The Text Of A Speech I will Deliver Today To The Rotary Club

 When Phil Dunbar first approached me on the subject of speaking I was somewhat hesitant although I might not have said so.  
 I am typically a shy person in a lot of respects, and tend to be a real homebody…and have always had some difficulty with the public speaking thing.  
 I clearly remember the first speech I ever gave. It was in the early 1970's at Hickson Central Public School, grade 8 and I spoke about Charlie Chaplin. I did a terrible job of delivering that speech to the entire auditorium of students. I could barely see the words on the little cue cards…recipe cards that my mom had lent me... my hands shook so badly. In fact, I remember very well the warm feeling of pee running down my leg halfway through that speech. The rest is history and that was the last time I spoke in front of anyone for years until I became involved in what some might call  being an activist. 
  I suppose now that I think about it, some things can anger a person enough that they learn to get past the pant wetting thing…especially when ones’ future seems to be at stake in so many different ways. 
  I thought at first that doing a speech on politics or the environment was kind of a depressing thing for many people so I thought I'd stay away from that mess as much as possible, besides who the heck wants to talk about what is happening in Ottawa right now anyways and I really wanted to avoid seeing half of this crowd head out for grief counselling after hearing more sad news. Wow, what a mess things seem to be these days.  
But  then I realized there hasn't been a day in years that I haven't given some thought to politics and why would this day be any different than the rest? 
 I always feel it necessary or let’s say more of a social responsibility as someone who has run for office to comment on what I see happening in our nation, or in fact the entire world, and at this time, the meltdown of the global economy and the catastrophic changes that all nations presently face seems to be of concern. 
 We cannot possibly “buy” our way out of a greed driven balance sheet recession by using techniques that are meant for an inflationary recession.

 Utilizing meager tax resources to pay down greed based debt loads is silly if not an irresponsible use of public tax funds. Bailing out companies that cannot produce nor provide a sustainable product for the marketplace will only serve to temporarily enrich those companies that are on their way out the door and will not provide Canadians with jobs in the long term. 

By utilizing these draconian economic stimuli measures our governments will not only prolong the pain of this depression (and yes it is a depression despite their claims that it isn’t,) but will with certainty overexpose future generations of Canadians, our children and your grandchildren to unnecessary financial tax burdens that there will be no relief from and from which we have just recently been relieved of at great cost to our valued social programs. 
 One of The greatest fears that Canadians must face at this time in our history is based upon the tendency of past governments to divest themselves of instrumental social programs that could be considered a crucial part of the social contract with its’ people.

 Reductions in accessible health care at a time when Canadians require stronger services due to an aging demographic are a real possibility. A reduction in funds for emergency transitional housing for battered women has already taken place. 
Oxfords’ Best Start program, a day care program for children has come under attack with the announcement that the federal government will no longer assist with wage subsidies for daycare employees.
Chopping programs for children, but bailing out companies that were run into the ground by irresponsible management practices has got me plenty angry and as a result of that I keep coming to the conclusion that the people who have gained operational control of the nation are some of the lousiest managers on the planet and the fact remains that the mass majority of those who are elected to serve our nation are only there for the position and the pay, nothing more and nothing less and most of them couldn’t think their way out of a wet paper bag when it really comes down to it. 

I’ve had the great opportunity to speak with many of them, and I will personally attest to that fact.

I personally like our elected members here, lucky for them, but I disagree with their motives and I disagree with their particular brand of politics. 
 Canadians generally don’t pick the smartest guys on the block to run the country; we usually go for the most photogenic person who has the best haircut and the finest suit mixed with a few community connections.

 Most Canadians vote exactly the same way their parents did, and 9 out of 10 Canadians cannot describe the basic functions of a member of parliament or provincial legislature. Even more sad is that damned near 48% of Canadians figure its’ not even worth voting as politicians by nature appear to be extraordinarily resourceful at lying and getting away with it so what’s the point they think. Municipally the numbers are even worse than that, and they shouldn’t be considering that is the closest level of government that one comes into contact with.

I’ve said it a hundred times before, recall is a necessity in order to really make these folks accountable and to restore faith in those who serve.

There is no way on earth to make an integrity law that is binding as one law cannot possibly mandate ones’ personal human nature or measure their level of integrity.

There’s an old saying that says “if you keep traveling the same road you’ll always be guaranteed to end up in the same place.” 
 I think that our nation is already there.

We are being subjected to some mighty stale thinking in such a fast evolving global period of uncertainty.

 It’s time for all of those men and women who were elected to our national parliament to act for the people of the nation versus the will of their individual parties. Their combined actions have created a crisis that Canadians should never have been subjected to, but are now in the midst of.

