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Maybe so. But the truth is â€" it was Laughren who, in the NDP‘s first budget in 1991, took the deficit from As a preâ€"election budget...no new taxes, no dramatic cuts in spending...it‘s message is "don‘t worry, be happy". Unfortunately, the reckless borrowing team of Rae and Laughren haven‘t yet grasped the severity of Ontario‘s growing fiscal crisis. «By failing to get its fiscal house in order, the Premier and his Finance Minister have charted a course to fisâ€" cal disaster. * "Last year, we said we would get this year‘s deficit to less than $10â€"bilâ€" lion. We did that. We brought it to $9.4â€"billion. In this budget, we plan to bring the deficit down to $8.5â€"bilâ€" lion. That is a cut of more than 30% from two years ago." Dear Sir: * Ontario‘s 1994 Budget, the NDP‘s fourth since coming to power, is livâ€" ing proof why the province needs a Taxpayer‘s Protection Act. " OPINION __battering. . _ Throughout it all, there was one segment of the economy that continued along, _ that of credit cards and the rates charged by those companies using such vehicles. _ Even with interest rates hovering around 20 per cent, rates on credit cards rose ..but generally levelled off around a topâ€"end rate of 28 or 29 per cent. Given the volatile time, most people accepted that fact as the price of doing business, after all, 1f you were a consumer, you could always invest your money and be confident of _ _getting about 18 per cent return. Then came the crash and a return to more sensible interest rates all around. .. Mortgage rates plummeted as did other rates for cash investments. Term deposits * hit the skids as did treasury bill investments. Everything was declining. Well, not quite everything. , . Even as loan and mortgage rates hit historic lows in the past few months, credit . card rates have barely made a downward move. Many of these cards are still sportâ€" _ ing rates more akin to the mid 1980‘s than 1994. Several of these cards are at the .. ,28.8 per cent rate. â€" . It‘s a scandalous situation that‘s totally out of touch with the current economic â€"realities in Canada. Inflation is flat as are income levels, yet credit card costs are not keeping pace. Dear Sir: Sometimes the news behind the news is the real news. At the Halton Board of Education meeting of May 26th, Oakville trustee Linda Lane withdrew a motion directing Director of Education Bob Williams, to provide her with certain information. Taxpayers should be aware of an amazing episode that lies behind the polite Parliamentary language. Ontario on course for financial disaster Dear Sir: Well, one supposes that, given time "The wolf ‘also shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall Jlie down with the kid; and calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11/6). Then, will we really make this ‘a kinder, gentler world for our children and adults to grow up in? Bullying, insult and ridicule will be a thing of the past. * _ Indeed, the World Health Organization, when asked "what is health?" will answer, ‘A state of ‘complete physical, mental and social wellâ€"being and no merely the absence of disease or infirmity.‘ As a wellâ€"known author remarks (a medical man) on hearing this statement. ‘Which is unstatistical, Preparing for critical meetings in which the board‘s labor negotiations posâ€" ture was to be developed, Lane asked administration to get legal opinions on certain matters. They did. But Lane was denied timely access to them by administration until the threat of an embarrassing public debate loomed. By that time, the negotiation policy and posture had been determined.. The adminâ€" istration had again successfully played their game of "You‘re too late". _ Any citizen with the latest grasp of staffâ€"board relationships must stand slackâ€"jawed in amazement. How can such a thing be the subject of a motion or be debatable? Administration is a group of civil servants paid very well by the Our children are not ‘hot house flowers‘ Board personnel busy playing ‘who‘s the boss‘ The policy is a reflection of concerns coming from many sources. Recent «problems with weapons in Toronto area schools have been widely publicized and there is still wideâ€"spread availability of illicit drugs in schools. â€" y Policies like this are long overdue and should help ease concerns of those and teachers who have reason to fear the environment in which they are to learn and work. Credit boondoggle _ Although the Board has issued specific guidelines, it has also allowed indiâ€" vidual schools some latitude in how they are applied since specific schools may have unique problems. Safe Schools and Student Behaviour policy that will see students dealt with more harshly for unacceptable behaviour. ‘~ There are a number of actions that the Board has deemed unacceptable, including the use, possession or sale of alcohol or illicit drugs. Next Wednesday night, the Halton Board of Education will likely pass For li'quor offences, the student will face a monthâ€"long suspension and ‘counselling, while