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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" S from our readers Snow-filled driveways annoying To the Editor: First I would like to say that our roads are, in my opinion, kept very passable during win- ter snow storms. I do however question the plowing three or four days after a storm continually winging the snow, widening the open sur- face of the road (rural roads), making it necessary for resi- dents to remove snow from driveways. This snow is com- pacted with large chunks of ice and difficult to handle. Could the plow operators not push a button lifting a wing and eliminate this problem? 1. Would the operators fill their own driveways? 2. Fill the driveways of their relatives? Excess snow placed in drive- ways by plows could result in emergency vehicles, i.e. ambu- lances and fire fighting equip- ment being delayed. Some residents pay to have their driveways plowed, howev- er no snow removal contractor will return three or four times. Would it not be possible to ob- tain the required width on the first or second pass with the plow? Thank goodness for the hydro poles, which to some de- gree deter the width that the wing can be extended. It is also noticed that salt and sand is applied shortly after the first pass of the plow and on the second pass by the plow is effi- ciently removed. Why not wait until the plowing has been com- pleted before applying the salt and sand? I for one, am prepared to re- move the snow from my drive- way as necessary, during a storm, but resent having to re- move the snow from the end of my driveway three or four times after the snow storm is over. The excess use of men and equipment is, in my opinion un- necessary and very expensive. No wonder the snow budget has been exceeded. In closing, I am sure that I speak not only for myself but for countless others who feel as Ido. K. A.Richards, Blackstock. Canadian work aiding third world To the Editor: Like many Canadians, I have found these past few months to have\'been emotionally chal- lenging. Through the media, the ongoing constitutional'and economic concerns have bom- barded us on a daily basis. It is only recently that I was remind- ed of my good fortune to live in this country. I have just returned from a three-week visit to Ethiopia, through my work with USC Canada. It was an eye-opening experience. My travels took me to rural areas where I wit- nessed levels of poverty that I can not begin to put into words. I came across situations that seemed unreal and that I hope never to see again. These scenes are forever etched in my memo- ry. : "But I also found reason for hope. For every heart wrenching episode, there were at least as many that inspired me. I witnessed survival amidst tremendous despair and against seemingly overwhelm- ing odds. I stood in fields of wheat, flourishing despite be- ing exposed to an early frost and pest and wind damage. I met families who had virtually noth- "ing, but they had food on their table. These farmers were par- ticipants in a program called Seeds of Survival. Through this program they had developed the capacity to grow their own food and they were succeeding despite some serious odds. I am not diminishing the problems in our own country right now. Strengthened sup- port at the community level 1s needed her as well. At this holi- day time, I would merely en- courage people to remember that, beyond our borders, in countries like Ethiopia, the sup- port of Canadians is giving real reasons for hope. Susan Fisher, Manager, Publicity and Marketing, ~ USC Canada Time to scrap the GST To the Editor: During the 1993 election campaign Jean Chretien said he'd "scrap the GST". Sheila Copps even said she'd resign if the hated tax was not eliminat- "ed by this government. That was over two years ago. Right from the outset it be- came clear that Mr. Chretien had no intention whatsoever of dropping the GST. Instead the government's proposed action was to change the name (to NVAT, short for "National Val- ue Added Tax"), to raise the rate from seven percent to ten per- cent by including provincial sales taxes in the new single na- tional VAT, and to hide the whole thing by including the tax in the sticker price of goods and services. We all know what happened to that idea. It lasted about three or four nano-seconds after it hit the public forum. The latest edition to the de- bate is a report entitled "Do the Right Thing" by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accoun- tants. The right thing, accord- ing to the Institute, is eerily similar to the NVAT proposed by Ottawa. The only real differ- TurntoPage8 ------------------------------------------------ by Jeff Mitchell A SPANKING NEW YEAR WELCOME TO THIS YEAR: Well, here we are, safely arrived. The holidays are over -- thank God -- and the day before yesterday we awoke to welcome a new year. Time to snap out of our Yuletide torpor. Stop