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PAGE 6THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, DECEMBER 6,2000 <6 Opinions FOR 146 YEARS, OUR FIRST CONCERN HAS BEEN OUR COMMUNITY Publisher - Tim Whittaker Editor-in-Chief - Joanne Burghardt Managing Editor - Judi Bobbitt Advertising Manager - Brian G. Purdy Advertising - Laverne Morrison, Christian-Ann Goulet Office - Junia Hodge, Nancy Plcasancc-Sturman Editorial - Brad Kelly, Jennifer Stone, Jacquic Mclnncs El)t Caitabian Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climic and W.R. Climic 1854-1878 M.A. James 1878-1935 • Norman S.B. James 1919-1929 G. Elena James, 1929-1947 • Dr. George W. James 1919-1957 John M. James, 1957-1999 Produced by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Also Publishers of CLARINGTQN THIS WEEK P.O. Box 190, 62 King St. W„ Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 TEL: 905-623-3303 FAX: 905-623-6161 HOURS: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.in. E-mail - judi.bobbitt@durhanincws.net Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 EDITORIAL Too many people still drink and drive Publicity of deaths, licence suspensions not enough You can't blame responsible Durham drivers for being MADD over the latest RIDE program slats. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which established a chapter in Durham this past year, has led the charge against drinking and driving. But it seems too many drunkeh fools out there are ignoring all its hard work. After two weeks, the good news is the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere police crews have stopped 12,675 vehicles vehicles across the region, a whopping jump" from the 6,945 that had been stopped a year ago. That increase can be credited to increased provincial funding to make RIDE more effective. effective. The bad news? There were 20 people of the 157 administered administered roadside breath tests who blew over the legal limit and were charged. That's triple the number who were charged with the same offence after two weeks a year ago. And what's more, fewer roadside tests have been given this year; Just seven were charged with being over the limit out of 170 roadside tests a year ago. A further 27 12-hour suspensions have been dished out, compared to 33 last fall. . It's hard to believe people would still drive drunk after the horrific crashes which claimed several lives in Durham earlier earlier this year. A man, clearly impaired, slams his truck into a van killing himself as well as an innocent father and his son. Another man, charged with being over the legal limit, is involved involved in an accident that kills an infant. There are other Durham crashes going back over the last few years which have tragically ended lives and caused never-ending pain and anguish for the victims' families. After all, that's why Mothers Against Drunk Driving formed a chapter in Durham. The efforts of MADD to publicize the • horrors of drinking and driving are ongoing and persistent but clearly many are simply not listening. If you're planning to drink and drive know this - at some point, you will get caiight. That's if you're lucky. If you're stopped and you blow over the limit, you'll be slapped with ' a year-long licence suspension that could mean you'll be out of a job as well. If you're not so lucky you'll plow into an oncoming vehicle vehicle and may kill or maim somebody else, or kill yourself. If you decide to drink, do not drive. Make sure you have a designated driver or take a cab. It's the only choice you should ever make. We welcome your opinion. Please E-Mail your comments on our opinions to judi.bobbitt@durhamnews.net. Submissions which include a first and last name, as well as the community of residence, will be considered for publication. , dolighon@home.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Optimist Club keeps positive outlook To the editor: To everyone in Newcastle Village and area, most especially especially the young people: This is an open letter to give you an idea of what is happening happening to the Optimist Club of Newcastle Village. We have had 10 successful and positive years of being a service group within Newcastle and the surrounding communities. Unfortunately, at our last board of directors election, we sadly discovered our membership membership was tired, and unwilling to take on the leadership roles that are vital in the running of our club. According to Optimist International International regulations we can not maintain our club charter without a president and full board of directors. Therefore we have decided, as a group, that the Optimist Club of Newcastle Newcastle Village will cease to exist as of March 20Q1. However, there is a nucleus of people from the club who are not willing to let the kids suffer, .because of this. As a result, we plan to continue to run our youth dances on a regular basis. There has been discussion the youth activities might come