Many names a griping complaining whining. I prefer the yiddish term Kvetch. Rarely does a week go by when i am not kvetching about something a just ask my wife children colleagues students the list is endless. Deep Down of course i recognize that All of this griping wastes a lot of Energy yet at the same time a complaint Here and there also relieves some unneeded tension. Frankly i would argue that excessive complaining can be healthy. Why go to bed each night with All that pent up frustration let it out. While your wife or partner May not agree you la feel a lot better. So Here in no particular order Are several of my enduring gripes each i would suggest deserving of a separate column. A the atrocious driving habits of Winni Eggers Many years ago when my father was attempting to teach me How to drive a car he told me something i have never forgotten a everyone else on the Road but you is potentially out of their my father never minced his words lets be honest. Many Winni Eggers do not know How to drive a vehicle. They drive too fast when they Are supposed to slow Down and too slow when there is no reason for it. Never mind signalling when you turn moving Over when you Are driving on the Side of the Road with parked cars stopping properly at a Stop sign or turning in the Correct fashion in the Middle of streets like Grant and Corydon. A taxes the reality is this in Canada a your Gross salary bears absolutely no resemblance any More to the amount you Are paid each month. It is a mythical figure that your employer writes on a piece of paper each year. I am familiar with All the arguments about the deficit and the High costs of health care and education. To be honest i cannot accept them any longer. With income tax sur taxes provincial tax the get and particularly As a resident in Winnipeg property taxes we have been taxed to the limit for too Long. Anywhere else on Earth or at any other time in history such excessive and in my View unreasonable and unfair taxation would be cause for a revolution. In Canada we do nothing but say thank you and write another Cheque to the government. When the prime minister who campaigned on a Promise to eliminate the get changed his mind we merely shrugged. A which brings me to my third complaint the size of government itself. Have you Ever stopped to think about How Many people represent your interests you have a Federal my in Ottawa your provincial la and your City councillor. What services do they provide to you and at what Cost or let me pose some other questions along the same line if mayor Susan Thompson and the City councillors represent the 600,000 plus people living in Winnipeg who does Premier Gary Filmon and the entire provincial government and bureaucracy represent the other 400,000 people living in Manitoba could it be possible for one government to run the City and the province for that matter How is it possible for Saskatchewan and Manitoba to have two provincial governments and two separate bureaucracies for fewer people than live in greater Toronto i wont even comment on the provincial status and costs of running separate governments in the maritime its too absurd to contemplate moreover Why does it take As Many Cabinet ministers to run Canada with 29 million people As it does to run the United states with nearly 250 million people if the politicians Are going to go Back to the drawing Board and rework Canadian federalism the first thing they ought to do is eliminate half of their jobs. A the weather suffice it to say this i did not like the blizzard of the Century in Early april or the flood of the Century a month later. I did not like shovelling the Snow for three hours. I did not enjoy cleaning my basement in Case of a sewer backup. I do not have quaint memories of blizzards or floods gone by. My family and i did griping is one of the Best ways to feel Good. Not need the extra bonding time. A technology i have argued in another column that the practical use of new technology like the internet May be overrated. But there is nevertheless tremendous pressure to adapt change and upgrade. If you done to have the most modern computer hardware and software you Are regarded As out of Date and washed up. Or what about voice mail and automated telephones is there anything More frustrating than talking to a machine All Day try to reach someone. It is almost impossible. Voice mail is like a creeping plague or an old outer limits episode in which you keep finding yourself dialling the same number but All you get is a cheery taped message. A value perhaps i am getting old and Cranky. But it seems to me that you no longer get very Good value for your Money. A few weeks ago my 11-year-old son convinced me to buy him a comic Book. In the old Days i was an avid Reader of Superman and Batman but then comic books were Only 12 cents even 15 cents. A Quarter got you an annual. For a thin spider Man comic i shelled out $2.33 with taxes included of course. It is the same Story with movies restaurants travel costs car repairs parking at the Winnipeg stadium Popsicle remember six cents a Here too the list is endless. We live in an economic environment where $100 does not mean much and where the Price of service is higher than the value received. Of course Many of the problems at the store or restaurant can be blamed on High taxes big government Lousy driving the weather and the High costs of technology. There in be had my Gripe for the Day. Boy do i feel better. Have a Nice Day. Allan Levine is a Winnipeg historian writer and educator. His next Book a historical mystery the blood libel will be published in september by great Plains to the editor Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 a Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Rudy Redekop publisher email Ca Nicholas Hirst / editor Brian