TEACHERS WILL STRIKE - GOVERNMENT WILL ORDER THEM BACK TO WORK

Yesterday's Opinion piece by Luisa D'Amato kind of puts things in perspective. It is titled "Teachers' job action bringing on deja vu from the 1997 strike". Luisa compares many of the issues from today between the teachers and the liberal government with the problems from twelve years ago with the Conservatives under Mike Harris. It is amazing when one looks at the similarities. Clearly Luisa has both sympathy and criticism for both sides. She refers to the "Putting Students First Act" as heavy handed while at the same time pointing out that the unions are front and centre in this dispute.

Luisa believes that indeed the teachers will go ahead with a full blown strike and that the government will follow up by ordering them back to work. keep in mind the government already have the legislation passed to do this. I guess what I take from all of this is what Luisa a week or two ago referred to as the group mentality of teachers being boneheaded. Quite frankly they may be professional teachers but they are neither worldly in their outlook nor particularily astute politically. We the taxpayers can not be expected to forever give them a far better deal than either we have or that we can afford. In other words, teachers, your halos haven't just slipped, they are rapidly heading for the mud. Just exactly what good do you think that will do you in the long run?