Page 6, Whitby'Free Press, Wednesday November 20,1996 ....... ....... ... .....WW.............. The only Newspaper owned and Operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: Canadian Community Newspaper Association wnaoComnt ntwar sociamunlt Whltby Whtbybuslness Oshawa-Durham Home Chamber of Commerce, in Action Buiders' Association The Whitby Free Press is distributeci free to 99% ofth omsIn Whitby, Brooklin, Ashbum & Myrtie aS well as numerous public and commercial Sullets In Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. L 28,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $36 + GST e Outside Canada $85 + GST ISSN#0844-398X Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario mc. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 206, Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pfher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newspnnt with minimum 20% recycIed content using vegetable based inks. qïd eAil written material, Illustrauions and advertislng contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by an y means for commercial purposes wilhout the express permission of the newspaper is prohlbted and Is a violation of Canadian copyngh1 law. Reproduction. for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit fine to the Whitby Free Press. To the editor: An apan MacMaster, Hydro letter ta Don chair af Whitby This Is In response ta yaur circular sent to Whitby househols in November 1995 ln which you explined that a rae increase was necessery ta imprave service. Since thon we have had In our area (AnnesiBums), numerous power autages, most ln goad weather conditions. In the pa have become expert digital dlocks and ha runnIng a hait hou knowving Whitby lý catch up. Today, however, ai a page of typung. compelled ta asic. simple questions: V there stili power c What are you doing tM a dependable powers Can't have everythii To the edItor: Now 1 have heard everythIng. Mike Harris, who has cut social services as he has promised and therefore must do, now says that hoeMI spend $2 million an breakfasts in Res idents should compost leaves Tro the edîtor: Househoki bagging o! leaves costs the Region a considerable amount o! money. As a taxpayer, 1 abject ta this inefficient solution. As an enviranmentaiist, 1 regret the cost ta the envirofiment af extra fuel consumption and Cther hazads of waand tear. Insteaci a! engaging heavy1 trucks, ail o! us can use wheelbarrows and compost auroQwn leaves. What if R doost look a Itte untidy. - that'sf nature.f If some perslst in domandlng the collection a! bagged t beaves, I suggest that they cenv behr 2 a bag. Penalties r akgodenvironmentalîsts. ri Donald M. Warns Whitby schaols. Since when must ti breakfast served ln e are there even the facil Ike ta knaw- who the are who do not feed ti first thlng ln the marni theY bath Wrking and f time? Thon 1 say: "Shi themIn Where *are priorities? Are they parents whc work? To them too, nShamo on youlu If the ta cut down on exper cannot be on breakfas should feed and cloth, kkls before sending ther schaol; that is a must ar responsblit. I admit that dry cere4 very expensive sa I st aatmea, kIt s'the'beà t they can give the cf anYWa andcosts less. Tolt h taxpayer pi lhe tab is absolutely rdica People must leam how within their' means. Pe they have ta do Without things but that's akay. Is kt about time we ri that we cannot eehing, anly when we and pay for kt can we ac thlngs. Obvausly the b first; if there is -maney letE perheps somne luxuries. The notion a! "1f yau ha' have aright to have it toi wirong. We do, not have nany nights, buit a Io responsibilities. Jeannette Vander Mei Broc The Canada Pension F e <CPP)ils something m about. Occasion*l, we may gla at aur payoheque and noi st weelcs I the bite that the CPP premii tat settlg (tax) takes out af aur grx Iv a time pay. Howeve, we rarely sto; ur ahead thlnk about, the retumn on t lydra will investment. Ail that ls about ta change Iter ioslng Canadians will soon 1, I feel waking up ta what may vf you twa weil be the single lamgest 1 IVhy are increase In the country's histc outages? - a passible '$10 bull à provide explosion ln CPP premiums. supply? Every fie years the fedei and provincal overfmeri F. Wolff review the plan and s Whltby contribution rates. This year's review has ti nation's finance ministei conspiring ta boost the rai gfrom, 5.6 per centg flg empboyment earnlngs ta 10 pi cent, passIbly even hlghe That translates into whopping $9.8-blllion ta there be increase. For the averag, schools, taxpayer and his or he ities? I'd employer, R means an extr parents $722 a year ln taxes. ieir klds Why the'need for such ng. Are dramatic Increase, you ask' have no Because without R, the nea ame on jpankrupt CPP would face tota otheir à ollapse. The problem ils that the C PF 'do flot isn't reaily a pension plan at ail, 1 say, Unike private sector plans, the Dy have. CPP aperates on a 'pay-as- nses,. it you-go' basis. Rather thar st, they depending aon investment ie their incarne ta, pay for pensions, ln off ta the CPP is