Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 15, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A13 M ILAN, Italy - From the North American side of the Atlantic, the debate over Europe's economic future often sounds like a bloodless, mind- numbing discussion of currency zones, bank recapitalization and interest rates. But in countries with fragile economies such as Spain and Italy, it takes on real- life urgency. Pain is everywhere. Unfinished construction sites litter classic landscapes, monuments to businesses that have failed and bank loans that didn't come through. In Italy, where I have spent the last three weeks, the unemployment rate has topped 10 per cent, and news broadcasts have given lavish coverage to a wave of suicides by small- business owners who couldn't meet payrolls or tax bills. On Monday, the country's main stock index plunged and the interest rate on 10- year government bonds soared, prompting fear Italy could soon need a massive bailout such as the one Spain received last week. The burden of Europe's recession is felt disproportionately by the young and unemployed. But it's affecting middle- aged business people, too. " Austerity has a psychological effect on everybody," an Italian management consultant told me. " Entrepreneurs turn into pessimists. Businesses aim lower." About the only relief comes in the form of black humour. " It's so bad," he said, " that to save money, they've turned off the light at the end of the tunnel." Voters are blaming incumbents, no matter who they are. In November, Italians rejoiced when the economic crisis forced mercurial prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to resign. He was replaced with the country's most eminent economist, Mario Monti. But Monti's program of reforms quickly got bogged down in Parliament, except for a package of deficit- shrinking tax increases, that is. So Italians have seen higher taxes, but no economic growth. Monti's popularity, once measured at 71 per cent, has plunged to 43 per cent in one recent poll. Instead, the fastest- growing political force is a populist movement led by a burly standup comedian, Beppe Grillo, an Italian version of Michael Moore, who condemns all traditional parties as corrupt. Grillo doesn't have a well- defined program beyond " throw the bums out," a sentiment he expresses with a shorter, unprintable epithet. But his Five Star Movement has surged into second place in the polls, a testament to the failure of conventional politicians to seize the moment for reform. How bad is it? Bad enough that references to the 1930s have begun gingerly creeping into Italians' conversations, beginning with the unfortunate fact it was a wave of bank failures in 1931 that paved the way for Hitler's rise to power in 1933. How bad is it? Bad enough that to many Italians, U. S. President Barack Obama's economic policies look like a success story, even with the U. S. unemployment rate stuck at eight per cent. The economics remain mind- numbing. In Italy, I asked everyone I know - bankers, businesspeople, teachers, even a real, live economist - how the downturn has affected their lives. Their main worries are taxes, which have gone up; prices, which haven't gone down; and, above all, jobs for their college- age children. Youth unemployment in Italy has risen to 36 per cent, and it's little comfort that this is better than in Spain, where it's more than 50 per cent. Italy's situation is a bit different from elsewhere. Spain and Ireland had calamitous real estate bubbles; Greece and Portugal ran big budget deficits. In Italy, it's long- term debt that's the problem, even though Monti has brought the budget under control. There's no single remedy that will fix all these problems. Add the fact there are two Europes, not one. The southern economies are shrinking, losing jobs and GDP; but Germany, the biggest country of the north, is growing about as quickly as the U. S. economy. Time and again, Chancellor Angela Merkel has asked German taxpayers to help bail out bankers - not only German bankers, but French, Italian and Spanish bankers, too - who made bad loans. Europe has been trudging through its own version of a bailout, only in slow motion. So far it's been expensive enough to make voters angry, but never big enough to solve the problem. As the Italian American economist Luigi Zingales has pointed out, the result is a continuing state of uncertainty that prompts European investors to move their money to safe countries such as Germany or the United States, causes businesses to freeze hiring and postpones economic recovery even longer. Italy's is a big economy, the third- largest in the eurozone, bigger than Spain and far bigger than Greece. You might think Italians would resent German demands for economic reform, but polls show the opposite: Italians admire Germany's success and are willing to undergo the pain of austerity reform - if it carries the promise of economic growth. The problem the Italians and the rest of southern Europe face, at least in the short run, is they are getting all the pain of economic reform but, so far, none of the benefits. Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. - McClatchy Tribune Service More than symbolic In her June 13 article It's a small amount, but a big symbol, Katherine Dow speaks of the treaties between First Nations and the Crown, and the resultant annual treaty payments, as a symbolic social event. But it's much more than that. