Political paths, political journeys A TE
LIN
DSAY
AD O C V
Sixty year anniversary
My wife, Mary, and I will celebrate our sixtieth wedding anniversary on May 6. I would like to express my joy of having such an angel beside me for that length of time. We are so blessed In our little love nest Of, can you believe, sixty years? We’ve had our “ups” And we’ve had our “downs” But love has conquered our fears We are a team It sees like a dream The answer is, love smooths out the years. Jim Baldwin, Lindsay
People are nothing but economic units now
Thanks for your article — a scholarly article — on “A Poverty of Time.” (Benns’ Belief, March edition) I am tempted to quote Welsh poet W. H. Davies.: “What is this life if, full of care /We have no time to stand and stare.” You are, to my mind, correct to identify globalization, the obsessive pursuit of money, as being the enemy of leisure. Globalization has always been about the traders making more money, never about improving the lives of workers. That is true going back to the Phoenicians, or even earlier to the trade in flint arrowheads. Your final sentence is so true. By a strange coincidence I had a conversation recently with a staff member at Canadian Tire. He had lived much of his early life in Bobcaygeon. He painted an image of life at that time which was so rich. The clubs that formed, the activities that occurred, the showing of films in the arena, the theatre in Fenelon Falls, and the marvellous winter fair. The strong bonds of community were evident in everything from the daily work to the arts, and to recreational and leisure pursuits. As you note, the people have become nothing more than economic units for the wealthy. Alas, I see no way that we will ever shake off our chains. Peter Weygang, Bobcaygeon
I enjoyed reading Roderick Benns’ “Political Confessions,” (Benns’ Belief, April edition.) I have always been curious about how people arrive at their views in life, and in particular, their political views. Like Roderick, my parents influenced my earliest voting choices. Dad was a Second World War veteran who suffered from postwar complications that made employment a challenge. On more occasions than I like to admit, we depended upon church charity for money to buy food. The Liberal party offered the best support services, which my parents both appreciated. My first vote was for Pierre Trudeau in 1972. After graduating university in 1975, I worked in sales on salary plus commissions. My parents had taught me to work hard and to live within my means. As I watched Liberal government budget deficits add steadily to public debt, I rejected politicians who spent tax dollars irresponsibly, especially after studying economics as part of an MBA program. From 1981 to 2006, I voted for Conservatives and hoped that they would help us all to “live within our means,” but public spending and debt levels kept rising. In 2007, I learned by happenstance that I was a Libertarian in my personal principles and values. I sought out the provincial party and began to read more books in economics and political theory. My LibertarianConservative convictions have deepened over the past 14 years. Like Roderick, I share an interest in people, their prosperity and the health of our planet. What I find particularly interesting is that our approaches to these matters are so very different. Gene Balfour, Fenelon Falls
Has city missed the mark on cultural sustainability?
Referring to Kirk Winter’s article (Advocate online) about the city’s approval to hire a “museum curator/ manager” in response to the Olde Gaol Museum’s request for municipal funding, the article missed the point entirely. This undefined staff person has not been hired. The city doesn’t even know what to call the position yet, nor what they will be doing exactly. What is clear is that the city needs assistance themselves in helping to roll out their cultural master plan and this new city staffer may be a great resource for the city in that regard. This may be a positive aspect of this decision.
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