Tom Young

You don’t have to look very far to read see and hear all the nasty things going on in the world.  Listen to the radio, watch the television news or pick up your local paper — it’s just story, after story, after story about man’s inhumanity to man.

Suddenly, there’s a small incident that tells you every once in awhile, everything is right with the world.

This story comes from a softball game, a women’s softball game in Portland, Oregon.

Sara Tucholsky plays for Western Oregon University.  In all of her years playing softball, she’s never hit a home run.

Two runners on base, a one-strike count when her bat hits the ball like it never has and it clears the centre field fence.  She obviously has not perfected “a home run trot” around the bases and she fails to touch first base.  So, she stops attempts to quickly go back to first — and blows out her knee.  She manages to crawl back to first base, but if she can’t negotiate the rest of the bases, she will be credited with having hit a single.

Her teammates, according to the rules can’t help her either.  So, what to do?

Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the league — and a player from the other team — asked the umpire if she and her teammates can help Sara around the bases.  The umpire says there’s no rule against it.  So Holtman and her teammate Liz Wallace put their arms under the injured players legs and with her arms over their shoulders the three set out around the bases — stopping at each base to allow the injured player to touch the bag with her good leg.

By the way, Sara’s three-run homer was enough to lead her team from Western Oregon University to victory.

Said one of those who carried her around the bases, “In the end it’s not about winning and losing so much as it is about this girl.  She hit it over the fence, she ended up in severe pain — and she deserved the home run.”

My faith is restored and suddenly everything is right with my world.

I’m Tom Young.

I’m going to spend a couple of weeks later this summer with my daughter, son in law and two grandchildren in Newfoundland.  The youngest is a grand son, but I’ve decided it’s time both he and my granddaughter saw some of the toys that “grumpy” played with when he was a little guy.

I’m thinking about what I should pack and how I should pack it and in fact, I’ve already begun to lay out some of these things.  Many, many, years ago when we were kids we all played Cowboys and Indians.  Now I know it’s not politically correct today — but that’s how it was then.  The cowboys got all dressed up with their six-shooters as the “good guys in white hats” and we went chasing after those Indians.

What was required of Cowboys back then?

Boots, spurs, chaps, vest, a white hat, a badge and of course guns!

Of course they were cap guns, but they looked a whole lot like real guns. As we got a little older, most of us acquired a Daisy B.B. Gun.  They were a little smaller than your ordinary single shot .22, but we thought they were pretty realistic looking all the same.

So, what better thing to do than pack them in my luggage and head on out to the airport.  Now I know you’re wondering: “Where is he going with this story?”  So, here is the conclusion.

Packing those toy guns and trying to get on a commercial airliner in 2008 makes about as much sense as packing a dummy hand grenade in your luggage and trying to get on the same commercial airliner.  At this point, you’re probably thinking nobody would be that stupid — you would be dead wrong!

A man who’s name for various reasons, not the least of which is stupidity did precisely that in Saint John earlier this week.  Among the things he packed in his luggage for a trip to Toronto was what looked like a hand grenade.  It was spotted by security as it went through the x-ray machine.  The Saint John Airport ground to a complete halt, staff and passengers were told to immediately leave the building and a flight to Toronto was delayed.  Emergency personal were summoned to the airport and Mr. Stupid was detained for a short length of time.

The grenade was discovered to be a dud and after lots of excitement, things at the Saint John Airport returned to normal.  Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what was going through this guy’s head, (if anything) when he zippered his suitcase before heading to the airport? 

A city police spokesman says no charges will be laid — it seems there’s not a chapter in Canada’s criminal code that covers stupidity.

I’m Tom Young.

It’s too bad the municipal election campaign in Saint John has to end a week from next Monday.

The reason being, if the campaign was to continue for those running for mayor, (all trying to out do the other candidate,) in another six weeks one of them would promise that he or she would actually pay you to live in Saint John.

I love it when I hear people say: “I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that, I’m going to do something else…”  It seems like they’re all suffering from the “I” syndrome.

The only thing any of the candidates can hope for is that he or she becomes mayor and is able to put together a group of like minded individuals on the council concerned more with the municipality rather than themselves.  Some of them have not yet grasped the concept that a mayor is much like a chairman of the board.  The mayor on any given issue gets one vote.  That one vote is no more important or any less important than the vote that comes from any one councillor.

In order for this city to become progressive, voters have to have something at City Hall that they haven’t had for a good long time. Instead of a bunch of “I’s”, they need a team.  They need people in Saint John who are willing to vote on an issue and then have the courage of their own convictions to stand behind the vote. 

They don’t need a mayor and council who will vote one way and then continue to cry about how the vote went after it’s over.  What the candidates should be saying to the voters is stuff like: “We think this needs to be done, We think that needs to be done, rather than this “I” business.

Every time when it’s election time, people always say such things as: “This is the most important vote in the city’s history” and with good reason, because it probably is.  What voters have to do is take a look at all of those running and ask themselves this question…

“If I owned a one-hundred million dollar corporation, would I hire this person as my CEO?”  Not only that, but: “Would I want this person to be a member of my board of directors?”

