HARMONY DISCONCERTING ( on tax gouging)
Sir:Down through the years there have been famous illegal or unethical "transfers" of wealth. The Great Train Robbery, for example, or the heist of an armoured car in Montreal a few years back, or the Enron debacle, or more recently the Stafford and Bernard Madoff successes in parting people from their money. There have also been some notable team efforts with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Bonnie and Clyde. However, there is a new team in action -- McGuinty and Duncan about to lighten our wallets through tax harmonization.
This massive cash grab is quite simple. We will now pay combined provincial and federal taxes on all services such as haircuts, manicures, stamps, real-estate closing costs, all the way up to new homes, depending on the value of the house, and on hundreds of personal items and foodstuffs.
Our federal and provincial governments are doling out massive sums of money to bolster our economy and need to take more of our money from us to fund it. Any government suggestions that this is "revenue neutral" because of one-time rebates to be mailed out two months before the next provincial election are pure horse feathers. Much like the insincerity of McGuinty's aim that the health tax implemented several years back is not a tax.
There are some amazing coincidences in the timing of this long reach of the combined governments to increase their take from us. For several years, McGuinty has been complaining loudly about the unfairness of equalization payments from Ottawa and that Ontario is being short-changed. Now, all of a sudden McGuinty is silent on this subject. Another interesting tidbit is that in the next federal election, there will be 21 new seats in the House of Commons from Ontario.
On a related subject, King Stevie's Quebec strategy has exploded in his face. He needs those Ontario seats. Last but not least, Stevie is providing a $4.3 billion "incentive" (bribe?) to Ontario to complete the sales tax harmonization.
Let's see: 21 new Ontario federal seats that could offset Conservative losses in Quebec, $4.3 billion coming to Ontario from Ottawa, sudden cessation of complaints from Toronto about Ottawa's unfairness to Ontario, and the federal Conservatives and provincial Liberals actually romancing again. Could there be a connection to all of these phenomena? Probably not even the Shadow knows . . . -- H. David Goldsmith Chatham
DON'T LET THE SRC GO TO WASTE ( on waste of public assets)
Sir:Recently, I was driving through Dealtown. I was on my way to a client's home, when I was amazed by what I saw. From a distance, I was under the impression that there was a large resort or retirement complex that I was unfamiliar with. A closer look, and a little research later, I realized what I was looking at was the Southwest Regional Centre, former health-care facility for the developmentally challenged.
Not growing up in Essex or Kent County, I was oblivious to the fact there existed such a facility here. In fact, my wife, born and raised in Windsor, always joked with her friends growing up that mentally ill people were shipped off to London or St. Thomas for psychiatric help. She was unaware that Southwest Regional Centre was nearby, let alone such a big and beautiful property with loads of potential.
The reason for this letter is to not only make known what it is we are letting go to waste, but to encourage the surrounding area to make something of this potential disgrace. To let a piece of property and architecture not be used to its full potential should be a crime. The value in the lakeside property alone is worth a mint.
In these economic trying times, why let it sit there unused, destined to become an eyesore unless it is maintained and loved. What we need to do is to fully examine all the possibilities in order to maintain the property and invite a new owner to provide stimulus in these desperate times.
Dealtown is barely large enough to be on many maps. Why not, as a boost for Dealtown and the surrounding area, we band together to save the Southwest Regional Centre?
The possibilities are endless -- a retirement community, tourist resort, educational facility, etc.
There is also the chance that if certain organizations were aware of its existence they may look at expanding or moving to the area. What about entertainment studios, training facilities, even a return to use as a health-care facility? -- Dave Richardson Windsor
SEEK HOSPITAL CLARITY ( On the need for real information not government spin)
Sir:To those who depend on Sydenham District Hospital, do not be fooled by tricky messaging. If you listen closely to what the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance said, you would have heard the term, "new facility," not "new hospital," for Wallaceburg.
The CKHA, when asked if this "new facility," which has not been approved nor funded as yet, would be a hospital with an emergency department, the answer is, there is a long planning process to go through before they will know that. When asked since they do not know if there will be an emergency department, how can they close the medicine beds effective July 27, since these are vital for a functioning emergency department, the answer is they need to support the efforts of the CKHA to save money. One answer contradicts the other. Which is it? The CKHA needs to get rid of the mumble jumble and be straight and honest with the users of SDH. Will the "new facility" for Wallaceburg contain an emergency department or will it not? If the answer is "yes" or "we do not know" then how can you close the medicine beds effective July 27?
Call Ken Tremblay (519- 437-6000), Gary Switzer (519-351- 5677) and Maria Van Bommel (1- 800-265-3916) and ask them for an answer. The people who depend on SDH deserve a clear, decisive and honest answer now. -- Jeff Wesley SOS Chair
Article ID# 1527562
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