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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - August 30, 2005
Dear Editor;
While travelling to Penticton from a wedding in Pitt Meadows, my husband and I decided to pick up some take-out food in Princeton and stop long enough to eat at a Princeton municipal camp ground.
Approximately 5 minutes later, someone pulled up to the office, then he (a man of about 50 yrs old) and a girl of about 12 yrs old walked up to us, asked how we were doing, we said fine, we had stopped in long enough to eat and we would be back on the road. He then proceeded to tell us he would have to charge each of us the $1.00 day rate.
When we were advised of this, I was quite surprised. My reply was "Are you Serious?"
He replied that yes, unfortunately the municipality of Princeton is very strict about this.
Another point I would like to make is that there were 2 camp stalls being used and the rest were vacant!
Reluctantly, we each paid our dollar for the privilege of stopping at the Princeton Municipal Camp Ground long enough to eat. Is the Municipality of Princeton that hard-up that they need to resort to collecting this ridiculous fee?
Bottom line, being charged $1.00 each for a 15 minute pit stop is absolutely ridiculous and not good for business.
Needless to say, in future, we will bypass Princeton altogether and give our business to someone other than Princeton.
Elaine Williams, Penticton
Dear Editor:
Although as a rule I try not to get involved in letter writing debates I think it is appropriate for me to address Jim Goukšs recent letter to the editor.
In his letter, Jim portrays Jack Layton as some one who only understands urban issues.
I had the good fortune to accompany Jack when he visited a number of our local facilities and met with municipal and regional officials. He listened to what was said, took notes, and made comments on the issues discussed.
I had the distinct impression that he understands the problems that we face here in our rural communities, and is willing to help us overcome them. I also got the feeling that there was a lot of respect for Jack on the part of those he talked to, especially those that have worked together with him on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Did Stephen Harper take time to listen to local concerns when he was here last spring?
Let us not forget that the NDP actually made parliament work last spring when other parties were playing games. Jack Layton made sure that $4.5 billion was diverted from corporation tax cuts to programs that will benefit the people of Canada.
Jim Gouk states in his letter that this is only an enabling document. Whether this is the case or not, the money targets such items as more affordable education and new protection for workers' earnings if their employer goes bankrupt. This is consistent with the role that the NDP has played in the past in minority parliaments where major social legislation such as affordable housing and Medicare was adopted by the Liberal government.
In his letter, Jim mentions many of the things that he has been able to accomplish for us in this riding. Like most people, I appreciate his dedication over the years.
It is my intent to continue working hard on behalf of our rural communities should I have the privilege of being elected as Member of Parliament for B.C. Southern Interior.
- Alex Atamanenko, NDP Federal Candidate - B.C. Southern Interior
To The Editor;
While reading your newspaper of last week I could not help but notice that all your news items regarding the courts and the police were related to alcohol, violence from using too much alcohol, accidents as a result of alcohol abuse, and/or a combination of all three.
In previous issues the news has been dominated by the war on marijuana, a plant that when ingested induces mild euphoria and usually triggers a feeling of peace and love. There were zero accidents reported as a result of using pot. There were no incidents of domestic violence as a result of using pot.
In some cases of marijuana overuse, paranoia may result. This could possibly make a person so careful that an accident could happen when avoiding a driver who has used too much alcohol.
Let me be perfectly clear. I do not condone the use of illegal drugs because there are also health issues concerning marijuana. Just like the legal drug tobacco, any smoke in the lungs is probably harmful to the user. Continued use of this drug may reduce the users ability to concentrate, not unlike the Alzheimers I'm beginning to experience---possibly resulting from years of tobacco use.
My point? The countless millions that we spend fighting the menace known as 'pot' would be better spent fighting alcohol abuse.
Let's go one step further. We could let half the inmates out of jail, lawyers could concentrate on legal issues such as the theft of pension funds, our court cases would once again be manageable and half the police force would become redundant.
In short, we could become a productive and healthy society that is not obsessed with punishment. Oh migawd! What next---no more crime columnists?
- HPToews
To the Editor, News Leader;
I was particularly surprised at the compromise Oabout faceš of the Town Council concerning Ms. Harrower, the busker, as expressed in your headline of the August 23rd edition of your paper.
It takes imagination to backtrack like this. But, I was even more surprised by Councillor Jarvis looking for a donation box at the "Love Princeton Day" as expressed on page 3 of your newspaper.
Perhaps he would have enjoyed the presence of a busker who might have benefitted from his contribution.
- John Akerley, Princeton