Too many of the mayoralty candidates in Saint John are trying to suck and blow at the same time, and no matter how good they think they are, that simply can’t be done.

Maybe it’s time for the provincial government to enact some kind of “honesty in municipal government act.” 

Remember, it’s your duty to vote!

I’m Tom Young.

Why do losers find it necessary to deface election signs?

The province of New Brunswick is currently in the middle of a municipal election campaign.  All villages, towns and cities will elect a new slate of men and women who will guide their municipalities over the next four years.

Far and away the largest percentage of those who have offered for election are honest, hard working, concerned citizens with the best interests of their municipalities in mind.  They get up every day, put in an eight hour work day and they are basically average people.

Most of them put up election signs in their own municipality, their signs are all sizes, shapes and colours.  Each sign has a simple message — “Elect so-and-so” or even,”Re-elect so-and-so…”

What they’re asking you to do is — when you go to the polls — if you can be bothered to place an “X” in the appropriate box to vote for them.  These signs can cost as little as two dollars and in some cases — several hundred.  I have never understood the psychology of spray painting, knocking down, cutting out faces or just plain ruining election signs.

I think however, I have been able to come up with a particular profile of those who are stupid enough to vandalize election signs.  He’s probably a guy in his late teens or early twenties, with a very limited education.  He’s probably never voted in his life and quite likely never will.  If he has a job, it’s at the low end of the economic scale and he’s angry at everyone and wants the government — no matter which government — to give him more.  He’s probably never been recognized for anything positive in his entire life, and if he lives to be 100 — it’ll be the same story. 

Most importantly, they likely don’t know any one of the candidates involved in the community and are also likely to say: “Why bother to vote?  They’re all the same anyway!”

In other words — THE GUY IS A BIG LOSER.

Something else, in response to the number of emails looking for more info on Dr. Anthony Martin who appeared again last week on the Afternoon News.

If you’re looking for more info on his book “Medical Crisis — Secrets Your Doctor Won’t Share With You” you can find it by checking out his web site at www.drmartin.ca

I’m Tom Young.

I’m going to assume that most New Brunswickers know by now that May 12th is Municipal Election day in their province for all villages, towns and cities.

If you’ve been listening to some of the political rhetoric already being fired, it becomes apparent that lowering taxes is one of the promises being made by any number of candidates in any number of towns and cities.

I have served on the council in the village I used to live in and am still serving on the council in the town I live in now — so I have a little experience in the preparation of municipal budgets.  If one of your local candidates is promising to lower taxes, I’ve prepared a list for you to ask the candidate about leaving out as a result…

1. Don’t plow the streets.

2. Don’t plow the sidewalks.

3. Eliminate public transit.

4. Fire half of the municipal workforce, unionized or not.

5. Close the local arena (or arenas)

6. Don’t prepare any outdoor playing fields.

7. Leave pot holes and road craters as they are.

8. Close all cultural facilities.

9. Eliminate Christmas decorations.

10. Cancel garbage collection, or just reduce it to twelve times per year.

And I’m sure there are other services which you as a voter demand from your municipality.

Feel free to print this list and take it to any of your tax cutting candidates and ask he or she which of these the residents in your municipality can get along without under the next administration.  Or rather, just ask the candidate to do his or her best to provide all the goods and services you have become accustomed to and maintain the tax rate.

Maintaining the tax rate is a very difficult job at the municipal level, cutting the tax rate is like getting toothpaste back into the tube — it’s impossible.

I’m Tom Young.

I live in a residential neighborhood which is an absolutely perfect place to skateboard, as long as you want to do it on the street.

As the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller has a number of serious problems.  Not the least of which is the use of illegal hand guns on the streets of his city.  The Mayor and the members of his executive committee are under the misguided belief that a total ban on hand guns in this country will go a long way to clearing up the problem.

On this issue, the Mayor couldn’t be more wrong.

He is now asking like minded Canadians to sign an online petition to get the minority Conservative government in Ottawa to enact a ban.

Mr. Mayor, It will do nothing to solve your problem, and in fact — it might make it even worse.

If you take legally registered hand guns out of the hands of legally licensed owners, this might further embolden those who live on the other side of the law to extend their illegal web — knowing there won’t be hand guns in any homes to — if not stop them, at least make them think twice.

I am not a gun enthusiast, in fact since leaving the military in the early 1960’s, I’ve had the occasion to use a shot gun four times.  Once for duck hunting and three times with my buddies when we all went trap shooting.

I know a number of people who own long guns and a smaller number who own hand guns, legally registered I might add… and what right do you have to say to hand gun enthusiasts: “Sorry folks, you can’t do that anymore in this country.”

Banning hand guns wouldn’t even be a Band-Aid solution to your problem.

Focusing your time and effort on Canada’s members or parliament to enact tougher gun legislation seems to me to be a much smarter alternative.  How far are we going to go with this banning stuff?  Maybe we should just ban everything?

