Blue Like You

Archive for September 9th, 2007

In his own column today (Tory hits the hot button), Lorrie Goldstein demonstrates the hypocrisy of Dalton McGuinty’s objections to Faith-based funding and explains his own preference for one publicly-funded school system.

The whole article is worth the read, but here are the highlights:

What’s sleazy is McGuinty’s suggestion Tory wants to divide young Ontarians by religion by irresponsibly referring to loaded concepts like segregation. (Are Catholic students segregated by Ontario society?)

Ontario is the only province that fully funds public schools and the schools of only one religious faith.

Other provinces either fund only the public system, or the public system with partial funding to religious schools, not restricted by faith.

McGuinty’s claim Ontario would be torn apart doing what five provinces now do in some way is absurd. Ditto claims it would be impossible to define faith-based schools. Other provinces have. So could Ontario.

Last week, the secular media invented a non-story in order to attack Tory for saying faith-based schools could teach creationism while receiving public funds. So what? Catholic schools can teach creationism now, as long as they do it in religion, not science classes. Was McGuinty attacked for that?

Lorrie goes on to explain that with 58% of Ontario voters preferring a single publically-funded school system, we must be careful not to allow the politicians (and their attack dogs - my insertion), to use opportunistic arguments and hysterical rhetoric that could inflame bigotry.

We must hold their feet to the fire, so to speak, and not stoop to their level.

Along that line, there was an excellent Letter of the Day in the Record on Saturday - Evolution isn’t a big issue for faith schools, by Bob Moore, Principal of John Calvin Christian School in Guelph:

Thank you for reporting on the latest bogey man of creationism that Dalton McGuinty and his party are raising against Conservative Leader John Tory’s bid to have fair funding for all schools in Ontario.

If you search the provincial science curriculum for Grades 1 to 8 on the Ministry of Education website with the term “evolution,” you will find that it is never used. Evolution and creationism are non-issues at the elementary level. What should be getting the voters’ attention is that the elementary science curriculum has not been updated since 1998.

The Grade 9 /10 curriculum document makes three references to evolution, in such a way that no faith-based school could object.

Senior-level documents make many more references to evolution, but by then the ministry already controls faith-based schools by approving texts, course outlines and exams before the school can grant a secondary credit for the course. Again, evolution and creationism are non-issues.

The actual scientific study of the origins of the universe in any faith-based school would be remarkably similar to what McGuinty experienced when he was educated in a Roman Catholic faith-based school, and I suspect that he thinks he was well-educated.

Any faith-based school that graduates a well-educated student has performed a public service and deserves public support. If accountability is the issue — bring it on.

And to underscore the whole hypocrisy of the situation, Ted Byfield notes that Kathleen Wynne herself did not agree with the status quo - Religion makes waves in Ontario:

…In fact, its education minister, Kathleen Wynne, once suggested the solution was not to extend state support to other religious schools, but to de-fund the Catholic ones.

Has she changed her mind now? Someone should ask her.

In any case, it’s up to you now. Shrug off your complacency and write letters to the editor. Call in to talk shows and really tell it like it is.

Don’t let them pull the wool over our eyes again, Ontario.

We deserve better.

In this morning’s Sun, Lorrie Goldstein tells us what he would like to hear as a kick-off speech from ‘his choice for premier’ tomorrow (A Vision for Ontario’s Premier).

Among promises to defer the MPP’s 25% pay hike until after the following election and immediately rescind “the $2.6 billion-a-year health care premium imposed on you after the current premier gave you his word he would not raise your taxes and did”, he also points out that:

Recently, the government announced an annual surplus almost as large as the health tax.

A surplus is money we overtaxed you. To take $2.6 billion a year from you under false pretences and then boast of a similar annual surplus is a disgrace. I will put a stop to it.

That is exactly what Sandy posted yesterday. I’m glad to see someone from MSM picking up on it.

Anyway, then Mr. Goldstein’s ideal party leader gives us his ‘vision’:

The squabbling over money between Toronto and my government will be over. We will have made a final offer to the city, and all municipalities, to solve the problem of downloading. Councillors must then do their jobs. You will decide if we were fair.

We will do all we can to reduce medical wait times, but we will never lie to you about what those times are.

We will support public transit, but also build new roads.

We will have moved significantly toward one, properly funded, public school system.

You will be paying a lot more for energy, but you will be confident about the security of our supply and satisfied with our efforts to combat pollution and global warming.

Handguns will not be banned. Crown attorneys will seek no bail and longer jail terms for criminals who use guns. They will have the resources, and remand facilities, this policy necessitates.

And here’s the clincher:

If, four years from now, a majority of you — anything over 50% — are not satisfied with my performance as determined by scientific polling conducted by an independent firm acceptable to all parties of the legislature and paid for by mine, to be released simultaneously to the public, I will resign.

If my support is over 50%, I will run again and outline a new platform.

This man would get my vote. No question.

Now will someone please convince him to enter politics?