Freedom Flyer April 1992 Cover

Freedom Flyer 20

the official newsletter of the
Freedom Party of Ontario

April 1992




Article electronically reproduced from:
September 5, 1991


Letter To The Editor

Teacher 'war' on taxpayers destroying own credibility

I have been following with interest the so-called declaration of war by the teachers' union on the Ontario Taxpayers' Coalition. So far, it has been isolated attacks by lower level, misguided members. Finally we have attracted the attention of the top levels of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF).

Mission accomplished. It is amusing that the OSSTF feels it should act behind the scenes, using other organizations as its puppet to fight this so-called war. The OSSTF has remained ambiguous until president Liz Barkley was quoted in the article Freedom Party takes shots at teachers' union tax stance (Free Press, Aug. 7).

When Barkley states that the solution to high taxes cannot be found in cutting spending, she contradicts every intelligent organization in both the private sector, federal and provincial levels. Does she mean that her organization has a licence to spend unearned money, or just the right to demand unearned increases? Does she mean to imply that an incompetent member of her union. at $50,000-a-year salary, can be made competent by a 10-per-cent-or-more annual increase?

Does she honestly believe that the quality of education must be measured by the steady growth of membership? Does job security mean the members must be untouchable regardless of moral or legal law? Does she think the present level of educational spending can be protected from public control by staffing school boards with past and present members of the teachers' or any union?

By her definition, any concerned taxpayer or senior member of our society is not suitable to sit on the school board. She is declaring war on the public at large, not on the Ontario Taxpayers' Coalition.

I do not believe that school boards staffed by former school teachers or active members of the union would or could voice the interests of the public at large. They would function as an extension of the OSSTF interests.

The coalition is not against education, but is against the waste of tax money in education. The coalition is not against teachers, but is against misplaced individuals in that profession and their unlimited protection.

When the union instructs its members to oppose any coalition candidate, it signifies that its members have not sufficient intelligence to sort out the issues but require union guidance. When rigid and unbending unions are not just refusing to compromise, they are negotiating their members right out of a job.

GEORGE T. UCHTER
Hamilton




Contact FP
Freedom Flyer Newsletter

e-mail

Page last updated on April 28, 2002

FP logo (small)