Freedom Flyer 20

She's never heard of the Freedom Party, but it is nonetheless "diametrically opposed to what we're doing."

Having made that admission in Freedom Party takes shots at teacher union's tax stance (Free Press, Aug. 7), Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation president Liz Barkley has made it abundantly clear that she is opposed to parents and taxpayers having more say in how their education dollars are spent.

This is a tragic admission. It attests to the fact that the teachers' unions simply does not care about the people that our education system is supposed to serve. Her comment, like the planned tactics the teachers' union currently intends to implement in upcoming municipal elections this fall (which are outlined in Freedom Party's Ontario Information Bulletin being circulated in communities across Ontario), reveals a contempt for voters, parents and taxpayers that is truly unbecoming for a group claiming to support "quality education."

Barkley's comment that trustee candidates who have the support of taxpayer groups are "not people who build a community, but destroy," is downright meanspirited and completely unfounded. Understandably, it is not the "community" she is afraid will be destroyed: it is her union's monopoly hold over an education system that deteriorates in exact proportion to the increased tax dollars we keep throwing at it to keep it alive.

In the long run, teachers themselves will eventually discover that they're getting ripped off for their union dues, simply because their union soon will no longer be able to deliver what it promises: excellent salaries, benefits, and of course, job security.

Like so many registered nurses who have been laid off despite the New Democratic Party's billion-dollar increase to the health-care system this year, teachers will eventually realize that even a government monopoly is no guarantee of job security. This will not be the consequence of any particular political lobby action, but is simply due to the fact that more and more Ontarians are finding it harder and harder to live in a province where more than half of what they earn goes to governments.

It is a reality that trustees, teachers, parents, taxpayers, and voters alike must agree to face - if our education system is to survive at all. Tragically, it appears that the teachers' union is committed to avoiding this reality. It too will eventually pay the price.