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eT ia ---- it ITEC TEN 8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 6, 1990 Letters io the editor To the Editor: It seems everyone is blaming the free trade deal for all the job loss, plant closures and the slow down in the economy. But don't put all the blame on free trade, another cause of this is the taxes that we pay at all levels of government. With the ever.increasing taxes, companies have to charge more for their products, workers have to make more money to cover the tax bills, which in turn makes us less competitive in world markets. That's one reason com- panies and jobs are moving south of the bordér. What we need are politicians in all levels (federal, provincial, regional, municipal and the school boards), to come up with ways to save money and become more productive and more imaginative in their ways, instead of just raising taxes every year by unreasonable amounts. It almost makes you wonder if they get a percentage of the amount of taxes raised each year. Next time an election comes around, I will vote for the person who promises to spend the least amount of money, after all, it's our money that they throw around. Anybody can spend money, but we need some smart people to come up with ways that will save Don't put entire blame on free trade money and unless we speak up it will never change. So don't blame free trade for all the problems, put some blame on our spend-thrift politicians. Andy Bajema, Nestleton Cigar and a cold one To the Editor: I have in the past weeks read with interest letters, i.e. crying the weak government legislation on smoking in the work place. All I can say is d save me from crusaders and reformed smokers. The new law it seems will bring back youth to all of us smokers, as we will once more be reduced to sneaking into the washrooms or around a corner for a puff, lest our foreman (Read: teacher, Charlotte's story... To the Editor: May 1 tell Charlotte's story? She is a refugee from Belfast, one of too many places where people kill one another in the name of religion or partriotism. by Julia Ashton Caution: This column will never be published in Good Housekeeping magazine or Better - Homes and Gardens, unless of course, it is in the form of a "how-not-to" article. While flipping through the Toronto Star last week, | happened upon the Food/Life section of the paper. Now | don't read the food section on a regu- lar basis -- it usually makes me too hungry -- but the front page photo caught my eye and forced me to read on. No, the photo wasn't of a black forest cake, or a deep-dished pizza, or a surf and turf din- ner. Instead it was a photo of the innards of someone's refrigerator that bore a huge re- semblance to my own ice-box. The article -- entitled AntiquEATies -- pretty much describes what a visitor in my home would find if they opened up the olive-green door of my fridge. You know, a bowl of jell-o that has been sit- ting in the fridge for so long that it has started to shrink away from the side of the bowl and has a vault deeper than the Grand Canyon down the middle. Or how about the leftover gravy from last month's pot roast that has congealed into one big blob. The cherry loaf would look delicious to the untrained eye, but when | bought the loaf it only had red cherries in it. And then there is the zucchini in the crisper purchased goodness-knows-when for a stir fry dinner. The zucchini still looks great. Isn't that the way with zucchini -- it just won't die. Every once in a loooong while, when | get the urge to clean out the fridge | have a few steadfast rules | use: 1. If it's green and it's not a fruit or vegeta Life's Like That ble, throw it out. 2. If its best before date states that it was better before, it probably isn't all that good any- more. 3. If it's grown its own fur coat, toss it. 4. If it's not readliy recognizable, chuck it. 5. If it moves, exterminate it. Now it must sound like I'm a disasterous housekeeper -- | don't even have a box of bak- ing soda in the fridge to soak up odors -- but | came by my bad habits honestly enough. | blame my mom! But plaass let me explain. As most of you know, | was one of four children in my family. So what does this have to do with spoiled food? Well, if there was ever any leftovers from dinner, mom would wrap them up and put them in the fridge. But just try and eat the leftovers! If mom caught us slipping our hands into the giant "cookie jar" we had some heavy duty explain- ing to do. "What are you doing eating that last piece of pie (or cake) (or roast beef) (et cetera). I'm saving it for your father's lunch," mother would warn us. But a week later, that same