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pA fo "VIEWPOINT by John B. McClelland Scugog Citizen -- Tuesday, July 11, 1995 -- 9 (LETTERS TO EDITOR I still don't agree with the Ontario government's decision to pull photo radar off the highways. Premier Mike Harris says he's going to "replace" this by hiring about a dozen officers to watch for all kinds of highway violations such as speeding, aggressive driving, lane jumping, driving too slow and 80 on. Nothing wrong with that. But why not keep photo radar as well? If it stops just one speeder from taking an innocent life, it's worth it in my estimation. Besides, photo radar has generated nearly $20 million in fines since it was started, and has cost under $4 million to set up and operate. Not a bad return. Surely, the government can find some use for that surplus, like hiring more officers for highway patrol. 1 had to make a rare trip into the "Big Smoke" a couple of weeks ago. Driving Highway 404 shortly before the noon hour at mid-week was a less than exhilarating experience. In fact, for somebody who has not driven that highway for a while, it was downright frightening. I kept my speed at the limit and everything on the road, from large trucks to motorcycles, went by me. Lane jumpers? Dime a dozen and not many signalled, either. Where the heck is the photo radar, 1 thought to myself as a teen-ager in a black Mustang went screaming by, then crossed two lanes to get onto the ramp at Major Mackenzie. Maybe it's the time of year, maybe it's just the times we live in, but the traffic on that highway, that day, was near insanity. Too fast and extremely rude. In my view a perfect recipe for a tragedy. Hey, Mike Harris, bring back that photo radar. There's a kid in a black Mustang just waiting to get zapped. HYDRO INC? Ontario Hydro chairman Maurice Strong has suggested it's time to privatize Ontario Hydro. Sounds like a good idea, right? Sure in these heady days when everything connected to government is bad and wasteful, and everything in the private sector is sacred. What possible benefit could there be by privatizing Hydro? Would rates go down? Not a chance. Would jobs be saved? Nope. And what about the safety factor? Can you imagine some hell-bent-for- profit private company running a nuclear reactor? No thanks. Ontario Hydro needs a major shake-up, to be sure, and during his tenure as chairman, Strong has, started the process. But sell off the utility to the private sector? There is no solid reason to do so. Besides, there are some things that must remain under some sort of public control--the supply of power to ten million people is one of them. OFF TO BOOT CAMP Ontario has not ruled out isolated "boot camps" for young people who insist time and again on running outside the law. Now, that's an idea I lke. Plunk 'em down in a rustic camp in the middle of a northern Ontario swamp. where the black flies are as big as Buicks. Up at dawn for a ten mile run, cold shower before breakfast of porridge and coffee. Then, off to the forests for a morning of felling tall timbers; fried boloney for lunch, then an afternoon under the whip of the toughest drill sergeants the Canadian military every produced (ex-Airborne, maybe) A few months of this regimen would have those whipper-snappers pounded back into shape, and it would be far cheaper than putting them up in those half-way houses in downtown Toronto where they can run the streets whenever they want. Boot camp in the far north--- minus 40 degrees, big bears, wolves with sharp teeth, mosquitos and no a video game for 1000 miles--it has. kind of A nice appeal for a lot of people totally fed up with the way we handle justice in general and justice for the young in particular. Go for it, Mike. We can turn these punks into real men, yet. Just watch us. See you on the golf course. IN CLOSING: 1 would like to take this opportunity to wish Chris Hudson best of luck. Chris is leaving the Citizen this week after almost three years as our ad sales rep. ' He has accepted a position with a newspaper chain as an ad manager. Over the past three years, Chris has worked extremely hard for the Scugog Citizen. He feels now he wants some new challenges in his professional life. In those three years, Chris not onlys was a dedicated and hard working employee, he became a friend. Thanks for what you did for the Citizen, Chris. Good success and stay in touch. Guest Editorial: 'The Oldest Profession' From page 8 tells as much about the beliefs of the people who live in the neighbourhood as it does about the values held by the criminals. Prostitution is not a criminal act now, but it is a national tragedy. Laws already exist to protect prostitutes from anyone who tries to exploit them, but Justice Minister Alan Rock has indicated that he may give more control to municipalities over criminal issues such. as prostitution. If he chooses to do so, the result will be a national patchwork of legal standards. This problem will not be solved by fewer laws, or ironically by newer laws. Current or future regulations will only serve as a deterrent when they are acted on. Enforce the laws. Punish the offenders. Publicize the names of the convicted. Focus public attention on the sex trade. If there'is one thing that a "Red Light District" can't take, it is the white light of public exposure. (Editor's Note: Doug Ferris is a resident of Port Perry and.a free-lance writer) _ obvidfis Editorial way off mark on issue of photo-radar To The Editor: This is in reference r editorial in the July 5th, edition relative to "killing photo-radar". Your piece was totally off the mark