Letters || John Larter's editorial cartoon

June 6

School daze

Education Minister Gary Mar has absolutely nothing to be sorry about.
In the wake of a year-long review that handed the Calgary Board of Education a clean bill of health yesterday, Liberal MLA Gary Dickson and others have called on the minister to apologize.
But, since when should a politician regret doing his utmost to protect taxpayers' dollars?
Mar called for the review after relations between the board and Calgary MLAs had reached a low ebb. His concerns were perhaps compounded by major administration and organizational changes that had taken place.
But while Mar has no reason to eat crow, the findings of this review should definitely consume his full attention.
Among other things, it reveals teacher salaries are some $2,783 higher than the provincial average -- no surprise when you consider this city is going to attract the most experienced teachers.
And that's without factoring in the higher cost of living in Alberta's largest urban centre.
In fact, there are many circumstances unique to the Calgary board's situation.
With almost 100,000 students, it is the largest school system in the province and third-largest in the country.
This fact alone creates enormous stress and a complexity not necessarily shared by smaller boards.
Mar has called the review a "constructive exercise."
We take that to mean once the dust has settled, the education ministry and the Calgary board will sit down, roll up their sleeves and come up with ways to make sure our children are getting the quality of education to which they are entitled.
We'd never for a moment suggest throwing money at a problem is the only way to solve it.
But the government must take a long, hard look at whether the education funding framework in the province is unfairly penalizing its largest school board.
The real bottom line here, after all, is our children's future.

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LETTER OF THE DAY

HARKING BACK to the editorial in the May 24 Sunday Sun, "Two sides of the coin:"
The editorial itself was a very poignant and timely critique regarding the mistreatment of women in our armed forces.
However the accompanying cartoon "To the Generals" was confusing and insulting to the military and its veterans.
For starters, our military do not wear their rank on their caps and certainly not the "three stars" depicting an American "loo-ten-unt" general. The three blurbs or buttons on the 'general's' tabs can only signify the rank of captain.
For your information, a full general in the Canadian Armed Forces wears cross swords, a crown, and four Maple Leaves on his shoulder tabs.
A lieutenant-general rank has one less Maple Leaf. A major-general insignia is simply a cross swords.
Brigadier-generals are now mostly confined to the Salvation Army that still use the crown and the three "pips" that were used before Trudeau put our Armed Forces through the Mixmaster.
G. F. Murray
(We've ordered our cartoonist to do 200 laps around the parade square -- with full pack.)

LETTERS

I TOOK a poll among the women at our office and we all agree the Sunshine Boy is definitely a ray of sunshine, which we need as we have no outside facing windows. Every day, I cut him out of the Sun and pass him around the office for all the women to enjoy. The only thing that would make him better is if he were in color. (The SUNshine Girl is usually in color -- we just want equality). Waddaya say?
Arlene Dika
(We'll do our best!)

LICIA CORBELLA'S June 4 column regarding the effects of break-ups on children should be a sobering reminder to parents: Children are at risk. Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth reinforces what so many divorced parents' organizations have been saying: There is a significant drop in the standard of living for both children and their parents when divorce occurs or a relationship ends. We also know children from fatherless homes are at an increased risk of failing grades, low self-esteem, alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. These risk factors point to a need for Canada to develop policies and legislation which are child-focused. Parents must take a greater share of responsibility for their actions during the acrimonious period following the end of a relationship. Parents must learn to put the children's rights first.
Sean B. Cummings
Calgary Divorced
Parent's Resources
(Kids should come first.)

RE: LYN Cockburn's June 3 column "Challenge misses mark." I can't believe Lyn Cockburn jammed out on the challenge presented by Don Clarke! What's this about not wanting to own a gun? Nonsense. Clarke's challenge doesn't state to keep the gun. I think someone's not up to the challenge.
Raymond Lam
(Lyn's point was many kids do have easy access to guns.)

IT'S amazing, after years of milking every vote possible on the issues of MP pensions and defeating the Bloc, it now seems Reform is about to do a flip-flop. Stories out of the nation's capital say Reform MP's were willing to accept a 2% pay hike, doubling of the $6,000 living allowance and a plan to opt back into the pension plan. How is that for hypocrisy?
Mark Shmigelsky
former Liberal candidate
(When it comes to pork barrelling the Grits wrote the manual.)

AFTER READING another of Allan "Folleyhams" humorous articles, I had my usual chuckle or disbelief. This old coot doesn't get out West much, does he? It contained the usual drivel like "Parson Manning," "Western dissent," "redneck," "The West just doesn't understand Quebec," and a new one "Reform in bed with separatists." It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out Juan Cretin's the guy wearing his bath robe in the morning.
Grant Kitzol
(The Foth would never share his bathrobe with Chretien.)