Dear Editor
As a taxpayer, it makes my stomach churn every time I hear about another union or professional association demanding more money because I know it means a take home pay cut for myself. However, in the current labour dispute between teachers and the government, I didn't have my normal reaction.
Government, as an institution, is probably the worst way humanity could have devised to spend money. If the government is in charge, it will cost ridiculously more than it should. On top of that, government services and products tend to be managed more for the convenience of the government and its employees than for the people they are suppose to serve. There are few exceptions, one is education.
As taxpayers, it costs us approximately $5,000 per year per student. This is a bargain when compared to the $60,000 to $250,000 cost of housing a corrections inmate. Which we would have fewer of if we only spent more money on childhood education.
What we need to do is find a better balance in how we spend our money. If we invest in children at an early age we can expect to get more out of them in the future. It makes sense to me, but then again, I am the product of a $5,000 a year education.
Moe Brondum
North Battleford
