I almost lost my Cornflakes Sunday morning reading Richard Rolke's article about Conservative MPs handing out Towns for Tomorrow cheques to communities across Canada.

I don't defend partisan politics and photo ops of MPs or MLAs handing out cheques, but name a government that hasn't done it. Governments love to remind us how generous they are with our tax dollars but there is a big difference between that and stealing.

Quoting some Ottawa Liberal MP, Rolke notes that accusations arose during the Sponsorship Scandal about the Liberals misuse of tax dollars and he quotes the MP as saying the funds were paid back. Talk about trying to whitewash the biggest political scandal this country has ever seen.

It is disingenuous at best to try and draw similarities between federal infrastructure cheques being handed out in broad daylight and Liberal back room boys apparently exchanging brown paper bags under restaurant tables.

The Gomery Inquiry found the Chretien Liberals redirected $250 million to Liberal friendly ad agencies and contrary to what this obscure Ottawa Liberal says, the money has not been paid back.

The federal Liberals are so far down in the public opinion polls as their leader stumbles around trying to be relevant that they will grasp at any straw trying to draw an equivalent with their sponsorship scandal.

At the end of the day however, the Towns for Tomorrow cheques went to communities in every province of Canada for much needed infrastructure upgrades, not into the pockets of Quebec Liberals and as far as I know, not a single mayor has refused to accept the funding.

John Trainor