under the wing of the Chamber of Commerce of Newcastle Village, Village, or possibly as a different youth club, if necessary. One way or another, we will not abandon our kids. Any profits from the dances will still be used in the community community to sponsor free skating, swimming, etc., as well as sponsoring sporting teams and organizations in the area so as to continue to benefit youth. Breakfast with Santa will be hosted one last time by our club. This will take place Saturday, Saturday, Dec. 16 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. We invite everyone in the community to come out and enjoy a hearty breakfast, carolling, carolling, chat |with'"Santa,- plus colouring activities and balloons balloons for the children. Thank you to everyone who has supported the programs and activities we have sponsored over the last decade under the name of Optimist Club of Newcastle Newcastle Village. Our new 'club' will make every effort to continue continue serving the youth of our community in the same manner. Marianne Ycatman Reg and Diane Tressider Connie Trowssc Optimist Club of Newcastle Village Board of Directors Right prescription for defrauding? Punish doctors the same as welfare cheats jDûBB. LOOKING BACK WITH THE STATESMAN 75 YEARS AGO Dec. 3,1925 Pasteurization of milk is recommended by the deputy minister of the national department of health. Milk is touted touted as the cheapest and the best all around food, especially for growing children and should be used in much greater quantity, according to the minister. However, as it can carry diseases including bovine tuberculosis, typhoid and scarlet fever, the minister recommended efficient pasteurization. pasteurization. 50 YEARS AGO Dec. 7,1950 ^ A sow owned by Jerry Peterson of Courtice gave birth to a "freak" piglet. The piglet was born in two halves with separate separate umbilical cords, the first part making up the front half and the second, the rear. It had one head, four cars, two hearts, eight feet and two tails. The head was well formed and rather wide. Two ears appeared in their natural position but two others, shaped like butterfly wings were evident at the base of the head. The piglcl(s) were born alive but quickly died at which time they were pickled. 25 YEARS AGO Dec. 3,1975 The social planning council urges residents to come out and be counted in the lobby for an indoor pool in Bowmanville. Bowmanville. Although there are two pools in Osliawa, these are not very accessible to people in the east end of Newcastle, suggests the group. information taken from the archives of The Canadian Statesman Anyone who has a tendency to rip off taxpayers is a lot better off being a doctor than a welfare recipient. In the past three years 18 doctors doctors have been convicted of defrauding defrauding Ontario's health insurance insurance plan, but none has lost his licence to practise. This is partly because some doctors have been and still are protective of their own. A small minority of doctors has bilked the plan since it was set up, usually usually by billing for treatments they never gave. The Progressive Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris, which was elected in 1995 promising to safeguard taxpayers' money, warned more recently it would show 'zero tolerance' tolerance' toward such fraud. Health Minister Elizabeth Witmer emphasized fraud is 'a reality of life' in all areas of the health care system and some estimate estimate fraud by doctors conservatively conservatively at lens of millions of dollars dollars a year. The government's concern has prompted police to intensify efforts to catch offenders and also charge 17 more doctors who have not yet been tried in court. The amounts are not trivial. One doctor admitted defrauding OH1P of almost $1 million Impatients Impatients he never saw, often billing for treating them while on vacations out of the country. Tlie College of Physicians and Surgeons, run by doctors and allowed by the province to license and regulate them in the public interest, has long had power to revoke the licences of any found guilty of professional Eric Dowd At Queen s Park misconduct, which includes fraud. Since the Province talked tougher, the college has been under pressure to take away licences licences and had a committee looking at the issue which to its credit recommended doctors should lose their licences if found guilty of 'substantive, premeditated premeditated or repetitious' fraud. Most people would think this reasonable - they would not want someone given the severe punishment punishment of losing his livelihood for committing an isolated and out-of-character offence. But some doctors felt the profession profession had not debated it enough and the college has now postponed a decision on imposing imposing stiller penalties. Instead, it will consult stakeholders, stakeholders, including the Ontario Medical Association, the doctors' doctors' union and consider the issue again in February. Contrast