Editorial January 19, 2009

Editorial January 19th

Rarely have many expected so much from one man. Barack Obama will be inaugurated tomorrow as the 44th President of the United States. He is being looked at by many as their saviour. African Americans are hoping the first black president in U. S . history will bring their status to a new level, providing them with new hope for their future as part of the American culture. That in itself is enough for one man to have on his shoulders. But the reality is that the entire U.S. population, indeed the entire world, is looking at Obama to save them, from wars around the world, from the terrible economic situation everyone is facing, from every problem that exists. And Obama, as potentially great as he is, cannot do it all by himself. Nor should he try. The American people will be asked tomorrow to do their share. Back in 1961, another young President had a lot resting on his shoulders. He told Americans they had to pull their weight. John F. Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country." Barack Obama will probably have a similar message. Obama will spend trillions of dollars to try and spend the U.S. out of the recession. Those deficits will have a massive impact for years to come. But they will only work if corporate executives get involved and reorganize their companies to face the future. That includes keeping their own salaries in line. They will only work if workers come to the table and agree to concessions that allow more productivity. They will only work if a new spirit evolves that speaks more to the positive than the negative. They will only work if world leaders sit down in a spirit of peace and cooperation to find workable solutions to end the conflicts, and end the strife in places like Darfur and other parts of Africa and Asia. Martin Luther King, whose birthday Americans celebrate today, said "I have a dream". It will take more than the vision of hope Obama's inauguration gives us to make that dream a reality. Everyone will have to be a part of making that dream come true. I'm Doug Collins and that's One Man's Opinion.

One Man's Opinion- January 5, 2009

THE RECENT RASH OF SNOWMOBILE DEATHS, SKIIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS AND ICE FISHERMEN BEING THE SUBJECT OF SEARCHES, HAS AGAIN RAISED THE QUESTION-WHY ARE WE PAYING FOR THE COSTS OF SEARCHING FOR PEOPLE WHO GO MISSING BECAUSE THEY CAN'T OBEY THE RULES? THE SNOWMOBILE DEATHS NEAR FERNIE MIGHT BE THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. IT APPEARS THOSE MEN WENT OUT PROPERLY EQUIPPED, OBEYING ALL THE RULES AND GOT CAUGHT IN A TRAGIC EVENT. NOT SO FOR SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THE SUBJECT OF SEARCHES ON MOUNTAINS, AND WHO BECAME LOST OR TRAPPED BECAUSE THEY SOUGHT SOME EXTREME EXCITEMENT AND STRAYED OUT OF BOUNDS, DELIBERATELY OR ACCIDENTALLY. WHEN PEOPLE HAVE TO PUT THEIR OWN LIVES IN DANGER TO RESCUE SOMEONE WHO DID SOMETHING STUPID, I THINK THE CULPRITS NEED TO BE EITHER CHARGED WITH SOME SORT OF OFFENCE, WHETHER IT BE RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR FINED TO HELP PAY FOR THE COST OF THE RESCUE. IF YOU LIKE THE THRILL, YOU SHOULD HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE IF YOU SCREW UP. I DON'T EVER WANT TO PUT THE CLAMPS ON PEOPLE WHO ENJOY THE EXTREME SPORTS, THE BACKCOUNTRY SNOWMOBILING, THE HELICOPTER SKIING ADVENTURES, BUT IF YOU TAKE THE RISK, YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR THE DOWNSIDE. I THINK SOME OF THESE PEOPLE GO OUT OF BOUNDARIES TO SKI OR BOARD WITHOUT ANY THOUGHT AT ALL TO WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY GET LOST OR GET HURT. SOMEONE HAS TO PUT THEMSELVES IN DANGER TO RESCUE THEM. AND IN MANY CASES THE RESCUERS DON'T GET ANY COMPENSATION WHATSOEVER FOR DOING THAT. THEIR ORGANIZATIONS OFTEN HAVE TO RAISE THEIR OWN FUNDS FOR SAFETY GEAR AND OTHER EQUIPMENT TO DO THE JOB BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENTS DON'T FUND THESE RESCUE GROUPS PROPERLY. MAYBE SOME OF THESE FINES COULD GO TOWARDS PROPER FUNDING FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE GROUPS. THE POINT IS, PEOPLE WHO CREATE PROBLEMS SHOULD HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE FOR CREATING THOSE PROBLEMS. IF MY TAX DOLLARS ARE PAYING FOR SOMEONE TO BE RESCUED BY HELICOPTER BECAUSE HE CAN'T FOLLOW THE RULES, I WANT THAT PERSON TO HAVE TO PAY SOME OF THE COST TOO. FOR SOME REASON, THAT RARELY HAPPENS. I'M DOUG COLLINS AND THAT'S ONE MAN'S OPINION.

Ice Cleats Are Great

Having never blogged before, I am starting out with a winter perspective. This has not been the worst winter on record, but it certainly has given us our fair share of problems. I thought the City Crews did a great job over the past few weeks keeping the roads about as good as they could considering the circumstances. It was so cold that nothing was helping to keep traction. But the crews were out regularly and kept things in pretty good shape.
Felt sorry for the people in Vancouver who never saw a snow plow in many of the side areas. There's really not much the city could have done. You can't plan for the worst case scenario, you have to find some middle ground based on previous snowfalls. But then when you get something like what happened just before Christmas, there's no way you could keep up. Glad I'm living in Kamloops.
And if you have any concerns about walking on ice, grab yourself some ice cleats. They're inexpensive, and if you have a physical problem,like my bad knee, or are concerned about falling, they're absolutely awesome. We have a long, steep driveway, and keeping traction is a must. Wish I'd spotted these a lot earlier, but now that I have, they're a must!!