‘Complainers’
Dear Editor:
RE: Something must change, Jan. 18.
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your editorial in last week’s edition concerning the ever growing divide between the super rich and the average and below average citizens.
One of the main reasons for this is the reduction in their taxes. During the 1950s and 60s the country had tremendous growth and the top earners paid around 60% in taxes. The rates started to decline in the ‘80s and are currently at 29%. Another factor is the lawyers and tax experts that can be hired to further reduce their taxes. One other problem is the controlling of politicians with all this wealth, by supplying election money to ensure their reelection. We will be fortunate when a leader has the courage to increase their tax rate.
Secondly, I would like to congratulate John Scott (‘Not right or helpful,’ Jan. 18) and Ted Ferguson (Mayor has ‘moxie,’ Jan. 18) for putting a little truth and realism in the current Centre Wellington tax increases.
There are a lot of letters from what I call complainers. They may not realize that negative attitudes might feel good to them, but in reality they increase their health risks and lower their life spans. I suspect that these letters are not from the young. If you are over 50 you have had a great life in a great country.
However, the youth of our nation are going to continue having a much tougher life (cost of education, housing and climate change). Let us celebrate the life that many have lived and pay our taxes to support the infrastructure required in the future for our youthful citizens.
Larry Harris,
Elora
WEF?
Dear Editor:
RE: Something must change, Jan. 18.
Whilst I’m empathetic to Dave Adsett’s intentions, I worry he might be presenting himself in a foolish light. While extremely general and staunchly fortified against offering any legitimate ideas to fix poverty, he was able to rattle off a simple criticism (though highly non-specific once again) of free-market ideals.
What I don’t think Dave realizes is how much of a powerhouse the free market has been in raising the standard of living across the globe. Let’s look at this empirically: one billion people have been lifted above the international poverty line since 1990. Was it by A) enforced collectivization and reallocation of resources, B) capitalist policies that allowed anyone capable of providing better products for cheaper to generate wealth, or C) voluntarily charity? I don’t remember that time we all gave a few loonies to India so they could drop their poverty rate from 60% to just over 10% in 40 years.
Take note of how I specified reallocation of wealth versus generation. The entire Earth’s GDP has consistently risen faster than inflation year over year. Anyone semi-competent in math can understand what that means. The “ultra-rich” that Dave seems to condemn, such as Musk or Bezos, haven’t taken more of our pie than what’s fair, they’ve expanded the size of the pie as a whole.
It’s the ultra-rich that Dave didn’t seem to care about that I have a problem with: the Schwabs and the Freelands, the Bangas and the Finks that comprise the World Economic Forum (WEF) board of trustees (worth billions of dollars).
The “ultra rich” with political power are the Napoleons and squealers of the world, using their political power to thicken their wallets, then having the gall to condemn the rich (and quite frankly anyone they can point a finger at) that have come by their wealth tactically but fairly, using nothing but wit, toil and the voluntary exchange of goods and services.
I am a young man watching the Canadian ship sink, who sees utility only in patching the leaks, not making sure the remaining space on deck is divided “equitably”.
Brian Sturgess,
Fergus
‘Flog the tax donkey’
Dear Editor:
Experience and good judgement in budgeting is an exercise in the virtue of self restraint. You desire more stuff, services, experiences than you have resources (i.e. – money) so you budget. The same should be for governments.
Unfortunately very few Canadian federal, provincial, county and municipal governments have the resolve or inclination to practice real budgeting and to “Say no to whiners” (Jan. 18), as J. Alexander voiced in his letter.
It is so much easier to flog the tax donkey (citizens) with tax increases. Centre Wellington is the most blatant violator locally of abusing the taxpayer.
The new council of Centre Wellington has been successful in proving my concerns last year – that they needed perhaps help with budgeting from a new citizen finance committee. It seems the answer is “no way.”
They now know everything because they have been so successfully orientated by the staff on their job. Sadly, the orientation has proven to be very successful in de-emphasizing the primary job of council: oversight and accountability of senior staff and the CAO and that means budget restraint and saying no to staff desires.
This council has proven that orientation means ardently internalizing the commands of the staff and their hand-picked consultants. They will talk about how well they listen to all the stakeholders, developers, county, province, staff and a variety of assorted groups, but they have fundamentally neglected the major shareholders paying most of the bills. Now that’s dysfunctional.
