Ah yes, why shouldn't we shunt those 'problems'

Why shouldn't we shunt those 'problems' back into the shadows where they came from?

God knows there's money to be saved - money which could perhaps be invested in a few more Yaletown condo towers that will shortly declare bankruptcy.

No one is ever served well by leaving them out of society - and society is worse served by shunting its problems off into institutions.

Portly Gentleman: At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.

Ebenezer: Why? Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

Portly Gentleman: Many can't go there; and many would rather die.
Ebenezer: If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

Passing the buck

"There are no plans to return to telling school boards how much money to spend serving students with special needs, said Minister Bond."

Of course not! How could you pass the buck if you did that? The provincial government does not have to take any responsibility for how children with special needs are serviced because they have downloaded that to school boards. Langley has downloaded the responsibility to the individual school. Can you imagine making the decision what your school needed most, a custodian or a special education assistant? That is what happens in Langley. It is all about what to sacrifice because there simply is not enough money.

better off

You are all better off than we are in the US. The appointee of Bush responsible for aid to the handicapped, such as children with special needs, fervently believed (and was quoted so), that those with disabilities were being punished by God.

When asked about children, she asserted these kids were being punished by God for something they had done in a previous life.

Ah, . . conservatism, gotta love it, . . for the black humor, if nothing else.

I think it is time for a

I think it is time for a class action law suit against a government which plays lip service to no bullying and then has through its whole two terms. If you are poor or disagree with them you have no voice. It is a government which is not living up to the equality of all its citizens.

It would be interesting to

It would be interesting to know Ms.Bond's religious beliefs, because in many cases handicapped children are considered being God's punishment for some imaginary sins of the parents and deserve what they get .

After all, when some people believe that black people are the punishment by God for Kham's laughing at Noah's balls, sentenced to be the servants of whites forever, they'll believe anything.

I grew up in such society,and have a good idea how religious beliefs can warp political/economic systems and the way some of these Ministers behave, talk and accept crazy economic theories, benefiting special interests as the Will of God, is very apparent from their actions.

Many years ago in Vancouver I heard of a guy from one of the Balkan countries I won't name. He escaped and did well enough to bring over his sister, who was by then a young woman.

He was showing her around Vancouver and as they were waiting for a traffic light on Hastings there was a blind man beside them tapping the curb with his white cane. The Balkan guy offered him his arm and led him across the street.

As they were walking on his sister asked: "What the hell did you do that for ?"

"Because the man was blind, so I helped him across the street"

" You must be crazy. Back home we throw stones at them!"

And this kind of mentality is very common in many societies warped by screwball beliefs.

Ed Deak.

visceral response

Personally,

I become physically ill whenever I see a picture or video clip of Campbell, Harper, Martin, Mulroney, Day, Bond, Taylor, Opal, Kruger. I have never believed that these peope have the average Canadian's or British Columbian's best interest at heart. I don't trust a one of them. I can say the same for the newcasters at Global and CTV. They can't keep the sneer out of their voices/faces whenever they report on working people joining together for their common good to overcome the forces of greed.

The manipulation and subterfuge by our current governments is transparent. Their quest for power seems absolute. They have sold their souls for pieces of silver. It is either that or the existence of a soul ever having resided in their flesh is doubtworthy.

I am no less deposed to feeling ill by their visages than I am of the sociopath, Pickton. To me, they are all the same.

Thanks to all

Very educational comments.

'I am no less deposed to

'I am no less deposed to feeling ill by their visages than I am of the sociopath, Pickton. To me, they are all the same.'
hopefully this poster has no influence on anyone'. this is some pretty sick rhetoric.

Diversity

Quote:

..."there's a whole range of learning styles, intelligences, splinter skills, etc. that cross back & forth across all the various labelled and unlabelled kids.

It's terrific that we have this new understanding of how differently people learn. We can do a whole lot more, but we've had to rethink how education is delivered.

Much appreciate these thoughts of yours, Name.

It's the real meaning of what education is about.

not rhetoric, simonfraser

It is not rhetoric, simonfraser, I mean and feel every word. I do get sick when I see these people's faces. I am not given to rhetoric.

Having worked on behalf of disadvantaged people for most of my adult life, I find that the Conservative and Liberal legislators have caused no less suffering than Pickton. Those lawmakers have continually worsened the plights of the most disadvantaged among us. They say some empty, feel-good things put together for a timely announcement here or there that makes it look like they are doing something about the problems that they have either caused or exascerbated through government claw-backs or the willful underfunding of the needs of society. They throw a few bucks here or there toward some little stop-gap measure to get their picture in the paper. They afforded this mostly through subsidizing the fiscal plans of the already wealthy.

