CHIMO fundraiser a wonderful time

On Friday Feb. 10, we attended the CHIMO Fundraiser for Children's Mental Health at the Armoury in Lindsay.

We had a wonderful time with a fine dinner provided by Hobart's in Lindsay and excellent entertainment by a great band called the "Eclectic G-Strings", a local band that performs at many venues around the area.

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this very important fundraiser possible.

GUY CASTONGUAY Cameron

Governement 'shovelling' money out the back door

The (Stephen) Harper government is crying poor on pensions for seniors while it lavishes $13 billion in tax cuts for big corporations that don't need the money.

What's wrong with this picture? They can't afford to staff the employment insurance phone lines so workers can access benefits for which they've paid. They can't afford to maintain meat inspection levels that were instituted after the listeriosis outbreak. They can't afford the non-taxation of veterans' disability benefit. They can't afford to let the ecoENERGY Retrofit program run its course till March. They can't even think about a national childcare, homecare or pharmacare program.

But on Jan. 1, the corporate tax rate was cut to 15%, right on schedule. It's hard for a government to cry poor when they are shovelling money out the back door. It's high time tax expenditures were reviewed like all other program spending. The Conservative government of Canada is using the Eurozone crisis as an excuse to inaugurate a spiral of diminishing support for and investment in the programs that people count on. Canadians understand the need to economize and manage shared resources, but a tax cut program that is depleting the common treasury just looks like a cynical and opportunistic attempt to minimize government and shrink public services.

Harper's plan for the OAS is a way to download costs and responsibility to lower levels of government which will have to pay out more to support seniors who are forced into poverty. Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement are inadequate now. The right way to deal with a looming retirement income crisis is to expand the Canada Pension Plan now to raise incomes for seniors in the future. Income supports for seniors need development, not diminishment.

JAMES MULHERN

president, Lindsay & District Labour Council

Boys and Girls Clubs get mom's appreciation

My 14 year-old-son and I were having a few problems that turned into more than I would have ever expected.

I also have two older daughters and never went through this before, so we went to Children's Aid Society for help. My son thought foster care would be better than our house but when the CAS worker came to our house, he said he would not take my son out of a perfectly good home, that's not what they are for.

S o he suggested that we seek

help from the Boys and Girls Clubs. He was so right. We met with a wonderful girl Michelle, who took us under her helpful wing and taught both my son and myself a lot about how we treated each other and in our tone of voice.

We would light each other's wick so the word "bear," which means one of us was talking way too loud and it sure made me stop and think, my son also. Michelle was such a great help to us. We started looking forward to coming each week to see what we could change in our lives to always make life better.

So after we were finished the program with Michelle, we always used what she taught us. As a mother, I couldn't thank Michelle enough for what she did to help us. We have been out of Michelle's program for seven months and my son's and my life has changed so much we still use a lot of what we learned at the Boys and Girls Clubs program with Michelle.

As a mother who loves her children so much, I would want any other parents that are having problems with their children to seek out this program at the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Thank you so very much to Michelle and the clubs.

THANKS FROM A LOVING SINGLE MOTHER

Reader 'appalled' over writer's allegations

Re: 'Someone must take responsibility: reader,' Feb. 7

I was absolutely appalled that Caroline Medd would even take the time to respond to a letter that a family shared with their community in the hopes that it may help one person.

Can you even put yourself in their shoes? I know I can't and honestly I hope I never have too.

"Why is it no one's fault?" That is what you asked, here is why...

"Depression is a very common condition which affects more than one in 10 people at any one time. Any of us, irrespective of age, gender or background can be affected at any point in our life."

The Hall family are my heroes. At the most tragic time of their lives, they still made the decision to donate their son's organs knowing they would be helping others, but according to you they maybe should have been questioning his nutrition. Here is where you go http://www.giftoflife.on.ca/. Fiveminutes and you're registered, less time than it was to write your letter.

"If no one will take responsibility for what happens and make changes -how do you expect change?"

Responsibility? Mr. Hall speaks openly at schools and shares their story with others in the hopes of helping one person. This family has taken more responsibility than most ever would.

You can't change the past on what you should have done, but you can change the present and future on what you do and what you will do. I feel you need to apologize for your words, donate your organs and think before you make outrageous comments.

I even spoke with someone who told me this

"You are born with it, trust me on that one. It lurks inside waiting for your chemistry to change or hormones or substance, whatever."

LISA MOORES Lindsay

Paper should have censored letter: reader

Re: 'Someone must take responsibility: reader,' Feb. 7

First let me say that obviously Caroline has never lost a child.

She has been very insensitive to write such a letter and second, it was in poor taste for The Lindsay Post to print it. The Halls are good, caring people and should not be tarred and feathered in public by the likes of Caroline.

In my opinion.

