Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Like Captain Ahab Pursuing Moby-Dick, Christy Clark's Harpooning of BC Schools Continues With Crazy Plan to Pay Parents

Fantastic adaptation of Moby-Dick movie poster sent by a reader! 
In senselessly spending strike savings, it's clear Clark is channeling Captain Ahab.

Bill Tieleman’s 24 Hours Vancouver / The Tyee column

Tuesday August 5, 2014

By Bill Tieleman

"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee." –
- Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, 1851
For Premier Christy Clark, the BC Teachers' Federation has become Moby-Dick, the object of hatred to be pursued to the ends of the earth.
Clark has become Captain Ahab, driven mad in her desire to destroy the union version of the white whale.
That became apparent last week when the BC Liberal government announced what is a truly crazy plan -- to pay parents of students $40 a day if the union strike continues into September.
Crazy, because it makes no sense.
Clark's scheme would instantly dispose of the estimated $12 million in daily savings from the strike without putting a penny into improving public education.
What's worse, while the government claimed the money is for "child care" for students under 13 years old, there is no requirement that parents spend it on child care -- nor is there child care available to be had, and certainly not for $40 a day.
The move infuriated the union, which it was highly calculated to do.
BCTF president Jim Iker dismissed the government move as "a blatant and divisive attempt to prolong disruption in B.C. schools."
It shows the premier's unhealthy obsession with harpooning teachers instead of solving the serious underfunding problems in our schools.
Where is Starbuck?
In this whale tale, there is no BC Liberal Starbuck -- Captain Ahab's first mate who cautioned against chasing Moby-Dick.
If there was, perhaps Clark would realize the folly of her mission.
Remove the union from the equation, and consider whether the government would compensate oil companies if First Nations took legal action that delayed pipeline construction or drilling plans. Not a chance.
Would Clark pay $12 million a day to patients to receive treatment in the United States if B.C. doctors legally withdrew their services in a fee dispute? No way.
The BCTF is taking legal strike action, as is its right, but the BC Liberals are giving away allocated education dollars.
The reason this borders on insane is because the B.C. government is appealing a B.C. Supreme Court decision that ruled it must restore class size and composition limits negotiated by the union.
If the government loses again, it will be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on more teachers and resources in our schools.
Where will it get that money if all strike savings are spent? You guessed it -- from taxpayers.
If the teachers are on picket lines for two weeks in September, forcing the government to raise wages and benefits more than it wants, the strike savings money that could have paid for it will have already disappeared.
An ill-fated voyage
Captain Ahab asked a passing ship as he began his demented pursuit: "Hast thou seen the white whale?"
Yes, indeed we have -- and a battle with it will not end well.
The solution is obvious: negotiate a fair agreement with teachers this month and put the dispute behind you.

But so long as Christy Clark channels Captain Ahab, this ill-fated voyage continues.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I paid school taxes but have no children in the system and as such should I not receive a part of my tax burden back? One must be fair to all taxpayers.

Unknown said...

Hey Bill, someone with a handle as to Cocobean filed a comment on the Bill Good subject and I guess you can not place it in this column. Regardless that person is suggesting exactly what the first commenter outlined. Taxes for school purposes should be spent on the school system. If there is surplus that grows because of a labour dispute than next year's taxes can reflected that savings. All would benefit except for the most important principals in this situation and that would be the future as in children. Mrs. Clark is mean, miserable and ugly,as in my opinion and that of All my associates just a "plane" and simple BITCH. She certainly is an excellent flyer on that broom.

Anonymous said...

"I paid school taxes but have no children in the system and as such should I not receive a part of my tax burden back? One must be fair to all taxpayers."

Nope. We all pay into it. That means everyone pays. It's the right thing to do, even though it is socialist.

DPL said...

Things should get interesting as the polls were not backing the province. Now Vince Ready will get involved, something he would not do up till now. Expect classes in early September, and changes in class sizes 1115

Anonymous said...

I will add a comment that the majority of BC citizens support the Teachers in a recent poll. Now Mr. Ready is ready, willing and quite able to assist in this dispute. Is he not the #99 in assists in labour disputes as in the past? As mentioned in my first sentence, the teachers are correct, Mrs Lark and the Fast Bender of the Truth totally wrong as in 1001 %. For the sake of children, let justice provide as dictated by the courts. Thank you for reading.

Anonymous said...

and no plan to sit til thanksgiving how responsible

http://www.raesidecartoon.com/ed-gallery.html

Anonymous said...

Teachers need to tone down their demands, it's not just the government side that has caused trouble. The BCTF is a bit stubborn too.

e.a.f. said...

Lets see, recently we had Clark and MacRae stand up in the leg. and tell us the province was so broke they needed to mine for $17M a yr in the pockets of children who lived at 50% below the poverty line. Now they have $40 a day for every school age kid under 13. There isn't even a means test. Do all those millionaires really need the money? Do those who will not be paying for day care need the money? Will those who are on disability be able to keep the money or will it be clawed back $ for $ like the child support.

What a huge waste of money. I would suggest this is Christy and her clowns way of trying to buy the electorate and freeze the teachers out.

Clark and Fassbender truly have no brains or ethics.