The huge numbers of poor, and/or homeless people have children and families just like everyone else. Those poorly fed and ill-cared-for people often have difficulty keeping up with our fast-paced society. An uneducated or disabled parent is likely not going to be able to provide as well for his or her family as a fully-functioning adult. The disadvantaged need society's support.

The under-funded public schools have compounded problems caused by the underfunding yet mandated special education services coupled with underfunded and inadequate social supports outside of the schools. On top of this, we have a government that contiually markets the continually increasing number of ways one may gamble. The venues and hours of the day in which one may buy alcohol have also increased under the current governments. Through all of this addiction and poverty, Vancouver is becoming a gangster haven - like Chicago of the 20s and 30s. I'm afraid that once the recession really hits; it will get even uglier. Best place on Earth, pphhhht!

DECEIVEBC

Exactly, Sharing is Good, and all of that heartless subterfuge made possible under a calculated marketing campaign of BELIEVING.....

Don't forget the economic

Don't forget the economic theories that give them the licence to exploit, enslave, rob and destroy people, and the ecology, in the name of "efficiency". Used to be called the "will of God".

Without the scriptures by prophets no religion, or ideology could exist and go on rampages.

All ideologies and religions can be and have been twisted around and distorted into the licencing of crime waves.

I've lived under every known ideology and have seen how they work and the bodies they leave behind in the name of racial theories, and the words Marx, Smith, von Hayek, Friedman, et al.

Unless we turn to physical laws based and democratically practiced economic systems this rampage, by sick minds, using the distorted words of prophets will go on and on, until it destroys all vestiges of civilization and Earth itself.

Ms. Bond is just another example of this fraud and it is hard to say whether she even realizes being a victim herself, just as the executioners also believed that they're following high principles.

Ed Deak.

sounds to me like you're a

[EDITED. -MODERATOR.] your comments in your previous post are quite hateful. i'm surprised the editor allowed them. what a horrible way to speak of others. i do sincerely hope that you're not in a position to influence others.

sf -topic is this gov't & Sp. needs kids

simonfraser: I am not the topic of this thread; but, since you besmirch my name, hate is not something I do. I do find it disturbing that this mean-spirited government has been allowed to continue. I find it disturbing that you would defend these people.

You see, before Campbell had come to power, the NDP had already downsized and streamlined services to children and families. An integrated service delivery plan was implemented in order to minimize duplication of efforts and to strategise between agencies and ministries. Implementation was a difficult, but it was seen as necessary. The change was supported through collaboration with all of the stakeholders - including business and the public. There were open-ended polls and study groups. Information was collected and collated; stategies were put together; downsizing through attrition was inacted; and things went about as smoothly as they could. BC professionals in education, social services, MCFD, health, mental health and the Min of the AG were chugging along, working hard and efficiently - improving the lives of all people by helping society's most needy. It wasn't perfect, but it worked pretty darn good and things were always getting better.

As a non-partisan person who worked both locally and provincially to implement these changes, I was filled with a sense of joy and awe that we had achieved so much and that we had tangible proof that our combined efforts were providing excellent results. Services were provided more cheaply and efficiently than ever before. Other provinces and countries (even from Europe) were sending their professionals to British Columbia to learn how to reduce costs, implement change and improve service delivery. BC was the model and BC professionals took pride in going the extra km.

The Campbell government came into power and proceeded to slash and hack away at virtually every government ministry and service while it sold off our money-making assets: BC Hydro, BC Rail, whole old growth Douglas fir logs and BC Gas to name a few.

The gains that the previous NDP governments had made in reducing costs while improving service carried Campbell for a few years, but as BC's most needy families have been dragged through 7 or 8 years of chronic Campbell underfunding, the cracks in the armour are now gaping holes revealing deeply festering wounds that are effecting us all.

Campbell and his cronies, including the main stream media, have not been truthful with the people of BC. Collectively, they have managed to strip a well-maintained provincial ship that was headed to the calm seas of high commodity prices and they have sent it toward the rocks. They have played havoc with our social infrastructure. The province is unprepard for the next economic storm. The decks are rusty, and barnacles grow thick while the engines grow tired.