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Whitby Free Press, Weklesday, February 23.,1994, Page 7 L Separate issues We take you now to the Furor Bunker, a hidden fort ress six /Zoors below ground at Queen's Park. Behind an impressive triple pedestal desk we find Premier Bob Rae sipping on a drink. BOB RAE: . . .not that we ever would separate, you understand. Boy, it's great ta have this spot ta retreat ta when the going gets tough. FLOYD: Sa, want me ta turn on the television? We can watch the federal budget stuif. I'm. wishing now I'd gone in the lockup. BOB: You mean the budget lockup, where they put aIl those journalists in jail with copies of the budget until it'ys been officially announced in the House and ail that? FLOYD: No, 1 meant in a real lockup. Better yet, why don't you just lock me down here in the Furor Bunker. We've got cable, I can watch soaps ail day and Oprey and Geraldo. 13B: No, Flaýd, it's pronounced Her-all-dough. ber al~.dough.G et it? - FLOYD: Gee, and I thought hie was a gaiy. Just goes to show. I suppose y'ure gonna tell me that Oprey is a guy, eh? Well ,I1knew at. You didn't fool me. N ot one bit. BOB: Don't mention it. Yeah, well, well watch what Paul Martin's doing ta the country. You decided yet about that cigarette tax thing?. Not that 1 would want ta crowd your turf or nothin', but I've been telling everybady this last week or so that we don't have much choice. FLOYD: Got a match? BOB: (Surprised): But you don't smoke. FLOYD: Oh, yeah, I forgot. Pressure's been sa great lately. And what's this talk about separating? BOB: Pifile, really. But sometimes, when those guys from Quebec get their wind uip, it really makes me mad. Then when those guys in Ottawa eut the legs froni under aur tobacco tax .. . FLOYD: But Bob ,gee, Ontario couldn't separate. Is that what you're talking about? What wauld we do without ail those transfer payxnents. Ail that money fram Ottawa. Mmmmm. bow sweet it is! BOB: You nincompaap. We separate, we can eut taxes by twenty ta thirty per cent. Put that in y ur pipe. Or bettery et. We could balance the budget. Think of that. W e eouid add about twelve billion ta aur tax incarne. What with your eight-billion-dollar deficit, we could end up with a surplus! FLOYD: Looks good. But if we did that we'd have ta take on aur part of the federal debt. That'd be almost one hundred billion. That'd cost about $1,000 for every ehild, woman, and man in the province ta pay the interest on it. You want that burden? BOB: Hmmm. 1 wonder how Jacques Parizeau explains things like that. FLOYD: It must be a talent. It's gat ta be a talent. BOB: Sa quick. What about the cigarette tax? We gonna eut it, or stuf it, or ral aur own, or what? FLOYD: Listen, there, to what Paul Martin is saying. He's . . . (TV signal gaes fuzzy, sound disappears.) ... that's it. We'l slash tobacco tax, but only on roll-your-own. Give away cigarette papers. BOB: Did 1 ever tell you the one about the callege professor and the cernent block and the canoe? FLOYD: I dream that Paul Martin raised cigarette taxes again, and socked a real stiff export tax on smokes and put pressure on the Yanks ta not supply the smugglers. It is such a nice dream. bit me again, that's nice stuif. Where'd you get it? BOB: Don't ask. But we gat lots. Maybe we could just stay down here and phone out for pizza and .. one hundred and thirty eight billion, you said? TERDIW YJES \j 4 4~4M iv j RESIDENCE 0F JAMES H. DOWNEY, GILBERT STREET WESTr, 1907 This brick house was built for Thomas Dow in 1853 where the IGA Plaza is now. The house was demolished in 1966, and Gilbert Street closed 10 years later ta build the plaza. The Bank of Montreal, Whitby's first bank, was in the one-storey wing, at right, from 1853 to 1863. Whltby Archiven photo 10 YEAR8 AGO from the Wednesday, February 22, 1984 edition of the WE[ITBY FREE PRESS " John Kunetsky is retiring as administrator of Dr. J.O. Ruddy General Hospital. " Regional councillor Tom Edwards says Whiùtby je flot meeting the housing needs of senior citizens and low-income familles. " Victoria Street was closed by Durhamn Regional Police because of flooding of Lynde Creek. "*Rev. Rod Barlow je the new rector of Ail Saints' Anglican Church. 35 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, February 19, 1959 edition of the WHrY EEILYNEWS " Whitby Chamber of Commerce is holding a civil defense show at the Town Hall. " The town wiIl lease a house on Front Street to the harbour master, David Ross, for $10 a year. "*'Architect Herbert G. Cole reported on construction of the new publice chools on Athol Street and Palmerston Avenue, to the Public School Board. " Gordon T. Richards is plant manager for the new DuPont factory under construction at Port Whitby. 125 YEABS AGO from the Thursday, February 18, 1869 edition of the WIIITBY CHIRONICLE The Chronic1p le recommending narrow gauge for the proposed railway from Port Whibtby to Port Perry. * -,An Indian chief, educated at Cambridge University at the expense of the Prince of Wales, wilI address a temperance meeting at the Mechanice' Institute on Feb. 26. *Taverne must be closed ftrm 7 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.în. Monday, according to a new licencing bylaw.ids *Tenders are being called to build a Canada Presbyterian Church at Centre and Coîhorne 1