drug charges would see police notified and the student susâ€" pended or even expelled. Weapons offences would be treated like drug offences. . _ One argument for the high rates is that these companies borrow money to finance their cards on long term markets with higher rates. We don‘t buy it and neiâ€" ther does federal Industry Minister John Manley. He‘d like to see the rates fall so that card users won‘t end up in chronic indebtedness. Manley would work with the provinces in trying to have firms lower rates. We wish him well. â€" Also wrapped up in the policy are other actions including cheating on exams, assaults, defiance of authority, harassment and the destruction and defacement of property. e take you back to the bad old days when interest rates soared into the 20% range and beyond for mortgages and loans. A time when those with cash made lots more of the green stuff and those without, took a financial Good policy $3â€"billion to $10.9â€"billion and then to the record nosebleed height of $12.4â€" billion two years ago. Whichever way you look at it, a $8.5â€"billion deficit this year is still $5.5â€"billion higher than the deficit they inherited from the former Liberal government. By excluding $1.6â€"billion in "alterâ€" native capital financing" and another $349â€"million in "project specific"‘ We are in danger of creating a ‘hot house‘ enviâ€" ronment for all those delicate flowers, our children (and by extension, adults) when some, possibly the vast majority, will thrive just as well in the rough and tumble world that is reality in and out of the school yard. I speak from my own experience. I had my share of insults, bullying and ridicule from others both at school and in the workplaceâ€"in fact, I was insulted just last week and enjoyed every moment Personally, I think we can make almost the same statement about bullying in schools or the biblical quotation. but helpful as asserting that happiness is achievable only in Heaven.‘ After milking the cash cow out of some $4.2â€"billion in the last two years, Laughren knew that he couldn‘t go back to overburdened taxpayers for more. And his claim that the budget contains no new taxes capital expenditures from the reported deficit numbers, Laughren is using a little snake oil accounting to mask the true deficit figure of $10.4â€"billion. public as represented by the Board. They are directly accountable to the Board and must comply with Board directives or resign. There can be no question that they have any option of withholding, concealing, revising or delaying informaâ€" tion important to the Board, wither or not the Board requested it. It seems unclear in the minds of administration (the subordinates) that the Board is the boss, and represents the taxpayers who pay their bills. Apparently, in the eyes of the administration, Board members can be put up with so long as they don‘t try to act like Board members. Many people and media ask ‘What‘s wrong with our education system? Halton citizens could find part of the answer by attending Board meetings and support trustees like Lane who are working hard to restore taxpayer control over one of the most important and expensive items most of us buy...the educaâ€" tion of our kids. The next meeting is Wed. June 8th at 8:00 p.m. A cross section of the responsâ€" es will be published in next Wednesday‘s Oakville Beaver. All callers are allowed 45 secâ€" onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. 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 5250. CIJVOJOEAY TdA. : OmE TWMWE . m mm . i s Teri Casas Office Manager Liberal, Scarborough Mirror. Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 All material published in the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. luction Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 Tim Coles Production Manager on pak of in s ooo te oreund e .‘ Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a ical error, that ‘mdflwsdvefiidmspwempisdbyheemiun.bgehfvmhnmnomblaalm(orwm,wilmtbodwgedlov,bmhobahmdhmfinmfilbo' IwapplieableMe.flnplqumfimb’wmmmmnwmmfinhemolmmwmaWenisirlggoodsorservicesalfi\swwpfica.gwdsofsewbasmuymbsoplqtfi mrnmqwmohtoselandmybomnwp.fm 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, j The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 384 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 That reality includes recognition that violence (not to be confused with bullying) is a problem in our schools and that the cure, what I see as a drive for a totallyâ€"benign school system, cold well be worse than the disease. Like our Young Offender‘s Act, law with the best of intentions, has shown, a benign system for the young can go quickly awry. Ivor Davies of it. I am sure my children have gone through life in the same way. Not knowing such five dollar words as ‘low selfâ€"esteem‘ or even ‘psychological harassment,‘ words the social worker just loves to use, my wife, children and I, have grown up as *whole‘ people quite able to stand on our own two feet and with a firm grip on reality. