The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed. September 4, 1985 editorial comments Poor Judgement Ontario Premier David Peterson was forced to go on the defensive last week over revelations that the Liberal Party has come up with a fund-raising scheme in which businessmen are offered the chance to meet Peterson and other senior government officials if they chip at least $1000 into Party coffers. The Liberal Party recently mailed out letters to some 1500 movers and shakers in Ontario business and in- dustry offering them the chance to join the Liberal Economic Advisory Forum which will have exclusive meetings with the Premier and other Cabinet ministers. Liberal Party higher-ups said the scheme is simply one more way to raise funds and help clear away the Party's debt load. Fair enough, but no matter how you cut it, there is something onerous about a promise of 'exclusivity' in return for contributions to the Party. Peterson muddled the affair even more when he came up with the incredulous statement that he hopes 'no one has the impression that this government or any other government can be bought for $1000." We would hope not, too. Surely that's not the point in this matter. But should not all the citizens of this pro- vince, be they captains of industry or just average joes, have the same equal access to government channels, including the office of the Premier and Cabinet ministers without making a contribution to the Party? As might be expected, both the New Democrats and Tories have jumped all over this issue, accusing Liberals of influence peddling. Peterson and the Liberals have no choice but to con- tinue the scheme. If they stopped it suddenly now, it would just add fuel to the fire that something very nefarious is going on. In sending out the letters asking for contributions of at least $1000 in exchange for the ear of the Premier and his Cabinet, the Liberal Party showed poor judge- ment at best. On The Ballot? As schools across Ontario opened their doors Tues- day morning for the start of another year, there are some ominous rumblings about the education system in this province. The rumblings stem from the decision of more than a year ago to extend full funding to Separate High Schools in Ontario. The announcement of the funding extension came in June, 1984, from then Premier William Davis. It caught not only his Conservative Cabinet colleagues by surprise, but also school boards, teachers groups and officials in the Ministry of Education. It was an issue that surfaced in the May provincial election, when Lewis Garnsworthy, head of the Anglican Church in Canada went public with some very strong language, calling the process rule by decree and com- paring it to the way things were done in Nazi Germany. Very strong language, indeed. Garnsworthy came under criticism for using this comparison, but refused to retract his words. He said language such as this was needed to draw public atten- tion to this issue. The issue simmered away just below the surface throughout the election campaign and many observers say it was a factor in the defeat of the Conservatives. This issue is causing divisions among the people of Ontario. They are talking about it on the street cor- ners and in the coffee shops. And while it is essentially an educational 1ssue, the divisions are running along religious lines with ugly undertones. The Durham Board of Education last week passed a resolution asking local councils in the Region (including Scugog) to put the issue in front of the voters in the form of a referendum question on the ballot when municipal elections are held this November 12 The question would be 'Do you favour extension of funding to Roman Catholic Separate High Schools? Yes or No?" We have to agree that this referendum might be useful to measure public sentiments about this issue, if it were province-wide. But it won't be There is no assurance that it will even be Region-wide in Durham as some local councils will likely vote not to put the ques- tion on the ballot However, even with these misgivings, we would hope that when the ime comes to make a decision on the question, Scugog council decides to put it on the local ballot for November 12 However, even with these misgivings, we would hope that when the time comes to make a decision on (Turn to page 6) OTORISTS! ITS THAT oA, NSA Tn I a e------------ \ pdr / 4 v o DO) & | Bf Jin 2/7171777 chatterbox by Cathy Robb YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT Why is this? Why wasn't I born with a silver (or even brass) spoon in my mouth, with bags of money all over town and in a few well-placed Swiss bank accounts? As soon as | popped out on the delivery table, I realized ' wasn't born into a wealthy family. One look at the doctor's blue collar and the tenement rows of screaming babies in the ghetto nursery convinced me I wasn't the daughter of E.P. Taylor. Heck, even E P. Taylor's horses have more money than me. Despite my inferior bloodlines, I somehow inherited expensive tastes. Just ask my mother, a frazzled woman years beyond her age, who has been lamenting my purloined thirst for things rich ever since I demanded caviar in my Gerber's ground peas. Bi-Way has never been good enough for me. In a blind test, I can always pick out the more expensive pair of blue jeans and if I spot something I like while shopp- ing, it invariably has the highest price tag in the entire store. Not that I can afford my unquestionably tasteful taste I can't And this usually leads to trouble. I have the ability to bounce cheques faster than a speeding bullet and won't allow myself to even think about a credit card ---- that would be like putting a baby in front of a politician and saying 'Don't kiss it." I'd kiss a credit card into oblivion. Really. But in spite of my expensive tastes, | have manag- ed to stay clear of expensive cars. Four years ago | bought my first set of wheels, the infamous orange Lada, and I thought it was the keenest beast on the road. Ugly. it was An economy car. oh yes But it was mine, all mine, and as peppy as a cat on benzedrine Thanks to the standard transmission, I imaged myself as the Mario Andretti of Russia and tended to look down on Firebirds, Porsches and other assorted "fast cars "Silly people," I'd think smugly "Spending all that dough when they could have had a Lada " And then a few months ago, my Russian love bug blew up, literally, leaving me carless and useless Since then I've been bumming cars from anyone who would lend me one I've driven vans. Park Avenues, new Camaros, old Camaros, a Celebrity, a decrepit Rab- bit, a spiffy red truck and that big brown bomb John B McClelland sports around town The big brown bomb I could live without (John B loves this car, truly passions for it ---- why, I don't know It's like asking why he never smiles Truly an enigma), but I certainly grew to enjoy the finer things in life. Oh that Camaro. Oh the Park Avenue. Driving them would send me into fits of fantasy where I would pretend to own these cars, all of them, a car to match every pair of underwear in my bureau. And it was tough, but I soon lost my ability to suf- fer with inexpensive cars and was immediately in- ebriated with the thrill of having my very own CAR, a real car, a car to make heads turn, a car to chase fire trucks, a car to evade radar, my own personal do- everything Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. If you know what I mean. I really thought about what I wanted to buy. For at least 10 minutes. A Fiero. GT. Five-speed with the works. And in black, natch, because everyone knows Black Cars Look Better In The Shade. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. For some screwy reason, GMAC wouldn't sell me a Fiero GT. Yes, they'd finance and sell the Star reporter a Fiero SE (one model down) but no, they wouldn't let me spend my money on the car I really wanted. This, I couldn't believe. So I promptly began looking elsewhere and even- tually set eyes on the car of my dreams. A spanking new Camaro Berlinetta. V8, 350, cruise control, air conditioning, computerized everything, digital read-outs, AM-FM cassette, graphic equalizer, white with safari interior, the works. Nearly two thou- sand bucks cheaper than the Fiero. Plus, it's not Russian, so I don't have to submit to obscene cracks from local hotheads afraid of losing their jobs on the Oshawa line, or being beaten over the brain with a two by four like another hapless Lada driver | once knew Ever since | set eyes on this baby, I've been lovestruck, absolutely ga-ga. As of this writing I still don't have the keys in my hot little hands, but by the time you read this I'll probably already have my first speeding ticket. I'm so excited, I could just scream. Friends have told me they can't stand to see me this way but I can't help myself. Can't sleep, can't work, can't think Unfortunately, I still have the ability to eat. Once I start paying for this car, [ won't be able to eat, and will perhaps be slim and glamorous zipping around town in the new automobile Who say's you can't always get what you want" A a %Y a a bs ey oh sl a a a