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Back to HomeLetters - July 14, 2011Letters: July 14
No Free Lunch, Wolfe Erlichman
Pleasant Surprise, Roberta Anderson
No Free Lunch
I received a brochure in the mail from Mr. Hillier, our MPP. In his brochure, Mr. Hillier has a sign that says, "Debt Retirement Charge, Money Mystery". This is a reference to the charge we all pay on our hydro bills. Mr. Hillier knows there is no mystery. He knows his leader, Mr. Hudak, is going to eliminate the charge on our hydro bills by paying it through our general taxes. Our hard earned money will pay for it either way. As Mr. Hillier should know, there is no free lunch. For a hard-headed conservative, Mr. Hillier sure has some mushy ideas. He complains about subsidizing renewable energy but he does not mention the Conservatives' plans to subsidize nuclear energy. I would rather subsidize clean renewable energy so that we will be more energy independent and be a world leader in renewable technology rather than subsidizing dangerous nuclear reactors. It is important to charge the real cost of electricity so that we use it prudently. I used to think this was a conservative value. The Conservatives, in the past, wanted doctors and hospitals to give us itemized accounts of the cost of our health care so that, knowing the cost, we would use it wisely. It seems that, with energy, the conservatives are going in the opposite direction. They want to maintain the Ontario tradition of hiding the true cost of our electricity so that we will vote for them. Mr. Hillier's promise of "affordable and plentiful energy" is an illusion. It is a dangerous illusion because it means business as usual and that means we won't have energy security, energy self-sufficiency and a clean environment. We are at a time when hard decisions have to be made and bold leadership is required to eliminate dirty fossil fuels and expensive and dangerous nuclear power. Mr. Hillier's brochure tells us we won't be getting that leadership from him. Mr. Hillier and Mr. Hudak would rather play the usual political games.
Wolfe Erlichman
Pleasant Surprise
What a very pleasant surprise to arrive at Treetops (our Sharbot Lake home) and have a phone message from the Sharbot Lake Pharmacy. I had won their draw - a print of “Two Loons on a Bike.” It was the end of a very long day, and the image of “two loons on a bike” made me laugh. It must be a cartoon drawing, I thought. I replayed the message. This time my ear and brain connected and I heard it correctly as “Two Loons on a Lake.”
It was a delight to see the actual print, which is beautifully peaceful, reflecting lake life at its best. As though this was not enough, there was a gift certificate for the pharmacy attached. I was touched by this act of generosity.
Are we not a most fortunate community to have such fine, generous, and thoughtful people serving our needs? When we visit the pharmacy we always leave with a good feeling, whether having learned something or having had a chat and a laugh or two.
The concern, professional assistance and friendliness of the pharmacy staff are always heart warming. One would be hard-pressed to find a better pharmacy experience anywhere, augmented weekly by their chockfull-of-useful-information column in the Frontenac News.
We appreciate all they do and are aware of our good fortune to be living on Sharbot Lake and benefiting from the services and community commitment exhibited by our pharmacy, as well as by our grocery store, post office, bank, our amazing medical centre, our very own telephone company, and all the other business and services that enhance our lives. We are the envy of much larger communities.
Three cheers for each of you. You are a “good news” story.
Roberta Anderson & Carl Conboy.
