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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-06-02, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1999. Letters to the editor Riddell has faith voters will do right THE EDITOR, Before we enter the voter's booth on Thursday to decide the kind of Ontario we want, we must find a way to separate the “wheat from the chaff”. The importance of our health and our education systems has been the main focus throughout this campaign and it has been stressed by the Opposition Parties that they should not be sacrificed for a tax cut. What we haven’t been told is that under the Mike Harris government funding for agricultural research, laboratory, and field staff services has been slashed, and funding to agricultural stabilization programs i.e. Crop insurance, NISA and GRIP has been cut. Neither have been told that the 20 per cent property tax cut touted by Mr. Harris is taken off the education portion of the property tax that municipalities collect for the boards of education. Did Mr. Harris mention how this was going to be replaced? Again we have not been told that over 5,000 km. of roads were downloaded to the municipalities into the property taxes, but that the gasoline tax, imposed for the purpose of road construction and maintenance was not transferred. Municipalities are entitled to a portion of the gasoline tax revenue raised through travel on the municipal road system. As we enter the polling booth we . have to ask ourselves, have we, benefitted from a tax cut or was it merely shifted onto our property taxes. Over the last four years has our health care improved. Is our education system any better. Is Ontario a better place to live? I have faith that when the residents of Huron Bruce step into the polling booth they will have the interest of Ontario at heart and do what is right. Jack Riddell. Cooling the embers The Grey Twp. fire department was called to Lot 9, Cone. 8 late Saturday morning to contain a raging barn fire. The structure owned by Brian Armstrong was completely destroyed by flames while firefighters concentrated on saving neighbouring buildings. A dollar estimate on the loss is not available. The barn was used only for storage so the value was limited. Grey Twp. Fire Chief Gary Earl said it is suspected a spark from a lawnmower in the barn may have started the fire. The firefighter were on the scene from 11:30 a.m. until approximately 1 p.m. Writer offers view on making choice Writer supports Tories DEAR EDITOR, I read with interest a letter to your paper a couple of weeks ago talking about the confusion generated by the Ontario election campaign. I completely understand why people are confused when numbers and comments are being thrown around by the Liberals that are not making any sense. For example it was mentioned that Mike Harris has increased the provincial debt by $24 billion. This is true but let’s examine why. Before we can we have to have a basic knowledge of two accounting terms ... debt and deficit. Provincial debt is the total amount the province owes, and provincial deficit is how much more we spend each year then we bring in. In 1995/96 when Mike Harris took over our province was operating at a deficit of $8.8 billion. This was thanks to the previous governments. They were spending more than they took in. Since then Mike Harris has reduced that deficit to a point where next year it will be zero and then we will be able to start paying down the debt. So why has Mike Harris had to Liberal and NDP increase the debt. It’s because the previous governments left him with a province that was spending way more then it could afford. Harris had to get the deficit down to zero before he could start paying down the debt. So how can the Liberals hold it against him that the debt was increased? How can they say it with a straight face? Another comment that has been made is “all the cuts to health care are hurting our province”. So let’s examine the facts! In 1995/96 Ontario’s health spending was $17.6 billion. In 1998/99 the health budget was $18.9 billion. Sound like a cut to you? No, he increased health spending. The only government to cut health spending was the federal Liberal government which cut the transfer payments to the provinces. So as I said before, I can understand why people are confused. But I am confident that if the citizens of this great province of ours were to wade through the rhetoric and examine the cold hard facts that they will make the right decision on Thursday. Sincerely, Mark Beaven, Bluevale. i HE EDITOR, / recently read a letter from the Clinton Social Action Committee, with which I, as a mother, grandmother and Christian totally concur. / believe the letter is worthy of sharing Kay Roberts With regard to the upcoming elections it is often difficult to decide who we should vote for. Some people simply vote for the party whose ideology most closely resembles their own, regardless of that party’s performance or stance on other issues. Other people are primarily concerned about issues that will affect them personally, and vote for the party or candidate whose position on these issues most closely reflect their own priorities, biases, and preferences. We, of the Clinton and Area Social Action Committee suggest that you use a different set of criteria in deciding who to vote for. We suggest that you investigate which of the various parties and local candidates are most likely to give first consideration, and top priority to those whom Jesus would describe as the least of these his brethren, and then vote for that party. Which party is most likely to feed the hungry? Visit the prisoners? Shelter the homeless? Look after the sick? Today, who in our community/ province/country/world would Jesus consider to be the least of these his brethren? Which party is most likely to treat them as if they were Jesus himself? Which party, in order to put the needs of those who are now last, first, would be most willing to put the wishes of those who are now first, last? We suggest that the party or candidate which gets your vote should be the.one who will best represent - not yourself, nor those who are in a social-economic situation much like yours, nor those who think much like you or share your views, nor necessarily those you consider to be fellow Christians; but rather the party or candidate who will best represent those whose -situation is reminiscent of those Jesus described as “the least of these (his) brethren! Whether, they know it or not, the candidate or party with this priority does have their priorities straight, and therefore deserves your vote. It is worth nothing that the party or candidate who best meets this criteria may or may not be doing the “right” thing for what we consider to be all the “right” reasons. They may not necessarily have the word “Christian” in their party name, and perhaps may not even profess to believe in, or “know” Jesus. They may well be amongst those who will ask” “But when did we see you hungry and feed you? When did we see you homeless and shelter you? When did we see you in prison and visit you?” The party or candidate which gets our vote should be the party or candidate to whom Jesus is likely to respond: “When you did it unto the least of these my brethren you did it until me”! The Clinton and Area Social Action Committee. IfrWld... SUPER SELECTION! SUPER QUALITY! SUPER SERVICE! SUPER VALUE! / ...afllitf Te-Em Farm J Writer slams Harris government Continued from page 4 Revolution has failed. The provincial debt is much higher and the provinces collective conscience, health system, education system, environment, social net and health and safety concerns have become severely deteriorated. This while child poverty and the number of working poor, today’s slaves to profit hungry megalopolis and sterile Harris hacking, sky-rocket. We are experiencing the Mexicanization of Ontario. Do we really want to go there? On May 21, Mike Harris said he never met anyone who thought he was mean spirited. Is he suffering from a self-imposed blindness or deafness to reality? Could it be that he has locked himself up in a Bay Street ivory tower and has not been notified of what has happened during the past four years of his torrential reign? I don’t think so. I believe he suffers from severe delusion and actually believes what he says. In the next few days I fully expect Mike Harris to pronounce that he has always let all his loving subjects eat cake or maybe it will be tune. Either way, he will know that we will praise and adore him for always putting us, the common people ahead of his corporate agenda. Thanks Mike, and by the way pass that delicious Kraft Dinner. A leader who purposefully divides his/her own people for his/her own aggrandizement and private/hidden agenda has not only failed in leadership but is also personally responsible for the decay and disintegration of socie.y that his amputative tearing apart has caused. Mike Harris is the candidate in the bubble. He is afraid to meet the common people of Ontario. He avoids us at every turn. He will not answer our questions. He literally runs away. We seem to be a mere hindrance to his real agenda. There is more to being a productive and contributing citizen than just me, me, me. This is where Mike Harris is leading us. The choices in this election could not be clearer or more important. Angelo Ippolito Belgrave, Ontario. They carry all the new varieties including... PROVEN WINNERS, SURFINIAS, MILLION BELLS, TAPIEN, BACOPA & VERBENA .. .that everyone is talking about! HUNDREDS OF PERENNIALS & BEAUTIFUL NURSERY STOCK' Asparagus now available in freezer quantities! Ted' Tasty Tomatoes! 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