page 6, Whltby Frea Press, Wednesday, March 15, 1995 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby resîdents for Whîtby resîdents! MEMBER 0F: SONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITY i ACOMMUNITY NEWSPAPER + N NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOC IATION ~ CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtle as well as numerous public and commercial outlets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Picke.ring & PortPerry. MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $34 + GSI - Outside Canada $80 + GST Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario mc. Box 206, 131. Brock. St. N., Whîtby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-611il Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% f recycîed content using vegetable based inks. SAil written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and' is a violation of Canadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line to the Whitby Free Press. * . .. . . , . . . ;::<: "Getting to a doctor can be hazardous Out of control?,) 1 To the eir*. . Privatize the tire department To the oditor: Paul Martin's off-loading budget means that Tom Edwards must heip us in Whtby tighten aur befts. Lets loak et one item on Whitby's annual budget -- nearly $6 million for tire protection. Why flot learn tram histary? The entrepreneurs ofth1lth century have much ta teach us. This I iearned while tauring the Lake District in Eng Iand in the toatsteps of Wordswort h. In Hawkshead near Ambleside, I discavered a significant emblem over the portai of Wordsworth's landlady's house. This metal emblem, a sort of star, indicated that kindly Ann Tyson had paid her.tire insurance tee. In the case of a t ire îat her hause, the tire department would respond. A tire at the house ot a neighbour who lacked that emblem wauld bu ignared. Canadiens are learnii become individualistig prnurs. We want th bagfor aur buck. Why ra in taxes for a very tire protection when mi homes around us pay and are hardly worth sa% priatize the Whi deartment and, make compeny reelly prof! ensuring that they s those residents who1 their annual tee. Came on, Tom. Loc practice of the old cour l8th century. Let's leeches that hang ai benetts of aur civic tex a enterpreneurs f ree. Donald1 Big effeot on public services To 1h. edîtor: I am absolutely alarmed et the reaction of meny toards the cuts contained in the federaI budget. It seems that people bulieve because persanal taxes did not increase, eveiything is okay. Block funding, reductian of transfer payments will have a major impact an public services and trensfer payment agency services provided in aur province. 1Im rn eso aemzed et the public perceptian that seys Rts okay to downsize the faderal public service by 45,000 jobs. l's a view that assumes there are 45,000 gaverniment employees sitting somneplace twiddling their thumbs. i asstume these people have jobs and pravide a service. W long-range impact on ai when these services langer provided? People I knaw emplaye front lines of public sen neyer buen as busy service ta the public as naw. This constant,i ettack against the public demoalizing its employeE W. are going ta find au a situation where we will what public services are ta do without? Hieeth,i dlean waler, roads, jails could go an. I ses a far different levelling af the playing fii American global model. Joan Gi To the editor:, What an interesting front page on March 8 (Free Press), three stories summing up what is wrong with Whitby council today. And the blame has to be laid at the feet of the palitician s. Ves, aur councillors have descended into the world ot being paliticians. Powerl That's- the name of the game and in between elections the taxpayer gels hi yet again. The Town tax freeze la goad news but is iR real or a mirage? The aictual dollars budlgeted increase by r>g how to 3.9 per cent and the money cames ic entre- rot tram cost-cutting or careful ie biggest stewardship of our maney; but should we tram the growth in population. expensive Perhaps aur Town palicitians any of the should look sa the other twa very little headîine staries on page ane ving? Let's caret ully. tby tire Trip ta China for trade purpases. Sthe new 'Just how many peaple do we need itable by ta send ta China? Federal ;erve only paliticansa signedn more than $4 have paid billion intrade deais in the lest two months and aven hait have already ok at th been quietly shelved. Ontaria puts ntk at the 25 special envoys in the tield and strysi the now the same politicians who have slas thebeen*in local politics since Whitby n ta the a-. population of 20,000 think they 3nd set the can do better? Save the money, we the M. Warne taxpayers are in no mood for Whitby boondogglesl PAW manager ta sue the Tawn.» If, as 1 suspect, this gentleman hes indeed been dismissed without due cause and without proper process, the cast ta us taxpayers will meke the cost of averseas trips pale by compansan. 