My Letter to the Editor

One cannot help but notice that the Comox Valley has many people who work to prevent cruelty to animals while doing very little to improve the plight of the homeless human beings in our region. Just this past week our local newspapers have an article praising a young person for raising money to aid the SPCA in providing for the needs of cats and dogs. Ironically, in the other newspapers, the Comox Valley Record included, have articles about homeless human beings being evicted from vacant lots.
While is is understandable that squatting is less than ideal, it is a sad commentary on the values of our society when all authorities seem able to do is to tell them to leave, when there is no one else for them to go.
While organizations such as Habit for Humanity are doing a commendable job in providing housing for one segment of the population, many do not qualify for this type of housing for various reasons. We need to take action in finding solutions for this deplorable situation in our communities. In my view, it is inexcusable that there should be the number of homeless people in a wealthy province such as British Columbia. One might be tempted to argue that these people are drug addicts or lazy individuals, but such is not always the case, and even if this be true and some may actually chose to live outside of traditional society, surely there must be some way to aid the majority of the homeless people.
If we can do it for dogs and cats, surely we can do more for our own species.

Convoluted Billing

I received my most recent bill from Shaw cable TV/Internet and talk about complicated! I had a trial of their Extreme Speed cable internet for one month. They informed me when I received the bill that by law they must enter trial features onto the customer's bill and subsequently subtract it. This is not so bad, but they entered it as the total of $14 and some odd cents and opposed to the $9 and some odd cents (tax was included). They bill upfront for a month. I am not even going to attempt to explain all the ins and outs of the billing entries, because the truth is, even after a heated discussion with their billing office, I still didn't completely understand all the entries on my bill. To avoid further stress on my day off, I just told the woman I thought it was far to complex for anyone other than a bookkeeper or accountant to understand. Usually I try to understand all my bills, but this time, I just took it on faith, paid it, and will get on with my life. She assured me the the following bills should make more sense. I sure hope so, because I don't need this aggro in my life - and neither do any of their other customers. At least this woman was skilled enough to handle conflict - not so with many billing employees.

Cleverness versus Educated

Whenever I hear someone say someone is "clever" I think that the person is "talented" and has an "inborn" intelligence. To me "cleverness" is not something a person can earn, work towards etc. It is born in the person.

When I hear the term intelligent, I think the same - it is innate within the person.

Knowledgeable and educated are different. These adjectives mean the person (clever or not) studied (or at least read) material and gained knowledge through reading and studying. A person does not necessarily have to be "clever" bright, smart, or brilliant, or a genius to become educated and knowledgeable.

In my opinion, cleverness is not enough (especially in today's economy). One must be informed, disciplined, willing to read and study and learn in order to succeed in today's economy (at least if one expects to be employed over a lifetime).

Yes, there are ways of earning a good living still (in BC and Alberta at least) without needing a postsecondary education, and cleverness helps in the types of jobs that do not require education beyond grade 12, but how long will it last? That is my question.

So I am interested to know if you have considered the different meanings of these words.

Another thing is that all A students in highschool are not necessarily "intellectuals" and not necessary "students."

Thanks for being patient with my constant inquiries. I am gathering material for my writing.

If you could please try to make at least a short comment, I would be appreciative.

Immigrants taking over?

On the weekend my mother hung up on me. We were chatting on the phone and all was pleasant until she went into her theme about Vancouver being "taken over by foreigners." As usual I couldn't agree with her critcism of people of other races clumping up together, rather than being almalgated with the rest of Canadians. "They should be made to learn English before they are permitted to immigrate to Canada" she says. Whether or not this is possible for them doesn't enter the picture. She isn't interested. Also, I find this rather hypocritical of my mom because she didn't study French in school, as I did. I don't think she realizes what a huge job it is to learn another language.

It is my understanding that Canada assists these people to either learn or improve their English in order to assist them in their pursuit of a new and better life. Many of these people are highly educated in medicine and other professional careers and if not, many study in our universities, so not all are unable to speak English.

My reply to people like my mother is, "Why are 'our people' not aspiring to become doctors, computer technicians, teachers, university educators, psychologists, lawyers, engineers, dentists, etc. etc.?" Perhaps if more of us third, fourth, and fifth generation Canadians would make postsecondary education a bigger priority, we would be filling the job vacancies at the higher end of the scale. Since many of these fields are going begging (if we are to believe what we hear on CBC radio) perhaps this is part of the reason that Vancouver and Toronto are filled with East Indian and Chinese physicians and surgeons.

As for the argument that "those people" are taking away jobs that "Canadians" need, I am not sure that is true. The industry of teaching ESL is a new field that has opened up new opportunities for long time Canadian citizens. This is just one career that I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure there are other jobs that have been created due to the needs of new immigrants.

I encourage you to comment on my blogs.

So far, no one has commented on my blogs. All you have to do is click on "comment" and follow the directions. I welcome feedback.