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 established the official process for negotiating subsequent Crown acquisition ( read " expropriation") of title to Indian lands. Following the American Revolution, some 23 treaties were entered into in what was then Upper Canada. The Robinson- Huron, Robinson Superior and Manitoulin treaties were signed during the period from 1850 to 1862. The largest community on Manitoulin Island proudly proclaims itself as Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation, as its chief in 1862 refused to sign the Manitoulin Treaty. Commencing in 1871, there were some 11 numbered treaties, seven of which cover parts of what is now Manitoba. A number of those treaties also include " adhesions" to add additional Indian communities and terms to the original documents. The numbered treaties cover the area from the Quebec border in northern Ontario, north of the CNR line through to the area north of Thunder Bay. Treaty No. 3 covers the area south of the CNR line and west of Thunder Bay to Lake of the Woods. With the exception of Treaty No. 9, which covers the northern half of Ontario, treaties No. 6- 11 cover the remainder of what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta, plus parts of the Northwest Territories. It is noteworthy that virtually none of B. C. has been surrendered under treaty. So the treaties themselves are a big deal to most First Nations, as they remain as both benchmarks and symbols of unfulfilled expectation in their relationship with Canada. Trivial treaty annuities are a symbolic reminder not only to First Nations, but to all Canadians, that " Indians" are the original stewards of our great country. Let's bear this in mind as we approach our national birthday on July 1. J. HUGH MCMORROW Winnipeg The new racism Re: Baby bear outgrowing zoo but no public concern ( June 14). I am 100 per cent behind the protection of all animals on this planet. But speciesism has become the new racism. People are up in arms about a cute bear cub's chance of survival. The seal hunt is a constant point of contention. Puppy mills bring people to tears. Yet nobody cries about the deplorable conditions in which food animals are kept. What about the animals we deem ugly enough to eat? Imagine spending your whole life cooped up in a cage only to be murdered and have your flesh devoured by a species that believes itself to be superior. Why is this still permissible? Humans finally have enough knowledge about nutrition that we no longer need to feed on the flesh of defenceless animals. Yet we continue to do so because they are tasty. If it had been a baby piglet found, would we be so concerned about its chance of survival? I just think that if someone is going to be an advocate for animals rights, they should do so in a much less hypocritical fashion. All animals on this planet have value and deserve a chance at life. Not just cute, cuddly bear cubs. MINDY LICHTMAN Winnipeg �� The Ontario bear rehabilitation centre Bear with Us has offered to care for Makoon. An independent airline company has offered to provide free air transport. Still, the Manitoba government is refusing this opportunity. LILY HOBEL Toronto Bring on ' enviropreneurs' Re: Tick tock tick ... ( June 11). Sustainable development is just another euphemism for socialist central planning. Capitalism is what has proven itself to cure the world of what ails it. What humanity needs is free- market environmentalists who understand the power property rights, common law and markets have in solving the problems of humanity. Enviropreneurs will be the ones who come up with solutions, as they will be motivated by profit instead of subjected to the central plan. Gwynne Dyer neglects to mention that wealthy countries such as Canada have such a low birth rate that we are not even replacing ourselves. This suggests that the wealthier other countries become, the fewer people they will produce, too. No one knows what the future holds for planet Earth, but we do know the central planners have brought misery to millions in the past. Mankind has been better off putting its faith in liberty than into nice- sounding theories like socialism that don't work. CHRIS BUORS Winnipeg 50 is fast enough In his June 7 letter, 50 too slow for Grant , Allan Levine asks what sense it makes for the 50- kilometre- per- hour speed limit on the stretch of Grant near Nathaniel. I believe it's called " school zone." Sarcasm aside, I'll bet that the people who get moving violations there are predominantly people who speed. No amount of tinkering with measuring devices or niggling about obscure theory in the courts will change that fact. Keep the red- light cams. Keep the trafficcontrol officers. Let the speeders whine. DAMON RONDEAU Winnipeg Off by a month Regarding the entry for Today in Manitoba History for June 12, the date of the Guess Who's performance at the White House is off by a month and five days. The Winnipeg group played at the White House by invitation of Tricia Nixon on July 17, 1970. The event was in honour of Prince Charles and Princess Anne's visit to Washington. The group had already met the royal siblings a few days earlier at a youth event in Winnipeg at the International Inn on July 15. Following this performance, bassist Jim Kale remarked to the royals, " We'll see you in Washington." It was reported prior to their White House performance that the group had been requested by