Roger Varley has been in the news business almost 40 years with The Canadian Press/Broadcast News, Uxbnridge Times-Journal, Richmond Hill Liberal and Uxbridge Cosmos. Co-winner with two others of CCNA national feature writing award. In Scout movement over 30 years, almost 25 as a leader. Took Uxbridge youths to World Jamboree in Holland. Involved in community theatre for 20 years as actor, director, playwright, stage manager etc. Born in England, came to Canada at 16, lived most of life north and east of Toronto with a five-year period in B.C.
Guvmint! Who needs it?
I find myself becoming more and more sympathetic lately to the mind-set of the mythical gun-totin' Montana survivalists who supposedly proclaim: "Git the guvmint out of my face."
And I have started to wonder at what point in history did we give our various levels of government the power to intrude into so many aspects of our lives. Or did they just take those powers unto themselves while the populace meekly acquiesced?
A number of small, diverse and unrelated incidents in recent days set me to wondering about this state of affairs once again.
Firstly, it has taken me a while to realize it, but locally home-made pies are no longer available at the museum's Heritage Days. That was part of my delight in visiting the museum grounds: freshly baked apple, cherry and lemon meringue pies. But those days are over, thanks to the Durham health department. Now the museum can only sell commercially baked pies because, geez, the health department can't inspect all the kitchens where the home-made pies were so lovingly made all those long years past. Of course, just as with any government program or policy, they only do this because they have our best interests at heart. I mean, we can't have dozens of people falling sick because a pie was baked in a kitchen that didn't meet the health department's standards, can we? Never mind that I - and, I bet, you - can't think of a single incident where this has happened.
And with the realization that I can't get home-baked pies at the museum events any more came the further realization that it has been a long, long time since I saw any community group having a bake sale to raise funds. A friend, who I trust implicitly, was telling me on the weekend of a church group that was making egg salad sandwiches for some event when a health department official came by and poured some noxious substance into the egg salad so that they could not use it. Now I wonder if Trinity United Church will still be able to offer home-made pies at their annual roast beef suppers or will they have to buy their pies at Zehrs?
Secondly, there was a story of a man and his wife driving a tractor across Canada - to raise awareness of problems facing the nation's farmers - falling afoul of the RCMP and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, both government entities. After travelling all the way from P.E.I., they were informed by the B.C. RCMP that the tractor would not be allowed on the roads unless they hired another vehicle to accompany them. And the ICBC demanded they purchase extra insurance before continuing along that province's roadways. That is strange on a couple of levels. Farm equipment is allowed on roads in every province and I certainly saw farm equipment on roads when I lived in B.C. And how come the RCMP in Alberta and Saskatchewan didn't have a problem with the tractor?
Thirdly, there is the story of the plane towing a banner around Ottawa-Gatineau on the weekend which was ordered to land by the RCMP - an organization that is rapidly losing the respect of many Canadians - because they thought it might be entering restricted air space over Parliament Hill. A fast call to Nav Canada would have assured them the pilot never entered restricted air space and was following his flight plan. The plane happened to be towing a French-language banner which in its English translation read: "Stephen Harper Hates Us.ca." The RCMP interrogated the pilot and even suggested the banner - paid for by the Public Service Alliance of Canada - might constitute "hate speech".
And, finally, there is the proposed new federal riding of Uxbridge-Haliburton which, if adopted, makes a mockery of regional government since it would lump the southern half of Uxbridge Township in with regions touching the south end of Algonquin Park, while the northern half of Uxbridge would be lumped in with much of York Region.
The last item might be a stretch, but the others are prime examples of government officials butting unnecessarily into peoples' lives because, you know, they have our best interests at heart.
It seems to me that the more government - any government - takes my best interests to heart, the more I have to worry about my best interests.
Tell me, am I wrong?