Always being one to see both sides of an argument

I was pondering my post regarding Catherine Bell's newsletter and I realised that she could give the retort that comparing the terms "scab" to names such as "squaw" and "nigger" is compariing apples to oranges. I have to concede that she would be correct to so argue (if she did, indeed, think to do so). The basis on which this is the case is that the latter terms insult inate characteristics of a human being, while the term "scab" is labeling according to a chosen behaviour by a person or persons.

However, much as a I have to agree with this point, I still find the name "scab" insulting. Also, my point was that make the act of crossing a picket line against the law is going too far. It is taking away the right of the individual to differ from the other members of the union and to act accordingly. Mind you a classmate of mine was actually killed when someone in the union hit him over the head with a board in the 1970s. I am not sure what came of that incident, but I do know that much, so although I disagree in principle with making a law against the act of defying the majority in the union, perhaps if it was made illegal, the so-called "scabs" would save themselves from violence, by obeying such a law. There are some poeple who will not go as far as lawbreaking in their attempts to make their point or do what they prefer to do, also, as we know, there are others who will break such a law to make their point or achieve their end.

I think the one thing in this day of "political correctness" my dander gets up with name calling per se. That is my main point here. If one is being politically correct it must apply to all people, not just our favoured choice of people.

It has been 35 years since I have belonged to a union and I have never been in a strike. The entire scenario of a strike offends my independent nature, thus I am better off to work as I do, as a self-employed person. The idea of chanting as a group offends me even in a church service. I don't like being part of the "mind of the mob" as my father called it. The only time I think I have been comfortable being vocal with others is while singing in a choir (songs that I enjoy) or chiming in with others spontaenously when I truly feel like doing so. Often in a group, I don't agree with the majority.

I suppose I could be called eccentric, but I personally don't think I am, because I have conservative leanings, mixed with a bit of liberal and socialist beliefs. Perhaps ecclectic would best describe my mind.

These are my spontaneous thoughts for today. Happy surfing and blogging.

Catherine Bell's Report

The NDP member of Parliament from Vancouver Island, Catherine Bell, sent out a report the other day and I read it while eating lunch today. All sounded fine, until I came across her government's goal to push for "anti-scab" legislation. As one who has retrained for a job in 1992 and excelled at that retraining only to discover that the most hours I could get to start were 14 hours per week at $9/hr. I was a single mother of two highschool boys. I managed to make ends meet only because my ex-husband paid support money for my sons and I had a boarder living with us at that time. Eventually my hours increased to a 25-hour work week, and I got a raise to $9.50/hr. Woop-de-do! That barely paid for a haircut at the cheapest franchise hairdressers in town. I found it necessary to take on a second job and started there at $10/hr. and after my three-month trial got a raise to $11/hr. Still not a living wage, but by careful planning, I managed to make ends meet and have a bit of a life. I tried numerous times to get a union job in my field, but I could not afford to be on call as a "casual" when I was already working. (I don't make a good liar, so I couldn't call in sick and go to a union job and I would have been found out). I don't believe in fibbing anyway.

The stress of juggling two part-time jobs became too much for me, and I the employers in their wisdom responded to my request for stress leave by dismissing me. I managed to get E.I. until I could enrol full-time at college to obtain a university degree. They required me to forfeit my E.I. if I wanted to stick with university and not quit to take a job. I found it necessary to take out a student loan and after $28,000 in student loans ended up working in the same field I was in prior to obtaining my degree. I gave up the plan to get a bachelor degree and settled for an associate degree, which the college fortunately granted (North Island College, Courtenay, BC). I also took several computer and office management courses, as a job did not land in my lap even with a degree. (The age old dilemma of not having experience in the specific field). So after a couple of months of not finding work, I relocated to the Okanagan where my sister was living. I lived on credit cards and applied for social services while I searched for work. I finally found work, but it was in the form of "at home, contract work." It was in the same field I had worked in previously, but for less pay. The good thing was the stay-at-home part, as I was thinking along those lines anyway. I have fibromyalgia and staying at home is much easier for me. (No doctor would consider me disabled, though many people are collecting disability pensions with that diagnosis. It seems to depend on the doctor and the pension you are applying for.)

So, I am what could be considered a "scab" as the work that people like me do is sometimes overflow union work. In my case, I am not a scab, because the work I do is actually work that nonunion workers in my field perform. I have friends that unions would call "scabs". These are highly educated people who are single mothers and need the work. Why should they be called an ugly name like "scab"? Is this any different than "nigger" or "squaw" or any other vulgar names that people have been called in the past? I for one, think not.

I challenge union workers who resort to this labeling. To me, it is just as unacceptable as the other "politically incorrect" names people have been called in the past. And Catherine Bell, you should step back and think about what you are doing. You are trying to legislate people out of contract work? How is that democratic?