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Whitbyî FM r ess, iý/qc*escly oeb~6i9p.~p ___ ~ ~ In the wake of lastý week's budget savagery at Queen's Park, one hesitates to add to the waling. An old news veteran once mnstilled a useful ruile into a young writer: if you don't got more facto, donÊt write. That *was a good ruile thirty years ago. It atml is. Today we wll ignore it. Life often is more than facto. Take Ernie Eves. Facts are, Ernie has a budget te balance. And how do you balance a budget? Sanie i a household as in a business: you add up your revenues, add up your expenses, and then proceed toecut expenses until they add up te les than revenues. If you don't make it, don't spend it. Good. Makes sense.-, However, one given te pondering tinfgs might get an itchy ponderer. Maybe this budget balancing thing is like a wooden kitchen chair with one short leg. Easy enough te fix: juat cut a littie off here, zoomba. Right..Now we'll juat try her out and ... -oh, oh. Now that short leg is a teuch long. Okay. No problem. We'll just make an another little cut. There. That should do it. Set her down here and ait a apell. What'a that? Itfs still tipsy? Gosh damn it ail te heckero! Okay, another littie cut. And so on, and so on, and so on. Until the chair becomes nothiing more than a fiat wooden seat without legs. Which still wobbles. What's that got ,te do with Ernie Eves? Any budget as large -as that of Ontario becomes over time the major instrument for guiding the economy. Only the federal budget is larger, and that only because it is national iscope and therefore covers the whole country. The Ontario budget by itself drives a significant portion of Ontarios economy. Even - hear thi" Mike -- or maybe especially in small Ontario towns such as North Bay. There, the top ten employers are govermient services. It may have been people from such tewns who elected Mike Harris on the basis of bis Common Sense promises. Such isolated small tewns wiil feel more effecta than any part of the Greater Toronto Area, which has a more diversified economny. So what wiil happen? Everywhere, dozens, hundreds, thousanda will receive layoff notices. Those will b. neighbours, frienda, relatives. It won't be pretty. Municipal services wiil be slashed te the bone. Remember, that a year from now, municipalities will be preparing for an additional twenty per cent cutback. Hoapitals will be in a life-and-death battie, literally. Want te start gueasing about some of the horror steries that will emerge.1 Mike Harris promised in the election that his cuts would not hit the classroom. I've. got news for you. It will. At ail levels. Kids will be in larger classes. Students with special nfeeds will be the firat victima. What's my point? That for whatever the motivation, the government has started on a path loaded with danger. 7be cutbacks wiil cause aignificant human pain and anguish. Already have. Worse, the cutbacks will themeelves shape the economy of the neit yearý - reducing government income fr-om sales tai, income tai, othier fees. Whatever you save in tax cuts you'l pay ont in pay-for-service. Only liquor sales will go up, as we try te forget - but Harris plans, to seIl the LCBO anyway. JAPANFSE SHOW AT WHE BM ENTAL EAL1TI CENr M FATM (jC.1%» The hoapital theatre, bufit in 1917 was a popular plaoe for local and Toronto mus-mil groups and shows to provide entartainment for the patients. In front at left are Arthur Lynde and E.W. Evans, well known Whitby muzicians, and at the right in front with the guitar is Grant Lyridýe. Whitby Archive, photo,. 10 YEARS AGO from the Wedneslday, Decemier 4, 1985 edition of the WIHTY FRE PRESS " A Durham Region Manufacturera' Assocation has been formed. " A new A and P. store was opened -on Thickson Road. " McDonald's Restaurant was naxned Whitby's Good Corporate Citizen of the year by the Chamber of Commerce. " Whitby Jayoees are hosting the annual Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 7. 35 TEARS AGO from the Thursday, December 1,, 1960 edition of the WH1TBY WEEKLY NEWS " Mrs. John Stiner celebrates her 95th birthday tomorrow. " Whitby's Harold Mac. has been elected President of the 30000-member Ontario Civil Service Association. " Eleven acres of land were expropriated for the site of the Anderson High School at a cost Of $38,500. " Walter Dinsdale, Minister of Northern Affaira and Natural Resources, la guest speaker at the Progressive Conservative Annual meeting in the Legion Hall. 80 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, December 2, 1915 edition of the r WB1TBY GAZETTE AND CHRONICLE " Sir Henry Pellattfs fine horse tord Ksitchener" wiIl b. shown at the Royal Hotel stables by his new owner, Thomas Cussion. " Chaxlie Chaplin and Marie Dressier films are being shown at the Royal Theatre. Admission * is five cents. " Brooklin's old cooper shop was destroyed by fire on Nov. 17. " Harry T. Thompson is selling ready-to-wear overcoats at $12.50 to $16.00. 'J !Fi à-T a i Pain and anguish R -_Ommz lie--.Rmmz Àlz"--dmmrl Ldo"