 The only real solution for that is a full reformation of our parliamentary democracy, allowing elected members the free will to sit anywhere, and to vote anyway they wish. No party constraints, and no threat of punishment should one vote against the will of the party. Perhaps all parliamentary votes should just go to a secret ballot. That would really solve things. Could you imagine the possibilities if we had such a democratic house? They just might actually get something done as well as being held to account.

 Now that I’ve said my piece on that subject, I’ll move onto something a little more meaningful on a personal level to myself. 
I enjoy writing. It is a phenomenal catheter.

I have a blog that I write in almost every day called the Woodstock Independent News. I have about 20000 daily readers from all walks of life and all parts of the world. Some readers post comments and some don't, but at least people are allowed to participate when they wish without cost.

Information is the key to a better world. Information brought down the wall of communism, and information will save people from poverty.
Not everyone agrees with what I write, and I’ve learned that no one can make everyone happy, but people always tell me that they enjoy the idea that someone stands up and speaks out even if they think I’m wrong.(which of course I can be, but not very often... although my partner would certainly disagree with me on that measure) 
 I have written at least a thousand stories in the past 2 1/2 years. Those stories are republished by several political parties. Unfortunately I’m still having some troubles getting the conservative party to publish them though, but that’s okay, they still read them. There's these things on the internet called trolls, conservative trolls.
It is hard to believe that one little person could make a difference and that is what I am here to tell you. One person can make all the difference to many people or even just one other person just by speaking out.  
Some people need someone to advocate for them as they are unable to do this for themselves. 
We need more advocates in this world.  And there are millions of people who need help defending themselves. 
 No matter what age range we are, all persons can find some common thread, and that common thread is the thread of humanity, and we all have a part to play in it. We can make this world a better place, and we can achieve the great things that our forefathers hoped and dreamed for us.

Just look at how the dream of Barack Obama has manifested itself into a national dream for his people. Who would have thought it? In the years since i grew up things have changed dramatically for the black population of America. They have moved full circle from hanging in trees to hanging out in the oval office.

An amazing revolution.

 This is Americas' real coming of age. The acceptance of all persons into their national identity. Our turn is just around the corner.
 I didn't become an activist, it just happened to me as a result of circumstances that were entirely out of my control. My Mennonite parents were farmers and we were permitted to take part in some of the penny auctions of the 1970's that were organized by the National Farmers Union. That was my introduction to social protest. 
 Some things just demand action no matter what that action might be. One must consider out of the box solutions for these situations and sometimes it means searching the outer peripheral of ideas for answers that we do not readily find in our local environment.

Those farmers sold their wares by auctions attended to by their neighbours who refused to bid higher than a penny, then donated the items back to the farmer who was forced into the distress sale. What a deal, and it worked for some, and it hilited the terrible strife that farmers were feeling at the time to a national media hungry for news.

It truly was an introduction to social protest.

Most of us are more fortunate than we will ever know. Many in our nation have gained an immense fortune through education and hard work. And this is the Canadian dream, the will and drive to succeed and the dream that our children will live better and more fulfilling lives than the lives we have lived ourselves. 
 No one wishes for anything drastic to happen to their children, and most of us hope for the day that the spawn we've raised are able to spread their wings and fly off in their own directions, no matter what that may be. 
 Our oldest son is doing well, he is a part of the military and soon is headed off to Afghanistan where we are not so sure that he will do well. Like any parent would be we are scared.

Our military is not fighting a usual battle. The enemy that he faces is not an enemy that is familiar to us. The fight that he will soon be engaged in will not have a clear or decisive victory, no matter how much time or effort he spends there. We are sad that he has chosen this route for his life especially after getting married just a  few  months ago. But like I said, it is our common dream that our children will grow up into responsible and caring adults, whether we agree with their directions or not. I guess him going to battle for his country should make me proud but it makes me weep. I read the headlines everyday and do not relish the thought of seeing his name on the list of young men sent to die. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

 We begged him to join the RCMP when we realized his decision in the hope that he would change his mind, but he feels a moral responsibility to the men and women he serves with, and he feels as though he would be deserting those friends in the service if he walked away. I suppose he is right, but we also have the right to be afraid for him. It's not always easy supporting someone that you have a complete disagreement with.

 Our middle son attends school here in Woodstock. He likes school and is presently employed at Canadian Tire. Although he has challenges of his own in the form of ADHD it is our expectation that he will go his own way as well and even though he may have some difficult times, we are sure that he will achieve what it is he sets out to do. He is smart, a good problem solver and has a good ability to speak up. He will need that ability in the future. The world that he will inherit will be far more difficult than the world we live in. We are proud of him although there are many moments when we think that he is going to drive us nuts with his teenaged antics. I guess that makes him a pretty normal kind of kid these days.

