Of Oe

“ByDONBURBIDGE

| Noel Wright has presented

, the. case for private schools

persuasively in previous
issues of The News, but I
think there is a bit more to
be said.

-- It is quite true that private
schools, or as their ad-
vocates prefer to call them
‘independent schools’, have

become increasingly
dependent upon public funds
provided by a. benevolent
government in Victoria as
the result of legislative
changes about four years:
ago.. Such schools remain
independent in the sense
that those who control them,
and:spend the public moncy
provided for them, are
y free of-accountability

to any elected ‘represen:
tatives of the communities in
which they operate, and
virtually free of interference
from the bureaucrats in the
Ministry of Education.
Somehow such lack of

accountability is looked .:

upon as a very good thing. It * gce 2

is said to free parents from
the clutches of the public’
school monopoly, and
permit them to choose for

their children a school which
will develop the particular .

religious, social and
politicial views which those
parents prefer, =.
Of course parents have ]
rights — but children have insist that the ‘rol
rights too. They have the
right ynot to be: treated as
possessions or instruments of

teaching of basic
leaving all else to.the

ego-gratification by parents Some _ teachers
who want them to think critical thought: *
exactly as they do. They subordination. —

have- the right to an
education which does not
indoctrinate them with the
conviction - that only one
point of view regarding
- religion, politics or morality
‘is correct and all others

But the way to:
the situation is no
taking your ‘ki
plunking them .-do
private school

dogma. Public

t it’s preferable to

d we'll get some of

The * {ll-mannered goons who shouted
down President Reagan and Prime Minister
Tradeau gave Canada an undeserved black

eye. Whatever.‘our temporary differences
with Washington, the Americans remain our
good friends and Mr. Reagan, who put us at
the top ‘of ‘his. visiting list, was a very
welcome guest here. ~
If protest groups would only learn that free
speech is a two-way street, they might
achieve much more for their causes. .

sunday

news

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Vancouver's left wing Alderman Harry Rankin

has inadvertantly put his finger on the reason why. {
the doctors are ultimately going to win their fight .

with the government over fees.

He has called on the B.C.
Medical Association to settle
the dispute through
collective bargaining instead
of threatening extra billing
for patients from April 1}
onward.

The doctors, said Rankin,
should have to go on strike,
look after essential services
and go without pay while
they’re off the job like other

organized groups.
“Look after essential
services” ... really, Harry,

are you putting us on?

A patient with stomach
cramps wants to check with
his doctor whether it’s in-
digestion or appendicitis. Is
that an “essential service”?

A woman who imagines
she can feel a lump is
desperate to know whether
she has cancer. Is that an
“essential service”?

An employee absent from
work for five days with fu
needs a certificate to claim
sick pay. A drunk is wheeled
into Emergency Saturday
night after smashing up his
car and his body. Alderman
Rankin himself arrives at
hospital in the inhalator van

with an apparent heart
attack.
Does the doctor's at-

tendance in any of these
potential life-and-death

cases rank as an “essential
service’?

40% CATCH-UP

Quite obviously, almost
anything a doctor does in the
course of a working day that
often lasts 12-14 hours is an
“essential service” at the
time he does it. That's why a
doctors’ strike is, in practice,
unthinkable.

The alternative weapon
the medicos have chosen —
ditect billing of patients for
the difference between the
doctor's desired fee and
what medicare is prepared to
pay him — could hurt your
pocketbook, but not your
health.

One way or another, we're
going to have to make a
choice between our pocket-
book and our health. The
doctors have a pretty per-
suasive case. And the means
to enforce it.

Over a 10-12 year period
they claim their increase in
carnings has dropped by
around 40 per cent behind
that of industrial workers.
That's roughly the extra they
now want in fees. The
government has offered just
over 15 per cent.

According to Health
Minister Jim Nielsen, the
total increase sought by the

tline for doc,

~ wrong. They do have the

ight to an education which

exposes them to a variety of
“views on these matters.

Mr. Wright appears to

; imply that public schools

lack values, apparently
because they fail to provide.
a Single set of religious and
political values. But
tolerance, open-mindedne-
S$, critical appraisal of all

Noel Wright

doctors would raise a
family's medicare payments
to $625 a year from the
present $255; a single

Person's payments to $250
from $102.

These hikes may sound

pretty fierce until one
considers the following
Statistics.

For many years B.C.

familics got away with full
medical coverage, 24 hours a
day for 365 days a year, at a
daily cost of less than 62
It’s now about 70
cents. The doctors’ current
demands would increase that
figure to about $1.71 per day
— or about 69 cents per day

cents.

for a single person.

Next: are private:
really a bargain.
taxpayer? _
(Don Burbidge is
North Vancouver
trustee).

verifiable record. tha
average general p
in B.C. presently n
$49,000 a year after
office expenses and®
tax. From what's left:
tax he also has to proyi
own pension. :
For that, he frequent
puts in a 60-65 hour. wee
with no overtime
works out (in case
calculator batteries:“.8!
dead) to around $14 an hour
Have you had a bill recent!
from a plumber, electricia
or car mechanic? -~ i
' If no settlement is reach
in the next three
Health Minister Nie
indicated he may introduc
legislation to ban’ balan
billing. But it could:
shortlived victory. |.
Next year th
medicare contract con
for renewal. The dock
that point, could opt’
out of medicare altoge
In which case ‘we
ourselves on the U,5
of private medical
for those who could
— and tough luc
rwho coulda
. Private medic if
is actuarially. based
therefore soaks those
need it

tit

thing likely to bleed t
a year or 20 down the

4

your wallet. -