1 have approached tour counicillors and the mayar about the PAW affair. Two counicillars did flot bother ta return my calI. The fhat is the mayor and two caunicillors in effect ur societv tld me that matters such as this' are no were of no concern ta the taxpayers. ed on the Having managed staff in a major vice have corporation fer meny years I do praviding have mare then a passing they are knawledge of personnel matters arganized and whatI1 see happening is not service is conductive to good management OS. ' .practice. 1 have also heard a irselves in unlsubstantiated comment trom one b. saying councillor that cauncil can fightt we gaing forever the PAW *effair, weher educatian, they are right or wrong, because -the list "out packets are deep.7 I have a few words of advice for9 Ontario; cauncillor.myW pockets are not led to the deep and they are not for picking. Taxpayers' memories are long and aes% RN the next 'election wilI b. along saaner than cauncillars would care ta imagine. It is past time caunciliors learned tram what is going on in other spheres of palitics. The taxpayers are ready to revoit and councillors' attitude is flot aoceptable any more. Am 1 alone or is the To the editor: The proposed wDream trip ta Chinan by the mayor of Whitby, some couniciliors, a staff membur and an interpreter, is nothing mare thanaas. Not ane word of this sightseeing tour was mentioned by eny candidate during the recent municipal election. Once again, politician after buing elected, show contempt for the taxpayer. During the secret budget meetings, the sum af $27,000 was set aside ta finance the trip, this amaunt in addition ta the mare than $5,000 aiready spent ta entertain a delegation ta Whitby in September of 1994. A paltry $2,200 was contnibuted by some businesses, according ta information obtained tram the clerk's depertment. The City of Weifan has a population af about eight million end the mayor is installed for lite with extraordinery powers and cmn, an acaion, make unilateral decisions. Conversely, Whitby has a population of 85,000 and has a mayor who thinka he hes buen installed for life and wants ta make unilateral décisions. On. would have ta question the qualifications of staff and those liningj up to take the trip et taxpayers' expense. For example, enyone who has been involved in doing business abraad seidam tekes along an interpreter, it is too expansive. Usually, universiy students are hired on a daily or hourly basis: English is very high an the curriculum in China or the Canadien embassy will offer extravagance cit municipal levels just ridiculous? 'To *wn, Region, sohool boards, Hydro ail seem ta be out of contraI. Maybe loca taxpayers need ta consider a.local version of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation? Colin Duddrldgse WhRby assstance. 1it has been said that should we nat send a party tram Whitb,it could bu an embarrassment.Weil, if 1 were a cauncillor or- the mayor of this community,, i would certainly bu mare emberrassed if I taak the trip. ft is flot difficult ta graciously epalogize for not making the trip. See ta R that those businessmen travelling ta Weifeng ta, make deals, give them eny information they require about Whitby. I was wiîling ta, take available pramational material ta Jakarta, Indonesia ... treel. The.past mayar at Scarborough, Joyce Trimmer, took a trip ta China and pad for the trip herself.- Whitby taxpayers should. nat bu torced ta pay for dreem trips by politiciens and staff memburs. ealty taxes are elready too high, talk ta some of those paying the outrageous taxes in Whi ,hey can't attord a trip ta Niagar a lls let alone China. Furthermore, it will take fine years of my taxes ta send politiciens on this trip who have such pethetic business sense that they just handed aven ta the City of Oshawa an $18.millian sports complex that could have generated millions of dollars ta this community. Business people knaw what they are doing, they are the ones who bunetit and they pay their own way. To send any l opliticiens ta China would bu tantemount ta sending a peewyee hockey. team ta play the Maple Leats for the Stanley Cup. JIm Pries Whltby Ch'ina junket is a -ruse To the editor..,,' m