Pubdate: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 Source: Sault Star, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 The Sault Star Contact: http://www.saultstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1071 Author: Tim Brown ON DOG DROPPINGS, SENATORS, DRUGS, WAL-MART, ETC. LETTERS TO EDITOR - I got caught. Police were called after my best friend left something on a neighbour's property in five feet of snow. I received a ticket and had to go to court. After receiving the ticket I cleaned up the mess and was humiliated by the neighbour and again in court by the presiding judge. The solution: ban dogs from Bellevue Park; end of problem. It is estimated that thousands of Canadians die every year waiting for health care. Let's stop spending billions on gun control. Put the money into health care instead. As for deaths from tobacco, if the government is so concerned about our health, then ban tobacco products completely. End of problem, and we can all live forever. We don't need a governor general or lieutenant governor or Senate. Apparently, you can live in Mexico and never show up at the Senate but the cheques are mailed to you and you will receive a pension. Put the money into health care. Drugs should be sold by the government, with taxes collected as they are for liquor and tobacco. This would end the drug cartels, saving billions on drug enforcement that will never work. Put the money into health care. I believe that Sault Ste. Marie Mayor John Rowswell and city council should run our city, not the Downtown Merchants Association. The restrictions and rules forced on Wal-Mart are a disgrace. If I were a representative of Wal-Mart, I would have advised the City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Downtown Merchants Association that I would be approaching Echo Bay. I would then have built the biggest Wal-Mart in North America with no strings attached. I believe there would be hundreds of cars following me to beautiful Echo Bay and I would be proud to be the guy at the door saying "Welcome to Wal-Mart." My heart goes out to the people of Walkerton, where a disgrace was allowed to happen and no one was punished. If anything, the individuals responsible all came out winners. The Indian Act hasn't worked for 126 years. I can give Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault a suggestion - stop this discrimination at once. Treat natives as Canadians. Treat them the way European Canadians are treated. Be a leader in equality and then there can be no discrimination. Let all be governed by the same rules and regulations, then they too can be rich and happy and successful. Get rid of the Young Offenders Act. It's a joke and a disgrace to victims. My whole family died in the cause of freedom in the Second World War. Freedom is one of our greatest gifts. I say to our mayor and city council, leave our merchants alone and let them and their staff decide when to open or close their businesses, including for holidays or regular hours of work. It seems that too many people are telling us what we can and cannot do. Give these people the freedom to choose for themselves. Tim Brown, Willow Avenue - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens