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8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, September 19, 1989 Letters to the editor CAUT meeting causes writer to feel even more confused To the Editor: I attended the public meeting last Tuesday night sponsored by "Citizens Against Unjustified Taxes". I thought I was confused before. I know I'm confused now. Mr. Merv Bowen, Durham Re- gional Assessment Commission- er, was present. Mr. Bowen could not understand why so many people are upset with their tax increases now when they had the chance to appeal their assessment notices in Jan- uary. He did admit that the mill rate was not set at that time so tax increases had not yet been calculated. (So, Mr. Bowen, how do taxpayers know at that time exactly what their increases will be from the January assessment notice?) There is also a time lim- it to file an appeal so if you missed it, better luck next year. The Durham Board of Educa- tion was present to justify its in- creases. We learned that the pro- vincial government is to blame for cut ks. (Now remember, we taxpayers supply the provin- cial government with its funds too.) The provincial government has also mandated that the local school boards implement a pro- gram for Junior Kindergarten, full day Senior Kindergarten and in-school daycare facilities in the near future, all funded by our tax dollars. It's legislated so again, we don't have any choice. We also have to consider that rural areas need extensive bus- ing services ... one for public school elementary, one for public high school, one for separate school elementary, one for separ- ate high school, one for French Immersion (get the idea!) And they told us about the quality of education Durham students re- Life's Like That by Julia Ashton HOME, SWEET HOME Ma and Pa have been trying to get rid of me for years and finally their dreams have been realized. Two weeks ago, | moved into my own place. Now don't get me wrong. | get along with my family like any other typical 23 year old but conversations like "You've been freeload- ing around here for too long, missy -- shape up or ship out" were becoming the norm at me. Have you ever tried to find an affordable one bedroom apartment in Durham Region? I's near impossible. But after searching and searching and searching (and saving and begging and stealing) | finally found an apart- ment to suit my likes and my pocketbook. My family was thrilled. The household con- versation had switched from "how can we get rid of Julie?" to "what can we do with her bed- room?" ) My younger brothers want to tum it into an entertainment room -- you know -- with all their computerized video games, their porta- ble stereo and a television set. Maybe even a | table, if it will fit. All the neighborhood ids will come over on a regular basis, tromp up the stairs to my bedroom, with the rose bud wallpaper, and play Donkey Kong for hours on end. My mother has a different idea. She wants my room to become the official guest room. This idea seems a bit off the deep end. We haven't had guests stay overnight at our house in decades, but mom says that's be- cause we never had anyplace to put them. Well, to heck with them all. They can change my bedroom into a zoo and charge admission for all | care. I'm out of there. Living on your own has some definite ad- vantages. Now | can eat what | want, when | want and where | want. If | want to eat Chefboyardee straight out of the can while watching Cosby Show re-runs, well who's to stop me. No one. If 1 want to lounge around all day Sunday in my pyjamas, and read the newspaper, who's to stop me. No one. And | won't have to listen to my little brothers yell "I get first dibs on the comics" and "Where's th 1s section?" | don't have to worry' about" missed phone messages. Younger brothers Robert and Ja- mie were great at answering the phone. In fact, it often turned into a fight to see who could answer it first. But once the receiver was placed back on the hook, the two of them would resume their fighting -- which often looked like a Wrestlemania IV rerun -- and for- get to write the message down. | also don't have to worry about someone leaving one sheet of toilet paper on the roll. Males are famous for this. | don't know if it's because they're lazy or they don't realize it takes more than one sheet to do the job. As wonderful as it might sound, living on your own does have its drawbacks. Take grocery shopping, for instance. Have you ever tried to buy for one person? Sure you can buy some things in individual servings but I'm not a big fan of cup-of-soup or TV dinners. If | want a couple of eggs, | have to buy a dozen. If | want a piece of bread, | have to buy a loaf. If | want a caesar salad, | have to buy a head of lettuce. Who ever came up with the idea of packag- ing items in six or 12 should be shot. When my older brother got married, that left five in my family. You wouldn't believe