PROBLEM AND SOLUTIONS, NOT NEAR AS DIFFICULT AS SOME LIKE TO MAKE IT, THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE ARE MOSTLY THE SIMPLE THINGS.
But then again, it depends a lot on what your agenda is…just a thought.
Well, seeing as no one else is going to say it, then I will.
Senior admin. And the board did an impeccable job of playing the game of politics last night, following the tried, tested and proven model of gratuitous lip service.
A couple of members of the board suggested at the end of the meeting that possibly looking at the proposed postponement and a discussion of transitioning the move to FI over several years would have to be decided then and there, because of time lines.
Dr. Michaels was asked if this was possible, to entertain this possibility, she said it would be problematic: Linda Ross said it would be disastrous: and before you could say “jack be nimble”, they conducted a yay/nay and based on a by-law of 2/3 vs 1/3, the proposal remained in the dumper.
This is an old game and exercised very successfully, known as good cop/bad cop: and in this case, bad cop achieves the ends to their means, while good cop appeases the electorate with a “gratuitous”, look, we’re on your side, and we tried: that all took about 2 ½ minutes to transpire, and then Mr. Buri said, well, we don’t have 2/3’s, shall we continue on with other business.
Twice, Mr. Buri stated that had something been done before last fall, then the scenario could be different: which obviously raises the question, what about virtually every survey conducted and recorded that clearly indicated strong opposition with the higher number of checks: not to mention, but very important to note, the dirty details of their implementation(and their very recent exposure), which raised the ire of citizens affected directly and otherwise, and reached an almost fever pitch: which anyone can only surmise, would have thrown the board right off the teeder todder, that is, had it been polled.
Have our kids been bamboozled? Yes, is the simple answer.
One nugget that we can take away from this meeting, especially beneficial to the gym situation, is that the board is going to actually listen to experts in that arena…bravo, and kudos to the citizens who pursued that end, and then articulated their case very well at the meeting and otherwise: also, I think it’s important to note, the board and senior admin. were essentially embarrassed into digression and re-evaluation of that scenario, due in no small part, to the excellent work of the parents of the affected children, but also due to the fact that the board and senior admin. did not get the gag order on staff of these schools quick enough: interesting to note, this(gag order) was brought up several times during presentations and no response was made to that point by BSD(at least none that I heard): and on that note, it should be recognised that staff and teachers are also very much affected adversely by this situation: yes we all know, but it bears repeating, so, with the knowledge of a gag order on staff, we can see again, the depths and lengths the powers that be will go to, to achieve their ends.
One trustee, Linda Ross, refers to us as “you people”, not sure how anyone else perceives that connotation, but for me that clearly indicates the disconnect between the board and it’s electorate, which of course explains and further exemplifies the blatant gratuity(yeah, I like that word) shown to the voters at every publicly accessible board and town hall meeting.
Now, Brian Mayes, while I admire his ability to think on his feet and articulate his thoughts(something that I sorely lack), I know that I’m not the only person that thinks he is pompous, arrogant and speaks in condescending tones to “we the people:” seeing as he’s pulling up stakes, he won’t be around to get voted out now anyway.
To the other trustees and senior administration (excluding Ramona Coey), I still have a curious respect for “most” of them, and the duties they perform, someone is always gonna be pi$$ed by their decisions: and as a rational human being, damn’t, I understand that. However, with this latest issue, if the poll booths opened tomorrow, none of them would get my vote.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, and I won’t attach “we” to this statement, because I don’t presume to know how others feel, but I believe there is a hidden agenda in all of this: I believe there is another entity or group in the shadows that are the real voice or lobbyist that have planned their coup de gras, and via BSD, have played the concerned citizens like a cheap fiddle.
My reason for saying that is because there is no possible way that BSD with it’s collective intelligence, could possibly conceive of one of the most asinine, destructive and disruptive plans, that I have ever been witness to: that undermines the wishes of the clear majority, from the beginning, and clearly benefits the desires of a very small group, over the said majority: when anyone at the meeting could hear very well thought out and articulated alternatives, which in essence, would still see their ends achieved, albeit at a slower, more methodical pace: but, most obvious to anyone, smoother, less disruptive, less expensive(IMO).
As others have so wisely stated, this is a band aid solution and only delays further calamity.
There’s my toned down rant(it "was" 13 pages and took me the better part of a week), now here’s some food for thought, for all of my fellow Canadians: this is fact, not fiction, reads like a horror story, not for the faint of heart.
IMHO, our elected officials, our voice to the levels of government that we have no personal access to, aside from our vote, should be doing this: Find out why, why is it that the budget on education has essentially been frozen, due to economic times? When the federal government has just announced that they are increasing spending on prison budgets by a whopping 36% over the next 3 years, $861,000,000!!! PLUS, the hiring and training, etc., etc., of 5300 new corrections officers, keeping in mind that this is a permanent expense…you do the math.
