JUSTCAWS

Recent post brought this up - so I decided to post this article with the paper's headline and original newspaper clip below as the link has since been removed.  There sure has been enough “union bashing” going on during this economic downturn. Unionized autoworkers seem to be taking the brunt of the abuse this time around. Many observers have credited the “bloated” workforce of GM and Chrysler with contributing to their demise.   That point may be debatable, but it has got a lot more people talking about the merits of private sector unions in a competitive, global economy. Achieving great pay packages, improved working conditions and fantastic benefits don’t mean a whole lot if the company you work for closes shop because it can’t compete. As someone who became a teacher because of my passion and strong belief in the importance of public education, I have repeatedly questioned the role of entrenched teacher unions. Now as we move from the industrial to the information a...

As June begins I thought it would be appropriate to have a discussion about the pride flag being flown at Ontario schools. Recently, I opined publicly that the Canadian flag should be the only flag flown at schools as it should represent all of us. It is our symbol of unity, pride and progress.  That opinion, however, was liked and commented on by people who were not sharing my enthusiasm for the maple leaf, but liked the exclusion of anything pride. Their derogatory, inflammatory rhetoric made me realize we have not progressed  as far as I had thought or hoped. The importance of the Pride movement hit me more this year than any other. Some comments did give me pause though, to wonder if progressive voices were losing the room.  Even my own support of progressive causes and awareness campaigns is not absolute or without hesitation,  I’ve tried not to become numb to the constant awareness campaigns being pushed at schools for a variety of worthy causes and movements. ...

I do appreciate the importance of always looking at something with a fresh set of eyes. We should always be looking at how we can do things better.  The desire to improve should also come with some reverence for how we got here.  Without that understanding we tend to tear down rather than build upon. This is happening in so many ways now that you can’t help but think we are moving backwards.  Take for example the decision from some Ontario school boards to remove uniformed officers from visiting or working within schools.   The rationale is that the police uniform is a negative emotional trigger for people and communities who have faced police brutality and mistreatment. I do not doubt their fear and concern.   Children from war torn countries have also have legitimate feelings of fear and anxiety seeing people in anything that resembles a military uniform. So, one might make the simple call to remove the source of that fear from the safe space schools hope ...

Dark clouds are hovering over Ontario public education, right now.  Whether you blame the government or the unions it doesn’t matter, schools are closed – again, and parents are fed up. This will be a pivotal week in determining if the Ford government cares about public education or is purposely creating havoc in the system to undermine it in the eyes of Ontarians.   As for the education unions, from my experience at the negotiation table – I know they don’t care about public education – it’s not their job.  They work to get their due paying members the best compensation deal they can. Since their union dues are a percentage of gross pay – it is in the union’s self-interest to get their member pay raises. I don’t begrudge them for that, but they spew a whole of bunch B.S. when they say, “we are doing this for the kids”. If you believe the government is making public education, stronger by finally ending the constant work stoppages and disruption – then this the end ju...

A strong Public Education system is vital for a functional democracy. So many important parts of our society are supported by an educated electorate that learns perspective in an environment that reflects the society they want to change. Equity within public education is vital, but it must be done right. An uncompromising push for equity is going to push out families that have time, money and influence. Their absence will disrupt the diversity needed for the magic of public education to work.   Removal of student fees, attacks to meritocracy and destreaming are blunt remedies to address equity issues in Ontario public schools. They will throw the baby out with the bath water if not done in a thoughtful, non punitive manner.    Making student fees optional - will not raise enough funds.  Covering students who can’t afford to pay is not good enough. Many will not participate rather than suffer the embarrassment of coming forward and announcing their families'...

                              The U. S. supreme court decision to over turn Roe v. Wade brings into serious question the status of abortion rights in the States.  While many point to the undoubted tragic consequence to follow I am hopeful that the individual States can find a just path forward for us all.  Please forgive me for offering my view, but a man might read this too.  From a personal standpoint, from what I have witnessed, I consider myself now pro -life. But based on the fact that having an abortion is a decision that I will never face,  I believe it is a women's choice to make and support intiatives that provide that choice.  Again, if up to me if allowed, it would be conditional, but again it's not up to me. So I believe we should defer to women in society to determine if there are to be any conditions. If you believe I am vacillating on this issue, I accept that. Some of our ...

Previously written about the cult of personality of our time. Before the election and after. I have found it fascinating that people still don’t grasp the appeal and how to combat him. I do fear for American democracy if he was to ever win again. It is why I hope the left has a better strategy going forward than what I have seen thus far. The January 6 committee is going to try and get as much out of that disgrace as it can. But without criminal consequence - it does seem partisan and out of touch with day to day issues Americans currently face. I would like to believe that the Republicans could run a garden hose to beat Biden right now and the only thing standing in the way of a GOP landslide win, is Trump himself. Still there is a lot of personality left that his cult still finds appealing. More to come…

So here we go again. More self - inflicted pain felt most by the working poor. Right on the heels of the pandemic where the less important delivered food to the too important to go out crowd. Now we have record food and gas prices.   I am not going debate the merits of our covid lockdown response here - but it is rather clear suffering was not evenly felt. The line "we are all in this together" - became a punchline rather than a rallying cry.  Covid was the threat and we were told to shut down.  Now the climate crisis is back on the front burner and it’s the existential threat we must extinguish. Yet again, we are asking the working poor to do most of the heavy lifting.  To combat climate change progressive leaning governments have targeted fossil fuels and the oil industry. Oil isn't just a dirty substance, it's now a dirty word.  Any exploration, development and production are to be curtailed.  One of Biden's first acts was shutting down the Keystone...

Another tragic mass shooting in the United States has Greg address the divisive issue of gun control. Sadly, the time for federal gun control in the States has come and gone. Too many rational citizens want guns to protect themselves from guns. This leads to escalation in madness with no apparent end in sight.  Only hope now resides at the state and local levels to enact their own common sense regulations. Time for progressives to get creative as lawmakers have done with abortion laws in conservative states. Perhaps with clear evidence of reduced gun violence in gun controlled jurisdictions a pathway out of this madness can be found.  My hope is for Canada to avoid this vicious cycle altogether. Canada’s superiority complex to the U.S. is deserved - on this file, but we haven’t done much lately to address the increase in gun related crimes. Most Liberal government initiatives are symbolic, and used to exploit divisions. Ban handguns - fine - but without  increasing penalt...

Originally Published in the Guelph Mercury -   January 12, 2008 Looking back at this column and its predictions...  There is much talk and concern about the alleged apathy of our young people when it comes to the political process and exercising their civic duty. Media campaigns and slogans are used to persuade young people to do something they haven't done in great numbers in the past --vote. But we need not worry. The youth of today do care and will vote. And perhaps in even greater numbers than previous generations, once they feel they are part of the process and truly believe that politicians are actually listening to what they have to say. We may be seeing this start to occur south of the border as young people are being turned on by the charismatic Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. His ability to get out the youth vote could break the current practice of politicians catering mainly to baby boomers who have the numbers and who turn out to vote. The boomers' electo...