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Fletcher reverting to regular drivel

Just when I thought Mr. Fletcher was evolving to write regular balanced columns, he reverted to his usual banal, unimaginative anti-public school teacher, anti-union, anti-socialism (read: anti-public education and healthcare for his definition) drivel.

Naturally, our public school teachers want dollars the BC Liberals absconded with to give to private schools returned to where the dollars belong: our public school students. Private schools shouldn’t be funded above the public per student amount. Any dollars above this are, fairly, the parents’ responsibility.

Mr. Fletcher’s belief (assuming he believes what he writes) that the “exodus of parents who don’t want their kids run through a far-left indoctrination  programme” is the reason for a shift to private schools  is repulsively presumptuous and, for me, will be saved for the next time I need a good emetic. It is far more likely that the shift (for those who can afford it) is due to reduced quality of education in our public schools resulting from BC Liberal underfunding. No doubt, however, that the BC Liberals will be telling us we have some of the best marks in the world on standardized tests. Naturally, when teaching is targeted to learning-specific tests rather than targeted to open, rational, logical, thinking, test results well be high.

The crux of matters is not “Socialist Philosophies,” it is the BC Liberals’ massive vacuum where respect for our Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be. This void was obviously revealed by the vulgar waste of taxpayers’ dollars for three appeals, ultimately, to our Supreme Court of Canada where they “lost.” In actuality “We” all lost dollars that should have gone to public education. Any freshman law student could tell you that B.C. teachers’ rights to a fair, collective bargaining process under our constitution were violated. This is a “no-brainer.”

So, Premier Clark’s behavior comes as no surprise as her mentor was Gordon Campbell. Just in case memories are short, Gordo sat down pre-election with the HEU (mostly women) and promised he would “honour” their new contract with their first raise in seven or more years. His first action as BC premier was to tear up their new contract and impose one that cut back wages by 15 per cent. It took my wife nine years to get back to year 2000 wages. There’s your BC Liberal “honour.” This case was also appealed three times in spite of the obvious violation of the Charter Rights. These flagrantly wasted dollars should have gone where they belonged – to our public Healthcare.

So I suppose Mr. Fletcher, that in support of your “anti-Socialism” soap box, you are prepared to give up your Charter Rights to “journalistic freedom of speech” and your “Socialist” medical plan.

Ed Ivanisko

Campbell River