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ET A or NY EA a ATES vd Fad IA letters School Board wrong target of attack Dear Sir: Scugog Township Council is aiming its displeasure at the wrong target when it attacked the Durham School Board. The blame for increases in our property taxes in re- lation to education can be laid squarely at the door of the Ontario Government. In 1973 the level of provincial funding was over 60 per cent of local education costs. It is now at 50 per cent. For the year 1980-81, provincial support for schools was only 13.1 per cent of the provincial budget, the lowest level since 1952. Ten years ago, in 1971-72 schools got 18.2 per cent of Ontario's budget. Without a strong dynamic education system our economy will be even more in jeopardy. A better pupil teacher ratio, attracting the best people to the teaching profession, providing special education so that we can meet the needs of excep- tional children, are ways of giving our children the best possible education we can offer. Can the provincial govern- ment do it? The NDP govern- ment in Saskatchewan has just promised to lower the educational property tax burden to zero. That NDP government just presented a balanced budget. Want to take any bets on whether the Ontario Tory budget will be balanced? How does the NDP do it? Let me give you one statistic. For every $1.00s worth of mineral production in 1980-81 Ontario collects four cents in mining taxes, Saskatchewan collects 23 cents. If Ontario taxed its mining production at the same rate of Saskat- chewan between 1975 and 1980 Ontario would have raised an additional 1.9 billion dollars. 1.9 billion dollars would have gone a long way to improve the quality of life for all the people of Ontario, and that includes the quality of our education system. Yours sincerely, Margaret Wilbur PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed. April 21, 1982 -- 5 port perry star Company Limited A -- J.PETERHVIDSTEN J.B.McCLELLAND Publisher Editor Advertising Manager Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Published every Wednesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd., Port Perry, Ontario. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for cash payment of postageincash. Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year. Elsewhere: $45.00 per year. Single copy: 35 =A meer et et er bill smiley 'WELFARE WORSHIPERS There are all sorts of people living in Canada these days. Most of us are reasonable, ordinary, human beings, not eveil, not particularly good, just slogging away a day at a time. You and I, Jack, And then there are a lot of people just along for the ride. Welfare bums, and politicians. Both species would deny it, wide-eyed with indignation. The welfare bums would insist that they are culturally deprived victims of a non-caring society which refused to give them a decent education. This, of course, is so much hogwash. Take a closer look at them, and they are bums, literally. They're not stupid. They know every angle of the welfare, unemployment insurance, social subsidies game and they play it with finesse. They know to the last nickel exactly what they can skim off a pretty decent society which doesn't want anybody to be cold or hungry or homeless. Their favourite gimmick is to be photographed with their five or six children in front of their new television set. They like rubbing our noses in it. The man of the house invariably has a sore back or some other vague disability which prevents him from working. The woman of the house invariably supports her man, because she knows he's a bum, and if she didn't, he'd pound her and the children, and they'd have nothing. The children will grow up in the family pattern, believing that society owes them a living, and be sullen, cranky, mean, if anyone suggests they get off their tails and do something. Poor kids. Maybe I sound like a middle-class, right-wing pundit, who believes that nobody should get help from anybody. Lord forfend. I have a heart of gold, some might say brass, and I believe firmly in helping the helpless. In my time I have been helped, and have helped others. Most of the people who helped me, I have hated. And most of the people I've helped have hated me. That's the way she goes. The Boat People don't hate me. And now we come to the other welfare bums: the politicians. They are not corporate welfare bums, as David Lewis called them, becoming more and more boring as he did. They are individual welfare bums. Most of them are small-town lawyers, with a yen for the public eye. Having wheezled their way into the nomination, the defeat a lot of born also-rans, and take a back seat in Ottawa, Toronto, Victoria. At a drop of the hat, they vote themselves pay and pension increases, though their only desire is "to serve my constituency to the best of my ability." At the appearance of a camera, they whip out a cheque from the federal or provincial government, and new five miles of road, or a dock extension, or a post office is born. With a few exceptions, they steer clear of gun control, or abortion, or anything else that might upset