Letters, Dec. 8

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This article was published 08/12/2023 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s North Star

Re: Note to Kinew: stop tax cuts to clean deficit mess (Dec. 5)

Thank you, Tom Brodbeck for an insightful and readable analysis of the challenges of governing in a democracy.

All democratic governments must prioritize equity and safety. To have it otherwise causes immense suffering, despair, anxiety, anger and crime. In short, catastrophe.

For governments to succeed it is essential to have and make continuously public a clear vision of the “North Star” which describes simply how they want the future to be. The vision must enshrine basic principles and beliefs with words like equity and justice. I cannot imagine anything taking precedence over equity and justice.

Separate from vision and beliefs, every government is obliged to state clearly, its perception of the environment, the challenges before us and the resources which will be required to achieve their vision — Manitoba’s North Star.

Then, with a clear outcomes laid out, to plan and deliver programs that will create, sustain and maintain the collective vision.

It is important to always be cognizant that the economy is only a tool, not the end. As such, every economic initiative must support our mutually held vision for the future. If our economy does not promote equity, justice and fairness then it is failing and must be repaired.

All programs require financing. The only fair and ethical way to obtain the required financing is through progressive taxation.

It is critical that we support all of our political representatives in the creation of a new “Manitoba Dream,” where everyone has an equal chance, where everyone has enough to eat, where everyone is safe and has a secure place to live. Our support must be “tough love”, asking the hard questions in a respectful way.

Bill Martin

Gimli

Vision for a chief

Re: Police board eyes recruitment committee for next chief (Dec. 5)

Here’s my wish list for the qualifications and skills that Winnipeg’s new chief of police will possess:

1. Advocacy for cameras to be worn by every police officer.

2. Ability to create effective teams of highly visible police foot patrols, especially in high crime areas.

3. Ability to build bridges and partner with other agencies, particularly the transit safety officers currently being hired.

4. A solid, workable plan to strengthen the morale among the rank and file. The key component of a successful plan will be a management style that provides officers with ongoing, timely supports and guidance; and also will create constructive communication channels that encourage officers to debrief, discuss and support each other.

This is a difficult job, but also an important one. We will all benefit from an engaged and respected police force.

Marilyn Bird

Winnipeg

Applied mathematics

Re: ‘Fiscal mess’: Manitoba deficit $1.6B; Manitoba students’ math scores improve, but still ‘worrying’ (Dec. 6)

The paper contributed to the humour for my day.

The deficit is four times than what was expected. Of course it is not what the previous government said. Our last premier forgot about $31 million in personal assets.

Nice problem. Now for math scores.

Well, it all starts with the 3 Rs. And our country’s education system has failed society. Don’t blame the teachers or students, maybe the financial support is missing.

This showed a good example of our elected officials not knowing basic math.

You can’t spend more than you make.

Howard Doerksen

Winnipeg

Wednesday’s front page headline reads ‘Fiscal mess’: Manitoba deficit $1.6B, then on page 3 the headline reads Math scores improve, but still ‘worrying.’

Coincidence? I wonder.

Ken McLean

Winnipeg

Intergovernmental co-operation

Re: Sooner or later, the bill comes due (Editorial, Dec. 7)

As your editorial today pointed out, political parties are once again playing with their numbers. It happens with all parties, provincial and federal alike.

As usual, we really have no clear idea of what is going on. There is no trust in the numbers stated so we are all left in the dark.

The provincial NDP and the federal Liberals need to work together with their other opposition parties to come up with a way to have a standardized formula to tell the public where our deficit or surplus stands.

Agree on a set of criteria that covers as much as possible of the economic calculations used when stating our financial situation and have this managed by a third party like KPMG or someone all parties would agree on. This way, we can get consistent numbers for taxpayers to see.

If we do this either in Manitoba or Ottawa, we will be able to judge our politicians’ fiscal successes or failures more accurately.

We need to pressure our politicians to make that real change to give us the information needed to make decisions.

Tom Scott

Winnipeg

Not at Mother Nature’s mercy

Re: Mother Nature pulls the economic cart (Think Tank, Dec. 6)

Aside from the leaf-cutter ant, man is the only known species capable of creating food where no food ordinarily grows. Unlike the ant, however, by wilfully and scientifically discovering, transmitting, and assimilating new ideas about the physical world, he can increase his potential relative population density — translating into what ecologists call carrying capacity or “die-off” thresholds — with no known principled upper limit.

The ecology cult would have you believe that man is just another animal, incapable of sustainably increasing the planet’s carrying capacity and thus subject to population collapse to restore the mythical “balance of nature.”

This subordinates the spirit to the flesh, and denies that man is made in the mental image of God. We are super-natural, in that respect.

In other words, we can change the rules of the game. We are not bound by ecology as it is, any more than we must tolerate malarial swamps wherever we find them, rather than draining them and improving upon them.

Economics, in its grandest sense of wilful human perfection of his technical practice, perpetually and providentially discovers new resources and methods of fruitfulness that go far beyond what some capricious, stingy and cruel “Mother Nature” can offer.

Gregory Unger

Cooks Creek

Congratulations all around

Congratulations to the coaches and athletes of the Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) boys team and Steinbach Regional girls team on becoming the provincial AAAA volleyball champions this past week. Congratulations as well to the winners of the A, AA, and AAA and JV teams on their successes to also become provincial champs this year.

A special round of applause to Neelin High School on becoming the AAA Junior Varsity boys, AAA Varsity boys, and AAA Varsity champions, all in the same season — definitely a major accomplishment.

And … another school accomplished the same feat by becoming champions this fall in the AAAA Junior Varsity boys, AA Varsity Boys, and AA Varsity Girls provincials. Gabrielle Roy, a small school with a student population of 500 students, has three new MHSAA championship banners hanging in their gym. These banners will be hanging alongside the many others in the school gym.

Coach Michel Laverge is to be congratulated and commended for the many successes Gabrielle Roy teams have had in his 30-plus years at the volleyball helm. His dedication and commitment to the game and, more importantly, to the many athletes he has led and inspired, makes him a true legend in Manitoba volleyball.

Walt Roberts

Winnipeg