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6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 28, 2009 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 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 SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Budget a shot in the arm Yesterday's federal budget contained little in the way of surprises since members of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government have been dropping budget details in recent weeks as frequently as the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs drop hockey games. The fact that Harper was forced to swallow hard and accept the fact his government would take on a budget deficit (of roughly $34 billion) this year, only months after proclaiming such a move wouldn't be necessary, was hardly news. Nor was it news that money ($7 billion) would be spent on infrastructure, job training ($2B), social housing ($2B), etc. Tory cabinet ministers have announced roughly $13 billion in new spending during the past week as they attempted to put the budget in a good light with voters before the Liberal-NDP-Bloc Québécois coalition determined if there was enough to dislike about the document in an effort to unseat the Tories. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff had promised to reveal sometime today (Wednesday) whether he could support the budget as announced. Harper said in Monday's Throne Speech that his government would spend what was necessary on a stimulus package that would protect the economy from "immediate threat" and to ensure "long-term growth." What he didn't say was that this was a budget he was forced politically into delivering. Cash, and lots of it, was needed to try to boost the economy, keep people working and protect those who have lost jobs. Normally, Liberals and New Democrats would rejoice with a "spend budget" like this one, but the political ramifications that lie beneath this budget may take precedence over what, on the surface, appears to be a good shot in the arm for the country. 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Family pet left to die Resident grateful for neighbours' snow clearing by callous motorist I am writing this as my husband, after having rushed our two- year old, 25pound Maine Coon cat to the animal emergency hospital, called to say our family pet has to be put down. While our four children slept upstairs, someone hit our cat with their car directly in front of our house on Braeside Drive, left him to crawl with a severed spine using his front paws to the bottom of our driveway where my husband discovered him meowing in pain, his injuries having caused his fur to freeze to the ice. Anyone who drives a car knows when they hit something that weighs 25 pounds. What kind of person leaves an animal (or could it have been a child? you didn't stop to check; we live in a school zone) to suffer like that on a cold winter night? If you are old enough to drive a car, certainly you should possess the decency, sense of responsibility, conscience or humanity to have knocked on the door to let us know what had happened. Even if it had not been our cat, we might have known to whom he belonged and in any event, we would have taken him to the hospital; what any decent person would have done. While you sleep warm in your bed tonight, our oldest daughter will wake up in the morning, wondering why our cat didn't sleep on her bed with her last night. I hope when you read this you hang your head in shame. CHERI RIDDELL The dictionary defines "community" as a group of dedicated individuals who come together to achieve a common goal. In Oakville, particularly in a small condominium complex called Riverwalk, that community is a group of caring residents who take the time to care about their neighbours. Saying "thank you" is simply not enough. With our "economic crisis" and all the doom and gloom we read about and see in the media -- it's about time someone shouted from the rooftops that kindness and good citizenship is alive and well and living in a small condominium community called Riverwalk. As a woman and a senior, who is daunted by the amount of snow that has fallen this year, I thank God and my neighbours for their help. Whenever there is any signif- Thanks for returning wallet Earlier this month, my 14-year-old stepson was shopping at Oakville Place Mall where he somehow lost his wallet. The wallet contained his student ID card, Oakville Library card and approximately $80 in cash. Numerous inquiries with the Lost and Found and mall security failed to turn up the missing wal icant snowfall, I hear the welcoming sound of a snow blower and there is a neighbour pushing the machine, often accompanied by a few enthusiastic neighbours with shovels. My driveway is quickly cleared and I'm able to get wherever I need to be. What a wonderful feeling to know that my neighbours care about my welfare. I don't often take the time to recognize people for their kindness in writing. I know that there are no awards or prizes given out for thoughtfulness. If there were, I wouldn't hesitate to nominate my neighbours. Please print this letter, so that the neighbours in Riverwalk, know how deeply I appreciate their true sense of community. DONNA MESSER See Lesson page 8 This week's poll This week's question is: Do you think the Tory government's budget will provide a stimulus to the Canadian economy? · Yes · No To vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com Last week's poll: Do you think United States President Barack Obama's administration will live up to expectations ? · Yes 55.32% · No 44.68% Total votes: 47 votes 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 416-340-1981.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.