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Homecare not the only answer Dear Sir: Over the last two weeks, people of Ontario have been treated to another travelling road show by our present NDP government. The facts are, however, that everyone â€" including the governâ€" Travelling NDP road show a waste of money The road show is called the Public Hearings into Bill 164 â€" a bill which the NDP seem to think will enhance the cost and insurance protection for the driving public in this province. Dear Sir: Re: Story on page 2, Weekend Beaver, Jan. 31, by Rob Kelly. I was pleased to see that people are being made aware of the sad shortage of longâ€"term care beds in Halton. The situation is not new and as I predicted in a letter to the Editor in early 1990, "we are going to be in even more trouble in the not too far distant future." It seems that there are many other voices now added to mine and matters are deteriorating rapidly. No doubt the revelation that scores of nations such as Canada, England, all the Scandanavian countries, Australia, France, New Zealand etc. accomplish this same feat would come as news to these commentators. We call it political myopia. The amazing thing is that these apparently educated people can spout this blather and selfâ€"serving propaganda. If any, any Canadian news anchor or newspaper came off with such commentary, they‘d be held up to ridicule...and rightfully so. But in the U.S., nothing is said to contradict such drivel, everyone nods their heads and agrees that the U.S. is the safest democracy in the world. We can only hope Governor Cuomo doesn‘t intend to walk the streets of New York at night alone For the sake of a child Are older Canadians not as important to the Ontario governâ€" ment as new style uniforms for criminals in prison and for prison guards? Most of the people requirâ€" ing longâ€"term care are older and have been good contributing citiâ€" zens. Not all people needing care are older and they must not be ignored. It‘s this kind of jaundiced view the Americans have of themselves visâ€"aâ€"vis the rest of the world that makes people question their veracity. When President Bill Clinton was sworn in, we were told by U.S. network analysts and talking heads, that the U.S. was the only democracy in the world to have a peaceful transition of leadership. Huh? There are some illnesses that can be coped with at home, but there are others where it is better for one person to be in longâ€"term care rather than two people eventuâ€" ally needing care, or even worse, is the fact that the caregiver may be the first to succumb to the stress of the caring... this does happen. od bless America and Americans. In the aftermath of the tragic bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York City, a shaken New York State Governor Mario Cuomo, went on television to say that despite the bombing, the U. S. is the safest nation in the world. Huh? Perhaps Mr. Cuomo was in some kind of time warp or something when he made the remark. Ironically, only hours after the bombing, we had the spectre of a gun batâ€" tle taking place in Waco, Texas that looked more like the shootout at the Oâ€"K corral, than anything else. A person has to experience being a caregiver to know just how bad it can get. No amount of homeâ€" care can relieve that stress. I am not talking off the top of my head. I have gone through these experiences with my late husband, and when he was placed in a nursâ€" ing home in Peel, I was thankful that I was able to drive and had a car at my disposal. s':., 1 C !’E aVIDD: i b)y > Miantounafncwinee .'\:f:"ié:::'-- 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 There‘s an old saying that "Haste makes waste." In this case, a first offence for disâ€" obeying a school bus stop sign is between $200 to $1,000 and six demerit points and a second offence can carry a $500 to $2,000 fine and six demerit points. There is an out â€" ofâ€"court settlement of a $265 fine and six demerit points. But that‘s only a financial fine a "near miss" can bring. Think of the emotional price a fatality would cause on the driver and the parents of the child. Slow down and obey the school bus stop sign. The child you save could be your own. According to Dyck many of the offences occur in the heart of subdivisions and many of the offenders are residents â€" and even parents themselves â€" in a hurry to reach a major thoroughfare. Along with a public awareness campaign, police, school and busing officials hope to crackdown on the number of motorists disobeying the school bus stop signs. It‘s a worthy collaborative effort and one that‘s long overdue. Essentially, Operation Bus Watch makes it easier for school bus drivers to pass on information about offenders to the police who have promised to actively pursue each report. To combat this problem, Stock Transportation and five other school bus companies have joined forces with the Halton Regional Police, OPP and Halton‘s two school boards to launch Operation Bus Watch. t‘s hard to believe that someone would purposely endanger the lives of children. Yet Ilt:at is precisely what is happening every time a motorist chooses to ignore the flashâ€" ing lights and stop sign on a school bus stopped to pick up or unload children. And it is happening with alarming frequency. Paul Dyck, general manager of Stock Transportation Ltd.‘s Halton/Peel operation, said his bus drivers recorded 1,100 offenders in the two regions last September. All these people sitting in their Political myopia EDITORIAL offices and recommending homeâ€" care have no idea what it is like unless they are unfortunate enough to experience these things for themselves and then â€" and only then â€" will they realize that homeâ€" care is not sufficient. ment â€" agrees that Bill 164 will increase costs. The insurance industry estimates as much as 20% more. The implementation of the proâ€" posed uniform class plan proviâ€" sions in the bill would result in even higher premium increase for seniors, young women, and young mameds. In addition, this bill would result in at least three times as many lawsuits being advanced. ago ¢ It‘s the Oakville police. You never see them using their turn signals either for changing lanes or for turning a corner. They used to. have a sticker saying "Do a Good Turn Signal," but you never see them signal. Al Best My problem is the money taxpayers are spending on sidewalk plowâ€" ing. At this time this winter sidewalk plowing on small streets like mine is totally unnecessary. They