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Do you think the GST should be reduced, eliminated or remain the same? Reduce the GST from 7% to 1% for a period of three to six months. This method of stimulating a consumer led recovery has worked in previous years when the provincial government reduced the provincial sales tax for short periods. The loss of revenues would be more than made up by an increase in income taxes by the unemployed going back to work. Many professional economists on radio, television and newspaper columns have called for this stimulus. The GST should remain the same. The Tory government rammed this tax through by stacking the Senate against the taxpayers‘ wishes, however, it cost business untold dollars to set up the equipment to collect it and to dismantle all this now would just add another expense. We know with Canada‘s huge debt it would have to be replaced by some other form of taxation so we might as well leave it as it is. Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hill Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager Ian Oliver Publisher Jelinek‘s decision mirrors the one taken by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney who was adamant that he would run again in the next elecâ€" tion, only to change his mind. The revenue minister too was quick to say he would run again, only to follow his leader into political retireâ€" ment. And so in a campaign that has already had an amazing amount of activity and surprises, Jelinek‘s announcement is the most surprising. The MP, who turns 53 in May, says there are still business opportuniâ€" ties to pursue and a family life to live. We wish him well in both endeavours. Local lawyer Terry O‘Connor held the riding in the early 70‘s, only to be knocked off by Liberal Dr. Frank Philbrook in 1974.That lasted until 1979 when Jelinek came back home to Oakville after representâ€" ing the High Park riding in Toronto and defeated Philbrook. He then took on Bill Perras and Bonnie Brown and was victorious again. Jelinek‘s decision has certainly made the local Liberals very happy. They‘re already nearing the end of their search for a federal candidate and no matter who is chosen, they already have a running start on the Tories who will be starting from ground zero. The local PC riding association is now going to have to beat the bushes to field a candidate with a high enough profile to deliver the riding for the Tories. That won‘t be an easy task in Oakvilleâ€"Milton, which has proven to be a swing riding over the years. In an emotional news conference, a tearful Jelinek said he had conâ€" sidered running for the leadership as late as Thursday and already had a $500,000 campaign chest for such a run, thanks mostly to corporate donations. But in an 11th hour move, Jelinek said he was tired of being an absentee father to his two boys, aged 10 and 5 and for that reaâ€" son was not only foregoing a run at the party leadership but also another election campaign. tto Jelinek‘s last minute decision to not run for the Progressive Conservative Party leadership came as no surprise to us but his decision not to seek another term as the MP for Oakv111e Milton, was a real shocker. Otto says goodbye 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. LK 3S4 Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 What do you think has been Otto Jelinek‘s most positive contribtuion in representing the Oakvilleâ€"Milton ridâ€" Give us your opinion on this topic by calling 845â€"5585, box 5012 +. All callers are allowed 45 seconds to respond and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. A sampling of the best answers will be published in the next Weekend edition of the Oakville Beaver. Kay Brown ‘m dead sure that there‘s l not a drop of blue blood in these plebian veins of mine, but if there was... if somehow I had a chance to stake a claim to royal genes â€" I wouldn‘t choose to be a king. It was a comfy gig. Some bean counter once calculated that the average Maharajah had 11 titles, 5.8 wives, 12.6 chilâ€" dren, 9.2 elephants, 2.8 private rail cars, 3.4 Rolls Royces, and 22.9 notches on his royal blunâ€" derbuss, representing the tigers he had personally shot. Oh, yes and land as well. Maharajahs got to preside over some pretty impressive chunks of real estate. These personal kingdoms covered the Indian subâ€"continent and they varied in size. The Maharajah of Vejananess had dominion over a mere 22 acres, whereas the nizam of Hyderabad was just a little larger than France. Most Maharajahs found themselves somewhere between the two extremes. The Maharajah of for I‘d pass on Emperor and Czar and Fuhrer and Chief and Caesar and Lord. And I certainâ€" ly wouldn‘t settle for anything as cheesy as Duke or Prince or Earl. Maharajah! What a splendid thunderclap of a title! It comes from ancient Sanskrit and it means "great king". Once upon a time, India boasted 265 royal families, each headed up by a Maharajah. Nope, I‘d hold out for the title of Maharajah. When it came to good lifestyle, Maharajahs were hard to beat And a Maharani â€" which is to say the wife of a Maharajah â€" once had two attendants whose sole assignment was to help her stand up. The royal families of India treated precious jewels about the way you and I treat budgie gravel. Remember. the famous Jacob Diamond? It belonged to the son of the © Pretty much anything they wanted. Not surprisingly, Wretched Excess became the Maharajah Party Game of choice. They say the Maharajah of Junagadh once laid out the equivalent â€" of _ $44,000 Canadian on a wedding......of two of his favorite hunting dogs. The diamond, rubies, and sapphires she wore weighed more than she did. In «+ their â€" heyday, the Maharajahs controlled nearly half of the Indian subâ€"contiâ€" nent. They had more than 75 million subjects at their beck and call. And what did they do with all that power? instance, commanded a state that was only as big as Wales. Mind you, he did have a casâ€" tle to kick his shoes off and stroll around in. A castle with 1,500 rooms in it. Golden lads and girls all must As â€"Chimneyâ€"sweepers, come to dust. Maharajahs too. TA Well, not quite. There are still Maharajahs in India, but no one worships them, and they have no powers of life and death. Those who still own royal palaces have converted them into hotels. Less fortunate exâ€"princes have been reduced to working for a living. It was a long and opulent ride, but the centuriesâ€"long voyage of the Maharajah gravy train is over. Just as if they were ordinary human beings or something. What was it Shakespeare said? Such ostentation must have seemed particularly obscene in a country of such grinding poverty as India. Obviously, something had to give. And since ‘the poor are always with us‘, it was the Maharajahs, the Maharanis, the Nawabs, and the Jem Sahebs... who finally had to go. With independence in 1947, democracy came to India and the royalty lost much of their near godâ€"like powers overnight. In 1971, Prime Minister Indira Ghandi fulâ€" filled a populist campaign pledge by, in effect, putting the Maharajahs out of business. An endangered species became extinct by the stroke of a pen. Hyderabad for many years. He kept it on his desk. As a paperâ€" weight.