We don’t let him run the streets and we don’t have issues with law enforcement. I guess we’re a little more conservative than we let on to be. We think that parents should take control and keep their kids off of the streets and this would minimize some of the more serious issues that people have with their kids. 

Insert Pictures of evan here

   Our youngest son Jayden has Autism, a developmental social disease that affects all of his abilities globally to participate freely in our Society. It is a strange disorder and it affects every moment of his consciousness and ours as well. 
Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs generally appear before a child is three years old.

Some people believe that childhood vaccines are responsible but that is controversial and the evidence supporting that theory is inconclusive. We aren’t sure what to think, and we’ve questioned ourselves and those around us in the hope we’d find an answer. There isn’t one.

There are teachers, doctors and lawyers with children suffering from this terrible tragedy. Autism doen’t just strike families like mine.
Autism strikes about about  6  out of every 1,000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls being affected. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in identification methods. 
Autism affects many parts of the brain; but how this occurs is not understood. We noticed some signs by the time Jayden was two. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. In Canada there is no early intervention offered through any government ministry.If Jayden had been born with another more acceptable form of cognitive impairment like Downs’ syndrome, the government would have intervened and offered supports and therapy. They would have offered sign language classes, they would have offered in home assistance and they would offer weekend respite. There would be help. Unfortunately he was born with Autism.

Very few children with autism can live independently after reaching adulthood, but some do become successful, but that is truly rare. Most kids with Autism are not like the guy from Rainman. 

Most of us who have kids like this have tried everything in our powers to make this disease something other than what it is. Most of us have tried to find a cure for the non-curable, and most of us spent our time trying not to accept the finality of an autism diagnosis. It's like mourning ever day of the week for someone who is still with you.

Jayden likes to wake up early.

Really early.

 In fact, i think the last time I slept past 6 am was at least 6 or 7 years ago. 
Most mornings we can be found sitting on the couch or playing in the living room. Once Jayden wakes up, he stays up. I do most of my writing in the early morning when there's nothing to do but stay awake and keep my eyes open for him. He requires constant supervision so as not to cause injury to himself or destruction to the house. He can be quite a handful at times.  He has removed doors, broken windows, kicked holes through walls and flooded our home. I hate doing repair work and am not good at it. Sanding drywall repeatedly has taken its’ toll on my patience.
He is a very active guy and he likes to play and scream and holler at the most inopportune times. I am surprised that my neighbours haven't moved or complained to the police over the hooting and hollering that goes on at 2 or 3 or 4 AM. 
My partner and I talk all the time about how our friends and neighbours who are at the same point in their lives are regaining their freedom from their kids, while we on the other hand are becoming more entrenched with our youngest son in our home. 
Our community has no facility or group home that can handle this guy. Our family is not alone, there are many families with the exact same issue taking place. In fact, many people have approached me who have been forced out of necessity to hand their autistic children over to the local CAS who have the ability to access services that parents are not permitted to or able to access.

This is beyond fair, and forcing parents to make such a horrendous choice when it comes to accessing services is abhorrent.

 If our elected people had to live with someone like this, or had some type of connection to this disease they would have settled the matter of accessible programs for autistics long ago. It would be a non-issue. 
I'm not saying that i would like to ship him off to a group home, but I do think what the heck will happen to him when his parents are dead and gone, and who will look after him considering there are no places for him to go? Our community more than anything needs a safe place, a safe home where parents can take these kids should the need arise. Parents should not be forced to handover their kids to the crown in order to get help.
My sister Anne died a couple of years ago and the choice we had to make was awful. We didn't go to the funeral home for visitation as there was no help for us. Not even one support worker that we employ through the Oxford VON Special services at home program could be obtained, they all had full time jobs. We couldn't take him to the funeral out of fear that he would be too disruptive in a funeral home environment so we stayed home where I mourned the loss of my sister in my own way. 
A safe house in our community where we could have taken him for even one day would have solved that issue. The closest home for kids with autism is near Peterborough. It doesn’t feel right to have to take your dependent child hundreds of miles from his family for help.
Considering that there are more than 10,000 kids in Ontario with varying degrees of autism, it seems odd to me that the travel time to a group home or any facility would be in the five hour range, and it seems strange that all of the need for a group home would be centered around Peterborough. 
Must have been a cabinet minister there or something I think because there is no other reason for it.

