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Paep, Wt¶iIy rPrerss, Wëdne-,day, Aprit 27, 19Q4 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whltby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F:ý ONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITY E ~iACOMMUNITY AESOCATION CN NEWSPAPER ASSOIATIN E :ASSOCIATION ~ CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X ;26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontarioo mc. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N., Whitby, Ontarlo LiN 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publish 'er Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimumr 20%/ recycîed content using vegetable based inks. «D AIl written material, illustrations and advertssing contained herein is protected by coDpyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibted and is a violation of Canadiari cop yFrigtIw eePrdctonfo non-commercial distribution should bear a credit fine to theWib rePes mo teuhe Meitor. No sour grapes To the Edîtor: David Barber's 'Sour Grapes' letter (The Free Press, A pril 20) reminds us that I arn sui ng Preston Manning for f raudulently misrepresenting the purpose and workings of the Reform Party. 1Bef are that action, my rnembership was lerminaled for pointing out privately and publicly 10 Manning the huge disparity in bis conduct over bis public pronounicements. Rl was the same type of hypocrisy recenlly exposed when he pretended in public to be a frugal guardian of our lax dollars by returning the keys 10 a governmenl car, whiîe secretly receiving a $31,000-plus emolu- ment (including a car atlowance>. This money, came' f rom party-member, tax-supported donations. >Mr. Barber's sour grapes charge doesn't wash. I point out Manning's hypocrisy now as I did privately and publicly while I was an active member in the party, once I had discovered first-harud Manning's dublous conduct. More recentîy, high-profiîe Reform MP Stephen Harper, while a member, has ikewise pubîicly and properly pointed out Manning's hypocrisy when he discovered Manning laking secret payments. Harper stilî has his rnembership -- for now. Most policies of the party are sound, but there is a dangerous police-stale mentality in the top leadership. They cannot be aîîowed to form a govmrment. The press bas not yet scralched the surface of the problem. Hf the existing leadership could be cîeaned out and replaced with some of Harper's character and courage, Ihen we might be able 10 relax. Olherwise, the policies must be put intoplay through another Sarty. The Liberals might change, ut Jean Charesl is the ikeîy answer. Louis S. Allors WhltIby Praîse for volunteers To the Edilor: April 17 to 23 was designated National Volunteer Week in Canada. Communt les across Canada honoured volunleers and reconized heir vital contribution t0 Cainsocietybaain r Thirteen millionCadinar involved in volunteer work, elther on their own as 'good neighbours' or through an organization; 5.3 million volunteer their lime and skilîs to voîlntary organizalions and community groupe. Canadians contribute more than one billlion heurs in lime -- the equivalent of 617,000 ful-ime positions. ioeCnda Durharn Reg ion soeCnda community that benefits f rom volunteers. The Durhami Region Association for Volunteer Administration bas 30 member oganizations,. wth 4,300 volunteers wh0o* give approximately 216,800 boums of their lime and skills 10 the community. Theme are many other non-member organizations which have valued volunteers.ý Numerous services in Durham "Reg ion are available because of thesé dedicated volunteers. On behalf cf the Durhamn association, I wish 10 thank the 4,300 individuals who give their lime la aur member organizations. Thanks to ail volunteers in Durham region. The entire community benefits from your concern. Nancy Scot Chair, publIclty commitles Durham assocIatIon The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of cono1 our readers. Letters should be brie! and 1theù point - rarely more than M0o words. Ail lettms must be acompanmed by the name, address and leephone number of thie writer. However, on request, your name may be withlheld fror publicationi f we agree uhr s a valid reason. The newspaper rfflrves the right to reject or edit ail letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Fre press'. Box 206 , Whtby, Ont. LN 5S1, or drop through our mail siot at 131 B&ce St. N. *Md~iqfr1 IIiewpiL . Peaceful tax revoit By Paul Pagnuslo Ontario Taxpay.rs Fedoration I received a lelter recentîy from a supporter who wanted ta know when the Canadian Taxpayers Federat ion was going to gel a lax revoit organized. In truth, we've had a silent lax revoit in aur country for years -- it's calîed the underground economy. But what about agenuine, legal, citizen-based effort'to hold the line on taxes? Various groups and poilcal parties have long been caling for a legisated limit on taxes, but iK neyer seems 10 materialize. Perhaps Ritlime 10 reflect on what is perhaps the best known tax-reduction measure in recent history -- Caîifornia's