Unfortunately, Centre Wellington council is not alone. In his interview (Watters reflects on first year in officer for all-new mayor, council, Jan. 4), Mayor Shawn Watters referred to the tired old election campaign canard of the previous council being dysfunctional. I think the mayor should look at himself and his council before casting stones at that old dead horse.
Making a suggestion of a 4.5% increase to staff at the beginning of the budget process is bad budgeting. You must have a firm goal and pass a motion forcing the staff to comply. Seeing your wishy-washy niceness, the staff ran you and your council over with a fully rationalized Mac truck budget of 7.35%.
Hopefully, your planning council does not mean planning to spend more money and budgeting accordingly to further abuse of the tax serfs.
Stephen Kitras,
Centre Wellington
‘Attitude’ problem?
Dear Editor:
RE: Police at it again, Jan. 11.
Kudos to Chris Daponte and his reporter and the reporter from Guelph Today for their professionalism in dealing with an OPP officer with Gestapo-like tactics.
This guy should be sent back to police college for more training, or to North Bay in the winter to cool off. Is it open season on reporters by the police with the reporter in Toronto being detained and his camera taken when questioning Chrystia Freeland?
These reporters do a tough job to bring us, the public, the facts and truths of everyday news, and sometimes get hurt doing a great job. They don’t need to be harassed by a cop with an attitude like this guy.
Keep up the good work.
J. Alexander,
Fergus
‘Money wasted’
Dear Editor:
I am writing out of frustration over the past two years and all the money the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex in Fergus raised for a new sign to advertise what events are going on or coming up to let the pubic know what’s happening there.
Now there’s nothing … it’s a guessing game when you drive by.
Why was so much money wasted on this sign? Such a waste of money.
Kelly Grominsky,
Fergus
‘Tension writ large’
Dear Editor:
On Robbie Burns Day (Jan. 25) this year, as it feels like we are a world at war, communities are in conflict, tension writ large is present on many levels.
Burns’ poem A Man’s a Man for A’ That feels appropriate (I apologize for the gendered language – let us read “a man” as meaning “a human being” as Burns would surely say if he were writing today).
I will not apologize for the Scots’ dialect, because the working class feel of the vocabulary and speech fit well with Burns’ call to humanity.
Here are stanzas 1, 2, and 5.
Is there for honest overty
That hings his head, an’ a’ that;
The coward slave-we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that.
Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The Man’s the gowd for a’ that.
What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, an’ a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man’s a Man for a’ that:
For a’ that, and a’ that,
Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that;
The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,
Is king o’ men for a’ that. …
Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a’ that,)
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that.
May we agree to live in honesty and without show, so that with human beings over all the Earth we would see each other as fellow citizens of the world, for all that, and all that.
Peter Bush,
Fergus
‘Bad joke’
Dear Editor:
You know you’re a bad driver on Highway 6 if:
– the person you’re tailgating can’t see your headlights in their rearview mirror and they’re wondering how much money “you” make or how late “you” are that you need to be at your job that badly;
– the person you’re tailgating can’t see your headlights in their rear view mirror and they are wondering why you trust their driving skills more than their spouse does to put your life and property at risk if they have to make an emergency stop to avoid all sorts of driving hazards. It’s not the impact, it’s surviving the impact;
– the truck driver you’re tailgating can’t see you in their side mirror and doesn’t know what they’re going to find under the trailer after they’ve had to make an emergency stop or they merge into traffic and they feel a the impact you make after you’ve ran into the back of the trailer;
– the person behind you almost rear ends you because you didn’t turn on your lights and they can’t see your tail lights;
– the person you passed didn’t see your headlights and hopes you make it to your destination because you didn’t turn your lights on;
– the truck driver carrying a load of who-knows-what can’t merge into traffic because you don’t want them to slow “you” down;
– the bus driver transporting our children to and from school can’t merge into traffic because you hate having to stop when they let children on and off the bus;
– the person trying to turn onto Highway 6 from Sideroad 22 can’t get a break because you need to use the passing lane as your own personal highway. It’s called a passing lane, use it to pass only; and
– the person behind you has to constantly re-adjust their speed because you’re distracted by any number of things that could possibly wait until you reach your destination.
Come on people, don’t be a bad joke. Drive like you want to get to your destination as much as everyone else on the road does.
Heather Aitken,
Fergus
Not what it seems
Dear Editor:
“Look Mary, look! Look at all those houses on the horizon being built for the homeless,” said Doug.
“That’s a mirage, Doug. Those are the twin towers of the Emerald City of Oz.”
Jim McClure,
Crieff