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LETTERS High cost of Canadian culture The average Canadian taxpayer probaâ€" bly doesn‘t know that he‘s so keen about ‘"Canadian culture" that he pays $140 per year in taxes to preserve it. The $140 represents his share of the more than $1.75 billion which will be spent this year by federal, provincial and municipal governments to subsidize the CBC, poets, painters, and other members of the ‘"arts community". They argue that without these subsidies, Canadian culture would disappear under a deluge of ‘"Miami Vice" and the like. The ‘"arts community" recently conâ€" vinced the federal government to reverse its decision to cut arts spending by $90 fFeedback I don‘t know how you‘ve lasted with your fitness goals over the summer, but I have found myself trapped. Trapped in boredom. s Not to scare the fitness fans, I perhaps should have stated that I was bored at many stages of the summer with regards to fitness anyway. Fortunately I climbed out of the trap â€" several times â€" and have gained control at the beginning of my more regulated fitness time â€" the start of September. The cooler, cleaner air does wonders to many of us who found it difficult to compete with summer‘s heat. To others, however, the change of season will not help with the feeling of boredom each time they get down on the floor to exercise. As children we learned the act of boredom when our parents doled out activities that we preferred not to do at that given moment. Even if the ideas were good, they were not our ideas, so we feigned interest in the activity and simply stated we were bored. Exercising can be boring if you do not control your ideas about exercising. If someone else has decided for you that you should be exercising, and it‘s not what you prefer to do, chances are you will get bored. Of course, exercise is not always preferable. You must ask yourself if it is necessary that you enjoy all aspects of exercise, or simply include exercise as part of your daily routine. We don‘t enjoy the task of brushing our teeth four times a day, but because of all the teeth trouble which could occur if we did not brush, we are instructed to carry on the motions as part of our daily routine. Exercise also prevents ghastly ‘"Welcome. I hope you find the time here enjoyable and productâ€" ive. The community is a fairly warm place and I hope you find it that way," F F S F hB wuteme P f ,, , | f ‘ 4 UÂ¥ C C & »# JP (‘ N : 6 ‘fiix : P R iLg Q , P / hi & :" & t » \' % A % 4 ; J _ â€" 3@ . N f 7%. [ & % o %, â€" Peter McFadden General Manager, Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Fitness Forum Kathy Hammond Fitness Instructor physical troubles, so it too should be considered a part of life. . _ o There are ways to get you through the task of getting exercise without getting bored. Once you realize that exercise is not a fad but a necessary daily routine, you can work toward achieving an enjoyable time. Avoid thinking about the word boreâ€" dom. Create diversions in your mind as you lift your leg for the hundredth time. It‘s amazing how your mind can take off in one direction with your body continuâ€" ing on its own. Stay curious and knowledgeable about your body and what exercise is doing to it. Plan ahead what you are going to do. Decide in the morning that you are going for a walk in the evening. â€" Improvise and experiment. If you do not like a particular exercise or sport stay away from it and find something you do like. _ Use music. Your body will relax and your muscles will appreciate the inhibitâ€" ions music releases. Treat exercising as a skill. Pride yourself in your technique just as an artist or dancer does. Don‘t just do a sitâ€"up â€" perform a sitâ€"up carefully as if you had an audience in front of you. Pretend to teach the imaginary audiâ€" ence to test yourself. Laugh. Try crazy things you know you can not do. Grab a partner and wrestle to the finish. Not only will you get great exercise, you‘ll vent a lot of frustrations as well. If you get bored exercising â€" exercise when you‘re bored with other aspects of your life. The cost for Canadian culture may increase in the near future. A recent government appointed task force recomâ€" mended in its report, Funding of the Arts in Canada in the Year 2000, that the federal government alone should increase arts funding to $830 million annually by the year 2000 from $400 million in 1985. The report also recommends a tax deduction of 50 per cent of the cost of subscriptions to performing arts events and arts magazines as well as memberâ€" ship in public galleries and museums. million in an effort to reduce the deficit. In the latest budget, the government bowed to their demands and actually increased arts spending by $75 million a year. It also recommends tax credits of 50 per cent for corporations spending as much as ‘"I‘d like to welcome you to the city and I hope you are very happy here. But please remember not to use our stop signs as collectors items." Marjorie Carroll Mayor of Waterioo