February 27, 2004
Re: Lindsay This Week Editorial

      Cindy Woods begins her February 23 editorial, "It was high time Municipal Affairs Minister John Gerretsen put the kibosh to any thoughts of the City of Kawartha Lakes returning to 16 municipalities." Perhaps Ms. Woods wants to live in a country where the government is allowed to arbitrarily dismiss the will of the majority of its citizens. If so, there are lots of countries in the world she can move to. But it scares the hell out of me that the press, who should be our most vigilent guardians of democracy, would sanction it happening in this country.

      Are you too short-sighted to see the bigger issue? A referendum was held in which a majority of the voters in this municpality expressed their will regarding our future. Whether or not you personally agree with it immaterial... the majority spoke and the most basic tenet of democracy is that the "majority rule".

      Are you so smug over this decision siding with your personal opinion that you'll ignore the fact that it represents another broken promise by McGuinty and spit in the face of democracy? No surprise, I suppose. I've long since decided that "jouranlistic integrity" is an oxymoron. I just wonder how your editorials would have read in 1938 Germany or Stalinist Russia. There were lots of opportunities in both eras to offer support for governments where the "minority" ruled and democratic principles were trashed.

      One final question. Turn this situation around and ask yourself how loudly you'd be screaming these same arguments if the referendum had been 51% in favour of keeping the city and McGuinty had called for its deamalgamation against the wishes of the majority. Frankly, I find your position not only frightening but sickening.

T.J. Wood
Verulam Twp.