Editor,
Like all of us, I am really frustrated and angry about the way in which this virus has been handled.
Way back, New Years Eve, we watched various countries bring in the new year. New Zealand was particularly impressive. Everyone was outside celebrating – no masks, no distancing, and no virus.
Here we are in Canada; it is the beginning of May and in incredibly bad shape. Why – I think it all comes down to the bottom line – money. We kept the airports open to save money – we had the nursing home scandal cutting inspections to save money – we’ve had people on low incomes needing to go back to work when they were sick because they absolutely needed the money – cut back on sick leave for those people and save money.
The music and art programs were cut back. These are healthy outlets for young people to express and find themselves and these programs encourage creativity.
Creative people invent technology that saves lives, put the Rover on Mars, invent computers – the list is endless. Human beings are all unique. We all have a place in our society. We are not all hockey players! Why is creativity not encouraged? We value a system that gears young people to make money and cutting the arts saves money.
We do need politicians who try to balance the budget, but on the backs of our seniors, our education system, our lower income citizens??? When election time comes and the politicians promise not to increase taxes and save us all money we need to know on whose back are they going to be able to do this.
On my short street, there’s a three-story waterfront home that has remained empty for the eight years that I have lived here. The hedge is always trimmed and the lawn cut regularly but there’s no one there. There’s a second large home on a beautiful lot that someone started to fix years ago and also remains empty. Some people have so much money they don’t know what to do with it while others scramble to pay their rent. It’s time for the people that ‘have’ to pay the appropriate taxes eliminating tax cuts and help balance the budget.
There’s another virus going around – there’s no vaccine but maybe we should learn to recognize it. It’s called ‘greed’.
Valerie Nichol, Meaford
