The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Page 6, WhltbyFree Press, Wecnesday, February 22, 1995 The onfy Newspaper owned and operated by WhîtbY residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: - ONTARIO CANADIAN I ICOMMUNITY CI1MUNIT NEWSPAPER rCN NEWS PAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION [11111111117- CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA'DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free ta 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brookljn, Ashburn & Myrtie as weIl as numerous public and commercial outlets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 27,000 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario mc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-611il Qut of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher .Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20%/ recycled content using vegetable based inks. 0 Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes wihout 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 fine to the Whitby Free Press. -o the editofl [I Out Of touch To the edîtor: This is in reoat ta Joanne Macarbet's lettor ta the editar ('Back door,' Free Press, Feb. 15). When I first read her letter I was angry. Her irrationai thinking that Preston Manning was here ta attend the tax raly because it was being put an by t ho Reform Party Keep it the way it is To the editor: SedlY, it is become increasingly clear f hat most ai aur local politicians care far less about the wishes ai the citizens than thase ai big business corporations. 0f course, I am reforring ta the Lyndo Marsh issue. Over the past few mont hs, 1 have road many ltters in your newspeper in support of presorving the marsh area in is ontiroty. I have reed only ans loUter in support aIf the dovolopment, and that leff or came tramn the Rase Corporation. Maybe I have missed the letters firom ail ftho people who plan ta buy those now homes? To those people, I must -ondorse Grog Gannig'sfthought (Free Press, Jan. 25> theft 1hoe area will be mosqufto-ndden. And how about the hundreds af geeso who rest in the area every spning and summer? The buildings et tho Whitby Mental Heath H-ospital have nof prevented the geeso tram leaving thoir "mark*; nor will new houses. The area is tafally unsuitable tor homes and should stay the wey i: is. T. Sprague is total ly wrong. Her other rantings further told me thaf she is out of touch with just what is happening ta this country. But I read her lofftor aver a couple af times. I'm no longer angry et her but somohow find compassion for her. I-ad she written this ltter on April Fool's Day, I could understand. Mr. Manning was invited ta attend this rally as a member ai parliament, as were Liboral MPs Dan Mcîeag us and Alex Shepherd and the oth or politicians who aftendod. More than 3,500 concerned taxpayers who aftonded did not dole aut $5 each for the Reform Party but they donatod the $5 ta help caver tho costs of putfing on the rally presentod by the taxpayers' groups, 01F and This was nat the only tax rally that was being held in tho country. It was held ta intorm Paul Martin and the Liberals that Canadians can no longer pay more taxes and the- gavornment must stop sponding monoy if doos not have. It was about reducing tho deficit. Hor contention that tho Reform Party was at the back door and the Liberal Party was on tho inside makes na senso, tho same as her ather cammonts in tho letter. Samoday the Liberaîs are going ta have ta answer that knackç an dit wan't be coming tram the back door. ft wiII b. coming tram the front door and it wiIl b. Ioud. l's the grassrof s peoapleofa this country who believo that the governiment is there ta work for the poople they aro elocfed ta represont, naf the polit ical party theyil b.long ta. Maybe she should caîl Dan and ask him how many af his constituents have callod Iately in profa tax increasos that Paul Matnis fhinking about. And-she is also wrong in thinking thati Canadians want mare gun contraI.i What they want is mare crime cont roi. Andy Cobean Pickering ,, il .l, ii PrNke to be Iixk 000 P "Nicetobeback..." *the editi,___________ Suggestions ignored To theoeditor: I have served for the p ast 14 years on the fami l lie edu-cation cammittee (FLEAC), as a parent representative, for the Durharn Board ai Education. Most of my suggestions were ignored (even thaugh extensive research had been done) and it soon became evident that aur positions as community represent- atives were only tokenlsm ta parents. The 22-membor cammittee of seven parents, trustees, educators and health care prof essionals was set'up ln 1979 ta advise the board on the apprapriateness ai sex oducation material. But as Doug Schneider, also a member ai FLEAC, told a local nowsapor," w was a weightod group, loadeda with board personnel Who intimidat= the handtul ai parents who were there.w And truly, 15 educators stacked against sevon parents is hardly an even playing field. Many a battîe was tought around the board table this p ast year, over the controversial document, 'Reduce the Risk.' I tound the information ambiguous, vague in many areas, Iacking suficiont data, and with aý distinctive, political slant. It was my conviction that such material shouîd nover b" Best around To the odif or: Over ftho past year, the Oshawa &District Humane