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"A Family Tradition for 133 Years" a ---- -- || The Podt Povey Stag Question of the Week... you think would make a good question of the week? Call us at 905-985-7383. are so poorly under staffed. What do you think is the most y Cn ; important issue in the upcoming Nf, rgaret Lawrence Judy MacSween provincial election' Healthcare is the most I don't want the important issue, SO we Progressive can get back to the way Conservatives to get back Do you have a suggestion that we were. The hospitals in because they're trying to stop all the unions. We need unions in this coun- try. Ron Vance All the issues are fairly important. Healthcare is an important issue. The PC party has cut back quite a bit and we've got to put more money back into healthcare. Deb Fulford Welfare and taxing the underprivileged are impor- tant issues. I've been lower income and taxed without a 'refund. It would be nice for lower incomers not to get as taxed like higher incomers Dawn Manderson Education is the most important because I have three kids in school. Teachers should be test- ing and there should be smaller classroom sizes. LETTERS Whatever happened to children respecting adults? To the Editor: In response to the letter submitted Tuesday, May 18 "Skateboard Riders Treated Like Hoodlums." For many weeks, I have watched a group of youngsters skateboard in a small parking lot behind a local down- town business. At first, everything was fine. Then the garbage started getting kicked around. Stacked trays, kept behind the building, began being used for various jumps kids do on their boards. I kept watching, all the while thinking to myself, "Pretty soon Mr. Business Owner is going to come out and call it quits." Next thing I knew, there were kids on his roof. Now there is no skateboarding in that lot. Why? Maybe, the owner got a little tired of the old saying "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile." Parents of skateboarders say their kids are being harassed and treated with disdain and no respect. They just want to skate, they say. If these kids are just innocently skateboarding, then why was garbage being thrown around? Why were they on that roof? I think some people have lost track of the main reasons why skateboard- ers are not wanted in business park- ing lots, on school grounds, etc. Lack of respect for adults and their prop- erty is one reason, but, safety and responsibility are most important. Who would be responsible if a skateboarder was seriously injured by falling off the roof of a public building? If a skateboarder got hit by a car and you were the adult who hit him or her; how much guilt would be on your shoulders for the rest of your life? I'd like to offer a suggestion to Ms Stone regarding this small patch of pavement she speaks of. It's all that is needed, she says, so that the kids can enjoy their chosen sport of skate- boarding. First of all, as small as this piece of pavement need be, it still costs money and as we all know, money does not fall from the sky nor does it grow on trees. I have two young children and if they ever developed an interest in skateboarding and could only resort 'to the busy streets and parking lots to skate - I would make it my mission to ensure they had a safe place to go. Writing letters to the editor is not going to cut it. Waiting for the town- ship to give a handout isn't either. You, Ms Stone, along with all the other concerned parents, who say you are involved, should be forming 'a committee to raise money through community support to get something happening. Get the kids out canvassing. Organize fundraisers. Give these kids something to do. Give these kids responsibility. We can't keep handing everything to them on a silver platter. If they want a place to skateboard bad enough, they'll be willing to work for it and they just might learn some- thing from it. All of this will take some time - but the way I see it if someone takes the bull by the horns, others will fol- low. This community is a very gener- 'ous one and I am proud to be a part of it. Finally, I think Ms. Stone missed something when she ended her letter by saying, "If we don't turn this situ- ation around soon and begin to create positive attitudes, we are going to lose the respect of the next generation of adults. If we haven't already." What ever happened to children respecting adults? I think we need to get that back on track. H. Callan, Port Perry | Disappointed over threat Remember when you could get your groceries delivered to your home? Young Keith Mark, 13, and his horse "Guy" with his delivery wagon, about 1942. Keith delivered meat to households around Port Perry fdr Cawker Brother's Butcher Shop. Photo courtesy of Lucille Gray. to special ed programs To the Editor: This is a copy of a letter to members of the Durham District School Board It was disappointing to read that at your April 26 board meeting, funding cuts to special education classes were announced. We urge you to reconsider this decision. It is vitally important that children with special needs are given the help and encouragement they so desperately need. With a competent and caring teacher, these "Learning Strategies" classes can make a world of dif- ference. As parents of a son who received the benefits of this program in the early 80s - at that time called Special Education - we write from expe- rience. Our youngest son had learning problems to the extent that the then principal of Cartwright Public School informed us not to expect too much of our son - he would never be fit to go to college, but with the help of the program would be able to achieve at a lower level. At that time local children with special needs were sent to Prince Albert Public School. Our son completed high school, then enrolled in Security and Law Enforcement at Durham College where he grad- uated on the Dean's List. He was unable to fulfill his ambi- tion in law enforcement due to cutbacks, but was offered a posi- tion in a different field in the United States, where he still works while studying part time at the University of Nevada to earn a degree in Special Education. We urge you to reconsider your decision - find some other way to save the cost. This pro- gram is essential - without it the children fall behind in class, become discouraged, and lose interest and self esteem. Patience, encouragement to succeed and a positive attitude are essential in a Special Education teacher. Unless one has had personal experience of the problem, it may not seem important. It isn't - it is vital. David and Kathleen Petrie, Blackstock