the family feuds that would erupt over who should get the last donut or butter tart, etc. Yes, grocery shopping has been turned into a consumer nightmare by the producers. Last week, both local grocery stores had a special on canned apple juice. The deal was so good | decided to stock up. Well | bought enough to last me 14 years and goodness knows how many trips to the bathroom, but (Turn to page 12) For Better or For Worse® HAFTA DO WT Dy Lr DO, UNDER RIGHT. by Lynn Johnston ceive. Well, my eight year old son was passed into Grade 3 in June. He still has trouble read- ing so I tutor him most every night. I have for two years now, at the suggestion of his teachers, so he doesn't fall behind. I agree with the Board, educating our children is a top priority, I guess that's why I spend so much time teaching Yim. I'm also trying to teach him common sense and re- sponsibility, especially when oth- er people are depending on him. He does enjoy riding the school bus though. Mayor Howard Hall says tour- ism is a very important industry in Scugog. Therefore we have to develop the lakefront. I guess farming, which used to be the primary industrial base in Scu- gog, doesn't count anymore. Does Mr. Hall know something the rest of us don't? Apparently 42% of our local tax- es go to our road system, and Mayor Hall admitted our roads are deteriorating. I guess as long as the lakefront has nice streets and landscaping for the tourists the rest of us shouldn't complain about the ruts and potholes. I would have been happy if my road was in the condition Water Street was before it was recon- structed. Gary Herrema, Regional Chair- man, says two regional head- quarters are necessary. Appar- ently it's all political and we have to keep the politicians hap- py don't we. But I don't imagine the new Oshawa Headquarters will be any easier for Scugog res- idents to get to than the Whitby Headquarters are. Mayor Hall says no one like tax increases, not even politicians. I wonder why they voted them-. selves raises directly after tak- ing office. In June, the trustees on the Durham Board of Educa- tion (elected, part-time jobs), vot- ed 18 to 2 to grant themselves a generous benefits package. Guess who's paying the cost? I'm really confused about how these governments set budgets. Now, when my husband and I set our budget, we figure out our income then decide how much can be spent and where our pri- orities are. If the money runs out then we stop spending. It seems that governments do: just the opposite. They figure out how much they want and need, (actually they say its what we want and need) then figure out what their income should be. There is no limit to how much can be gleaned from the taxpay- ers, Keep spending - Keep Tax- ing! Tuesday's meeting was really interesting and I did learn one thing ... "How to pass the buck." And the taxpayers continue to get the boot in the form of higher municipal property taxes. Sincerely, Valerie Ellis. Cartwright Twp. (Ward 4) Makes their job harder (From page 7) and I imagine most people who move here, want a doctor here. I know I did. That gives them extra patients, on top of their already busy load. And honestly, if you were in with your doctor, would you want him rushing through your diagnosis so he wouldn't have to make the next person wait. They not only heal us but they comfort us, help us understand and they're always there. Was there ever a time when your child was ill and they refus- ed to see you? Probably not. Because in addition to patient visits, hospital visits, being con- stantly on call, deliveries, meetings, education etc. etc. etc. not to mention their own family and social time - they always find time for you. Maybe a little late, but they do see us. So let's give them credit not complaint. If you have children, bring things to amuse them so they don't add to your frustration. Their favourite toy or some juice and cookies. Bring yourself a book or even paperwork. We know we're going to wait a bit so why not make the best of it. Try to understand that all this complaining doesn't solve anything. In fact yelling at your doctor just makes his job harder and his day miserable. They are aware of it and it really bothers them too. So if you think you have a solution tell your doctor. They would very much appreciate your thoughtfulness and help. Yours truly Kim Ferguson Blackstock Thrilled with new playground equipment To the Editor: As a graduate of the Early Childhood Education program at Seneca College, I'm thrilled with the new equipment in Palmer Park. It's nice to see that the Council thought of the children's safety when they moved the play area to the beach. At least now, if the young ones fall, they will have a (Turn to page 10) EMMERSON INSURANCE BROKERS LIMITED 193 QUEEN ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. LOB 1NO (416) 985-7306 | ALL LINES OF GENERAL INSURANCE » HOMEOWNERS - FARM - AUTO COMMERCIAL -- | » »