deslgned ta pay oui id thelir this year's benefits from this year's contributions. ais are This 'pyramid scheme' uggest works just fine. Unless, of 1thIng course, there are more hilîdren beneficiaries than there are contributors. With Canadas Ickç up . gIng population, this is qulikly uMous. becoming the case. ta Ive More retirees, fewer rhaps members ln the workforce, same longoer-Ide epctnces and higher disablifty pay-outs 'eize threaten the sustainability of have govemment pensions. ework The solution ta this structural DquIre predicament, according ta 'asics Ottawa and the provinces, Is ta or on, raise taxes. Facing the fact that the CPP vo it 1 ls inherently and fataily f lawed ýo," is lasasmethlng aur elected 9 too officiais arenl prepared ta do. )t of lnstead, their choice is ta tax their way out ln the short term, Mlen leaving' the longer term >klln prospects even bleaker. Without fundamental change, there is no guarantee, that the CPP can be put on a stable footing, maklng future premium Increases Imeitable. Nat that al aur governments are beroft cf ideas. Emie Eves, Ontario's finance minister, has put the whale CPP review an hold (any changes require approval of twa-thirds of the provinces representing twa-thirds a! the population). He's demanding the federal gavernment cut Employment Insurance <El) Êrelums ta offset any rise ln CPeP contributions. (3ood an ya, Erniel But that stioensv t he cenitra pay-asjyou.o' pmoblem. You'd have a bettter chance of locatlnig the Prime i4nister's hamelese friend than getting the feds to reduce El taxes by $10 billion. Still, thanks for thinklng of us taxpayers. Avoiding future payroll tax. hkesrepquires daing awaywth the C PP atogether, and establishing a - Mandatory Retirement Savlngs -Plan.. <MRSP)sy stem in Its place. An MRSPwould actIke an RRSP, except that everyone would have their contributions. deducted at source. Unlike the CPP, MRSPs would be fully- funded and prlvately managed accounts. An MRSP, systemn would correct the problemfs Inherent ln the.CPP andprdc larger pensions, In relation ta contributions, than the existing plan. The choice is pretty simple. We can go an paying higher taxes for a flawed System, oî we can change kt and ses a- greater .1,return on pur CaIyaur local MP and MP and let themn knaw your preferred option. Paul Pagnuel -laà membe, Oaths to flag suggested To the edItor: a I' During the summer, i wrote irasking your readers ta il consider sending me their suggestion for an officiai plege f alegiance ta the Canadien f lag. 1 introduced Bill C-302 ln June, legisiation that -would establish an officiel O ledge (ar oath) of alleglance t ta aur beloved meple leaf flag. 9 The Bill was not selecteci in tthe recent lottery, that determines, et random, whIch. pOvate members' bibis wili be debated ln the House o! Commons. However, 1 arn hopeful thal t k w be selected ln the nez lbttety that should tako Placebefore the end af tho year. Te Icea for the bill orlglnated With Joyce Hammond, a preschooi teachor frm Guelph, wha beleves that an officiai pledge (or aath) wouid encourage her students ta want ta baean more about Canada, and, ta Ugv. Canadiens, ln her words, Mroots and a feeling o! belonging. w I agree, and introduced the legistation ln tih. House o! Cammons ln June. The * legislation calis on Parliament ta consult With Canadians an the oath's warding, so that kRwill truly b. Pur oath. Sncthentroducton of this» legisiation, more than '2,100 Canadians fram 260 communities from coast- ta caast- have Indlcated their support, lncludlng a number wha have wuftten ta me with their suggestion for an oath. As well many communties, Including the Reglan a! Durham, have supported the idea through their councils. Many Canadians have written ta me about their awn experlences regardlng a plodge o! allegiance. Canada has had a number o! pledges' o! allegiance ta the fLa:g, used for many year, and ln a' numbor a! ways. ,To former school teachers from Alerta have written ta me reminding me that years ega students rose wvery marnlng and redited theso words, *1 sakite the flag. the emblen o! my country, ta her 1 pledge my love and boyalty.1 The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the editor on any subjeot of condem to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point -- rarely more than 300 words. Ail' letters must be accompanied by the name, address and telephone that in grawlng up ln Dartmauth, Nova Scota,'she recited,"i. pledge allegiance ta theFag and ta the Empire for which kstands, ans -nation Indivisible, Wlth liberty and justice for ail." Jaycees use a version that has been endorsod by, the City o!' Windsor. Theoatharbeuebefore classes begin, before council metings, or wherever the flag is prominent. kts wording ls ta, be beft ta the people wfio wf recite 'the aath. that is th e people o! Canada. kt doois not replace the aath a! cidtenship, but tnstead complements Litu I 1continue ta Wsbcome suggestions fram readers. Brenda Chamberlain, MP GueIph-Wellngton 40 Cork St. E., Guelph Outages continui CPP tax viewiloint