without any real caring about safety, which was the feeble, but more acceptable justification by our Ex-MPP. You sly miss the very evident reason for my and many others avid opposition to this type of law enforcement. It is, and has always been, a tenet of British Common Law, that you have your right of "a day in court" and to "confront your accuser". Prior to the implementation of photo-radar, were you to speed and be caught, you at least were able to identify the officer so charging you with the offence. If you then chose to defend yourself against the charge, and many thousands have, then at least the actual accuser had to 'make his case and the course of justice was served. In the event that the accuser, for whatever reason, did not appear at, "your day in court", then most judges dismissed the case as, unsubstantiated. How do you identify a person or persons sitting in an unmarked van if you were to challenge the charge? How do you even know that you were. selected to be charged? Apparently you care little about preserving what remains of our heritage in law and have taken a very cavalier attitude in order to raise money for use by our even more cavalier politicians who have proven time and again that they cannot be trusted to perform the fiduciary commitments to which they allude when campaigning! Premier Harris had made an excellent gesture in both removing this travesty and making a commitment to more officers in those areas which appear to be the most troublesome. The greater the illustrated presence of law enforcement the more there is public compliance with the law. Speeding incidentally, is not the major problem on our highways. It is the erratic and continual lane-changers, the phone- stuck-in-the-ear at 100km types and the inconsiderate, 'to hell with yielding the right-of-way' idiots. We must first restore care, courtesy and consideration along with mutual respect before any laws will be properly obeyed. Morality cannot be legislated it must be taught and learned by example. Keith A. Charles Port Perry. Euthanasia-morals To the Editor: Euthanasia: There's a whole lot of expertise around - mostly from healthy no-brainers. One must live in one's body and when that becomes untenable life becomes a living hell. Each day I contemplate suicide because of it. Now enter controversy..or tradition..or morals (whatever they are) that argue whether a person has a right to die a planned, dignified, welcome death. Citizen: I hope you never have to beg. Well not in Australia, whose Parliament is the first to grant the right to die. God's promise is resurrection - but does faith fail in the end? Ruth Grier (as Minister of Health) flatly stated Medicare is sick. So is the manner of its lack of management . The State of Washington knows they need 'Medicare' - and how to finance it. They compiled a list of some 150 afflictions that they could either cure or at least help: if only they had the available money to do that. They then drew a line under the list: the cut-off line. Those under the line cannot be helped: but sadly exact most available medical monies. So, why not divert that 'foiled' money; to those above the line: who must otherwise deteriorate? Washington awaits head office approval Don't sell From page 8 Now Council has put itself in another bind. If they sell off the properties just to dump the land they will set a precedent for even lower lot prices, if they try to net $100,000.00 from the sale of the property, which has been their objective all along, then the price will be in excess of $80,000.00 per lot and we doubt if anyone will buy them. Test holes for the septic systems were dug on the 29th of June by Golder Associates. Apparently the Health Department has said no to three lots and allowed for only two due to a lack of replacement areas for the septics. Council has hired Golder to dispute this. In suminary we hope that Council will whichis about as likely as our getting euthanasia, and for the same political stonewalling butt protection. Politicians: who needs their butt? Uncle Chretien states he'll have no part of a two part health plan. Meaning one for the rich and another for the rest. Well, one could label that (or most anything) as discrimination, | guess - but tell that to somebody without. I could better label that as wealth re-distribution which up to the present is a much danced around political hop scotch. What isn't? I think that's the same uncle that threatens to oust Liberal rebels. Is that the new democracy or the old Stalin? Worth rereating; when those early Greeks came up wit® the forward thinking democracy ideal; they failed to realize the insidious human nature factor would defeat them: meaning greed, power and our species are intrinsic bedfellows. It took Switzerland:to come up with the referendum option, similar to that which I preach. In that country, no law or importance is passed - unless it is via referendum. We could take that a whole lot further and virtually eliminate violence and the deficit in ways that hurt no one who doesn't deserve it. Avian Ron Ward R.R.1, Janetville parkland realize: 1. The majority of the people in Blackstock do not want this park sold. 2. The lots will be overpriced in a poor market and will take many years to sell, if they ever do. 3. There is not a shortage of ball diamonds, just a reluctance to use them on the weekends. 4. The majority of the people of Cartwright want the fairgrounds upgraded and a decent place for the kids to play. 5. It is not too late to come up with another plan to improve the fairgrounds and not sell the park. Yours truly, Fred Ford Blackstock.