British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) boldly compared to an organized crime organisation

I was about to toss out a month of unread local newspapers when guilt got the better of me. I did a quick traipse through the pile.  It became a profitable five minutes when I found an editorial written by Mischa Popoff, described as a"Freelance political writer".  It was published in the BURNABY NOW on April 13th, 2012 and since 99% of the copies have been recycled by now it deserves to live a little longer on the Internet. It's a gutsy piece.

Popoff describes the demands and tactics of the B.C. teacher's union as "organized crime, plain and simple".  More, he discusses at length the intimidation process which renders taxpayers and parents helpless in the face of teacher power over their children, a chilling process he says is "a quite effective form of totalitarianism".  In case any reader assume that he is just employing hyperbole for effect, he returns to his characterization "Mafia" in the concluding sentence. It's his thesis, and he sticks to it.

Now you have to live in Burnaby to understand what a sea change this guest editorial represents. The Burnaby Now is a union shop and when I arrived in the 1990s  "editorial" was firmly in control of NDP flacks who learned their strategy and tactics while starting out on the organ of the provincial NDP. The NOW in the 90s didn't even pretend to be interested in free speech. The paper had "a mission".  It is quite clear that attitudes have changed. Staff at the NOW actually work for their pay and have little sympathy for the greedy pigs of the BCTF who have become blood ticks sucking on the ass of the helpless BC taxpayer.

What next?  How about starting a discussion on finally getting rid of "Big Box Schools" and an archaic system that was created to provide workers for a ballooning industrial economy?  This is post-industrial Canada and frankly, soon to be post-literate Canada, and we need to transform the school system by investing in electronic delivery of instruction in multiple languages and skill levels. The only obstacle preventing progress in B.C. Education is, as Popoff says, "organized crime".

Jon Ferry skewers the B.C. Teachers Federation - It's time to BAN HOLLYWOOD MOVIES and restore the stolen hours of classroom instruction

Jon Ferry had a very important column yesterday in THE PROVINCE. Ferry skewered the $$$ demands and bargaining tactics of the B.C. Teachers Federation (aka BCTF). Since it is a cliche on the Internet to describe an article as a "Must Read", I'll only say that this column be read and understood by those who, in good faith, pay their taxes to fund Public Education in British Columbia.

The whole METRO VIEW with Jon Ferry column (January 23, 2012) on BCTF demands is quite short. It will only take you five minutes to read and ponder it.

There are many comments published under the story. Here is a sample:
I had clipped and saved an earlier piece written by Mr. Ferry. "B.C.'s Education System Broken, Says Expert in Scathing Book" [The Province Oct. 21, 2011]. He was reviewing a book entitled WORLDS APART: B.C. Schools, Politics, and Labour Relations, Before and After 1972 . It was carefully researched and written by University of Victoria professor Thomas Fleming. He uses a globe girdling sub-title, but it sounds like a rather ballsy book. I wonder if the Public Libraries hereabouts will touch it?? Jon Ferry quotes Fleming's opinion that the Public System is totally dysfunctional and of the stakeholders, "All are bureaucratic in nature, anti-visionary and unimaginative in outlook, prescriptive in behaviour, non-cooperative in manner, anti-technological in practice, and committed to the status quo."

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Dysfunctional the public system certainly is. Stupid the Teachers and their labour leaders are not. Cowardly the politicians have always been. The days, weeks and months of classroom instruction in B.C. are now so truncated that they scarcely span six months. No two high schools in the Lower Mainland offer the same instruction or even use the same curriculum materials. And worst of all, the majority of High School teachers, including Math, Chemistry and even Gym teachers, burn up countless hours each year showing Hollywood movies. I have spoken to many, many kids who have never watched a Disney film at home, but can list 6-8 Disney movies they've watched at school.

Those parents who have proposed shaking out the dead wood in the public system need only demand that Movies be banned in B.C. Public Schools. That would drive out a thousand or more "teachers" who have been faking it. You can read that OCT. 21 METRO VIEW article here. You can also find Prof. Fleming's book WORLDS APART here.