That pretty will predicts the politics, or lack of political involvement, of the readership. But whether you read The Star, The Sun, The Globe, The Post, Now, etc. one common thread is the ineffectiveness of municipal government and the con job that Comrade Miller is doing.
Letters
April 24, 2007
Poor timing
Friday's 20-minute clean-up initiative makes sense at the first sight, but does it really? Let's see, Friday, 2 p.m. -- where are most people? Children: At school. Parents: At work. Who is left to do the clean-up? Politicians, the unemployed, tourists, stay-at-home mums, some students -- not many more. What sense did it make not to do it on the weekend or in the evening? An opportunity to involve many more people, whole families doing something together, was lost. Was there any "meat" in this action or was it just another well-publicized public relations stunt?
Mark Marchelewicz
Mississauga
(Guess you didn't take part in the community cleanup on the weekend, either)
Streetcars an option
The shutdown of the Yonge subway due to yesterday's tragic accident underscores a major mistake made years ago -- the removal of streetcar services from Yonge and Bloor streets, subsequent to the inauguration of subway service. The removal was made in an effort to ease traffic flow in the '50s. However, that decision, which favoured cars over public transit, has proven, time and again, to have been short-sighted. Re-installation of streetcars along Yonge and Bloor-Danforth would offer the city an alternative to the subway and riders would be able to choose between an admittedly slower, but far more scenic, form of transit over a boring, noisy and somewhat vulnerable below-ground system. Traffic would be slowed down on those routes, however, such a move that favours people over cars seems to me to be the right choice, keeping in mind the urgent need to "green" our urban environment and reduce carbon emissions.
Mike McCartney
Toronto
(Ah, a nice, slow, 90 minute scenic tour of Yonge St. while underground trains whip people to the core in 25 minutes. Don't see that streetcar line as a priority)
Testing, testing, 1-2-3
Re "GTA high school report card" (April 22, 23): Sarah Green did a good job of providing a balanced view of what these rankings represent. I'm an elementary school teacher, and right now we're gearing up for the standardized test. Our students struggled on this test last year, but I question the results. Children who come from non-English-speaking homes have to work even harder than their classmates in order to complete work at school. Children who don't have a quiet environment to work on assignments at home have to make an extra effort to do their work. Children whose families don't have money to provide books and the Internet and all the things middle class kids take for granted have to work harder than their peers who have these advantages. I think my students, every single one of them, have done a fantastic job of developing strategies that help them to be successful at school and in their lives. But I also suspect they'll struggle with the EQAO test. It hurts me that the Fraser Intsitiue will take their test results and suggest parents shouldn't send their kids to my school because there is a low level of academic achievement. These kids already have enough challenges in their lives -- we don't need to call them stupid on top of it all. If only because they are not stupid. It seems this represents a real barrier in our progress towards a fair education system. It is stigmatizing for these communities.
Rob Broughton
(Thanks for a letter that is anything but stupid)
Self defence is legal
Re "More guns definitely not the answer" (Point of View, Geoff Matthews, April 21): I don't consider myself a gun nut, or to use your polite word, "aficionado." However I would like to address three points in the editorial. 1. During a killing spree like what occurred at Virginia Tech, innocent bystanders are already at risk. 2. The bad guy is the one murdering the innocent bystanders. 3. Defending yourself against being murdered by using deadly force does not make you a vigilante, in fact, it is legal.
Roy Shaver
Wasaga Beach
(So are you saying we should all be armed just in case? Tough sell)
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