HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-09-22, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011.Writer responds to MPP’s thoughts on economy
Dancing the night (and day) away
Les Cook and Anne Elliott demonstrated some dancing at the
Blyth East Side Dance studio open house on Saturday, Sept. 10.
Les and Anne will be competing at the Victim Services of Huron
County Fundraiser Dancing with the Stars on Sept. 24. (Denny Scott
photo)
THE EDITOR,
In response to Carol
Mitchell’s letter in last week’s
issue of The Citizen, I want to
explain my reasons for
writing letters to the editor.
First off, I have little or no
interest in the political
ideology of any party.
Second, I am interested in
government which is
accountable to the people
who elect it (or them).
I believe I am in
independent thinker, with no
political party affiliation, and
I make that perfectly clear to
every pollster who calls
asking me to push buttons 1,
2, 3, 4 or 5 on my touch-tone
phone, or the young person
who comes to my door with
the latest set of election
promises.
So, I am an Independent
first, or as my wife would
describe me, a conservative-
liberal and a liberal-
conservative. Fiscally I am a
conservative, but socially a
liberal (please note that there
are no capital letters in these
titles).
When I wrote my Sept. 8
letter to the editor to state my
concern about the cumulative
deficit this province has
incurred over the past eight
years, it was a statement of
fact, and not the basis for an
election platform statement
into which it was turned.
I respect Ms. Mitchell, and
her staff, for taking the time
responding to my letter, but
the implicit point of my letter
was ignored.
Some may have noticed,
some not, but the actual
interest being paid on the debt
has exceeded the cost of some
of the major social programs
on which we all count. When
I look at the borrowing and
debt history of the
government as provided by
the government’s own
website, the Ontario
Financing Authority, and the
Ontario Ministry of Finance –
Public Accounts, I think of
the countless billions of
dollars wasted. And I think
someone is responsible for
this.
I agree with Ms. Mitchell
that the “slash and burn
approach” of previous
governments under Mike
Harris (2002) and Ernie Eves
(2003), were not the answer.
However, the current
government surely has to take
responsibility, after eight
years in office, of the fiscal
uncertainty we are in as a
province. According to the
Ontario Financing Authority,
the interest on the debt in this
fiscal year is projected to be
$10,290 billion, with an
accumulated deficit of
$160,567,000,000.
These numbers take your
breath away. At some point
someone has to be held
accountable and responsible
for this.
I agree with Ms. Mitchell
that we were, and are still, in
the middle of “the worst
global recession in recent
memory.” However, while
this recession has certainly
been years in the making, the
truth is it became a reality in
2007-08. Still one cannot
explain away the spending
more than we earned for all of
the past eight years.
I commend Ms. Mitchell’s
involvement in helping
to create the
additional jobs at
Bruce Power, as
she pointed out –
although the start
up of reactors
three and four,
the $650 million
being spent on
the new 180-
kilometre electri-
city delivery corri-
dor being built
from Kincardine
to Milton, and the
dramatic increase
in electrical rates,
must have had
something to do with this
job creation as well. I have
read that this investment
will cost each and every
household in Ontario
another increase in the
cost of electricity. I hope
we won’t have another
power surplus that taxpayers
subsidize.
But when Ms. Mitchell
speaks to “a thoughtful,
balanced approach to our
spending,” I think it’s time to
draw the line. We can all cite
numerous examples of
Provincial Government waste
which have been reported,
over and over, by national
media for the past eight years.
I am angered by the phrase,
“thoughtful and balanced
approach to our spending.” In
fact, I am angry that we are
being treated as ‘know
nothings,’ given the many
examples of spending waste
of which I’ve read. All of this
detail, and more is in the
public domain; one merely
has to look.
There is no doubt that cuts
will come to programs – the
historic spending level is
simply not sustainable; from
one party or another. One
only hopes that this
probability doesn’t become
another download to
municipalities, with simply
another shift in taxation to the
unsuspecting taxpayer.
And quite frankly, this and
more, has not been singular to
one political party. It
happens every time a
government is elected, and
we, as taxpayers, end up
footing the bill. The line goes:
“I am accountable to you,”
until I am elected; with the
understanding that you’re on
your own until the next
election.
In the immortal words of
Howard Beale, character in
the movie Network, “I’m mad
as hell, and I’m not going to
take it anymore.”
So, “Why should I vote for
you?” This is the question we
should be asking these
candidates. Trust, Truth and
Confidence.
Greg Sarachman
Blyth.
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