this leisurely approach approach will) the Province's own determined, inflexible and full- speed-ahead handling of recipients recipients caught defrauding the welfare welfare syslem. The Province announced in the spring any welfare recipients who defraud will be haired from welfare for life and has nol sel up committees to ponder, asked You can be an for stakeholders' views or otherwise otherwise beaten about the bush and has already cut off three recipients recipients permanently. As a government spokesman put it, "they have been made ineligible ineligible for social assistance in Ontario for life." Asked what they will live on, lie replied: "They should get a job. They should have thought of that before they robbed the syslem." syslem." There is no excuse, nor should anyone attempt to make one, for anyone, whatever their type of work or lack of it, defrauding defrauding taxpayers, but doctors and welfare recipients face radically radically different levels of temptation. temptation. Since Mr. Harris cut welfare benefits five years ago, a single récipient receives $520 a month and a mother with two children $1,162 a month, which most would recognize is nol enough, even for bare necessities. Doctors working full-time in Ontario are paid an average of more than $ 130,000 a year after expenses, those paid less being mostly semi-retired or caring for children. People so relatively affluent who sloop to defrauding the system system are mostly motivated by greed, not desire for things they need but cannot afford. One doctor doctor convicted look his lover travelling travelling the world. Doctors who defraud have no right to more lenient treatment than welfare recipients and if Mr. Harris cannot get their governing governing body to punish them properly, he should take on the job himself, 4 | , N* Jane McDonald Staff Writer It's that time of year again when each and every weekend is filled with planning, shopping and entertaining. So far, I've observed two things: it seems the holiday season begins earlier earlier and earlier every year -- immediately immediately following Halloween. Of course, the extra time is needed by those in search of the 'must have' scooter and bow-wow dog parents and grandparents grandparents are desperately in search of as we speak, er, read and write. Disappointing Disappointing a child who has asked 'Santa' for just that one elusive present can soon take the joy out of what this is all supposed supposed to be about: Those marketers, I'm telling you ... Then there are the kids who Santa can't quite get to. Oshawa's former member of Parliament and national leader Ed Broadbent said it best when he commented on the shame of child poverty in this country as well as in Durham Region: "It's the people living living in poverty when surrounded by a large majority doing well that feel their own poverty, who have (he most' difficulty," said Mr. Broaclbent. " ... They feel even more excluded and therefore we can see in Durham Region, Region, if not next door, some kid down the street or on the next block who is really suffering. We shouldn't be tolerating tolerating this." I had the pleasure of meeting Reverend Reverend Valieree Brecht the other day who is doing something about poverty every day. She knows better than most how hard this time of year can be for some people. Supported by 26 churches churches in the Durham Region, her Gate 3:16 community ministry centre in downtown Osliawa gives people -- last year there were 400 -- the only Christmas most of them are going to have. So if you're so inclined and organized organized with all or most of your Christmas Christmas shopping done, why not consider becoming an honest to goodness 'angel?' Both Santa and Rev. Brecht could use your help to bring a little happiness to someone down on their luck. You can drop off a gift: a warm coat, a pair of mittens, a scarf, toque, sleeping bag or a financial donation to Gale 3:16, 55 King St. E., Osliawa, at the corner of Albert Street. The Angel Tree program also makes lists available for the kinds of things men, women, teens, boys and girls could use. The useful items should be new, inside a gift bag and dropped off by Dec. 16. Go ahead, make a stranger's day. E-Mail your comments to: jane.mcdonald@durhamnews.net THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Glaring- ton Board of Trade, the Greater Os- liawa Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertisement limited to space price error occupies. mmm The Canadian Statesman welcomes letters to the editor. All letters should be typed or neatly hand-written, 150 words. Each letter must include the name, mailing address and daytime telephone number of the writer. The editor reserves the right to edit copy lor style, length and content. We regret regret that due to the volume of letters, nol all will be printed. Fax letters to 623-0101 or email to judi.bobbilt@durhainnhvs.net @ IA Aocna "MIC fgWi jj " r ] ■:<! ol HI . J'3 ' >* 4 v j