the "commit- tee' back home. When it is time for re-election, regardless of their records, they fight like tigers, to hang onto that infinit- esimal bit of power and prestige. Have you ever heard a politician stand up and say, 'I'm a futz. I have not represented you, but only myself. I will not be running for re-election, because I don't deserve it"? I am not saying that there are not people who go into politics with ideals, with a desire to serve their fellows. There are. But they are few and far between, and even the good ones seem to succumb to that insidious love of power, after a bit. It's little wonder that so many Canadians today are angry. They have worked, more or less faithfully, for years, with an organization. Suddenly they are turfed out. They go on umemployment payments. They don't feel good about it. They'd rather work. They look around and see all sorts of layabouts drawing the same money. They are too old to move. They have mortgages. They have children to educate. And they see their 'leaders' playing games: arrogant Liberals, pugnacious Tories, wet Socialists. It's enough to make a grown man weep. No to mention a grown woman. Welfare bums at both ends of the stick, hanging on grimly, happy in the knowledge that you and I will pick-it up. V2 TAKE (T YOU FOLKS DON'T SWOKE. remember wh en' 60 YEARS AGO . Thursday, April 20, 1922 Mr. Alex Vance has sold his property on Ontario Street to Mr. Thurston. The editor of this newspaper is away this week attend- ing a convention of the school trustees and ratepayers at Convocation Hall. At the Methodist Church on Sunday, the choir appear- ed in choir gowns for the first time. Mrs. J. Shunk was elected president of the Ladies Aid of the Methodist Church, Seagrave and Mrs. J. Wana- maker was elected vice-president. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 17,1947 Port Perry council set the tax rate at 48 mills. Division as to departments are: County rate 7.6 mills, High Schools 4.57 mills and Public School 11.43 mills. This represents an increase over 1946 of 6 mills. Mr. and Mrs. A. Hubbert and family of Ashburn moved to a farm northeast of Manilla, formerly occupied by Mrs. Ivan Rodd. : Mr. and Mrs. Harold Kerry of utica were guests of honour when their friends and neighbours gathered in Utica Hall for a party in their honour before their depar- ture from their home in the community. Mr. and Mrs. Reyner of Whitby have bought the home and grocery store of Mr. John Munroe, Prince Albert. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 18, 1957 } Gary Edgar of Scugog island and a student of Port Perry High School received the outstanding award from the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada - '"The Tom Long Boat Trophy." This medal is awarded to the Indian student in Southern Ontario showing the greatest profi- ciency in sports, leadership, character and general profi- ciency. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Colbear of Manchester have moved to Blackstock. About one hundred friends and neighbours in Seagrave and area gathered for a house warming for the new home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter King. Mrs. Paul Diamond was elected president of the Honeydale Womens Institute. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 10, 1962 Earl Gordon Bailey, graduate of McMaster University and Osgoode Hall is now associated in the practice of law with Bruce V. Mackey, Oshawa. The ice went out this year on April 15th. The Brooklin Lacrosse team will be minus three of their better players this season as Terry Davis is leaving to play in British Columbia, P. Hall is in Australia and Bob Carnegie will not be playing regularly as he is taking a summer course at university. A Boy Scout fire got out of control at Chalk Lake. The fire burned from the 3rd Concession to the 2nd Concession and about one mile across before it was stopped. 15 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 21, 1966 Ontario County Junior Farmers won the Zone Drama Festival held in Uxbridge with their performance of the one-act play "Comes Romance." The actors were all members of the Brooklin Junior Farmers: Shirley Jones, Ken Stickwood, David Hawthorne, Doreen Jones, Jan Hoskins and Carl Wilson. Director Mrs. Almack of Claremont. The Department of The Attorney General recently announced the appointment of Mr. J.R. Helm of Port Perry as a Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Ontario. There will be a new feature for Port Perry Fair this year with a Market Steer Class being added to the Prize list. The steers will be weighed at the time of judging and sold by public auction immediately afterwards. The program is being sponsored jointly by the Ontario Depart- ment of Agriculture and the Port Perry Fair. . Mr. and Mrs. George Samells of Port Perry have just returned from Jamaica where they spent a very enjoyable Easter vacation. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, April 19, 1972 Randy Watson, a student at Port Perry High School was winner of a merit award. for acting at the three-day Ontario County Drama Festival held last week at