NO PROBLEM, PART ONE

NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON TEACHERS.

Most teachers are dedicated professionals trying every day to teach entitled little brats whose thumbs are permanently welded to their iPhones.

This is a comment on the two august bodies who tell us that they represent teachers.

The first is the famous BCTF, the local union whose membership often cringes at the relentless political animus spewing from its offices. We speak of this organization often in these pages, almost always with disgust.

Today, our focus is on the BC College of Teachers.

B.C. College of Teachers keeps some bad records spotless

Incidents of a sexual nature, violence, wiped from histories

Now, we don't know in which cases accusations proved to be false or harmless or pointless. No doubt there were some.

But Janet Steffenhagen's excellent feature in the morning Sun suggests that dangerous truths are being buried as well.

That's OK.

The BC College of Physicians and the Law Society are equally adept at truth-smothering, all in the interest of polishing the old image.

Circle the wagons, Pilgrim!

NO PROBLEM, PART TWO

Health care is our single biggest expense.

What punishment is appropriate for officials who steal from this pool?

The new electronic health monitoring system is running at $222 million to date.

A few months ago, a local doctor billed large amounts to this system and then pleaded to two counts of influence-peddling with government officials.

Dr. Jonathan Burns was sentenced to three years' probation and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Six other charges against Burns, including fraud and breach of trust, were stayed.

Now, the former assistant deputy minister of health, Ron Danderfer, has pleaded guilty to fraud for accepting "considerations" for himself and his wife in the course of his duties.

His lawyer, of course, says that this kind of thing is the standard in private business. Nice.

The lawyer also whines that Danderfer has already suffered greatly from the attention the case has received in the media.

"It has been extremely trying for him. He's lost his job, he's lost the respect he had in the community, this has taken an amazing toll on him."

Boo effing hoo.

No doubt this thief will be asked to write an essay entitled, "My Bad."

Welcome to the peach-colored Land of No Consequences.

Jules Verne originally wrote about this place over a hundred years ago, but his publishers rejected the manuscript out of hand as being "too fantastical - not a soul on earth would believe that such a place exists."