Society has had fho ploasure af adopting 982 animaIs into now, loving homes. Afthouqh this sounds like an easy task, if takos many hours ai dodication, car. and love. Our volunteers are some aif tho best around and without fhem meny lobs would go undone. Without tho tinancial support ai aur members and the generaus people ai Durham Region et aur fundraising ovents, we would not b. able fa aperete aur shelter and croate a sale hayon for aur animai ftriends. No malter whef ftho donation mighf be, if is needed and mast ai aIl, if is appreciafed. On behali of the animais that tound a second chance et Ite through aur services, we wouîd like ta extend our sincore thanks ta al who have helped maeo h happen. Whethor the support was a donation ai money or fime, Rf made if possible for us ta prof ect these innocent creatures. Mona Emond Vice presîdont Oshawa & District Humans Society roleasod to the sohools and I wouk like ta have my name cîeared that did flot endors. any aofit. 1The programn facilitator whc doveloped Reduce the Rie~ agreed, at the meeting on April 7, 1994, ta Change two activities, which statod that students were tc "compare their criteria for sexua intercourse with the class andi change ta roi leot the consensus ai the group" Th. committes tek these exorcises were intimidating and coercive. Th. correction was nover made. Public health's activity on FLEAC was also shocking. Their representative cautioned the board not ta includo the real risk factor of condoms and spermicide, as teens might flot use them. They seemed ta have their own agenda. Perhaps public health should b. more concernoed about the lawsuits that might ensue should any student in Durham schools, thinking they are protocted by using condoms, develop AIOS or any 'ather sexualîy transmitted disease; as the transmission ai herpes and HPV genital warts cannot b. provented by condom use. The sex wgamesw in Roduce the Risk are deplorable, an affront ta any teen's natural modosty and sensitive spirit. Students should not b. forcod ta play these intrusive, privacy-invading exercises. WilI a crisis toam b. available for these students who have emotional and physical probîems tram becoming sexualîy active? Promiscuity, endorsed by public health (as long as you wear a condom), is a high-risk activity. Fifty per cent of girls aiter abortion bocome suicidaI; some anorexic; othors sterilo tram numerous infections; most suifer tram some torm af guiît, depression and shame (it is called past-abort ion-syndrome). If parents really knew what wont an in the classroom they would be appalled. Sohools are no longer public but governmont-controllod with little community or parental say; using hard-earnod tax-doîlars ta find politically and morally divisive programs. I wauld suggest that parents remove their childron tram this k<nd of desensitizing education quicker than if the sohool building itsef was on tire. We have removed aur grandchildren and hey are sale (being taught basic academic skiîîs vwith gaood moral values) in a private Christian acadomy and, I might add, educated at hall the cost af public oducation. With ail the tuss in education and whose values should or shouIdn't be taught, I see an escalating need tar the Ontario gavernment ta introduce the voucher system, whereby parents can- redeemn their education vouchers at the sohool ai their choice. Rt would b. true democracy, free t ram moral terrarists and peca1 interest graups, so absessedwith justifying sexual choices that they see any targot market as fair game. Mary Johansen Port Perry No wiII To the editor: Recently I participated in f hree events, the Pickering 'No Tax Incroase' rally, a provincial candidates' forum' in Part Perry, and a budget meeting of the Durham Board af Education. As a resuit ai these meetings, I amn canvinced there is no current political wiIl ta hoîd the lino on tax increases. Our local MPs, Alex Shepherd and Dan Mcîeague, displayed their willingness ta participate in the process by being plattorm speakers et the Pickering raiy Unforf unateîy, the oifficalr; partisan crowd did nof aI!l"w them the caurtesy ai b.ing heerd. Their viewpaints and opiions were Iost in the eudience's shouting dispîay. Port Perry counicillor Doug Moffatt recently attempted ta provido leadership with a motion calling an Durham. Region and the boards af educatian "ta hold 1995 fax increasos ta zera.w Unfortunateîy, his motion was defeated -- four apposed, twa in tavour. The Durham Board ai Educatian budget meeting was welI attended but again a disappaint ment in terms ai thoboaerd's cammitment ta a na-tax-increase, filscal management program. Like many other bodies, thoy are suggesting they are the victims ai cost increases beyond their contraI. This buck-passing has ta stop. Taxpayers have ta find the bucks, but taxpayers can no longer aifard ta subsidize the ineificiencies in fiscal management that exist at many ai aur levels ai government. Politicians et ail levels need ta refocus and reprioritize the domands on their limited financial resources ta achieve a no-fax increaso stat us. Let's koep looking for representativos wha are willing ta make uno tex incroasese part ai thoir politicel commnitmenf, and Iet's givo them a ur support. Arthur Murcot A.hburn MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. AvAiLABLE Canada $34 + GSI e Outside Canada $80 + GSI 1 l