piece of pie fo cake) for roast beef) (et cetera) would still be in the fridge and would be a little less tempting to me and my three brothers. So | have become a leftover junkie, "storing with Glad the dinner | had to save for another year. But at least |.have an excuse to give to visi- tors who ask: "What the heck is that furry, green thigg moving around in the back of your ridge?" My response: "Just some leftovers. I'm wait- ing for my father to come over and eat them." She came to my class in grade 4 with a gorgeous accent that makes all the world love the Irish, (while they hate one 'another, strange eh!). She had a pale freckled face surrounded by jet black hair. Her eyes startled me. They were old - old and wary - animal eyes. My grade 4 girls were great. A word to them and they insisted she join in every game. Pretty soon the wounds of the heart began to heal, and she laughed and had fun. I talked to her mom twice. The second time, over coffee in the staffroom, she told me of the hell that is that part of Belfast. A sister had been tortured, a brother gunned down. She had been badly hurt. By November Charlotte's eyes were looking younger. Then' tragedy struck again. The mother died from the injuries received in Belfast. For the next two years, little Charlotte went from foster home to foster home until she was adopted by our principal and his wife. Her face was once more set in it's stubborn lines. Her new parents were the religion of her enemies in Belfast. She was under their roof two years before she hugged them and three years before they had a verbal sharing of love. Charlotte is happier now, in grade nine and wanting to be a doctor someday. Her dad says she will make it. Last night, 1 attended the Leaf- Nordique game, during the an- them, some Toronto-Quebec ex- change students sang with great gusto in one another's language. Charlotte would have understood. Yours Truly, Ed Diagle Port Perry. IF YOUR AD WAS HERE Over 20,000 people could have read it this week. That's a lot of potential customers for your business. For Advertising Made Easy call the PORT PERRY STAR 985-7383 For Better or For Worse® PIECES WITH A45° NNGLE To apPoRT TE. ™~ by Lynn Johnston parent) catch us. Will companies resort to deten- tion rooms for infractions (Sorry Billy, mommy will be late tonight she got caught smoking). Even as a holder of more than one bad habit I cannot defend the habit, only say that I hope all those non-smokers out there someday find our "Father Knows Best" legislations coming after them and one of their habits or pleasures. In a province where we are told by law what we will read, what movies and T.V. we will watch, where and when we can smoke, when and where we can drink and where and at what price we can purchase liquor, isn't it time for we smokers to stand up and be heard. As smokers we carry an additional tax burden which should give us at least an equal voice. - While I am not against people's right to a pollution free world I do think that non-smokers could find other targets. Maybe they could think of one while driving home in their carbon monoxide carriages, or riding their ski-doos, or A.T.V.s or barbequeing, while running their chainsaws or gas, weedeaters. I for one intend to ponder the problem over a good cigar ahd a cold one. . R.W. Davie, R.R. 1, Nestleton, Ont. P.S. Please excuse grammatical errors. While non-smokers are on- ly concerned with their view. We sinners minds hold many points of view, leaving little room fer lernin'! English signs To the Editor: Regarding the English-French debate discussed by Mr. White in February 27 issue of the Port Perry Star. He states that the cost of Fran- cophone language services is picked up by the provincial governments. It sounds as though they just pick it off the trees rather than recieve it from the taxpayers. I have read most of the literature concerning this debate but haven't seen much in print regarding the French only on Quebec highway signs, store signs etc. In my opinion, every province in Canada should have English on their signs (particularly highway signs) regardless of what other language they wish to add. I went through Quebec once since their signs were changed and I refuse to go through again till they cor- rect this situation. Lloyd Dawson Port Perry FIRST, WELL CHOOSE NOW,WELL MEASURE THE | ARE YoL PAYING ATTENTION | J I'M FINDING THE. KIND OF rl POITOM AND THE. SIDES. | TO WHAT IM DOING HERE, } FAS WOOD WE RE: WELL PEAK THESE TWO y ; BUILD A INSURANCE BRO EMMERSON 193 QUEEN ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. LOL 1B9 (416) 985-7306 ALL LINES OF GENERAL INSURANCE » HOMEOWNERS - FARM - AUTO COMMERCIAL RS LIMITED * %