eating and drinking all the time, and lace up our Nikes, hit the streets in the early-morning darkness to work off those calories. "Yeah," | hear some of you scoff, "right." Well, now, think about it. This is, after all, the time of year when we turn our thoughts to self-improvement, there being a clean slate ahead, as it were, unblemished and full of potential. | It has an ominous feel to it, really. An entire fresh new year, just waiting for us to mess it all up. But what have you resolved to undertake, curtail or quit in 19967? Many folks have given up making any sort of resolutions, as they're not as good, so to speak, as the paper they're printed on; no sooner are they uttered than they are being broken and tossed onto the trash heap along with all the cheap Taiwanese toys given your kids by distant relatives. It can be a source of despair as the year winds down. "I didn't quit procrastinating," you or someone you know may wail, "and the house hasn't been painted, I'm still smoking, and the Thigh Buster | ordered from that late- night infomercial is still in the box it was mailed in. My kids are still snotty, the dog's still an idiot, and | have yet to tell the boss what | really think." | Ah, well. and so it goes. That's'why folks resolve only to make no promises they cannot keep, and simply try to be the best people they can be. And maybe, when you think of it, that's enough. : 'BLOOMING WONDERFUL: Over the holidays there. was a wonderful gesture made at Community Memorial Hospital, where patients receiving treatment during Christmas, as well as the Auxiliary, were beneficiaries of a donation of 80 poinsettias. | The flowers were sent here by an anonymous donor, and rumor has it he did the same thing over at Cottage Hospital in Uxbridge. The action, one staffer at the local hospital said, introduced "the true spirit of Christmas" at the institution during a time when all patients, no doubt, would much rather have been at home. We couldn't have said it better. TIME TO DIG IN: Well, winter has taken a firm hold. | spent New Year's Day busting all the ice that had built up around my eaves, and that night it snowed. Time to dig in, and keep the fire going for a few months. by J. Peter Hvidsten Predictions for the future have a funny way ofcom- ing back to haunt us, but amgoing to take achance and just make one prediction for 1996. Fa and enthusiasm. ATTACKING THE NEW YEAR WITH VIGOR 'B Well, here we are three days into 1 1996 and it appears very little has changed. In factit's notunlike the lt year we've just experienced. But with the birth of anew year, its also time to give birth to positive thoughts and are newed confidence in the possibility of a rewarding future. While at times that may seem futile, sooner or later the cycle of pessimism we've been experiencing, since the recession started more than halfa decade ago, will end and life will begin to improve. | for one am going to try and put on my happy face in 1996 and attack the new year with restored faith | predict... that in the face of an uncertain future, this community will begin to crawl out from under the blanket of doom and gloom which has covered us for so long. Despite some tough times still ahead, with hard work and perseverance, by mid-year we will begin to see positive signs of an economic recovery. History will prove me right or wrong! SAD FAREWELL Last Sunday afternoon at4 p.m. Dowson's Valu- Mart closed it's doors for the last time. I'm sure there were more than a few tears shed by family, staff and friends as the key turned, ending the family run business of more than 46 years. Ken Dowson started into business with his father Merl full-time just about one year before | came to start working for my father at the Port Perry Star. Our paths have crossed numerous times over the years in business, at social functions and as direc- tors of the Chamber of Commerce. As Ken and | talked last weekend, just hours before the store closed, we lamented the fact that there are few long-time family businesses leftin Port Perry. Infact, only Brock's, Emmerson's and Lake Scugog Lumber came to mind as family businesses that stretched back more than forty years. We noted that new family businesses, as we know them today, are unlikely to materialize in the future, due to the unrelenting and formidable competition of large corporations. And while large corporate stores may provide good dollar value for the consumer, | believe the communi- ty as awhole loses something far more valuable... a value on which a price tag can't be placed. Thatvalue is "commitment to the community," and ~ itcomes only from those with a vested stake in the future of the township and its people. Mrs. Dora Dowson, Ken & Maureen, Nancy and Dave, Shirley and Don all had that important stake in this community, and their loss is our loss. We extend to each of them our best wishes for a happy and healthy future in whatever they pursue.