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PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, September 6, 2000 - 7 Question of the Week... What did you Some are winners... the rest are losers L 4 To the Editor: Blue Heron Casino signs loom big on entry to Port Perry: "Be a winner." But the conclusion of that is "at the expense of losers." Last week Mayor Moffatt announced our winnings from the casino will buy us a truck for winter mainte- nance; then the next head- lines in the Port Perry Star announced "Casino Security Guard Struck Down by Car." The driver escaped, and the question is "was he in rage at losing his hard earned money, or emotion- ally high at winning and possibly drinking alcohol while there?" There have been other incidents at the casino - fights and car break-ins and the dangerous chase of an unstable man all the way to Sunderland, where our police were forced to shoot this man in his own defence and the public's. Then there is traffic con- gestion and possible deval- uation of properties on the Island. I have a book on the problems of legalized gam- bling in the U.S. and else- where by Dr. J.B. Buffington. Did no one on council research this? How can we as concerned taxpayers enjoy money we receive at the expense of others? It's tainted. Several are addicted to gambling at the expense of their families and everyone when they go on welfare. In the book "Legalized Gambling," H. Jenkins, a former president of police chief, said "for every dollar received in gambling taxes (or revenue) government spends $10 fighting prob- lems directly related to legalized gambling - pros- titution, bad cheques, bogus money, embezzle- ment, racketeers and police corruption." M.E. Johansen, Port Perry bi it carin a Sing fury. Tumed his face then 'What changes have occu Soy | wondered, in the years this old man has been making his weekly or bi- weekly trips into town? | imagined him harkening back in his mind to days when he was young and vital, and strode along these streets after alighting from the truck, maybe parallel parking by Archer Motors and joining the passing cascade of Rather than shuffing along, fragile, fighting ie sun, ~ moments taking tall ; wilted, from upright, forward-striding young man to stopped, aged obstacle on the Page Seven AS TIME GOES BY by Jeff Mitchell . the slope of the sidewalk, and the rush of passersby. Still at the curb, | sat watching the old man's progress, this slow-moving, all but motionless being swimming against a stream of busyness. He resumed his shuffling, 'back bent and head thrust forward, 'hands hanging at his ity suddenly of my Y nephew Jus over a year old, and his on the hot sidewalk. | was reminded Yao "Whenever a pin occurs he hauls himself up and , undaunted. Like this old man. Only it wasn't a loss of balance that ation. A loss of breath, rather. | watched as he scuffed on, stopping on occasion to up and look around, as if to gauge the distance : travelled and that remaining, then continuing. He reached the comer, negotiated it gingerly, and was gone. Where did his time go? What occurred while he ...And then, just this meming, | came across a picture of my son from seven, eight years ago, in my wallet. Bri eyes, button nose, devilish smile, childish cheeks. pa late summer day, an old school photo with a crease in it. Time. Here and gone, mostly gone. Passing swiftly and silently, i@%rashis Inga igh. Random Jottings by }. Peter Hvidsten END OF SUMMER The Toronto Exhibition, the Blackstock Fair, and the Port Perry Fair all have one thing in common. Each of these fall events marks the end of the summer! After almost 10 weeks of summer holidays, the kids finally returned to classes on Tuesday to renew old friendships, and take up where they left off last June. There's little doubt many parents have let out a col- lective sigh of relief... after juggling their jobs with cart- ing kids to daycare, summer camps, babysitting and summer jobs over the past two months. And as hectic as school can be at times, the routine created by kids having to rise at a designated time, catch the bus, attend classes and return home at a spe- cific time, is a comfort in that it reflects the routine of a working mother and father. After more than two months of tumbling out of bed at all hours of the morning, flopping on a couch to watch TV, or sitting in front of a computer screen playing games... it's fair to say that most kids are happy to return to a routine which reflects more accurately what lies ahead of them when they get into the working world. Our children often said they were eager to return to class. They were excited about renewing friendships that were interrupted over the summer, meeting their new teachers and classmates, and returning to a rou- tine that makes them more comfortable. So, when Tuesday morning arrived, they were up like a shot, they preened and primped, dressed in new back to school duds, ate breakfast on the run, and wait- ed impatiently for the school bus to arrive. At the sight of the yellow bus coming down the road, they smiled and waved goodbye... and | don't think they noticed us click our heels as we closed the door and headed back to the breakfast table to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, before heading off to work. FRENCH IN ANGLO-ONTARIO Resurfacing of Highway 7A from Manchester to the causeway has been under way for the past couple of weeks, causing some inconvenience and delays for motorists. The project, which is expected to be completed towards the end of October, will breathe new life into that section of the highway, which has been in need of repairs for many years. Understandably, some of the merchants located along this busy stretch of highway are concerned about loss of business during the construction. Every effort is being made to keep the highway open to the public, and hopefully for those affected, it will be a "short time pain... for long time gain," situation. There have been a number of negative rumblings regarding some of the signage attributed to the con- struction. Here, in the heart of Anglo-Ontario, many are wondering why the need for the large French signs relating to the highway project. Just east of the causeway, are two large orange signs which read - "Highway Improvements Next 5 Km. Completion Fall 2000." One of these i is in English and the other in French. One has to wonder, when the provincial government in Quebec posts signs pertaining to provincial highway improvements, if they postthem in the two official lan- guages The obvious answer is, absolutely not! | like best at ) Natasha James Jeffrey Goris Curtis Gibbons Jesse"Spiderman" James Urquhart Port Perry Fair ? lke the ponies the Co i "I like the whole Charles "I liked the horse best' to sleep. thing" "| liked the rides the races. | really like the y best of everything. horses." But | liked it all"