Letters_07-36

Jeff Green | Sep 13, 2007

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Can you believe it? Our ‘esteemed’ leader wants to promise (and I use the term lightly) us a National Holiday if elected. If this is so important, why not introduce it while he’s in power. This is a man who broke every promise he made in the last election and seems to have no remorse about it. We gave him the power and he did nothing with it. Power for the sake of Power.

What about our ailing Health Care System, lack of doctors, environmental issues, the College of Teachers, our aging population and lack of long term care facilities? This is a leader that has only taken the easy way out addressing soft issues and refusing to address the hard issues and show leadership in solving the BIG PROBLEMS.

Dalton, you’d better wake up if you want even the slimmest chance of winning the next election. I, for one, will not be voting for your party again. Once bitten, twice shy.

Not to say that the Conservatives did such a great job during their reign as the following quote indicates: From the news of that era: ". . . PCSocial Services minister David Tsubouchi, overseeing drastic cuts to the province's welfare system, has already infuriated opponents by suggesting welfare recipients could make ends meet by haggling with shopkeepers over tins of tuna. Now he's published a welfare shopping list that includes pasta without sauce, bread without butter, and the elusive 69-cent tuna can."

I know that we are all beginning to feel that all politicians are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Will there ever be anyone that we can trust to keep their political promises after an election.

This is only one person’s opinion, for what it’s worth.

- Brenda Steele

I think you will agree that we have the privilege of living in a very beautiful part of the province. Every season is special and brings its own unique feast for our eyes.

HOWEVER, there is something that seems to be around all the time: I'm speaking of garbage.... particularly the kind that people throw out of their vehicles: pop cans, plastic bottles, beer bottles, cigarette cartons, an assortment of fast food containers, plastic bags...the list is endless.

I often drive, and sometimes run, and sometimes walk along Holleford Road. It's a stop/start activity...I constantly stop to collect the garbage. It amazes me just how much there is and how quickly it accumulates.

Please: if you have ever thrown something from your vehicle, next time stop and think, and do the sensible thing: take it home and put it in your own garbage. That way we can all enjoy the countryside, and what naturally occurs there, not the garbage. Please share this letter with your family, friends and neighbours.

- Mavis Higgs

It strikes me as absolutely ludicrous that one man, albeit a judge, can be the only one to decide the 'monstrous' decision to allow Frontenac Ventures "unfettered access" to the uranium site. Why should our futures and our fate be decided by one man? Who is to say that he is so "wise" as to know what the outcome of such mining will have on the rest of us? Surely this should be a decision made by a wider body of judges or higher court. What of the rights of individuals, and our environment? It seems to me that all along this judge has shown partiality to the company. Does he own shares? All that aside, he has no business, just one man, to hold the fate of the Ottawa Valley water shed in his hands with his decision.Surely, we and our children deserve better than that.

If an unconfirmed meeting took place with the company and the judge, before the injunction was imposed, maybe the company not only has "unfettered" access to the mining site, but "unfettered" access to the judge!

- Helen Gomez

As we are approaching the Provincial Election and Referendum, I find myself thinking on how I will vote. I am looking forward in reading what the campaign platforms are and hoping to catch any debates that they offer to the public.

Is Education on the platform to make things better for our children in our whole province? Our children in the rural areas deserve what city children have and I find that we are excluded in so many ways when the cut-backs happen. Our children are out any support when it comes to after-school busing to join in any programs that are quite needed in our area. We have the volunteers to run the programs, but here we have been cut 50 % on our bus service, which now eliminates 50% of after-school programs. The bus service is only provided for the high school students, so I guess maybe the children from grade JK to 8 are not important. If they are fortunate to join these programs, how will these children get home? We are in a depressed area and there are many low-income families that cannot support the cost of a vehicle. We do not have city buses or taxis, but yet when the school board divvies up the monies, they don’t seem to think about these children. These rural children have rights too and I find it unfair how our system is dictated.

My other concern is that in our area we have been cut 2 E.A. support. I know this has happened all over our province, but I ask, who is losing here? Our children, the ones that will be running our country some day! Many students that are developmentally challenged will be without extra help. It is not their fault that they may learn at a different capacity, but yet is our government expecting them to sit in a classroom and learn the same as other students? Our children have a right to education, and if that means they need extra support, then we as the people of our province need to make sure that happens. Our low income families cannot afford to spend extra on any tutoring.

Why was one of our rural public schools in Lennox and Addington shut down and the children from that school moved to our school? Was our Education Minister mismanaging the money? What happened? We certainly did not see any of the money come to our school to educate these children and provide them with the education they deserve. Yet the Tory party wants to fund all religious schools and there is not even enough money to support our public schools. Schools are for teaching our children, so I would suggest we have a religious study class and teach our children all the different religions of the world and teach them about the poverty and how these children live in other countries and how they get educated. One thing I do know is that our property taxes doubled in the past few years and a certain percentage is supposed to go to education. The money going to the schools did not double, so where has all the money gone? All I know is that we got cut!

I’ve also been thinking about the referendum regarding the way we are going to vote. I do believe there should be change, but we the people should vote for the List candidate members like we do for the local candidates, based on past performances and election platforms. Will we be offered a list of names with their credentials? We need to be able to make a good choice based on their past achievements; what did they do for our province? As it stands, we are asked to make a choice:

1. The party that gets the most votes and becomes the party in power can decide whom they want to run in office, or

2. Before the election, the political parties prepare an ordered list of candidates they would like considered as List Members.

Look at your referendum voter’s card - do you really see us making the choice? We need to make the choice and keep it out of the party’s hands! Thank you.

- Donna Smith