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"A Family Tradition for 131 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 4, 1997 - 7 I ETTERS Striking teachers are out of hand To the Editor, The education situa- tion has got completely out of hand. People send their children to school to be taught lessons that they hope will help them learn in their future after school lives. Thousands upon thou- sands have passed through the one room schools to the schools of today and yet one con- cept remains the same: You will always learn more after you leave school then you ever dreamt. Government has introduced something different from the norm. They want to have a final say in education deci- sions. Supposedly this bill gives them this power. Public administra- tions run like govern- ment: Whine and com- plain about lack of funds and blame the other guy for lack of resources, and always ask for more money. Large new adminis- trative buildings to work in while sending kids to portables didn't help the education process. The sex education insanity was a terrible waste of money. Get rid of all the high salaries, the perks, cars, mileage, extra pay for being on committees that have been set up. This is the insanity that has got you into this struggle for money that you are in. Greed and incompe- tence is why govern- ment, hospitals, schools and any other public administrations are finding it hard to deal with change. We all pay taxes to the municipal, provincial and federal govern- ments. Maybe the new bill proposed is not any good at all, but as elected representatives of the people ;maybe they're telling you the well is dry; and you still can't figure why you are suck- ing mud!! I am no a government fan at all, but the people that continually pay the freight have had it up to here with excuses of how "we can't do it without more". They are going to have to try harder, because we have to everyday also. Their self- centered, self righteous attitude is disturbing. They are using the parents who do support you and your students as-bargaining chips and nothing more. I for one resent this. There was teacher job action when I went to school but the teachers never walked out on us. As a teenager I really respected them for this. Taxpayers do not have perk filled jobs or ready made pensions, or the ability to ask for more, more, more. We'd lose business trying these tactics. Maybe they are cor- rect when they say this 1s not about money. It's more about power, and who controls it, Government, unions and school boards are fight- ing for it. Two of them we really have no control over; government we can vote out. Ron Vice Brooklin 'attempt at meaningful Get the facts before To The Editor: One thing I learned in 23 years of schooling was that I should not enter a conversation or discussion without the facts. I observe a lot of "ignorance pooling" with respect to the current teacher protest. If I were a full-time teacher, I'd be hopping mad that the proposed Bill 160 would take away all my seniority and pay grid increments and place me back into the same pay level as a first year teacher. I'd be hopping mad that even though I am working on a legally nego- tiated contract, this contract would be null and void come January 1, 1998. I would be angry that there would be no further job security in that all teachers would be effectively fired and rehired back on contracts of two to five year dura- tions. I would be hopping mad that some grade 12 grad who could bounce a basketball could be teaching a grade 11 Physical Education and Health class just because a contract for two years at $10 an hour looks attractive to him and provincial government. As a person who tries to be fair about issues, it just blows me away that the media has to travel to Barry's Bay to find seven teachers of the 126,000 who have not joined the picket lines. passing judgement The document call Bill 160 is over 200 pages long. According to the government, the problem is four sen- tences long. Something here does not compute. Our tourist industry, summer camps for kids, provin- cial parks and parents wishing to holiday with heir children depend on the existing school break periods. Isn't it interesting that the kids can be out of the class- room for two months in the summer with no "irrepara- ble" damage to their intellect, and yet four days in October is called "irreparable" by Mike Harris. School teaches one "how" to learn. The sum total of science actually learned by the end of high school compared to the total volume of science one could potentially learn is zip! That's why we have "specialists". That's also why the more we know we know, the more we know we don't know. Finally, when I heard a woman on the radio the other day say that she could not support the teachers anymore because she has to find daycare for her child - I simply say - wow, what an intelligent and clever show of logic and understanding of the issues. Dr. Morley E. Pitts Port Perry Tories' true motives To the Editor: On the eve of a province- wide teachers' strike, Mr. Harris's thinly veiled health systems are part of a broad web of programs. These programs are designed to ensure the well being of the whole community. They allow more citizens to contribute to the tax base by allowing them to participate in the economy. For example, food bank usage becomes less as families become self-sustaining through labor retraining. They no longer have to rely on char- ity to survive, but get pay- ing jobs and in turn pay taxes. education reform is exposed. He refuses to redirect any savings from the obscene $533 million education cut back into the classroom, and reveals plans for another $700 million cut. Instead, these monies will go elsewhere. Who will benefit? Quality labor retrain- ing, decent family allowances, education and have been exposed off if every family simply took care of itself. It is only through comprehen- 'sive social programs that we can minimize the dis- parities between the rich and poor. The notion that high level social spending ren- ders a nation "uncompeti- tive" is a myth. Our gov- ernments must adopt equality based social reforms. We can't afford not to support the teach- Left to its own devices, the private marketplace distributes income in a highly unequal manner. It creates concentrations of wealth at the top and poverty at the bottom. Moreover, the rich are often not overly concerned about the benefits of our social programs. The one thing that concerns them a great deal is the cost of providing these programs to others. It is easy to see why the ers' strike. rich often articulate that C. P. Twomey everyone would be better Oshawa To The Editor: Kudos to Gord Humphrey, who addressed the morality issue of the teachers' strike in his letter to the editor on October 28. I've heard many comments about the teachers' set- ting a poor example for the children by staging this strike. In learning what Bill 160 is all about and what the teachers are actually fighting for, I've become thoroughly disgusted with the Harris govern- ment's bulldozer attitude. Teachers deserve applause for protest . Yes, the strike is a great inconvenience for students, parents and teachers, but the teachers should be - applauded for taking this stand and fighting for our children. It is extremely important for the public to educate itself on Bill 160. The bottom line does not appear to be better education for our children, but money and control for the government. Sue Barton Port Perry by J. Peter Hvidsten ee CONSUMERSARE © WALKING BILLBOARDS In this day of tabloid sensation, ~ entertainment and fashion news ~~ has wormed it's way into the pages of many newspapers and onto the sc of most television news shows. It's hard to understand why marital spats reens promoting their proc and ther 'us, the consumer to keep their names in front of between celebrities, or the latest craze in clothing has become part of our daily news dosage, but it seems to becoming increasingly popular. | find the fashion industry in particular both fascinating and bewildering. ~~ : First of all, | can't imagine anyone | know even remotely, who would wear some of the ugly "creations we see paraded down the runway. Most of the people | know are content to wear a the standing-room only meeting to see the or sweat shirt. Now that's my idea of fashion. nt legs of many gar ~ Nike, Roots, Tommy, Nike, Roots, Tommy, and Polo are just some of the high priced 'celebrity' manufacturers who market their name on clothing at ridiculous prices. - These same companies spend millions of dollars annually promoting their products, and then use the public out on the street. Instead of paying premium plus prices for these items, consumers should be given a kick-back for advertising the companies across their bodies . "WASN'T ITAPARTY Last Thursday night, Town Hall 1873 was F packed to the old tin ceiling with Scugog the residents. More than 250 people crammed into candidates for mayor and regional councillor comfortable pair of blue jeans with a bagay T-shirt posit 2 thetownshp, = it With less than a week to go before the election And as the clock ticks down these last few days, it's important all voters find out as much as an informed decisi the polling station. Scugog Township is governed, so it's important to get out and vote for the candidates of your choice but have you noticed how long it's taking for the Kind of makes me wonder what to look forward tothiswinter. = © «iii on af positions square off on some of the issues facing voters go to the polls, the meeting candidates running for office. possible about their candidates, so you can make ed decision when you make your way to This is your chance to have a say in the way on Monday, November 10. IN CLOSING: Not sure if it's the EI Nino effect, eek of November and er of trees clinging onto