What message would you like to convey to firstâ€"year university students? $10,000 to sponsor performances or exhiâ€" bitions. The report admits that these tax credits will cost federal and provincial governments as much as $64 million. Communications Minister Flora MacDonâ€" ald has called this report "realistic, pragmatic and imaginative." > For those Canadians who prefer ‘"Dallas" to "Die Fledermaus", however, this report is probably most unsatisfacâ€" tory. It represents the continuation of an elitist policy which forces Canadians to support some art forms through their taxes. ‘"‘*Cultural nationalists‘‘ also oppose free trade with the US because they say it will spell the end of our cultural identity. As Ontario Liberal Premier David Peterson put it, "we cannot trade away Canada‘s heart and soul." This translates into He mentioned how tragic it is, and how concerned we all are, about the school dropâ€"out problem â€" youngsters quitting school before they‘ve given themselves a chance in the world. I remember a convention 1 attended once, when the company president said something in his speech which you might find interesting. But then he went on to say that they aren‘t the only dropâ€"outs. Grownâ€"ups drop out, too. In fact, there comes a time in the lives of just about all of us, when, for one reason or another â€" or perhaps no reason at all â€" we drop out. This is our apogee, the highest point in our lives and from then on, we begin the long coast back to our starting point; from then on, obsolescence sets in, the rust begins to form and gravity gets its We, like the poor, misguided kid who drops out of school, stop learning at this point, we stop growing as persons. It is at this precise point that we compromise with the world as to what we will become la‘s:P human beings during our chance at e. In some cases, we have done exâ€" tremely well and have reached the point in old age when it‘s just a lot more comfortable to sit back and peacefully enjoy the rest of the trip. That is our choice and privilege. â€" But I think you will agree with me that far too many people give up too soon; that they drop out before they‘ve given themseles a real chance; that they separate from their boosterâ€"rockets long before they have exhausted their fuel supply. I‘m sure you can think of people you know who have done just that, who have reached a point beyond which they have ‘‘You‘re cpming into a nice community with hospitable peoâ€" ple, I hope you‘ll try and become part of it." Asked around town Harold Beaupre Past president, Waterioo Uptown BIA WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3. 1986 â€" PAGE 7 Geoffrey Fellows no further interest in going. Or who, for reasons of their own, do not feel qualified to try to reach any farther. As the company president put it: "After 50, it‘s often a race between retirement and obsolescence." After hearing his talk, I asked mysel! if I was dropping out, and decided I wa not â€" not if I could do anything about it. There‘s far too much to be done in any one lifetime, to see, to experience, to learn and enjoy; the game is much too interesting and rewarding to quit. So, how about you? It‘s a good question to ask yourself. This is a game you can always get back into, you know. The fact is that we all drop out for brief rest periods from time to time, perhaps for a change in direction or vocation; we all reach plateaus upon which we mark time for a while. ‘"You are very welcome in the city of Waterloo. Study hard, have fun, but remember to respect the rights of your neighbor." I had not thought of applying the term ‘"‘dropâ€"out‘" to adults before, but it‘s apt, don‘t you think? I guess we all have to Then what is needed, it seems, is a new target â€" a new reason to get back in, a reason for living rather than existing. drop out sooner or later, but there‘s certainly a lot to be said for making it as late as possible. It‘s a decision left to each of us to make, and any time is a good time to think about it. Do you remember this quotation? ‘‘We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not figures on the dial; we should count time by heartâ€" throbs. They live most who think most, feel the noblest, act the best." (Mr. Fellows is the founder of the Human Resource Development Instiâ€" tute, P.O. Box 642, Cambridge, NiR 5W1) What is really at stake, however, is not Canadian culture but the privileged posiâ€" tion of the arts community who fear the loss of taxpayers‘ subsidies. Many econâ€" omists argue that free trade would give Canadians more disposable income, which they could spend on Canadian cultural goods and services, which many if not most Canadians see as "extras‘". either no freer trade agreement or the continuation of content quotas for the publishing and broadcast industries. Canadian culture is strong enough to flourish on its own. It does not need to be shielded from foreign ideas in a taxpayerâ€" funded, economic hothouse. National Citizen‘s Coalition Toronto, Ont. Alderman, City of Waterioo Brian Turnbaulil