Cole i editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown / circulation sales and marketing Ian Cummins i technology Laurie Finley advertising Verne Kalichuk human resources Glenn Williams / finance and administration a 1997 Winnipeg free press a division of . Newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council vol 125 n0142 civil servants prove their Worth i enjoyed your profile on provincial flood Liaison officer Larry Whitney May la. It was Nice to see something positive about civil servants for a change. I think contrary to conventional Wisdom that most Public employees work As hard As the rest of us and in some cases even harder. Thanks to Larry for his dedication and to All those other unnamed civil servants who go above and beyond the Call of duty every Day. Allan Dawson Miami Reform Unity policy inept i entitled this editorial reforms fundamental weakness. However the approach adopted by Preston Manning and the Reform party of Canada with regards to National Unity can be More accurately characterized As Colo Sally inept and lacking in vision. I should note that i make these comments strictly from a non partisan position. In fact reforms economic platform is in my opinion of the Correct chemistry that will ensure and promote Prosperity for the majority of hard working canadians As we approach the 21st Century. However the most important and fundamental ingredient for economic Prosperity is a guarantee that the nation will remain United a Quebec included. Unfortunately Preston Manning a performance in the leaders debate clearly illustrated that Reform has absolutely no clue As to How the How to reach us the free press welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed name address and Telephone number. Names will be published but not addresses. All letters May be edited for style and length. Short letters Are less Likely to be condensed. Please address letters to letters to the editor Winnipeg free press 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Letters can be sent to our fax number 697-7412. Letters May be submitted through the internet at letters @ free press. My. Ca. Letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be signed but must include Home address and Telephone number. Federal government should approach the possibility of Quebec separation. I am flabbergasted that or. Manning believes that the a a stick approach toward Quebec separation will be adequate in keeping the country together. Simply transferring massive amounts of Federal Powers to the provinces and issuing a Stern warning As to what the consequences of francophone separation will entail shall Only alienate an already alienated province. Manning has consistently failed to realize that Quebe cers Are fearful that the most important element of Quebec culture the French language shall be assimilated by an overwhelming anglophone North american majority. Reforms policies do nothing from a Larry Whitney made it Clear that civil servants do work hard. Uniquely Federal standpoint that seeks to protect the French language in Canada and North America. Rather the policies adopted by Reform seek Only to encourage the separatist movement by the fact that what Reform is proposing can also be achieved unilaterally through Quebec separation. The Correct approach must be a policy that convinces Quebe cers that the French language and culture will be better protected within the Canadian federation rather than apart from it. The fact that Reform does not realize this approach leads one to believe that their primary concern is to generate votes in Western Canada that will ensure their political existence rather than being a truly National party with the desire to govern a multicultural bilingual nation. Edward Hermann Winnipeg Duff Roblin a real hero Many men Are not recognized As heroes in their lifetime. Not so in the Case of Duff Roblin. During this flood of 97, he saved the City of Winnipeg with a a Duff a in the 1800 flood the populace headed for the Hills Stonewall. Today we May have found it a Tad crowded. Not Only was Duff Roblin a Man of vision he was a fighter Pilot in the second world War. Later As a politician he found time to actively take part in Community activities. Quite a Man. Thank you from one of the Many survivors and compassion to those who were so very very much less fortunate. Grace m. Pass Winnipeg costly gun Law wont do Job Bravo to provincial Justice minister vie Toews for taking a common sense approach to Federal gun registry legislation. In a Federal election year i feel it is important to consider aspects of the Federal gun registry. First from a purely financial standpoint what will this Cost and who will pick up the Tab it will most Likely be the individual municipalities saddled with a burdensome and costly program. If you think Royal commissions Are expensive this will blow your mind. The weapons examples used in recent Winnipeg crimes to Herald the need for this registry Are conveniently twisted to distract us from the fact that current firearms legislation is completely adequate to prevent them. The person who possessed a sawed off Shotgun and left it accessible to his children in his absence adhered to absolutely none of these regulations. It is doubtful that the owner of such a weapon would Ever comply with firearms legislation. Why would a registry make any difference handgun registration has been in place in Canada and mandatory since 1937. Has this prevented the criminal element from obtaining handguns s. Soble Norway House doonesbury Hay number 237, so Ouk amp Otta visitor \ by Garry Trudeau america7 Ems says yeah has she my Comito 7066t a hats ffs6-Mf Bacrad cd amp of. Home Vork of Hub whole mean i Mycol \ 5/nt by i Pont recognize nor cob course you Pont Sim Piston Sass from a i America a ;