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6 - PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2000 PUBLISHER........ J. Pater Hvidsten GENERAL MGR..... Don Macleod MANAGING EDITOR.. Jeff Mitchell OFFICE MANAGER... Gayle Stapley ocna E-MAIL: port perry.star@ sympatico.ca EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors and letter writers are not necessary ADVERTISING MGR... Deb McEachem Member Ontario Community REPORTER................. Chris Hall Newspaper Assoc. Freelance Writers- Heather McCrae, John B. McClelland PHONE (905) 985-7383 Distributed free in the following communities: Port Pe FAX (905) 985-3708 9 Oakwood - Manilla - Seagrave - Gree Published every Friday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - L9L 1B7 - Uxbridge - Sunderland - Little Britain - R nbank - Brooklin - Ashbum - Columbus - RR Oshawa Caesarea - Blackstock - Raglan - Nestleton - Yelverton - Prince Albert orl submit, ADVERTISNG POLICY rego nde telephone umber (which wll not bo publshec) nuded. Requests ha a arms bo withheld willbe hanced oy f ere compeling reason do so. Errors Coach et ay hts sp pn 1 Pd ADVETTIGHG POLICY Tha piso ek tt bt hres Wop he ers kd eso hr i on reir ents Ei connection with any adverisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the : All claims of error in publication must be made by Wednesday, noon, prior to the next week's publication, and, if not made, wil not bo considered. No claim wil be sowed fs Mors ur ors bebe R Lindsay Janetville BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, Kathy Dudley, Janet Rankin, Lesley West ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse, Heather Mack, Linda Clarke, Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox PRODUCTION: Trudy Empringham, Pam Hickey, Daryle Wright, Arlene Chel, Robert Taylor, Richard Drew, Scott Ashby OPINION Good news, bad news You might say that the budget unveiled Monday by federal Finance Minister Paul Martin was a good news, not-so good news document. The good news, of course, came in the form of tax breaks for wage earners across the board, but most especially in the middle class. The 3 per cent reduction is significant, and will no doubt be appreciated. As will the child tax credit levels, which have been adjusted to benefit families. And the corporate tax cuts will be a welcome break for business. Canadians have long been taxed heavily, and understandably have begun to chafe under the burden. Especially when they have seen provincial governments like Ontario's introduce tax reduction policies. But we have to remember that while taxes may be high in Canada, it's also the best place in the world to live; you get what you pay for. That's where the not-so-good news comes in: Mr. Martin short-changed the provinces on health care funding. His one- time, $2.5 billion offering to the provinces is a drop in a mighty empty bucket, and represents a serious shortcoming on an issue that is of great concern to Canadians. Mr. Martin had an opportunity to address what's mounting to a crisis in health care, but instead shifted responsibility to the provinces. Over all we should be pleased, but remind Ottawa that we expected more. GUESS WHAT MICHELLE p |BROUGHT HOME FROM SCH Grandparents Debbie-and Joe Konick submitted this photo of a tender moment between Dylan, 2 1, and Olivia, 2. If you have an interesting picture we could use Jor Photo of the Week, please drap it by The Star office, or give us a call at 985-7383. To the Editor: Alex Shepherd begins "Straight Talk" (Feb. 18) with a brief reference to the billion dollar mess at HRDC before dedicating most of the column to a rant about Mike Harris. No wonder he's trying to change the sub- ject. Under his government's watch, big buckets of slush money like the Transitional Jobs Fund have funded such essential expenditures as $500,000 for millennium kites and $60,000 for a mermaid. To add insult to injury, this was taking place while this same government was keeping tax lev- els at historic highs and cutting billions Stop wasting our time and money from health and education transfers to the provinces. When Mr. Shepherd finally does return to the Transitional Jobs Fund, he justifies it on the basis that it "helps Canadians adjust to global change." I wonder if he could explain how a $200,000 fountain in Prime Minister Chretien's riding achieves that? We need to say it over and over until it sinks in with these guys: we care about health care and education. We know Mr. Chretien isn't listening, Mr. Shepherd. Are you? Randy Keller, Port Perry Show's an appalling tribute to avarice To the Editor: Curiosity killed the cat, they say, and now my faith in decent entertainment, after recently watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" What a sickeningly contrived, patronizing waste of time, so typical of many new programs on TV that appeal to pure greed. The contest questions are occasionally beyond Grade 2 level but the pauses to simulate suspense by the contestant's "options" are laughable. Of course a million dollars attracts atten- tion these days with already too many jack- pots and lotteries, but this program is so transparently formulated it is hard to believe so many intelligent people have been taken in, as American polls tell us. Canadians too? Probably. After all, we always imitate our American neighbours, don't we? Well, some of us anyway. Owen R. Neill, Port Perry