 Based on studies conducted by the ministry of Community and Social Services this region of Ontario has the highest number of Autistics per capita. 
This region needs a proper facility to handle kids like mine, and others. 
My parents are in their 80's and living in a nursing retirement home and I think to myself that when they die, will I be forced to once more make this horrendous decision to sit at home again for those events? The way things are going it is likely the way it will be...I have seen no change at all in the past 6 or 7 years. I am prepared for this inevitability. 
Our community, Woodstock has $4 million dollars to replace an existing art gallery, but there's not a dime to assist people that require assistance in the form of a secure community group home, which Woodstock does not have at all. 
Recently we spent millions building a new county administration building. The overspending on that project alone could have built several secure group homes across the county...no kidding. The waste and mismanagement of community resources in the form of taxes is disgusting. These elected managers should be ashamed to take their paycheques.
What is more important...protecting the Florence Carlysle Art collection, or helping people who cannot help themselves. 
Our priorities are out of balance it seems to me, but then again, most of the people who are elected have no interest in disability as they mostly do not have any emotional contact with disability to begin with. This explains the lack of movement on this issue.  If they had to spend a day with a person with Autism, they’d change their tunes.

  Our youngest son will never learn to fly on his own. He will always require a co-pilot or navigator. Those persons will come in many forms, but right now my partner and I are doing that job. I have no regrets although I do not enjoy not being able to move about freely in my own home or going to the bathroom when I really need to go and I do have grave concerns about having brought someone into the world that faces challenges like no other person I have ever met and who will not be able to manage himself under any conditions. 
Sometimes just finding a person to work with him is tough. Recently one person started to work with him, worked about 45 minutes and quit the job as she said he was too active. I guess she couldn’t handle the concern that he might just up and bolt for no reason. 
A secure place to take this guy when his parents need a break would be an awesome thing not only for us, but for hundreds of Oxfords’ parents. Before I’m outta this planet, I’m going to see it happen. Otherwise I just cannot leave. I worry and fret over this everyday of the week. It has consumed the entirety of my existence.
Jayden is a spectacular person, and we must remember that these people are just that, people. They are all individuals with personalities and individual character traits. Treating them like cattle is unjust. Not having homes for them after their supports have passed away is not just. 
That is the greatest fear that I and hundreds of other families in Oxford County face today. Sometimes I feel as though people do not understand how difficult it is for us to plan for the future.
 We have no idea what that future could be, or where it will go. It is beyond the scope of our imaginations.

Although he is faced with some enormous challenges he possesses some of the most amazing characteristics that a person could offer. He is warm and affectionate, and is very giggly and likes to engage everyone in chasing and tickling him. He is a helpful guy and he likes to be a part of the action.

 We very fortunate that he is for the most part a very happy child and that he responds and engages his peers in this way. Some days he’s not so happy and he takes that out on his physical surroundings. The lack of communication could be responsible for that though so it’s difficult for me to be angry about it but I still complain.

I am angry that his speech device costs $458.00 a month when it really is nothing more than a glorified laptop with a touch screen. These things should be cheap and accessible to those who need them. Most parents couldn’t afford this so we’re lucky I guess. The only downside is Instead of buying  RRSP’s we’re buying speech devices.

I am angry that every service and every program for him must be begged for and I mean literally begged for.

I wonder what he’ll do when I am dead and gone?

 I wonder who will speak out and up for him?

Or who will give him a high five or a hug or a squish and a tickle.

 In a world that has become more individually isolated, I keep wondering who will even care about this one guy who cannot speak up for himself?

I think to myself, what if they forget to charge up his speech device, they won’t even notice him.

Will he just sit there waiting for someone to come along to help him, and will that be forever?

I sometimes wish that I could outlive him, but with me at 45 and him at 13 the chance of that happening is pretty small.

I can only hope that someone comes along that wishes to help people like him in the future or things will be mighty bleak for him. I hope that my community cares for him and embraces him as an integral  part of the community despite his differences.

I kind of hope that everytime there is another election one of those party leaders will come down with a pronouncement that they are going to help parents like us with kids like Jayden, but then I remember that they’ve already promised those things, repeatedly and have broken those promises to us. I wonder how I can trust that they will tell the truth anyways?

Without people who care, the world will be a sad and painful thing for this little guy. Without a caring world, the whole of the world will suffer, not just him. We all have some degree of humaness in us and we need to put this to good use for the benefit of all humanity.

 So on an ending note, I’d just like to say that I thank you all for your attention and good grace, and of course your kindness for providing me with the opportunity to speak with you about some very personal matters. I’d also like to thank my terrific partner Angela for her support and for bringing into my life a wonderful little guy, my son  Jayden .