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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-10-17, Page 44 Times—Advocate Wednesday, October 17, 2007 OC =CNA T. TIMES ADVOCATE Editorial Opinion PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the Financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs. Canada Jim Beckett — Publisher Deb Lord — Production Manager Scott Nixon — Editor CNA 2007 BLUE RIBBON /\ t The Times -Advocate is owned by Metroland Media Group Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Media Group Ltd. Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • 519-235-1331 Doug Rowe -General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division EDITORIAL PC, NDP should blame themselves It wasn't even close. Last week's provincial elec- tion that saw the Liberals re-elected in convinc- ing fashion is a result that should have the other parties scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong. After all, wasn't Dalton McGuinty supposed to be beatable this time around? Wasn't he vulnerable to accusations of breaking promises? Didn't voters want to boot him out and give Progressive Conservative leader John Tory the top job? Apparently not, and the PC and the NDP should seriously be reconsidering whether or not they want to keep their respective leaders, although it looks like both Tory and NDP leader Howard Hampton are staying. Tory self destructed before the race even officially began with his talk of funding private, faith -based schools with public money. Game over. He was never able to get the public or the media to stop talk- ing about the issue and his too -little -too -late promise to allow a free vote on the issue in Queen's Park if he was elected only looked like a sign of weakness and an admission he shouldn't have brought the issue up in the first place. Hampton's race was uninspiring and he can blame the media all he likes for not raising the issues he deemed important, but he once again failed to con- vince the voters his party should lead this province. As for the Greens, they have made small gains, but have a long way to go before they are a serious threat and with the referendum on the proposed Mixed Member Proportional electoral system going down to defeat, the Greens are going to have to con- tend with the "first past the post" system if they ever want to get elected in this province. Concerning the victorious Liberals, they are sitting pretty with their second consecutive majority. McGuinty has survived the controversies of his first term such as implementing the health tax after promising not to raise taxes and breaking his promise to close the province's coal -burning power plants by 2007. Voters were rightly angry at McGuinty over the health tax, and some still are, but voters have also decided that the Liberals are still the party they want to lead this province. And for that, the other parties need to look in the mirror. ELECTION CARTOON UPDATE: Can you help me out? It's a dirty little secret every man has. We've all got a hiding place where we keep at least one stashed somewhere in the house where inappropri- ate eyes and wagging fmgers won't find the glossy magazines wives aren't supposed to find. Whether it's under the mattress, at the back of the closet underneath the oldest piece of hockey equipment that you can find just to keep her away or on top of the second ceiling panel in and three over, it's a constant challenge to keep her from finding the Sears catalogues. And from now until, well let's just say doomsday/Dec. 25, it's for all the marbles or at least the paycheque keeping the Wish Book stashed. Now don't get me wrong. I know you Sears people have a job to do and I'd like to thank all of you for a job well done. It must be a job well done because you cost me a lot of money. All of you who are involved in bringing it to my door, whether it's the great writing, or the models staring blankly into space something the same way as a Leafs defenceman does as opposing forwards do loops around them on the way to the net. And of course who can forget the mailmen, who drop off the Fall and Winter edition just around the nice and (very) early spring day the Leafs are falling. But maybe there is something you don't under- stand about your catalogue. The book is filled with shiny things. And furniture things. Shiny things cost me money. Furniture things cost me money plus I have to stand up long enough to have the old couch surgically cut away and the new one attached to the posterior. k PAT BOLEN BACK 4 VIEW Sometimes, when I've lived right, I'll be first to the mailbox to intercept the incom- ing missile at the door and tuck it away for an extended period until the half-life has expired and it can be safely handled. But on other days it all goes bad. Father passed down many a lesson but somehow missed the part about the strength of a woman with a catalogue in her hands. ° There is a slightly different feel to the hands of The Wife as we grapple for the book. The delicate hands that hold mine lovingly on long country walks, feel more like "living tissue over a metal endoskeleton," and the older obsolete Terminator is thrown through the wall by the younger feistier model who then sits and pours over the latest curtain accessories while sipping cof- fee. So if you Sears people could just time it so we get our catalogue, say about an hour before the stores close on Dec. 25, that should work out just fine. Because I'm running out of hiding places and there are other glossy magazines to hide. About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales 519-235-1331 24-hour automated attendant 519-235-1336 Fax number for all departments 519-235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $42+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $75+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada:$160+GST Call 519-235-1331 to order a subscription. Classified Rates Word ads: $12 for 20 words, 20t for each additional word+ GST. 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The Times -Advocate Team Publisher Jim Beckett ext. 109 ADVERTISING Deborah Schillemore ext. 112 EDITOR Scott Nixon ext. 105 REPORTERS Pat Bolen ext. 113 Nina Van Lieshout ext. 107 CUSTOMER SERVICE Sue Rollings ext. 101 Jennifer Skonieczny ext. 102 PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Manager Deb Lord ext. 103/114 Nikki Cyr ext. 103 Kelly Gackstetter ext. 103 ACCOUNTING STAFF Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Marg Pertschy ext. 108 Heather Clarke ext. 111