Dear Editor:
There have been recent opinion pieces and letters on these two issues which are not unrelated.
Democracy? What is it? Dictionaries tell us: a government by the people, which is odd because it is an Athenian concept, 600 BCE, but did not include its slaves. The Romans also had their period of slavery.
The Magna Carta, the underpinning of British democracy, was wrested from King John by the feudal barons, not the peasants.
The U.S.A. has the reputation as being the greatest example of democracy.
The Declaration of Independence states in part: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." However, "men" meant white property-holding males - women and slaves need not apply. Many of the signers of the declaration and the constitution were slave owners.
I don't intend to demean our brethren to the south. After all, in 2011, we elected our ruling party with approximately 40 per cent plurality of 60 per cent of eligible voters - therefore representing just 24 per cent of the electorate.
This, after Prime Minister Harper was found in contempt of Parliament. This election was won based more on the strength of American-style attack advertising than on a popular program.
The title of In My Opinion, April 30, was "Is democracy dying in Canada?" In my opinion the question should be: has democracy ever really existed?
I don't expect a perfect solution, just one that brings out, say, 90 per cent of an informed electorate. By informed I do not mean influenced by billionaires buying ads to elect millionaires as they do in the U.S.
The entrance of the Burnaby First Coalition into our school trustee elections may be an indication of a greater faith in democracy. I wonder why dedicated souls put themselves forth to run for trustees.
The current teacher negotiations are an example of local futility.
B.C. teachers' salaries are ninth lowest of the provinces; $20,000 less than in Alberta, and $15,000 less than in Ontario. As unlikely as is a settlement at the BCTF's proposal of 15 per cent over four years seems, it still would not catch up with the existing Ontario or Alberta rates.
Whatever the settlement is, it will be determined not by the trustees but by the provincial government.
However, it is the trustees who are the meat in the sandwich. They have no control over the teachers' salaries and no control over their income.
They are required to balance their budgets to cover the imposed increased costs. Failure to balance the budget usually results in the removal of the elected trustees and an appointment of someone by the provincial government.
This balancing seems to come from reductions in maintenance, reduced support staff and fewer teachers.
I have no idea why candidates want to serve in such an awkward position, but I salute them for participating in our democratic process while it lasts.
Paul Bjarnason, Burnaby
