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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 8, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER President Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Our choice On Tuesday Oct. 14 Oakville voters will once again go to the polls to cast their ballots in the federal election. During this election The Oakville Beaver has presented its readers with indepth information about the candidates and issues in order to make an informed choice. Today, as has been our tradition, we are revealing our choices for the Oakville and Halton ridings. The purpose of such an exercise is not necessarily to sway your vote, but to hopefully make people think about the importance of casting a ballot and to encourage everyone to get out and exercise the right our forefathers fought -- and died -- to preserve for all Canadians. After careful consideration, we believe it is time for change in both ridings. In Oakville, Bonnie Brown has represented the Liberals since 1993. In Halton, Garth Turner won in 2006 for the Conservatives, but was subsequently kicked out of the party and is now carrying the Liberal banner. The main problem we have with both candidates is their support of the Liberal Green Shift. While we have no issue with the goal of putting a tax on pollution, our difficulty lies with believing the Liberals will follow through on the second part of their campaign promise and that is to offset this by reducing taxes. Our distrust is based on history. Liberals, both federally and provincially, are well known for promising one thing on the campaign and delivering another when elected to office. Those with long memories will remember their opposition to wage-and-price controls in the 1970s. Others will remember their opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the GST. All policies the Liberals opposed in elections, but supported once in office. Sorry, we have been betrayed too many times by previous Liberal regimes to trust them. Without the promised tax cuts, the Green Shift would be an economic disaster for Canadians. Yes, we know the Conservatives are also guilty of breaking promises in the past, most notably by changing the rules and taxing income trusts in 2006, but in this election their biggest promise is to stay the course of fiscal responsibility -- and not re-inventing our tax system. We need stability during this difficult economic period. Locally, the two Liberal candidates represent polar opposites. Brown is content to spend much of her time in Ottawa and is rarely seen in the riding except for the occasional photo op and official function. Turner, to his credit, has kept in close touch with his constituents through numerous public forums. He has never been afraid to meet his detractors. In the 2006 federal election he ran successfully for the Conservative Party by bashing the Liberal Party. Two years later, he speaks glowingly of the Liberal Party and reserves his venomous attacks for his Conservative opponent and her party's leader. Frankly, it sounds like Turner will say anything to get himself elected. While this may ingratiate him to many of his constituents, and even his followers across Canada, we fear his rebellious, party-bedamned approach will be counter-productive to the team-building environment we think Canadians want and need from their next government. So locally, whom does that leave? While the NDP and Green candidates in both ridings are passionate about their political beliefs and their parties' platforms, we do not think they present viable options for Oakville voters. We believe both Oakville's Terence Young and Halton's Lisa Raitt would serve their constituents well in Ottawa. Young is no stranger to political office. He served as Oakville-North MPP from 1995-99 until he lost his seat to riding boundary reforms. In recent years, he has also served as founder and chair of Drug Safety Canada, a research and public advocacy organization based in Oakville. In the past election, he lost to Brown by a mere 744 votes. We believe he deserves our support. Newcomer Lisa Raitt brings invaluable experience as CEO and president of the Toronto Port Authority to a job that will see her focusing on Halton Region's woefully underfunded infrastructure needs. Both Conservative candidates represent the party that seems best equipped to lead Canada through the uncertainty of the current economic crisis south of the border, through the conclusion of Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan and on to what we fervently hope will be more prosperous days ahead. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Election sign theft is undemocratic In the last election, two signs of the candidate I supported were stolen in quick succession from in front of our house. In this election the sign lasted a bit longer -- one week. Whatever is stolen, whether big or small, confers the status of thief, irrespective whether others know of one's action. While Oakville is attempting to project an image of respectability and wholesomeness, such thefts hint at an ugly side where some individuals are indifferent to the property rights of others. Thefts tarnish the image of our town. They also inevitably cast suspicion on teenagers and adults in one's community. In addition, the central principle of democracy, that there be free and fair elections, implies that all candidates be given a fair chance to be heard and to draw attention to their candidacy. The presence of different candidate signs coexisting harmoniously is powerful evidence of a vibrant political community. Stealing/destroying a candidate's sign testifies to an undeveloped understanding of democracy and a sign of personal immaturity. KENNETH AQUAN-ASSEE The weekly poll can be found on page 10 in today's editions. Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-3401981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.