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2 r Orono Times, Wednesday, Fcbniaiÿ 3 ^ .> <» ,JgWk > z* Subscriptions $29.91 +. $2.09 GST = $32.00 per year. Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 • Agreement No. 40012366 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. " Orono Weekly Times 5340 Main Street, P.O. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1M0 Email: oronotimes@speedline.ca • Phone/Fax 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. Santa's on a budget Clarington councillors had the privilege as they do every year, to play Santa Claus with a specified amount of municipal municipal money. Unlike our imagined Santa, this group of santas had a cap on how much they could spend. The Municipal Grant program allots $1 per capita to be doled out by councillors as they see fit to qualifying groups and organizations. To qualify, groups must be volunteer based and offer programs and services to the community. This year the municipality received 47 applications fof the $76,000 pot of money. The funding requests from those applications totalled $ 160,710. So right off the bat, more than half of the requests could not be met. A bit un-santa like, even more so in this, an election year. The Municipal grant application requested 2003 budget information from applicants. Of the 47 applications received, 16 hadn't supplied the 2003 budget information. Councillor Charlie Trim tried to get these applications pulled from the process till that information was supplied. However, none of the other councillors supported Trim's motion, so they carried carried on with the process without the financial information to back-up the. grant request from these 16 applicants. In fairness fairness to the applicants who are all people volunteering their time to various groups, the grant applications had to be filed in December and it is not inconceivable that some groups didn't have their 2003 budgets completed. Many of the groups applying showed huge budget surpluses surpluses from 2002. However, councillors are aware that a surplus surplus on the books does not always translate into money in the bank. It is also a known fact that applicants will often apply for more money than they need anticipating a cutback of their request. Monies distributed through the municipal grant program is not intended to be seed money. It's a token of appreciation to Clarington's volunteer groups. So, having limited real information to work from and striving to be fair to all eligible eligible groups with their finite pot of money--Councillors did the best they could under the circumstances. They played Santa Claus on a tight budget. As I See it by Peter Jtiworski Appearances can be deceiving All that Texan bravado, and British eloquence. Both Bush and Blair, President and Prime Minister of the two singularly singularly most powerful nations on earth, presented a united front. In the next few weeks we will see some "action", says the straight-talking Bush. "Pow," right from the hip. "Now you see? Right there you already broke the rules," Bush had said to a reporter at the joint British/U.S. news conference. The journalist was supposed to ask a question of either George or Tony, but not both. He asked a question to both of them, and got dressed down internationally. The issues are complex, yet clear-we must be decisive in our actions, yet give the U.N. some leeway, says the contemplative contemplative Blair. Bush's statements are a stark contrast to Blair's subtle and intelligent responses. Bush will say things "straight", and Blair will not. Blair will respect difficulties, matters of interpretation, and differences of opinion. Tony is astute and well- bred. George is brazen and to the point. Or so their handlers would have us believe. Maybe they are each of those things, or maybe they arc not. George's Ivy-League education and respected family family roots belies his outward image-nevertheless, in electoral electoral politics, image will play a distinct role. Take a look at Jack Layton, the recent victor in the NDP leadership race. A well- respected Toronto city-councilor, city-councilor, his manner and behaviour behaviour is reminiscent of a certain former leader of the Alliance- -Stockwell Day. The latter's image-oriented approach shackled Alliance policy and threatened to be their undoing. To prove the point, remind yourself of the now infamous Sea-Doo news conference on the beach. Yikcs. Mozart had his Moriarty, Bush had his Gore, and Layton will most likely have his Blaikie. The contrast of the two gentlemen is striking. And not merely in the realm of image and appearance. To dwell on the point, however, however, it raised Bill Blaikie's ire to discuss image on TVOntario--he wanted to stress experience and proven leadership. But he had to succumb succumb to some extent, and explain that his choicè in eye- wear reflected a certain optométrie optométrie consultation with folks interested in improving his image. 'Handlers in the weaving together of themes and stories that imply something additional additional by way of pictures, look, and stereotype. Loath to chat about the particulars particulars of this political necessity, necessity, some pass over it with a mumble. "Much ado about nothing." And yet Blaikie's glasses are intended to make him look more fatherly and paternal. Layton's choice of ties portends a story about flashiness, spunk, vigour and "newness". Something that may reinvigorate a fledgling NDP. As I see it, the point of all of this is to suggest and to build on themes. Stock we 11 Day playing with his children. Jim Flaherty shovelling snow in front of his driveway. Someone standing in front of a flag. Regardless of what the story is, there is always a subplot subplot implied by the look, and the appearance.