ESTHER MCGEE Lindsay

Letter writer's opinion called 'revolting'

Re: 'Someone must take responsibility: reader,' Feb. 7

I personally believe that this was a horrible thing for you to do, to print something that will be read by many community members still grieving the loss of this wonderful young man, including the members of his family who have been so strong during this major loss in their life.

hey shared their story to prevent other families from going through the same tragedy and loss they have experienced. This woman is severely misguided and uneducated on the subject. She is pointing the finger of blame at the Hall family while also trying to make the point that people are too quick to blame others. In reality, the Hall family is blaming no one, as in this case there is no one to blame. This is just down right disgusting and hateful. I cannot believe an establishment such as yourselves would ever print something so revolting.

NICOLE LOCKHART Lindsay

Publishing opinion 'lack of journalistic integrity'

Re: 'Someone must take responsibility: reader,' Feb. 7

The letter to the editor from Caroline Medd is appalling.

That it was put into The Lindsay Post is disgusting and Post employees should be ashamed of themselves.

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, The Post has final say T over which letters go to print.

This paper chose to print an opinion letter that did little more than rub salt in a grieving family's wounds. I hope the 1,000 members of the community that attended Jordans services are as offended by this lack of journalistic integrity as I am.

This newspaper owes the Hall family an apology, in my opinion.

KEVIN WILSON Janetville

Letter on depression called 'deplorable'

Re: 'Someone must take responsibility: reader,' Feb. 7

First off, I am absolutely disgusted you would allow such garbage to be posted.

Secondly, do you realize all the people in this area Jordon knew or affected? Because all those people felt a twinge of pain when they came across this deplorable letter. I do not think, after all the pain and healing Jordon's friends and family have gone through over this past year, that they must be subjected to such trash. I realize many people in this area are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, yet you, as a paper and voice for this community, must take much greater care in what you allow to be published.

Now I will move on to the "depression expert" who wrote this letter. She demands someone take responsibility for this tragedy... and I demand she takes responsibility for her shameful ignorance. Her letter is just one example of people's unknowing and problematic behavior about depression. It is these kind of people that make those who need help afraid to seek it.

Let me educate you further, Ms. Meed, because you seem to quite need it ... depression is one of the hardest diseases to discover. Why? Because it is not "testable" per se (like heart disease or cancer) and only the person suffering can know for sure that there is something wrong. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain that has been proven to have ties with genetics and heredity (so to right your point, yes, people can be born with it). Depression is caused by a lack of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine, or the blocking of these chemicals. It wasn't anybody's fault... it was the body malfunctioning. Yes, it can be cured. But first, people such as yourself must lose the attitude and erase the stigma attached to depression -the one you have clearly exhibited in your letter.

Lastly, you mentioned orthomolecular medicine. Throwing out a big word such as this does not prove your credibility. Any credibility you may have had vanished in your previous paragraph.

Responsibility? Responsibility needs to be taken by teachers, coaches, doctors, friends, family members, the community, and ignorant people such as yourself. Until that happens, there will continue to be tragedies such as this.

The only thing I agreed with in this letter was that things can be fixed. After you, Ms. Medd.

OLIVIA PETRAS Manilla

Contest not inclusive, says advocate

Re: City of Kawartha Lakes Accessibility Advisory Committee inviting students to submit logo and tagline for awareness contest

Sounds like an interesting contest but I'm scratching my head how a blind or partially sighted student might be able to participate in such a contest.

I'm wondering why an accessibility committee would have such a contest that excludes some participants, unless you can enlighten me on how a blind person can create a logo, I'm pretty sure you need vision for that.

Would not a two-part contest have been better where one part deals with the graphic and the other the slogan?

I thought it was about inclusion.

GEOF COLLIS Cambray

Possible OAS changes frustrate senior

I recently sent a letter to our prime minister asking why "single unmarried partners" who, when reaching the age of 65, can both apply for, and receive Canada's Old Age Security pension?

(I am still waiting for an answer.)

PM Stephen Harper seems to have decided that this government can no longer afford to pay out OAS payments until we reach the age of 67. My "wife" still works, as she is a little younger than I, which prevents me from receiving the OAS payment.

Most seniors in Canada, who receive the Canada pensions, live well below the poverty level, this, while our government is all set to purchase the all new F35 fighter jets at a cost of more than $9 billion. (Protect us from whom?)

It would seem to me that Mr. Harper has his priorities all mixed up once again and along with his spending habits, seems to think that the only people that deserve a fat pension are his members of Parliament.

Goodness knows I have paid enough taxes in this country, and for over 45 years. Surely I deserve half of what Haliburton- Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Barry Devolin is likely to get.

It's quite okay for the prime minister to ignore questions like mine concerning equal financial rights inside and outside of marriage when it comes to OAS payments. But lest he forget it was mostly seniors that voted for his majority government in the last election.

It again proves that Conservatives look after their own before anyone else. This will prove to be their downfall, especially when ignoring questions from the very people that put them there in the first place.

G. HAWKRIDGE

Pontypool