a White House press aide to delete American Woman from their set, " as a matter of taste." They complied and played Hand Me Down World instead. JOHN EINARSON Winnipeg Artistic sympathy So, Patt Dawson ( At least we're sunny , Letters, June 11) is offended by the library sculpture. Was the article about it fully read? The artist was blown away by the Prairie vistas. To quote: " When I got here, I was overwhelmed by the sense of space and the sky," Bill Pechet said. " If one doesn't look deep enough, you might perceive it as empty but there's tons of creative energy within that space." Hardly " shameful and insulting." STUART KAYE Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTERS OF THE DAY Re: Lowe blow nothing new for our fine community ( June 14). Maybe Rob Lowe had a few drinks and tweeted something he should not have. But you can bet if he were in a sports bar in his hometown watching a basketball game and it was interrupted with something he thought could have waited, he would have thought or even tweeted something similar. Let's show our heart to this visitor to the heart of the continent. After all, we are the ones celebrating the anniversary of the victory of 1812. Don't forget we used to be called Friendly Manitoba. Either way, forgive and forget. Enjoy the rest of your stay here, Mr. Lowe. You are lucky not to be here when our mosquitoes are biting or when it is - 40 C with the cold wind blowing. DIANA TAMBLYN Sanford �� It was both comical and sad witnessing the overreaction to Rob Lowe's tweet that he is " stuck in a hellhole." First, who cares what Rob Lowe thinks? He gets paid to pretend to be someone else or to help make movies of people pretending to be someone else. He is not sitting on the Nobel Peace Prize committee or fixing global warming. The reaction shows a lot about the true character of this town. Our radio stations were running the story as their lead news item late into the day Wednesday. Is that not a sad reflection of our insecurity? Richard Cloutier challenged his CJOB audience Wednesday to sum up Winnipeg in one tweet of 140 characters or less. After Wednesday's overreaction, my answer might be: " Insecure. Horrible drivers. Transit system that screams for return to the horse. Great perogies. Fantastic sports city." GARY HOOK Winnipeg Winnipeg Free Press Friday, June 15, 2012 A 13 POLL �� TODAY'S QUESTION Do you agree the Montreal high school teacher should be fired for showing the infamous bodyparts killing video? �� Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com �� PREVIOUS QUESTION What attracts you to the Red River Ex? Rides 29% Food 22% Games 8% Music 16% Agriculture 9% Other entertainment 16% TOTAL RESPONSES 2,748 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 VOL 140 NO 212 2012 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 697- 7000 BOB COX / Publisher MARGO GOODHAND / Editor JULIE CARL / Deputy Editor CHRIS PIZZELLO / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES Actor Rob Lowe with wife Cheryl Berkoff in Los Angeles in 2011. The high road with Lowe It looks urgent in Italy DOYLE McMANUS A TEACHER'S suspension at an Edmonton high school last week is the latest example of how political correctness is causing people to turn a blind eye to common sense. In this case, the shortsightedness may cause students to be unprepared for life after school. The teacher, Lynden Dorval, is vowing to appeal his suspension after going against his school's policy to not give students a grade of zero. The reason the 35- year teacher gave out zeros after he was warned not to? The students didn't do their work. Dorval refuses to go along with his school's policy of assigning so- called behaviour codes because it means students' marks are only based on the work they have actually done. The 61- year- old teacher says the practice is done because the zero mark is not seen as a measure of intelligence due to the fact the grade is administered for what they don't do. However, Dorval says the mark is relevant because it encourages accountability at a time when " they are getting ready to step out into the real world." A logical conclusion, indeed, but in a politically correct education system, common sense doesn't seem to fly with his employer, thus the suspension. Of course, lack of common sense is nothing new when it comes to grades in public education. Many elementary schools across the country have resorted to giving students " progress reports" instead of actual report cards with actual letter grades. Since the self- esteem movement was ushered in more than a decade ago, it seems educators are unwilling to give honest marks, which, according to Dorval, just pushes students through grades. The educator says he warns his class at the beginning of the school year if students refuse to do their assignments, they will be given a zero. The warning stems from real life: If you don't do your work, there are consequences. The responsibility of educators is to prepare students for life outside of school, and they are given a great amount of trust from parents to do just that. Giving zeros for missed assignments encourages kids to take ownership of their work and discourages laziness. Failing to give an honest grade for missed work is a disservice to the students. Zero- grade policy is worth zilch, zip OTHER OPINION The Kamloops Daily News A_ 15_ Jun- 15- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A13 6/ 14/ 12 7: 00: 41 PM ;