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Since assuming office, the NDP government will have increased the province‘s debt from 15.5% of GDP to 30.5% this year, and 31.7% in fisâ€" cal 1996. Paul Pagnuelo The Ontario Taxpayers Federation Laughren‘s plans to balance the operating budget by fiscal 1998 are based strictly on economic growth, not spending cuts. And Ontarians will still be faced with a budgetary deficit of $500â€"million in 1998 because of $1.8â€"billion in capital expenditures. The government overshot planned program spending by $1â€"billion in the last fiscal year and despite a projected debt of $105.2â€"billion in fiscal 1996, it plans to further increase spending during the same period by at least $1.4â€"billion. and no tax increases is spurious because deficit financing today is nothing more than a deferral of the tax increase which he really needed until tomorrow. Frank Gue Taxpayers Coalition, Halton Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor ALFREDE, \| CHRETIEN \ The major challenge left is the timing for opening of the bridge. With the 403 due to open in 1998 and Lakeshore bridge reconstruction due in 1996â€"97 (that will reduce lanes on that bridge) then the community must be diligent in requesting to council to amend the capital budget and allow that the bridge be open on or before 1997. Build bridge as soon as possible Further, the structure and connect features wil help it to serve as a landâ€" mark, not an eyesore, with surface area enough to accommodate a bicyâ€" cle path that will connect to other path systems, along with lookout points offering a spectacular view 100 feet off the ravine floor. Schools, churches, shopping recreâ€" ational facilities not to mention an improvement in emergency response times will be the immediate benefits. Dear Sir: The exciting news that came out of the May 25th Council meeting is that the Rebecca Street bridge that will link the Bronte community is close at hand. Finally, the 1700 homes and 5,000 people who live west of Bronte Creek, will have reasonable access to goods and services on the east side, some of which they support with tax dollars. Obviously, this is an issue which is bound to resurface, and I.can only hope that this problem is resolved before it becomes the scene of another criminal incident â€" but if it is... hopefully Ms. Bans, who lobbied vehemently against the rezoning, will reconsider her arguâ€" ment. The letter writer failed to mention the site desperately needs reviâ€" talization and that, according to the police, the boarded up Grand Blvd. Plaza poses an undesirable and potential risk as a crime site to the neighborhood residents (it has already been the scene of a pistol whipping, robbery, assaults, breakâ€"andâ€"enters, vandalism). Who knows what else goes on there under cover of darknes, or what isn‘t reported? The rezoning of the plaza would have resulted in it being demolâ€" ished and bringing new residential life to what is, as I have said, litâ€" erally a dead and potentially hazardous spot within one of our résiâ€" dential neighborhoods. This is not a safe situation, and it is not something anyone wants in their community. In the interest of promoting safe neighborhoods, my position in supporting Town Staff‘s rezoning recommendation is consistent with my 1991 campaign promise to address issues of community security. Dear Sir: A recent letter to the editor questioned my support of the Town of Oakville‘s rezoning recommendation for the "Grand Blyd. Plaza" (the rezoning was seen by the Town as an opportunity to réhabiliâ€" tate the abandoned and boarded up site) from a commercial deS1g- nation to a medium density residential site. Plaza rezoning was needed LETTER OF T The Oakville Beaver, published ev zm Wea\esdszanandn at 467 l Oakville, is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Agc«.lp newspapers which includes: Nax-Pld(em'iq News Advertiser, Barm a Guardian, Burlington Post, Coll , Etobicoke Independent/ Acton Free Press, ton This Week, Lindsay Th:t waek. Marich Economist and Sun, Stouffvilie/Uxbridge Tribune, Milton ‘Canadian Champion, Mississa News, Newmarketâ€"Aurora Eraâ€"Banner, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Orillia Toc Oshawa/Whithy This Week, Peterborough This Week, Richmond Hil/ThomhilWVaug Bill Logan Oakville Local and Regional Councillior Source: Garden Way Books Good things worms do: e Churn up the topsoil, keeping it aerated, wellâ€"drained and preventing erosion. e Provide valuable nutrients by excreting their own weight in organic material every day. How to encourage worms: oc e Avoid chemical fertilizers, @ pesticides and sprays â€" worms flee from these soils. e Dig compost into your garden. If you don‘t find at least one earthworm every time you sink your shovel into your vegétable patch, you‘re low on worms. A healthy garden should have 10â€"20 pink worms per square toot. This effort would alleviate a prevailing and everâ€"increasing problem that exists because of a geographic barrier that must| ‘be bridged in order to link the com- munity of Bronte. Bruce Craig June 1, 1