6 — Friday, February 21, 1992 — North Shore News INSIGHTS THESE TOUGH NEW AULES WILL yy: neEWS VIEWPOINT School support . BJECTIONS raised by the B.C. Teachers Federation (BCTF) over Sentinel Secondary School’s hiring of 3 full-time fundraiser seem largely groundless. The pilot project was approved by the West Vancouver District 45 Schoo! Board after the board rightly reasoned that a faindraiser would benefit the school’s stu- dents. But BCTF president Ken Novakowski criticized the program, saying it was “‘a serious threat to education’’ and would undermine the equity of the B.C. school system. This last coxeg‘aint was based, presum- ably, on ihe phitcsophy that all students in the province should have an equal chance for an equal education. No one would argue with equality of ‘basic education across the province. But what some might rightly argue against is the idea that all schools should have the same facilities regardless of what that school administration and its students’ parents think the school’s students should have. If a given school thinks enough of its students to want to improve its facilities beyond the normal allotted level by hiring the services of a full-time fundraiser, then more power to that school. And more power to parents who might support that move by giving extra dollars to the efforts of that fundraiser. And while we are at it: more power to self-reliance and the pursuit of excellence, which is what the Sentinel project appears to be based upon. A pox on supporters of the mediocre status quo and reliance on the system and Big Brother to take care of all and sundry. LETTER OF THE DAY Quebec language laws ‘draconian’ Dear Editor: As the current constitutional paradox lurches from discord to bathos, it is appalling that almost everyone concerned is prepared to gloss over, or ignore completely, the absurdity of trying to arrive at some sort of consensus as long as Bill 178 is in force in Quebec. How can they ignore the ob- vious language injustice of this draconian edict on English-speak- ing Quebecers, an edict which denies them the keystone right of a free and democratic society? Are these ‘‘constitutionalists’”’ aware of any country in the civi- Publisher . .Peter Speck hzed world which forbids the use of ‘‘foreign’’ languages, any foreign language, never mind one that is the mother tongue, or tongue of choice, of 75 or 80% of the population? Also, do they know of any other country in the free world which needs language police? And the defence, so readily ac- cepted, that Bill 178 is necessaiy to protect French culture, is in- sulting. If a way of life, or a culture, is so weak that it can be endangered by the use of a foreign language on signs, then it must be accepted that it is on the verge of Display Advertising 980-0511 Distribution extinction and that a travesty such as this dictate will not save it. And all this to try to keep a province where half of its popula- tion wants to leave Canada any- way, It is evident that Quebecers are as ill-served by their power- hungry politicians, ready to use language as a political weapon rather than as a means of com- munication, as we are by ours who are afraid to stand up and be counted on an issue of basic human rights. Rupert Gomes North Varcouver 986-1337 Ga w North Shore Government’s cookies not for its customers! WHAT IF YOU lived in a country with no corner grocer- ies and only a single supermarket chain as your sole sup- plier of food? Imugine the lousy products and service you’d be fobbed off with - and the extortionate prices you'd pay for them. That’s the gut problem we have with politicians and bureaucrats, says a U.S. efficiency expert who’s now being listened to seriously by a growing number of states and municipalities below the border. All governments operate rigid monopolies. Though happily not yet into food retailing, they ARE sole suppliers, with nc competi- tion, of many other vital needs. Since we helpless taxpayers are their captive market, they take us to the cleaners whenever it suits them - which is often - through inefficiency, extravagance and waste. In his new book entitled Re- inventing Government (Ad- dison-Wesley Publishing) David Osborue calis on our servants- turned-miasters to start acting like business has to act - by accepting competition, doing more with less, and measuring and rewarding productivity, “Times have changed,”’ he writes. ‘‘We'’re in the post-in- dustrial era, information is widespread, the pace of change is much more rapid, more of the population is educated, people are used to having lots of choice rather than one size fits all. . **Centralized, top-down bureaucracies aren’t very effective any more. They’re too slow, too cumbersome ... too expensive ... too unresponsive to their custom- ers. So we have to create more decentralized, more flexible, more entrepreneurial organizations.” One way is by contracting out public services to private firms and non-profit bodies (strongly resisted in Canada by public sec- ter unions). Another is competi- tion between private contractors and government departments to get quality up and price down - a system that has cut garbage col- . lection costs by half in Phoenix, Ariz. Managers should be freed to make ad hoc decisions on the use of their resources and spend budget savings to reward high- performance employees. And results should be measured. ‘If it’s a job-training agency,’’ says Osborne, ‘*... how many people got jobs, at what wages, how long did they keep their jobs?”’ This is old hat, of course, to businesses battling to survive the recession. If our hidebound politi- cians and bureaucrats ~ objects (ia & ; HITHER AND YON - today of widespread cynicism and distrust - adopted business’. methods and attitudes, Canada’s: financial fortunes would rapidly improve, aera But then why SHOULD go' ernment give away its cookies: :..-, when it can stop anyone else from even getting near the jar? - TAILPYECES: Happy occasion - earlier this month for the founder of a service of major value to the entire community from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay. Attending the: celebration of her successful =: ©. “baby’s’® 20th birthday was’. MARGARET FULTON, for. -°: whom the adult daycare centre in St. Andrew’s Church is named ...° Interview tapes in that CBC.News feature Monday and Tuesday on LORIE HUDSON, the North Van woman held for four years in the’ hellhole of a Peruvian jail ona *’ drug rap, were supplied by West... Van producer GARY PAYNE: |: - from his private files - he hopes'.. to make a TV movie of her or ... And non-profit groups are in” . vited to enter a draw with a prize. - of 400 hours of office beip (filing, . - typing, word-processing and tele- — phone fundraising) by calling © ~~ 980-1202. . re WRIGHT OR WRONG: Hiring ~ _ people smarter than yourself just goes to prove you’re smarter than they are. 986-1337 985-3227 985-2131 MEMBER Managing Editor . . Timothy Renshaw Associate Editor. . Noel Wright Advertising Director _. Linda Stewart Comptoeoller ... . Doug Foot North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualitied under Schedule 111. Paragraph III of ine Excise Tax Act. 1s published each Wednesday. Friday and Sunaay by North Shore Free Press Lid and : a’ distriputed to every door on the Narth Shore. . Second Class Mail Registration Number 3865. Subscriptions North and Wes: Vancouver, $25 per year. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome bul we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscipts and gictures which shauid se accompanied vy a stamped, addressed envelope Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Subscriptions Classified Advertising 986-6222 Fax Newsroom 985-2131 Administration Tag Worcs OF taser ano wEET wecouren north shore: SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY 1139 Lonsdate Avenue, SOA OIVISION North Vancouver. B.C. — = V7M 2H4 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1992 Nerth Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. NEWS photo Maks Weretietd REMINISCING ON a score of successful years... Margaret Fulton & (right) with administrator Margaret Kelly at the 20th birthday party of the adult daycare centre she founded.