Regarding the current dispute between the B.C. government and the teacher’s union.
I think I have found a way to resolve this matter. The two guiding principles to strive for are, 1. Honesty. 2. Fair play.
Now, as I understand it the government maintains it doesn’t have the financial resources to grant teacher demands. There are only two ways to raise funds: Increase taxes or cut back services.
1. Increasing taxes. The NDP advocate this choice. The problem is that raising taxes leads to an increased cost of living, which leads to other strikes and causes round after round of inflation.
The NDP advocates putting the province in debt by creating loans to meet demands, perhaps this is the meaning of a bottomless pit. Bear in mind, B.C. was once free of debt; we had a bond-burning affair, which was followed by an NDP government. To Christy Clark’s credit she has resisted floating a government loan.
2. Cut back services. Find services of the least value and cut back enough to grant the teachers’ demands. This seems the obvious choice.
With regard to class size, the fair and honest way to settle this is to have a wide open public debate officiated by the media. The purpose of the media is to report points for and against, to be done as honestly as possible to be followed by a referendum vote.
Robert Selby,
Chilliwack