Dear Editor

Ahhh here we go again, Fall is in the air and the Anti-gun crowd are scrambling to make themselves seen to the media and the Canadian public. This time they are using the economic downturn to prop up their calls for a return to registering firearms.

I fail to understand their reasoning that the present Amnesty will “cost” the government $15 Million in lost revenue. Well maybe the Liberal Public Safety Critic should tell the Canadian taxpayer why the Liberal government of the past, endorsed and supported a program that had huge over runs to the tune of nearly $2 Billion. I would be much more interested in having that cost justified by the Liberals over the $15 million that won’t be collected by the Conservatives this year. It is reported over 95,000 people have failed to re-register their guns and many have not sent a “change of address” notice within 30 days of moving. Growing numbers of people resisting unfair and unjust laws should be a clear indication to all that the Gun Registry was a mistake.

When you find yourself in a hole, it is better if you stop digging!

Chris Gilmore

Logan Lake

Dear Editor

There’s an endless list of schools, hospitals and “you-name-its” that we as citizens would like to see more money spent on. But then we turn around and whine about the taxes that pay for these things.

If we want to have our cake and eat it too (low taxes as well as more services and vital infrastructure) then we’re going to have to become more enterprising as a province and start making the most of what we’ve got.

The forest industry has served generations of people in this province well and it will again. But it’s also made us reliant on our biggest trading partner, the Americans, and they’ve always needed us far less than we’ve needed them to buy our lumber products.

But now we’ve got something the Americans desperately need, something we’re uniquely able to provide: an abundance of renewable clean energy. That puts us in the driver’s seat for a change and it lets us turn the tables in our trading relationship with our American neighbours. This time we’re the ones with our finger on the switch.

By becoming more enterprising and making the most of the renewable energy resources we’ve got in this province we can have our cake and eat it too. We can cover the cost of the services and infrastructure projects we want without adding a single new tax dollar from our own pockets. So let’s flip that switch and make it happen.

Donald Leung

Burnaby, BC

Dear Editor

The provincial government is currently accepting public input regarding next year’s budget. I strongly encourage folks to take the time to let the government know what is important to you.

With the latest cutbacks in education, it is crucial that we take this important opportunity to restate the strong case for strengthening the province’s investment in the future by providing increased funding to public education today.

Individuals can provide online input at www.leg.bc.ca/budgetconsultations .

Mavourneen Varcoe-Ryan, Chair

Gold Trail Board of Education

Dear Editor

Attention Ashcroft Cache Creek Seniors - our 80 Plus Lunch is Friday, Oct. 23. This is free for our 80 Plus. Members under 80, friends and family are invited and are asked to pay a small $5 cost for lunch.

Doors open at 11:15 am and lunch is at noon. The 80 Plus group picture will be taken just before lunch (noon).

Pat Kirby

Seniors Assoc.

Dear Editor

At the Oct. 13 Cache Creek Council meeting, Mayor John Ranta would not allow any questioning of the Council members. He said questions had to be directed to him, that he is the Council. It makes me wonder why we even voted any Council members in.

It seems that Mayor John Ranta is pulling all the strings, and the Council members are dancing to his tune.

I was going to ask the question: Do you think you did anything wrong, considering everything with that Cover-All structure - the cost and pain and suffering it has caused with lives? I was going to ask each Council member individually, but Mayor John Ranta put a stop to that.

When that structure first went up, all the Council members came to our home and looked out our windows and these are the quotes of what they said to my late husband John and me.

Wyatt McMurray: “That thing has been a thorn in my side since day one when we started discussing it.”

Ida Makaro: “As a council member I have no excuse. The council should have been paying more attention.”

Annette Pittman (council member at the time): “Well, I wouldn’t want it, and I am only here for a short while. It is enough to give you migraines.”

Clayton Cassidy: He just looked. He was the quiet one.

I have been fighting with this Mayor and Council now for almost two years. I hope they (especially Mayor John Ranta) found out at the last meeting that he chose the wrong Senior to mess with and to bully. This isn’t over yet.

Cathy Jennisen

Cache Creek

Dear Editor

I agree with Esther Darlington MacDonald that our Village Council erred in their decision to construct the Dome at that particular location, but, I took offense at the diatribe launched at council members. In particular, her statement, “Council remains intact, bereft of moral fibre. Yet, at least two of these council members are church goers”. The belief that regular church attendance makes someone more moral, ethical, compassionate, and accountable than someone who doesn’t attend church is bigotry.

Keep our elected representatives accountable, but keep Church and State separate.

Judy Connors

Cache Creek