That makes about as much sense as what you’re calling for.

I know what you’re doing — and you’re doing it for political reasons.  It sounds good and looks good to the people who live in Toronto but you’re just fooling them.

I’m Tom Young.

You have to take your hat off to New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham and New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock for making a decision which they knew would be largely unpopular.  I think what some people fail to remember is that provincial governments are elected to take care of all of it’s citizens, not just a select few.

It occurs to me that when French second language instruction was introduced many years ago, maybe the original introduction was what was flawed.  Originally, if they said there would be no French second language instruction until grade five, and then at grade five there would be intensive language instruction followed by the choice French immersion in sixth grade, then perhaps what has become New Brunswick’s political hot potato would no be nothing more than a cold French fry?

The government claims French second language instruction, (as it’s now taught in our schools) is simply not working for all New Brunswickers and who am I to try to tell them they’re wrong?

If something isn’t working, aren’t you better to change it and try to fix it than simply leave it the way it is?

I’ve always felt that trying and failing is a much better alternative for finding the right answer than sitting around and doing nothing.

Forty years from now, French second language education will be the legacy of the Shawn Graham government.  Graham will either be hailed as the Premier who brought French second language education into the 21st century — or he’ll be remembered as the Premier that took a program that wasn’t working for all of his constituents, and made it worse.

I can only hope time will prove this move is the right one and all New Brunswickers must hope for the same thing.

The government has indicated the new program will go into effect this September.  I know that elementary schools are making the necessary class reassignments and I’m willing to bet there are more school teachers who agree with this new approach than disagree.

I’m Tom Young.

First of all, my congratulations go to CTV.ca for what appears to be the best April Fools prank played on Canadians this year in the media.

I’ll bet when the story hit their web site this morning, the Toronto media went crazy.

The story was that Ken Dryden, a former President with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who left the team some years ago to join the Liberal party of Canada, was quitting politics to re-join the Leafs as their new General Manager. 

Just think about it for a minute, why would anybody with even a moderate amount of intelligence quit a team in such bad shape as the Liberals to join a team in even worse shape like the Toronto Maple Leafs?

About the only thing you can say about the Leafs as opposed to the Liberals is when the chips are down, at least they show up. 

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in news rooms like the ones at  Rogers Sportsnet, TSN or The Score when the screaming started.  Such questions as, “How come we got scooped on that one?”  Or, “Where are our Hockey Insiders?” and the ever likely, “How did a news room beat a sports desk?”

I’ll bet guys like Bill Watters, Bob McKenzie and others were furious until they came to their senses, remembering that the story broke on the morning of April Fools Day.

Another quick item, a number of emails looking for the name and contact info for Dr. Anthony Martin, who was a guest on our show last Thursday have come to my inbox.  For those looking for more info on where to pick Dr. Martin’s book — “Medical Crisis — Secrets Your Doctor Won’t Share With You,” here’s where you need to go to find out more…

Dr. Anthony Martin
www.drmartin.ca
1-866-660-6607

And finally, can somebody in Ottawa please explain to me that if a member of the Canadian Armed Forces regular and a member of the Armed Forces reserve are seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan why does the regular soldier get more compensation for the loss of an arm or a leg than would the reservist?

It just doesn’t make any sense to me!

I’m Tom Young.

For our listeners who have feel it’s necessary to go online to the Conservative party or the Liberal party web site and be spoon-fed what to say during some time on “The Afternoon News,” I thought we could provide you some tips as to what might happen.

Tyler McLean, the Executive Producer will answer the phone by saying the following…

“The Afternoon News, Hello?”

At which point you will say to Tyler…

“My name is (Your Name) I’m calling from (Your Location) and I’d like to talk to Tom Young about how Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are making life much easier for Canadians…”

Or you may say…  “My name is (Your Name) I’m calling from (Your Location) and I’d like to talk to Tom Young about how Stéphane Dion’s Liberals are making life much easier for Canadians…”

You must use proper English.  Avoid such things as “yous” instead say “you.”  Say “should have gone,” instead of “should have went.”  Say “should have done,” instead of “Should have did”  Please say “anyway” not “anyways.”

Don’t use the word “irregardless,” because it doesn’t exist.  “Regardless,” which is a real word, means the same thing. 

Did I say be clear and concise with your diction? 

Always be prepared for the host to ask you a question or two.

Don’t sound as if you’re reading your statement, because it won’t be your statement, but rather something gleaned from either of the two previously mentioned web sites.  Always be respectful of the person to whom you speak and when you’re finished just prior to being hung up on, be sure and thank the host.

When lines are full and you’re involved in a call back situation you must stand by the phone waiting for Tyler to get back to you and not do one other thing during this time period, as it could prove to be a distraction.

Please note — These rules and regulations apply only to those of you who don’t think you’re smart enough to talk for yourself and get your own points across. 

If you just want to say something that occurs to you — Instead of saying what the party wants you to say — then forget all of the above, call us at 1-866-411-0889 and we’ll have a good ol’ fashioned conversation.

I’m Tom Young.