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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, April 7, 2011 OPINION The power of one Many young members of the community may not be that excited by the sizzle of an election campaign-- but they should tune in and then get out and vote. The candidates and their parties know the value of young votes and the progress led by young minds. Academic schedules may be hectic in the spring, there may be a lack of interest, even a lack of knowledge about the issues facing youths in general. Many young adults hear on the grapevine from `seasoned' voters that their individual vote wouldn't make a difference in any case. But it does matter, vitally so. One can be the difference between success or failure, winning or losing, or, in colleges and universities, the difference between a good mark and an excellent mark. Consider, too, the team that loses the championship in overtime, the cardiac patient kept waiting an extra minute for the ambulance due to traffic, even the incumbent politician turfed because of that magic number: one. Today's college and university students, amongst young people in general, truly represent the future of the nation. Those who don't choose politics as a career will help shape policy from a distance, within their career fields, their families, their communities, with the taxes they pay. There really is no excuse to forfeit the privilege of voting in a free country, in a nation where young men and women have given their lives in the pursuit of the liberties too many of us take for granted. Research the issues. Get informed and get out on May 2 to cast your ballot. One of the federal parties will form the next government. Your vote-- just that one-- is as vital to the process as any other. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Would you prefer to see a minority government or a majority government result from this federal election? · Majority (61%) · Minority (39%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Growth, not water, is the main problem Dear editor, Re: March 22 letter by D. McNally. I think that "Water problem is Town's main issue" is incorrect, and that unsustainable rampant development is the major problem. In over 30 years living in Georgetown I haven't seen my taxes reduced, even with all the development and urban sprawl that has taken place in that time. But, I have seen increased congestion on the roads, facilities unable to keep up with ever increasing demands (hospitals, schools, libraries, etc.) caused by the huge increase in population. Increasing water supply to the town will only accelerate this trend. It seems to me that whilst developers constantly complain about the fees they have to pay to the Town, they are obviously insufficient for funding the amenities this growth demands. It isn't sufficient just to build houses if the infrastructure isn't updated at the same time. Surely they have at least some of this responsibility. My observation is that developers rape and pillage the town, walk away with their profits, and leave the rest of us trying to fund the corrective actions to the problems they created in the first place. To my knowledge I don't know of any facility in town that bares the name of any developer, the only ones being financed by private companies. How nice it would have been for example, in the ongoing debate (re: monies for the hospital extension), if one of the many developers in town could have funded at least part of it. With their name over the door, I know my opinion of developers would be much improved. Bill Shuttleworth, Georgetown material regurgitated from the Harperites, very much towing the party line. It focused almost exclusively on the economy and the recently tabled budget, which is what the government wants us all focused on. Fine. Tax cuts for the very wealthy corporations and a soaring deficit, to me, does not equal fiscal conservatism and a far cry from the budget surpluses of the Chretien years. Yes, there were ethical lapses during those years, but I don't think even the Conservatives would say the Liberals treated parliament with the contempt that Harper has. He is flouting the rules at every opportunity. It is the fact that the Harper Conservatives have repeatedly been involved in scandal after scandal that they have been found in contempt of Parliament and that is why we are unnecessarily going to the polls. I liked the fact Chong stood up to Harper when he tried to get the Liberals to vote against a motion to give Quebec special recognition as a "nation" within Canada, and was punished by having his portfolio stripped. I liked that he showed he would stick to his convictions. I would not waste my vote and Harper, obviously, doesn't need, or deserve him. Gary Britton, Georgetown Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Tories forced election Dear editor, I believe Mike Chong-- I even voted for him last time around and I believe he is a good guy. I even believe when he says, in his interview with Lisa Tallyn March 24 that he "...doesn't think Canadians want to have an election." He is right. We don't. The Harper government-- Mike Chong's Conservative government-- has forced the issue with their silly my-way-or-it's-the-highway attitude to dealing with the opposition. The interview was a sham of sound bite The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.