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Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, August 24, 1994 The only Newspapër owned and operatqd by Whitby residents for Whitby residerts! MEMBER OF: ONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER " ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ~ CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X 26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Inc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario L1N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% recycled content using vegetable based inks. © All 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 he whitby Free Press. To the eitor,,. Evading the question To the editor: In unseemly rhetoric, in your Aug. 17 edition (letter, 'MPP responds'), Durham Centre MPP Drummond White responded to an obvious pre-election parry from former MPP Allan Furlong. If this is the quality of the debate we can expect in the forthcoming provincial election, then I would ask that The Free Press consider not publishing the combatants woefully inadequate arguments. While your readers will be spared excessive rhetoric and pathetic rationalizing, the candidates will be saved from publicly embarrassing them- selves. What started out as a response to the community's concern.over the district health council's acute care study, has been reduced to partisan politics. To wit, Drummond White evaded Mr. Furlong's question concerning GO service cutbacks by referring to his achievements during the past four years. Furthermore, he attacked the record of the previous Liberal government but still failed to explain why he waited 10 months to respond to the cutbacks. to Whitby's GO service. After being outmanoeuvred by the mayor and our former MPP, Drummond White decided to "fire back" through lettersto the editor. As an *honourable member" of our provincial legisature, surely Mr. White can respond through his local office or his office at Queen's Park. He also has his regular published reports and regular mailings. In my view, it's inappropriate for an elected officiai to use the letters section to fight political battles, whatever the provocation. Our community has several pressing concerns and needs meaningful representation and results, not rhetoric and posturing in the press. Surely Mr. White could save himself for the upcoming election. Better yet, why doesn't he publish his views on the de facto rationalization of health care in Durham Region and what his role will be once the acute care study is delivered to the Minister of Health. Joseph Butson Whitby Lots of practice To the editor: Re: Letter, 'Seniors ruling all over,' Free Press, A ug. 3. You're rightl I feel the same and I'm now a senior citizen. Because a person reaches their senior years does not necessarily mean he/she is a nice considerate person. I've watched seniors slyly cut into lines at numerous places including Toronto's Union Station, and although~ everyone nearby notices and gripes, nobody says anything. 1, along with a friend, attended a. barbecue at the Whitby Seniors' Activity Centre recently and we weren't there 20 minutes when someone told my friend she should move from her chair as someone else usually sits there. No reservations were required so we ignored this rude request. What a way to welcome new members. Rudeness is not cute and should not be allowed. Stand up for yourself, be firm and fast. Seniors are. They have had lots of years to practice. Margaret McKnight Whitby $600 raised To the editor: The Whitby Volunteer Firefighters Association recently conducted a car wash with the proceeds, approximately $600, being donated to the Durham Police 'Children's Safety Village. This event was very successful, however, we want to acknowledge your contribution in this regard. .The help extended by you and others makes Whitby such a great community. Thank you very much for your assistance. A. Strynatka Captain, Whitby Volunteer Firefighters Association To th edor.. Not going to AMO To the editor: Recently, I read in your newpaper that I would be The speeding addiction To the editor: Someone talks about reducing speeding. Boy, talk about tilting against windmills. Someone of good spirit realized that smoking kilîed and crippled thousands, and bankrupted our health care plan. It took decades for people to recognize that the addiction could be reduced to some extent by-increasing the cost of tobacco and by education in the schools. We have all heard the wild justifications for tobacco use, even that it is not addictive. Speeding is yet to be recognized as an addiction that in the past year killed 1,100 and maimed 90,000. Photo radar is supposed to increase the cost of speeding for the addicts, who have to recognize that they are addicted, when they enter towns at highway speeds, tailgate, cut others off, fail to stop for stop signs, yellow and even red traffic lights. The 401 series of highways have produced more speed addicts than most towns want to put up with. The towns will have to wait until thé government buys the other 50 photo radars that wili help the speed addicts in their withdrawal from the addiction. Speeders are not the macho types they think they are, but for the most part self-centred drivers who fail to stay aware of the effect they have on others. One cigarette does not kili or maim -- but the cumulative effect of ail the smokers kill and maim over the years. The same applies to speeding. If you try to justify speeding, you contribute to the 1,100 dead and 90,000 crippled in 'the last year alone. Some judges in the past used to send speeders to the emergency wards of hospitals to see what they contributed to. I believe that it is a self-discipline thing that drivers of good spirit will consider. Dugals Gorden Whitby attending the Association of Municipaities of Ontario conference in Toronto. For the record, I would like to clarify that I have not registered for the AMO conference for the past two years. The last time I attended this conference was in 1992. As chair of finance for the Town of Whitby, I am only too aware that cost-cutting is on everyone's mind -- mine, too. As a matter of public record, my expenses over the last three years are: 1992 -- $1,240.05; 1993 -- $51.50; 1994 -- $100 (approximately). This averages to approximately $460 per year. In a recent letter to the editor, ('Whitby politicians party on,' Free Press, Aug. 10) I was accused of attending this year's conference and wasting taxpayers' money. Unfortunately, neither your newspaper nor the writer of that unscrupulous letter bothered to check out the facts. As a responsible councillor, I can say without any hesitation that the AMO conference is a very worthwhile event. The conference is a time for municipal representatives from across Ontario to compare and to learn new·methods of operating, in order to save tax dollars. I fully support any councillor who feels that they can benefit by attending. Developing responsible and responsive budgets during these very tough times does not occur by luck. They occur because -councillors are knowledgeable about what's out there and what's available to them, and the AMO conference helps us to do this. I am particularly ,proud of Whitby council's budget performance over 1he last few years, zero per C nt in 1993 and a tax reduction ofi 1.3 per cent in 1994. With that kind of performance, the AMO conference is money well spent. So, to those few but very negative voices who enjoy nothing more than complaining, and who have never offered one positive comment or idea on how to help the people of Whitby, get your head out of the sand and learn something new about the world around you. Dennis Fox Councillor East Ward To the editor: Re: Train whistles Where I used to live, I was only about a block away from the railroad tracks. I always heard the whistle. However, it did not bother me. Neither does the train whistle in Whitby bother me. No matter what time the whistle sounds, I hear it and then forget it. If it is at 2 a.m. and I hear it when I am sleeping, I immediately go back to sleep. To the editor: It is wrong for Walmart in the Whitby Mail to be selling guns and ammunition. Let them stay with consumer products as this was the original intent. The sale of guns should b. left up to hunting and fishing shops such as Gagnon's and Barclay's. At a time of gun control and crime does t not make sense? Keep What is the reason for the whistle? Safety. We cannot put this aside for a few people who do not want the whisle. Safety is the most important matter to the well being of this wonderful town. Those who don't want this train whistling are going to be the first ones to hear of a serious accident or death to someone. t could be their loved ones. Do they really want this whistling stopped? ht's for safety. Larry Houghten Whitby guns away from our children and their young eyes.. I think Walmart is not a good corporate citizen. Instead of part of the consuniers' pie, they also want the whole pie, with no regard for some values that we try to hold on to. Walmart should keep the U.S. sales propoganda and promotion béIow our borders. A concerned Canadian citizen. Herman vàn der Veen Oshawa A matter of safety Wrong to seil guns