Page A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 24, 1993 Authorized as second-class mail pending the Past Office Deparimant, for payment of pastage in cash. - T . Jeff Nagel - News/Communtty, Maicotn Baxter - News/Sports, oN ERRACE STA NDAR Pubflsher/Edltor: Rose Fisher - Front Office Manager, Pam Odelt - Typesatiar, ee Rod Link " Allane Watts - Typesetter, Susan Credgeur - Composing/Darkroam, Special thanks to — [ ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 . : ‘vanet Vivelios - Advertising Consultant, Sam Collier - Advertising Consultant, eerie Cote all our Advertising - Charlene Matthews - Circulation Manager tributors and Registratlon No. 7820 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C., V8G J Manager: contr 4 : correspondents - 7- Mike L. Hamm P none (604) 638-7 283 K by Cariboo Press (1989) Lld an ee 638 c 8 4 32 oa for their time and Tvl OTe Ao. is on oI We , a We, Terrace, Smlish Volumbia, : Stories, photographs, illustrations, designs and iyeesiles in tha sel slandatd ie property cf the copytght holdats, including Cariboo Press Production Manager: vearieD -* talents. (1969) Ltd, it's illustration rapro servicas and advertising agencies, Edouard Credgeur CIRCULATION Repaoduction in whole or in part, without written permission, is specdically prohibited. @cn A CONTROLLED EDITORIAL, Doing it differently Ooops. Perhaps it was too good to be true. The strike vote discussions by local teachers introduces a warning flag into “what had been rather successful — and peaceful —- contract negotiations with the school district. Up until now, we had been spared the tra- ditional trading of grapeshot from the two parties. The absence of rhetoric had been refreshing, It’s been a far cry from those old days when the emotional rollercoaster of talks took its toll on teachers, students and the public. — There was even a feeling, for a bit, that. the two parties would reach an agreement without threats of job action or employer retaliation, And it seemed that the talks have been helped because the district hasn’t hired professional negotiators. ‘This: has been a constant criticism of teachers, saying paid district guns disrupt more than they help. But perhaps there is still hope that a con- tract. can be decided without something nasty happening. Votes to decide. if there should be a strike vote or the strike vote it- self have become a traditional tactic. They don’t mean there will be a strike. They simply indicate that the level of talks has been bumped up a notch — something like raising the stakes in poker. Heck, the teachers and: the board aren’t even that far apart when it comes to money. This surely must be helped with the knowledge that the district hasn’t any hew money to pay for wage increases. Any increase negotiated will have to come from cuts in existing spending, And that could mean two things. Either pay teachers more and then.cut the number _ of teachers to provide those increases or keep the number of existing teachers with minimal or no increases. “In-a lot of ways, contract negotiations in times of no money are a lot. easier than in days when it seemed the proverbial sky was the limit: Choices are limited and the - consequences are far more serious. New attitudes can lead to a new way of doing things. And those new ways are probably going to be more productive than what they replace. The honey pot | Why should a person collect unemploy- ment insurance if he quits a job just be-~ cause he wants to. And why should able- bodied people collect social assistance just © more fortunate. The problem is that the lines between less fortunate and more fortunate have become blurred. Governments have allowed that ‘because they don’t-wantto.fitd Workers ico . philosophyinto :become.a:zmiassive| honey, : Expect, these\and:similar;comments to surface as taxes increase to cover growing. deficits and as government debts climb to monstrous levels. There’s a growing feeling of anger out’ there from what’s left.of the middle class. . It’s the easiest target of governments when it comes to raising yet more money for ser- ‘vices the middle class feels it doesn’t use or that others abuse. That’s dangerous because it threatens the basic building block of Canadian society —~ the less fortunate are helped by the pot. Everybody: either: expects: ito-or. has: a ' Tight to dip into it. Even the most vociferous of those who say they believe in a free enterprise system want their spoonful of honey. What is the real difference between a person collecting social assistance or a company receiving a government grant. Not much. Each has at- _ tached itself to the modern welfare state. Real change has to start with everybody beginning to assume more responsibility for their own actions. And governments have to be told they must do the same. - Please, no boycott Squeezed by indusiry and its at- tendant pollution, lower mainland B.C. has cnacted by-laws to pro- tect what litle unsullied nature it has left... We on the north coast, thinking our part of the province is un- spoiled, have not yet drown up by-laws.to-keep it that way. Per- haps regional district would have ‘Through Bifocals _ by Claudette Sandecki MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES \ INSIST. THAT | SHOULD BECOME PRIME MINISTER .. THEY REALLY MUST LIKE ME... & \ . ST yt S < <3 Ss as = ““) ~ AS « ANA ) .DOTHEY??.. } 6