If your house had a leaky roof, you could decide to put off repairing it but finally the day will come when something has to be done about it. There are also unanticipated problems that will catch you unawares.

One could face this situation by being an ant or a grasshopper, either plan for the future (ant) or just live for the day (grasshopper). Our problem in Ontario is that over the years we have had too many grasshoppers and not enough ants driving our political future. The result is that money required to fix our failing roofs has to be borrowed so that the grasshoppers can continue to live in the moment.

Ontario has a big debt, no doubt about it, but it is because there are too many grasshoppers. Are you a grasshopper? Ask yourself if you are willing to pay more tax. No? You're a grasshopper. Do you want to pay less tax? Yes? You're a grasshopper. You say that tax money is just being wasted? Yes? You're a grasshopper.

The biggest grasshopper mistake was made when the Federal Grasshopper Party cut the GST from 8% to 5%. This caused the Feds to cut transfers to the provinces, the provinces to the municipalities, leaving the grasshoppers to bitch about potholes and accuse someone else of wasting their money.

If you want to be a grasshopper, fine. Just don't complain about the provincial debt. The laughable thing is that the Ontario Grasshopper Party, when in power, lets things get run down and badly in need of repair. Then the Ant Party, when in power, has to try and regain some semblance of order. Then the grasshoppers complain about the debt that they originally caused. Give me a break!

Bill Moses
Owen Sound