Dear Editor:
Re: Debt and tuition fees fuel 'Rock the Boat,' Burnaby NOW, April 26.
The "Rock the Vote" article by Niki Hope caught my attention. Though of concern to one group, it is a bit too one-sided.
I envy no one, 24 years young, having to live with a student loan of $27,000. It is even more tragic that many students discover too late that their skills of choice do not lead to employment.
On the other hand, Jill Griffin is 24 years old and still believes politicians should take care of her problems?
As a matter of fact, she feels entitled to have me - the taxpayer - finance her future. We have already borrowed money from my grandchildren to pay 77 cents on the dollar to finance the real cost of her education. Are we to borrow more from her grandchildren? What happened to common sense?
Personally, I am actually OK with paying a larger percentage of the cost of education for those in the top 10 or 20 per cent of students, provided they fill locally available jobs.
I would also like to see the 213,000 jobs we gave last year to temporary foreign workers go to home-grown talent.
I also gather Ms. Griffin wants her fellow students to vote for the political party who makes the wildest promises to her generation. Instant gratification. Right now!
Her choice of party can be no other but the one that also promises another group of voters to freeze all development of our natural resources, the very source of most of B.C.'s taxes. These "others" are (mistakenly) convinced the planet is slipping off the back of the turtle and only instant, very expensive interference will save us all.
Fortunately, the sun will still rise on May 15 and our folly-in-the-making will not destroy the planet, or even Canada. However, we won't recognize my beloved province by the time this is all over.
Sorry, Ms. Griffin, you may think your problems are big and need fixing (by others); you ain't seen nothin' yet!
Ziggy Eckardt, Burnaby