Now obviously, this is their “get tough on crime” agenda, but where are the new prisoners going to come from(at a cost of $8000 per month per prisoner, upwards of $100,000 per year). (Read the article in the Globe, the government says that is confidential information…WHAT???)
Well, that’s easy: when we freeze spending on education and raise the minimum wage $0.50 and don’t do anything to get proper nourishment into the bellies of the children(the list is endless), it’s not hard to see where the next crop of misfits and degenerates are going to come from, to fill all of our shiny new
prisons: but hey, we created 5300 new jobs and think of the spin offs, such as construction jobs…means to an end, I guess???
Don't be telling the government that crime doesn't pay.
What if, we took that same money, and spent it on new schools, healthy food lunch programs for every school, please carry on, that list is long too: what would happen if incarceration was about education in the true spirit of education, rather than crime school 101. The studies they’ve done in regards to a focused and high intensity education models in prison show dramatic reductions in recidivism(return to crime and prison)
Alas, it won’t grow with the present mindset of our elected representatives, so, would it not be on our agenda to help them change their mindset? Enter our grassroots, elected representatives, who, one would think, would be all over this kind of thought process: can anyone refute or chastise or call me crazy?
Here’s an example of everything just said: Take 3 plants, plant 1 gets fed and watered, pruned and exposed to the proper amount of sunlight, in fertile soil, this plant will flourish and produce in plenty: plant 2, gets much of the same treatment, but it’s planted in poor soil and kept in a restrictive cage, resulting in a sad looking plant, unable to produce much of anything: plant 3, getting limited nutrition, poor soil and is kept in the dark for the most part, eventually withers and dies: but, that’s not the end of the story for plant 3, because it has dried up and can be crushed to be used as fertilizer for plant 2, so that it can be sustained. (recycling, bravo)
Question: If you figure out my little analogy, which plant represents the vast majority of children in our present day society, keeping in mind, our government’s budgetary (indiscretions.)
Side note: What did they say? About 2 million for the gun registry, and then it would be self sustaining and possibly produce a revenue? What are we at? Last I heard we were at about 2 billion and counting, in the red: and what does the jury say about its effectiveness as a whole? Last I heard they were back peddling as quickly as they can, but they just can’t seem to shut the tap off.(that’s all my own understanding, please correct me if I’m off, it’s not really on my radar: you get the gist of it anyways.)Selinger wants to blow another 640,000,000 on another hair brain scheme concerning Bipole(Greg, go sit in the corner, and put the funny hat on)
At the end of the day, and where this concerns the issue in our spotlight , is the fact that every problem we have with doing things the right way, always seems to be related to money, or rather, the lack of: and don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t be prudent and efficient and good stewards, far from it. Please read the articles in the links I’ve provided at the bottom, then imagine if you will, by reversing those ridiculous decisions, how many schools could be built,healthy lunch programs in every school, not to mention more staff and more advanced learning opportunities and more opportunities for less advanced or special needs: the list is absolutely loaded with good ways to spend the billions being wasted.
We have to realign our mission with our priorities and make sure they ensure the perpetuation of what is most important…our successors…our children, not just some of our children, ALL of our children.
Feed what it is that you want to grow: the prison population or the future generations of our communities, our country and the world, in that order. The interesting thing to note here is, which ever one we pick, will have the opportunity to nullify the other, over time:
So, how do YOU vote???
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/the-prison-spending-boom/article1518034/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2004/02/13/gunregistry_rdi040213.html
http://www.bipole.ca/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
There, now that I’ve bored you all with much repetition, that’s what I’m sending to every politicians address that I can.
Why? You may ask: well, that’s what’s on my mind for starters(or I could just sit around and belly ache, like too many people), and as a parent, a taxpayer, and concerned citizen, I want accountability: and the fact that our little(albeit very important) problems, are a trickle down result of the whole.
Sh*t runs down hill, and so do bad politics(oxymoron?)
To my neighbours in the board room who spoke at the meeting, I’m still applauding you, words cannot express how impressed I am with each one of you, and I’m proud to call you my neighbours!
To every parent as well and your children, never stop speaking up for what’s right.
As anyone from the meeting can see, I’m a little bit better at conveying my thoughts in print(not much but some) selfishly, this post is also to bolster what’s left of my self esteem, after one of the most embarrassing and humiliating 10 minutes of my life: thank-you for this opportunity, and I apologize for choking.
Finally, this is hotgrandpa’s last post on ebrandon(how dramatic eh)( self imposed ban, lol.) Thanks to everyone for a most interesting (my first foray into the world of discussion forums) and often times enlightening discussion experience: what’s so great is that you can put your thoughts down, and no one can interrupt you, I like that.
Please, if you have any critique, positive or negative, by all means let ‘er rip: I won’t be responding, but I’ll take it under advisement:
A few quotes I like:
“I am easily satisfied with the very best.” Winston Churchill (also why I married my wife) hg
“The only real failure in life is the failure to try.”
“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” John Jakes
“Be yourself, don't take any one's shit, and never let them take you alive.” Gerard Way (perfect)
Good day all, see ya at the grocery stores.
hg