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We often give our enemies the means ofommndesfiucdon'matlinefiomdie AesopfableTheEagieandtheAnuwpretty much sums up Prime Minister Stephen Harper's imminent polifimldeaflmlndie momltaleaneaglewassoaringmmugh meairwhensuddetflyitfehitselfpiemed byanarmw. servafives, which has developed a solid fundraising base. But the fallout fmm this â€"andtobefair,ithasbeenbnewingfor some time now-~ has been Wordinary and is without precedent. ItfelltotheEarth,bleedingfiomthe wound.Whenitlooked attheanowthat smnckinflleeaglesawmeanwr'sshaftwas feathered with one of its own plumes. 'Ihatplumecamelastweekindieform of Finance Minister fun Flaherty’s fiscal updatawlfichwaswoefullyshort on mea- sures to help boost Canadians and the economy and long on haul-right ideology. 'I‘hatfeathensotospeakwasflmeaydngof mugffly$28mfllioninsubsidiestomefive major polificalparties'lhemovewould, in essence, criwle the oflicial Opposition. Thefederallibetabarestillreelingfmm losing millions in subsidies and election rebatesduetowhatwasmeirpoorestper- fonnanoe since Oonfedemu'on in the last election, justseven shortweeksagu Theoflnerparfies,toqsucha§fl1eNew Democrats, depend to a greater degree on this public money than do the Con- Declaring the majority of Parliament haslostconfideneeinMr.Harperandhis government, the Liberals, led by outgo ing leader Stephane Dion, and the New Democrats, under Jack Layton, have forged a formal pact in the hopes of ousting the minority government and leading the country themselves The separatist Bloc Quebecois has guaranteed support for the coalition for at least a year and a half. Will Ms lean dissolve Parliament and call a new election? It would be our fourth infiveyears OerlCanada’sheadofstate refuse to accept the prime minister's resig- nation; kind of a twist on the old line, ‘You can’t fire me, because I quit’. Will Governor General Michaelle Jean hand the reins of power to the coalition? The outcome of this is tremendously important to Canada's future It is about creating stable and well-paying jobs in the global meltdown. invesu'ng in social pm- glams and developing policies to address child poverty, for instance, which has shot up by a scandalous 44 per cent in York Region the past decade It seems Canadians would best be servedintheseuncertaintimesiftheGovâ€" emor General ordered Mr. Harper back to the drawing board to come up with a clear and positive economic plan that the country â€"â€" and Opposition parties â€"â€" can live with. 6 WSWWIMW 4,2008 Important decisions for Chnadians lETTERS POLICY The Sun-Tribune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime te hone number. name and less. The Sun-THbune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity andspace. Lmtomfim. Jmuonfirmgxom PINION Editorial lmcnvn MEDIA Marketing 1. Advertising EDITORIAL Bdltm' lim Mason jmasonDyrmg. com Stouffville shows it still cares Re: Gordie Ness’ memory toasted at event, Nov. 11. We thank the local merchants and individuals who donated raffle prizes to make our night such a huge success. It’s nice to know that even though Stouffville has grown so much over the past few years, that it hasn’t lost its small town touch. Re: Knowledge firms key to our future: Less elbow power, more brain power, consultant telLs Stoujfuilte economic summit, Nov. 15. Boston Pizza in Stouffville was packed on the evening of Nov. 18 as friends and family gathered to support the fundraiser for a bench in honour of Gordie Ness. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended and allowed Gordie’s night to be one to remember. The smokers be’nch, better known as the “Butt Stop”, has been placed outside the entrance way at Boston Pizza in his memory. We couldn’t have done it without you. DEB HOUSE 8: TERRI NESS STOUFFVILLE I believe Stouffville is a city. Whitchurch is the country. So, if you are going to call Stouffville country close‘to the city, you are misleading. Build business, industry, not homes in City of Stouflville, councillors Whitchurch-Stouflville needs {0 attract more STOUFFVI LLE‘S SANTA CLAUS PARADE- SAT: 2 PM. Anvmmsmc Retail Mnnnger Dianne Mahoney dmahoneyfiyrmg.mm Bonnie Rondeau Madonna/Inga)": SEW-Tribune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot 6290Mdn3t. StoliloflMLMIG? Letters to the Editor Special Events Manager Pam Burgess phu rgvssfifynngmm PRODUCTION Team Leader 8’1me sdayOyrmg.mm Bring water and sewer to the area and you will have a tax base that will sustain the City of Whitchurch-Stouflville. You do not need 50 passenger buses on the roads. Use five to 10 passenger buses instead. They will be more economical and easier on the environment. commercial and industrial business. Designate the Hwy. 404/ Woodbine Avenue cor- ridor and Stoufiville Road, west of Hwy. 48 to Hwy. 404, as commercial and industrial. At the same time, the Region of York must pro vide transportation to all the regional roads. People need public transpdrtation. It is overâ€" due. Do the infrastructure first, then the business willfollow. Enough of the residential subdivisions. They are causing more traffic congestion and damage to the environment. b What do you think of these issues or others? Eâ€"mail letters to the editor to jmason@ynng.com HAVE YOUR SAY, WHITCHUBCH-STOUFFVILLE Emma IN Cum Debora Kelly ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 Clas-ificd: 1-800-743-3353 Fax: 905-640-8778 Fax DISTRIBUTION 905-640- 2612 905-640-2612 x.- 905-640~8778 STEVE PLIAKES WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE EDITORIAL Bums MANAGE! _ Dumcmu. Anvmmsmc YORK REGION Plumb“; Robert Lazurlco a Dmmunou GENM MANAGER Nicole Fletcher 30" Dean The Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd, a wholiyowned subsidiary of Tarstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includesihe Uberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhiii. Vaughan Cltizen,1he Era-Banner (Newmarket/Aurora). Markham Economist Sun. Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Times. North of the City. yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. A York Region Media Group community newspaper Everyone is “giving back” it would appear. It’s a catch phrase so many of use. Pro athletes throw it about when they show up at an elementary school to read to the little guys or cheer up patients at a children’s hospital. They’re always dressed in team gear and outnumbered by a crew shooting video and stills for future use by the squad. Is the gesture linked to their unfathom- able salaries or a sweet good-will gesture? (I talked to Don Cherry and Ron MacLean about visiting a kid from Stoufl‘ville in a Toronto hospital 15 years ago. “No problem, Jim. We'll be there, but just in and out. No fuss,” said Ron. who is as nice a dude as he appears in your family room during Hockey Night in Canada.) Some of them are using some of the dollars they earn to buy Christmas pres- ents for other children in our area who aren't as financially fortunate. The drive is part of the Santa Fund employees of our York Region Media Group have run every Christmas since 2001. Like our carriers, you can help Drop a new toy or a financial donation at our office. 6290 Main St. in downtown Stouflville. Merry Christmas. lim Mason is editor of The Sun- Tribune. I know some other people who are really giving back No endorsement con- tracts, no money for autographs and no requests for fanfare. They’re the kids who deliver your copy of The Sun-Tribune to your door- stop every Thursday and Saturday. I know. The gifts are piling up on a table in my office in our Main Street location. They’re a constant reminder that no matter how affluent our little comer of Ontario is, some of our neighâ€" hours are suffering. And, in late 2008, our economy is leaking worse than I've seen it in at least 25 years. Area families in need are given food. gifts and hope. with Jim Mason Our carriers deliver toys, good will during December 'Suhfi-Tribune Off The Top