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A6 - The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, October 3, 2006 OPINION Give us a break It takes a lot of nerve for a government to siînulta- neously decide that flot a penny of a $1 3-billion fed- eral surplus should be returned to taxpayers - or used to improve the state of health care or education - and then tumn around and announce spending cuts of $1 billion. That shocking double- whammy was delivered last week by the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives. lnstead of using tbe $13 billion - $5.2 billion more than Finance Minister jim Flaherty forecasted just four months ago - for programs, or returning some of it to, hard-working, over-taxed Canadians, the goverument will pay down a fraction of Canadas $481 -billion debt. In some parts of our world, such pronounce- mrents mnigbt bave been met wîth passive protests, demands for leaders' resig- nations, or, in tbe extremne scenario, violent upheaval. Here, the response seemns to be a shrug of the shoul- dcrs, a sigb and the distinct sensation of deja vut. While raost of us have miscalculated our bouse- hold budget at some time, we wonder bow the guv- erfiment could miss the mark by $13 billion in a single fiscal year. Most of us can appreci- ate the logic in paying down the national dcbt, but the government's al or-nothing approach is analogous to borrowing money from a relative to pay the rent or utilities, but then applying A of the cash tu a credit card bill. Readers Write Send yoturJettera te mitoea@haltornsearchcoem or crop them off at 875 Main St.E. Homeowners shouldn't be made Literacv column to pay for smart meter installation was appreciated DEAR EDITOR: Tbis letter is in response tu Brian Chambers recent letter entitled "oVe need a drop in hydro rates, not smart nieters'. 1 agree that we shouldn't be paying to have 'smart' meters installed. Nor should they be mandatory. Ijvc dune every- thing that the government and Conservation Ontario have asked that 1 can. 1 changed aIl the brand new bulbs in my bouse tu compact fluorescents. 1 went and got a high efficiency washer and dryer. 1 gut a programmable thermostat. 1 traded in my per- fectly wurking but energy guz- zling CRT computer monitor for a flat panel LCD. 1 did this A at my own time and expense. I set my thermno- stat at 27 degrees Celsius. Yes, really Now I'm told its not enougb. Now the powers that be are telling me that 1 have to pay tu have a new meter installed that will punisb my family Perhaps you think 'm overreacting when 1 use the word punish, but F'm not. I'm currently a shift worker. That means that I'm home dur- ing the day many times a month and at work on the weekends. If I elect to watch TV~ or use my computer while I'm off, I will have tu pay a higher rate. My wife will nu longer be able tu look forward tu help around the house because we'll have to pay mure for me tu run the washing machine. I simply don't have the luxury of wait- ing for off-peak hours, because l'm nut always at hume during them. When will Ontarians stand up and say enuugh? We're uver- taxed and over mismanaged ly ail levels of guvernment. Remember, it was guvemment waste and mismanagement - with multi-million dollar expense accounits and 'golden handsbakes' - that led tu the hydro fiasco, not the consumer. L-et's get tugether and tell themn we can't bc held tu a high- er standard than themn any more. JEREMY PORTER MOWAT LANE Thanks for initial support of Ieash-free dog park DEAR EDITOR: pilot project toi esîablislî a Ieash-free zone for dugs was appruved. The leasb-free dag park is ta, be located south of Main Street along the wesî side of Fourtb Line, just soutb of the train tracks. One of the condi- tions council required was the organizatian of a local volunteer group ta assist in maintaining thse park. Residents for Off Leasb Oppartunities (ROLO) taok that message ta heart and have since been busy farming the valunteer graup, 1 ~ ' lîllîtruc tt nT wo wh ? fli t. on August 8, whicb I1 be Champion reported on with a picture and stary in its August 4 editian. On behaîf of Leash Free Milton, I just want ta tbank The Champion for belping get thse word out about aur event. And tbanks su much toalal the residents wbo generously donated their beer botules, as well as ta the volunteers wha did the callecttng and sarting, for making thse drive successfuî. BOB MCREAVY, VICE-PRESIDENT LEASH FREE MILTON DEAR EDITOR: Thank you to Champion reporter Melanie Hennessey for higblighting International Literacy Day in ber recent column, and offering ber per- sonal experiences as a volunteer tutor with Literacy North Halton (LNH). As Melanie mentioned, theres a certain satisfaction when yau know you've helped someone grasp somte- thmng they didn't understand before. The support LNH provides stu- dents can only be done with the ded- icated commitment of volunteers in the comnmunity, bike Melanie. And we need more. literacy North Halton is currendly recruiting volunteers to attend our upeoming training workshops. Volunteering to work with an adult who needs to improve their hiteracy skills is an opportunity ta see your skills help someone achieve success. Our students are members of tIhe cammunity who touch aur lives. tamily and cou eagues. b> assi',tiig somneone to upgrade their skills, you are opeirng doors to better employ- ment opportunities, further traning, increased independence and unpmoved failfiy literacy You are opening a door to a better commuty. AMEUA STEN8MNG PROGRAM CO-ORDINATOR UTERACY NORTHli IALTON PLJr canaeian Qlampion 875MainSt.E. Milton, Ont L9T 3Z3 905-878-2341 Editoriat Fax: 905-878-4943 Advertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Classified:905-875-3300 Circulation: 905-878-5947 www.itoncanad.ianchampion-com Group Publisher Ian Oliver Publisher Heil Oliver Advertising Director Weody McNab Managing Editor Karen Miceli Production Manager Tom Coles Circulation Manager Charlone Hall Office Manager Ton Casas The Canadian Champion, puhhoshed every Poeoday and Friay aIS hMain St FMiton, ,OtI9T 33,isci of the Metiro and ia ono co oommooty oespapers. Adoertng is oaccepted coi te nondition that, n the evn fa typographical error, tat portion of Dheadine, tsing opae ooped Dpthoe roooeouso teni, togethe, unth a reaouable allooonce for uqnate wll nothe Dcanged for,,hut Cebalanc e ntthe advteueent wil bu pasd for aithDe applo oie rate ice pobliluet teseonthe ght to ategorioe adveousernuents or deoino CCAB Audited Otario Communooy OCfl Newspapers Association Canadian Commoniu5 CCNA n sppesAssociation SuubnNewspapern SK% fAmrc Thp aaia Champion i aproud in(.,li ponsor for: fiaon eathcar JigeBellFund AlADA SAY UNITED WAY 0LAU 0F MILTON TV AUCTION PARADE .~( ATHENA1 Showcase M The OakillM ln GALA Awards 'rh Mltn a,.dý, Caiipon, p w