The Editor,
I am planning to sue the government and you should, too.
I am the parent of a 15-year-old and I will not get $40 a day during the education dispute. Why?
The government claims it is using the money saved from the education budget to help parents who incur costs due to schools being closed by the strike. It has not said it is a direct subsidy for child care costs but, for some reason, those eligible are cut off at an age where most people feel the kids can take care of themselves if the parents are at work.
Finance Minister Mike De Jong said, "Parents can utilize that money to acquire tutoring for their children, they can use their money to explore other educational opportunities as they see fit. For others, it'll be basic daycare."
This is a great idea but it is generally not young students who require tutors. Missing a few weeks in lower grades means not covering the whole curriculum. Missing a few weeks in provincially examinable courses (Grades 10 to 12) means speeding through the curriculum because topics can't be skipped. It is when the students go back to school that tutors will be needed.
So again, why age 13?
If the government is trying to produce a zero-sum gain on education funding so it cannot be seen as using the savings elsewhere, why is it that parents of children under 13 are the only benefactors of this tax "rebate" and not me? I have a child in school and I paid taxes to fund education.
What about people who don't have children? Their taxes were also supposed to fund education. If the government is out of the business of running education for the time being, why are these taxpayers suddenly funding a child care subsidy scheme.
When you see the $40 child care bribe for what it truly is, then why isn't every citizen of B.C. screaming in outrage? It is great that the government is giving you your own money back but what about those who aren't getting it back?
I believe that I deserve my money back, too, and I plan to sue the government to get my share if it goes ahead with this ill-conceived scheme. I encourage all taxpayers to do the same and thus create a class action.
Larry Ryan, Coquitlam