Proposition 13. Proposition 13 was a peaceful revolt because Calfornia's oitizens have the right, of intiative -- a process whereby citizens can collect signatures and;hold a vote 10 write their own Iaws. Throughout the 1960s and, mbt the 1970s, Caldinia had a market-vaiue property assessment in place. While the economny was exp-anding,.so, loo, were property values. People were ilerally Iosing their homes who couîdn't afford atnual increases in the neighbourhood of 50 10 100 per cent each year. Proposition 13 was primarily a property tax measure that put strict limits on future property tax increases and provided for a one-lime $7-bilîion lax rollback in the first year (the state had a $6-billion surplus at the lime). Proposition 13 also required a referendum for municipal lax Increases and a two-thirds majority vote requirement in the legsiature for slate-wide tax hikes. The story of Proposition, 13 can best be described as David versus Goliath. Newspapers, corpora- lions, unions, special interest groups, legisaâtors, the governor, the major banks al ined up aan st- 13. Sound fainiliar? But 'enthe dust cleared, the proposition had passed- by a 2-.1 margin. Califoias economy boomed aller 13 passed. ln the period leading up 10 the proposition, California created one out of every sixj abs in the US.1 After Proposition 13, Calffornia created one out of every three new jobs ln the country. Why? Because $7 billion lefI in the hands of the pipe is money better spent than ovemment. (Take note Mt. And the whole while, government was not handcuffed in providing services as many critics dlaim, ln part because economic growth meant more revenue for government. This past year, Californias state govemrment collected $52 billion in revenues. In 1978 when Proposition 13 passed, they took in $15 billion. ln other words, the government of Califomnia is coîîecting three times per capita what iR was when Proposition 13 passed. Some have even suggested that the proposition didn't go far enough. The direct initiative process has also meant tax increases. In 1988, Proposition 99 increased taxes on cigarettes and tobacco The dit ference is that people have a directsa in their gomerment. People are not intrinsicaily against taxation (even Americans ). What people are against is having taxes imposed on them without pre-election consent or discussion. il is easy 10 undersland why the public speaks of tax revoits. But excessive taxation is more a symptom than a source, of the problem. Even if we don't ail agree on Proposition 13, there is a growing consensus that thepublic should have a more direct say in their gomerment bdween elections. Over to you, Piemier Rae. Opinions expressed are t hase of the author. To the Edîtor: Copy of letter 10, David Suzuki. Dear David Suzuki: I live in Whitby, about an hour easl of Toronto. I am writing 10 you in deep concern about a threat 10 aur only precious wetland in my area. Lynde Shores, by Lake Ontario, is a natural habitat for dozens of spbecies of birds and oCher wildîIfe. The marsh also 'includes rare p lant s such as bur-rnarigold and bushy cinq uef oil, and rare birds such as least bittern, comimon tern, black ter and the crowned. nighl heron. The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) bas enabed area residents to enjoy nature right here in Whitby., The neighbouring agricullural land, which acted as a buffer, was sold 10 a developer 10 years ago. For the past seven years, plans have been- made for a m ulti-miîlion-dolîar subdivision, houslng 6,000 people (this despite a previous attempt by CLOCA ta buy the land for hundreds of lhousands of dollars). The final plan, approved by the province and t he Town, includes a 'ring road' that wilI take much of the lraffic flow bordering the marsh. A so-cailed 'natural fence,' made of thorn and fruit- bearing plants, is supposed 10 act as a barrier ,t'o. keep children and domestic animais fram invading the marsh. This wilIl bring the0 development within metres of our preclous welland. Public meetings at the town hal have given area residents the opportunity to voice t heir objections, but, unfortunately, without success. A few weeks ago my family and 1 altended the final planning meeting onîy t10 find nothing could be change, thae the plan was sot..* This pign-niades me sad and anpiy when I think of aIl the animais and birds iosing their homes due ta a subdivision thal could be put elsewhere. But the 'developers wouldn't make as rnuch money in another location. The greed of the developers, and poor planning by the Town and province MI resuît in disaster for the marsh. Don't they realize what the marsh wiII be like in 10 years? This so-called 'netural development,' as described in a local advertising feature, is going 10 be the beginning of the end for the marsh. This month the barrier planting will gc iand 1 amn afraid that my family and other residents alike are too laie 10 stop the development. So I corne 10 you asking, *Can anylthing be done to save our wel land?7 Claire BramM, ago 14 W h ilby To th eior. Su-mmoning Suzuki