No, education is a public investment
(Re: “Education is a private investment,” letter, 7 January 2002)
Despite Mr. Somer’s assertions, education is not a private investment. It is a public one that benefits society as a whole. A society that has more students trained with post-secondary education is more efficient and productive and creates a stronger economy. Besides, students do pay monetarily for their education.
It’s called taxes, which over a lifetime more than cover the cost of educating ourselves in college or university.
Though enrolment has continued to increase (mostly due to the importance of having a degree in our society), the demographics of who is attending are changing. The poorest sections of our society are choosing not to go to university or college, and this growing trend cannot benefit anybody.
So where will the money come from, if not from corporations? Well, Mr. Somer should ask his wealthy friends why public education and health care and the entire public sector was cut back so that corporations and the richest in society could receive massive tax cuts. Governments prioritized these tax breaks over education, and now students are paying through an education system that is inaccessible.
I certainly hope that maintaining a public education system that is accessible to the entire population, and that benefits society in multiple ways, is not a fanatical aspiration. The likes of Mr. Somer may want to take such a system away, but the majority of students aren’t going to stand for that, and will show just that at the February 6th National Student Day of Action.
Alex Kerner
SAC president
Varsity Stadium is in the minor leagues
(Re: New stand and sport stadium. )
Can a major institution such as U of T have a facility such as Varsity Stadium to host major sporting and cultural events? The newly proposed field and stands appear to be more on the scale of a high school facility, except for the astroturf. Why do we need astroturf? Is soccer not more suited to natural grass? All of the major American universities have large scale stands. Varsity as it now exists is small by existing American standards. As a U of T student I feel we have a responsibility to the city of Toronto and the myriad of groups that use Varsity, including the Lynx. Paying for a new facility through increased fees is simply proposterous. Profit from the sale of Bloor St. property should generate significant profits for the school, more than enough to pay for a new facility with stands to accommodate 20,000 plus fans. If it doesn’t, there is something rotten in the state of U of T.
Michael Finan
An open letter to President Bush
Like many Canadians, I was appalled that you used the term “Pakis” and did not immediately apologize to the Pakistani people, and Americans and Canadians of Pakistani and South Asian descent. You should immediately apologize for misspeaking, as your remark was racist.
Since the September 11 attacks there has been unprecedented backlash against Arabs, Muslims, Sikhs and Arab-looking people in both the United States and Canada. By not apologizing, you have, perhaps unwittingly, condoned physical and verbal racism.
I can appreciate it was never your intention to become a role model for racists. But, as politicians committed to easing, not exacerbating, tensions, we must take every step to renew harmony and make all people feel safe. We should be fighting derogatory terminology that is demeaning and hateful as vehemently as we fight physical attacks.
I draw to your attention the attached all-party resolution on terrorism, passed unanimously by the Ontario Legislature, and cite, in particular, the New Democratic Party’s amendment embodied in that resolution:
“To respond as well to recent and unfortunate incidents, in Ontario and elsewhere, of intolerance directed to Muslims and members of other visible minority communities; …
“The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, on behalf of the people of Ontario: … condemns all hate crimes and reaffirms the commitment of all legislators to uphold our province’s proud traditions of tolerance and respect for diversity and to do everything in our power to ensure that all Ontario residents continue to treat one another—regardless of race, religion, background or ethnic origin—with generosity, compassion, dignity and respect.”
As your symbolic public gesture to the world, a simple “I’m sorry” will go a long way to putting this regrettable incident behind you. It will also signal that you recognize your error and will strive not to repeat it in the future.
Howard Hampton
Ontario New Democratic Party
Editorial misses a point
(Re: “Stats don’t lie: Poor people don’t attend university,” 7 January 2002)
Your otherwise thoughtful editorial misses one key element. While you note that increasing tuition doesn’t seem to decrease access to university (and indeed a closer look at the Statistics Canada statistics show that a larger number of poor people are attending university now then ever before), you overlooked the fact that since 40 percent of university students come from wealthy families, this implies that 40 percent of public funding for universities is directed to students from wealthy families.
This also suggests that tuition increases, in which a large proportion of the tuition increases are re-directed based on need to poor students (as has been suggested by Queen’s and U of T) is, ironically, a progressive form of income redistribution from wealthy students to their poorer peers. Moreover, these statistics reveal the sharply regressive nature of a policy of free tuition recommended by, among others, the Canadian Federation of Students. This proposed policy would result in the lion’s share of any tuition reductions being directed into the pockets of the wealthiest students. This is a regressive, ineffective and enormously expensive way to try and increase access to university.
Carl Irvine
Israel and terrorism
As a result of the September 11 bombings, many people forever lost not only their sense of security but also their trust in the government. The politicians told us that the bombings of September 11 happened because the Islamic extremists hate Western democracies so much. Is that a good enough reason even for an extremist to commit suicide? The real reason lies in the bloody history of Israel. In the 1940s, even before Israel came into existence, Zionists began a terror campaign to drive 800,000 Palestinians from their homes. After half a century of life in refugee camps, they are still not allowed to return to their ancestral lands. As Israel expanded, massacres of Palestinians intensified. In 1948, at Deir Yassin, 254 people, mostly women, children and elderly, were butchered in cold blood. The man responsible for the massacre was Menachem Begin, who later became Israeli PM and who also received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1982, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Defense inister Ariel Sharon (now Israeli PM) was party to the massacre of 1,500 Palestinian refugees in the camps of Chatila and Sabra. This is the same man who now vows to eradicate terrorism. In 1996, 200 Palestinian refugees were brutally murdered at a UN compound in Qana, Lebanon. One old man who survived the attack said, “I would like to be made into a bomb and blow myself up amid the Israelis.” Could this man have fulfilled his wish? Perhaps he did.
Stan Deineka
