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6- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, February 16, 1999 = »" "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice i 188 MARY STREET - PORT PERRY, ONT. - L9L 187 PHONE (005) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 E-Mail: port.perry.star@sympatico.ca Publications Mall Registrations No. 07881 BUSINESS OFFICE Office Mgr. ...........cccovenneee Gayle Stapley Judy Ashby, Janet Rankin Kathy Dudley, Heather Callan Cha Locna Member of the Canadian & Ontario Newspaper Assoc. Published every Tuesday by the Pont Perry Star Co. Ld. - 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ont. EDITORIAL: Publisher................. J. Peter Hvidsten Publications Mail Agreement No. 1389068 Subscription Rates: 1 Year - $32.10 6 Months - $17.65 Foreign - $90.95 includes $2.10 GST Includes $1.16 GST Includes $5.95 GST General Man «..Don Macl.eod Managing Editor..... Jeff Mitchell News Reporters .....Chris Hall Freelance - Heather McCrae, John B. McClelland Editorial comment Time to reinvest in health system It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that when the federal government unveils its annual budget today, health care will be given special attention. After years of cutting and imposing restraints, the feds are counting their surplus, and allowing that finally they can loosen the purse strings. And they're listening to a nation which is increasingly distressed by what we see as an attack on universal medicare. Our health care system is virtually a sacred institution to us, and rightfully so. It is a humane and necessary benefit of living in what is often cited as the best country in the world. It was "wrong for the feds to cut funding, and for provinces to follow suit to the point where we are now confronted with instances of the system breaking down. So when Finance Minister Paul Martin rises to make his announcement we should applaud, but not too loudly. The minister is not bestowing upon us a gift, but rather returning something that never should have been taken away. If there is credit to be taken it should be from those who put up a protest to cuts in health spending, and made it an issue governments cannot ignore. Now it's up to governments to spend the money wisely. The new funding should not be used as a cushion upon which to prop the existing system, but to make improvements and restore services that have so glaringly been shown to be lacking. This is not a question of government largess and discretionary spending, but ethical use of public dollars. It is only right that, as the eco- nomic picture improves, the Liberals put back what they have withdrawn, and continue to do SO. ) PRODUCTION ager. Trudy Empringham, Pam Hickey, Rhonda Mulcahy, Robert Taylor, Barb Advertising Sales: Deb McEachem, Bell, Richard Drew, Daryle Wright ADVERTISING Advertising Mgr. .......... Don MacLeod Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse T GAVE MY WIFE A NEW VACUUM FOR VALENTINE'S DAY. HOW ABOUT YoU" DR CRATCHIT H U DR. BUTTERWORTH HIROPRACTOR 1 GAVE MINE PROCTOLOGIST HOCKEY I TICKETS! 7 i} I Q © | yo CERES = " = . = Ee =i Raw h no Oha ET To the Editor: Hang glider escaped serious injury In our 15 years of towing on frozen In a dramatic example of the forgiving nature of what is statistically one of the safest ways to fly, the hang glider who you reported seriously injured last week is out of the hospital after a few days of observation with a broken arm. The glider escaped serious injury in spite of the fact that he broke all the safety guidelines for step towing and then, after hooking the rope failed to release it, failed to deploy his emergency reserve parachute. The one unbroken wing of the glider Scugog, this is our first accident. All our pilots enjoy "Port" and the smooth laminar air and beautiful vistas provid- ed by the location. We would like to thank all those who helped with the first aid and recovery of our fallen flyer. We would also like to remind all those using the lake to please keep an eye out for our tow rope when it is lying on the ice. Michael Robertson, High Perspective let him down gently enough that landing on the solid ice was survivable. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten IT'S TIME TO MOVE ALONG | don't know if you were as happy as | was by the time Valentine's Day rolled around last Sunday moming, but | can tell you | felt most relieved. Not for the fact that it was Valentine's Day, or more - important, that Nancy and | were celebrating an anniversary, but because two stories which have filled the pages of newspapers, flashed across TV screens and blared from radios for far too long, finally concluded. The most obnoxious of these was the Clinton/Lewinski scandal, which has been on the front burners of news- casts for-an entire year. Like the verdict or not, the Lewinski affair is history. President Clinton was cleared of the charges and his impeachment stopped dead in its tracks. Not that we've heard the end of this saga, but at least the legalities are over and partisan politics ended for now. There's no doubt Monica Lewinski, Kenneth Starr, Linda Tripp and possibly a few others will try to make a small fortune turning their sordid stories into best seller books and movies of the week, but at least the news media can start looking for something (or someone) else to subject to their insatiable appetite for "dirt." Pity the next person to step out of line and fall victim to these predatory tabloid journalists. The second news story, which I'm glad to see come to an end, was the closing of Maple Leaf Gardens last Saturday night. In fact it wasn't the closing of the Gardens at all, but the last game the Toronto Maple Leafs would play in the venerable old building. Sure, the building is filled with lots of nostalgia, and I'm sure thousands will miss going to the old Carleton St. haunt to watch their favourite NHL team, but pleeeegase! _ Itisn't like the building is going to be dropped into its shadow the way so many large structures are demolished today with explosives. The Gardens will live on and there will be lots more hockey action, concerts and other venues on Carleton St. for years to come. So all those who lined up to see the inside of the cav- emous old arena last week really didn't need to shed a tear. There will be lots more opportunity to walk the hall- ways, and enjoy the atmosphere of the building. With that said, | did sit and watch Maple Leaf fans pay a deserved tribute to so many veteran Maple Leaf players seven generations. who have graced the ice surface of the Gardens with their skills over the past 67 years. If nothing else, the Leafs moving from the Gardens to the new Air Canada Centre, which is already being referred to as the 'Hanger,' was an apt occasion to pay tribute to those men who thrilled Leaf fans for the past Thanks for the memories! : BOOK IS ON ITS WAY Devoted readers of The Star's monthly feature, "Sketches of Scugog" by Paul Arculus, will be happy to know that his new book "The Merchants of Old Port Perry" is headed for the press this week. Paul has been working on this project on and off for the past five years, and when the book is released sometime in March, it will be the first new historical book about Port Perry since Samuel Farmer's book "On The Shores of Scugog" which was first printed more than 80 years ago. We'll keep you posted on when the book is due to arrive and plans are under way for a book launching. Watch The Star for details in the coming weeks. VALENTINE QUOTES "Love is a very unusual game. There are either two winners or two losers." "Love is what makes two people sit in the middle of a bench where there's plenty of room at both ends." "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." 4