are causing homeowners to do the shovelâ€" ing out jobs three or four times more than necessary. I would like to see sidewalk plows on main streets but on small streets let the owner shovel the sidewalk and go back to the bylaw that says if the owner does not shovel than the owner is fined. We are wasting our money on sidewalk plowing and our energy. I would like to just comment on the comment in the editorial in Wednesday‘s paper on the fact the American‘s do not have a $2 bill. They do have a $2 bill, it‘s just that they choose not to use it. We need more longâ€"term care PHONE ALONE CALL845â€"5585 k:iX8 E.E. Symons o00Qu SPEAK YOUR MIND | Got a gripe? Give us a call. Readers are invited to express their opinion on a topic of their choice by calling 845â€"5585, box All callers are allowed 45 secâ€" onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. A cross section of the responses will be published in next Wednesday‘s Oakville Beaver. This is the government‘s own figâ€" ure, which will lead to a backlog in our court system; a backlog which has been reduced under the present program. Furthermore, all surveys taken have indicated that a vast majority of all Ontarians are satisfied with the present auto insurance system. There has been no public demand for a change to the present system and one wonders why the govemnâ€" ment is wasting time and taxpayers dollars on the new proposed bill and the hearings. Groups and individuals who have spoken out against Bill 164 at these public hearings include: Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Canadian Paraplegic Association, United Senior Citizens of Ontario, and Toronto Taxicab Owners and Operators Assoc., as well as, severâ€" al others. Finally, one must wonder why â€" when this province is facing at The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed, doubleâ€"spaced and addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 384 Irene McGeary George Albert 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 ‘HE OAKVILLE BEAVER Dear Sir: I have noticed for some time that the Oakville Beaver seems to show bias when reporting stories on the Halton Board of Education. Frankly, the only stories on the Board that I see seem to be ones that are antiâ€"Board. You might want to give some thought to reporting several items â€" something positive must happen at their meetings. To be honest, the only reason I get the paper now is because I hapâ€" pen to know the mother of the delivery boy. I get the Burlington Spectator delivered so I can see the "real news". Many times in the past, I have read a proâ€"Board item in the Spec., and it has not been reported in the Beaver; or have read antiâ€"Board items in the Beaver, and it has not been reported in the Spec. An article regarding the Halton Board appeared in the Spec. on the front page of the Today section on Feb. 6th, 1993. The heading read "Oakville school battle too costly, I have been a subscriber to whatever newspaper has been around Oakville since moving here in 1970, and frankly, in the past few years have been unhappy with the reporting in your paper. You, certainly, seem to have an axe to grind with the local Board of Education. The people in Oakville are thoroughly sick and tired of the O.T. issue, and the "key communiâ€" cator" issue wouldn‘t have been an issue at all if it weren‘t for the media. I have friends from Calgary and Edmonton that tell me there are very successful programs in place that are similar to this communicaâ€" tor program. Why is it looked at with suspicion in Oakville? least a $10â€"billion $13 billion deficit â€" 11 to 12% unemployment, and problems with our environâ€" ment, our government would waste taxpayer‘s money and our politiâ€" cian‘s time on something that no one is interested in changing, that will cost more in insurance premiâ€" ums, as well as, taxpayer‘s dollars. Bill Hunter Paper shows an antiâ€"Board bias (See ‘Bias‘ page 7) Geoff HIL Circulation Dire Teri Casas Office Manager Robert Glasbey Advertisir Norman Alexander Edito Geoff Hil Circulation Dire Ian Oliver Publishe; Tim Coles Production Manager In Guelph, Ontario, they have a population of 81,000 â€" two hospitals, psychiatric, drug and alcohol rehab facilities. Why can‘t Oakville (100,000) have a good community hospital with everything? Dear Sir: I am writing with regard to the regionalization of certain health services in Oakville. I think that it is very important for the general public to know and realize that Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital is a â€"community hospital. We should be increasing services not decreasing them. If the provincial government, Halton District Health Council, and Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital cancel any of the following: cancer services, psychiatry, paediatrics, ophâ€" thalmology, urology, and cardiovascular surgery, then we, the public, will lose â€" paediatricians; Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT); obstetrics; surgeons; anaethetists; allergists; urologists (bladder and kidney); psychiatrists plus counselling; cancer service plus counselling; cardiologists for adults/seniors; and ophthalmoloâ€" gists (eye specialists and cataract surgeons). This is a community hospital. Remember, there is no public transportation to Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington. You need a car. I hope and pray that no family members of the Board of Directors or hospital administration get sick because it is a long ride to Burlington. If you are content with losing some of the above, say nothâ€" ing; but if you are concerned, speak out. This issue affects all of us. People and employers do not move into areas that do not provide family services. Why isn‘t the hospital keeping Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar High School and moving chronic care, psychiatry and cancer care into this building? From 1987 to 1991, the 10 leading importers of major conventional weapons spent a total of over $82 billion. India led the way, buying nearly $18 bilâ€" lion of weapons during the same fourâ€"year period. â€"â€"__LETTER OF THE DAY _ â€"â€" Residents of Oakville deserve a fullâ€"service hospital Spain | India Saudi Arabia Leading importers of major conventional weapons, 1987â€"91 importers Czecfigswlovakial $4.7 Japan North Korea Afahanistan Egypt Iraq Turkey q Dirk WEEKLY FOCUS L0 $5.0] |$4.0 $5.5 | $6.4| $8.4 | $9.8 | $10.3 1 $10.6] W q Value billions of dollars Me Sam Laverty M Mi Weok d py M 199 ) 4