Comment on Province Column

Mr. Berner you are right on the money! I'm around your age (male, no kids) and it is sad to see the way people (particularly the young) behave in public, and the loss of civility in our society in general. I have the following theories as to the some of the reasons: 1. The family unit is changing - parents (if there are two) are too busy to teach their children manners and morals, so they get most of it from TV or other kids in the same boat. 2. The BHL's (bleeding heart liberals) that frown on a child being punished properly (I'm not advocating beating or hitting a child inappropriately here) has meant kids are growing up doing whatever they feel like, with no consequences. (Unfortunately, there are also many kids from abusive parents who behave badly due to psychological trauma, a whole other very sad subject). 3. Take a look at what's on TV these days.... it is absolutely terrifying. You would be hard pressed to find a moment of prime time that is not filled with violence, profanity and the worst of the human condition. Shows like the scuzzy, foul-mouthed "Trailer Park Boys" are on every night (thanks CRTC!) and hailed as "edgy, hilarious" etc. So-called "ultimate fighting" is all the rage, where the object of the "sport" is to beat the opponent to a pulp. What's next, Christians vs. Lions... we are certainly sliding back that way. Are we on the verge of another "decline and fall"? Is history repeating itself? Appears so. It's cool to scream profanities at people (Iron Chef for example), laugh at people's misfortune, etc. The list goes on. Kids are getting a steady diet of this every day... is it little wonder how many of them turn out? 4. People have turned to machines to communicate with each other, and no longer put importance in the person-to-person communication. People two desks away from each other send e-mails instead of getting up and walking over. No-one bothers to talk to, or even acknowledge strangers anymore. Too busy chatting or text-messaging on cell-phones, or tuning out the outside world with their i-pods. Who needs to bother with strangers? It's a me-first world, with attitude! Anyway, I've gone on a bit more than I planned, but once I got started... you know how it is! Good article though. I do hope we can do more than imagine. Cheers, N. Barker

Comment on Health $care$, posted Wednesday

Hi.

$880,000 for a health board CEO!!!

I am a front-line healthcare worker (Licensed Practical Nurse) with specialized training in palliative care and foot care for the elderly. (I paid for both programs out of my own pocket.) I have further training specifically regarding the care of elders with dementia. I subscribe to two nursing journals (paid for out of my own pocket) and do continuous study of any subject that might help in the care of the elderly in long term care (reflexology, aromatherapy, etc). All these courses (again) are paid for out of my own pocket.

I only make a small fraction of what this CEO earns (and without all the perks). Incidentally, come contract renewal time, I am sure that there will be many people ranting that I make too much LOL!

I currently work on a casual/on call basis. I had worked full time for ten years in the same field,. I had to give up my full time position because I have two children, ages three and one, and I can't afford quality childcare on the wage that I receive. Also, my work start and end times were out of sync with almost all certified daycare facilities. So I resigned from my full-time position and work only on weekends, when my husband isn't working. Finding a full-time replacement for someone with my experience is not easy. Also, workers are often asked to do overtime (increasing costs) because casual replacements are not available.

Perhaps, instead of paying CEOs outrageous salaries, childcare centers could be set up for healthcare professionals, many of whom work shifts with schedules that make finding childcare difficult. This way skilled workers could do their jobs on the working class salaries that they receive and rest assured their children are getting decent care as they work.

Keep in mind that most nurses are nearing retirement age. Most new nurses are at that age when they will be planning families. Most nurses are women. A system where nurses have access to affordable childcare will do a lot to alleviate the costs to the system.

Paying a CEO $880,000 drains money from a system without giving any substantial value back.

Linda Yuill, LPN

Column Re-Posted

Several people told me that there was something wrong with the way blogger configured the column onto my blod today. Let's hope this version is more readable:

The abandonment of good manners is a shame; the loss of civility is a tragedy.

Yesterday’s Province story about a man who parked in a spot for the handicapped before slamming a car door twice on an amputee’s leg is a case in point.

The other day, I was leaving a bank parking lot. A perfectly pleasant, fortyish woman in her perfectly pleasant family-van drove in. She parked diagonally across two parking spaces — one of which was, of course, the handicapped spot. She smiled at me as if this was a perfectly normal thing for an able-bodied person to do.

Last month, I asked a girl who was doing the same thing at a Point Grey supermarket if she was, in fact, handicapped in any way —other than mentally and morally, that is. She said: “Oh, I’m just parking here for a moment.” I told her that a moment was a moment too long, and asked her how she would feel if she were disabled and couldn’t find a place to park. She told me I was rude and dove into her car. I’m rude? I’m not the able-bodied selfish fool who is parking in handicapped spots.

Last week, my son Sean and I were walking at Kits Beach. A man was sitting in his late-model bimmer, drinking beer and throwing empties out of its sunroof onto the grass. While Sean went to retrieve the can, I leaned in through the roof and said: “What are you doing, sir?” Before the man could finish sputtering, Sean, like a soldier tossing a hand grenade into an enemy tank, returned the empty to him.

On Wednesday, a girl in her late teens was using the “frigging” word liberally and with considerable volume at a local coffee shop. When she and her friend stood up to leave, I was treated to a full view of way more than half her doughy posterior exploding out of her distressed jeans.

When it comes to lack of civility and decency, children using restaurant furniture as their own personal jungle gym has become the norm. So has the sight of the parents sitting blithely by.

I can’t for a second claim to have been a good parent. But I don’t remember our children doing anything at restaurants other than eating and talking with us.

Is all this constant bad behaviour simply a generational thing? I’m a grouchy old guy and I just can’t get with the program, right? As the lady who tried to push past me on the bus said: “Chill out, man!”

When I was in high school, I played “Mr. Manners” in a slide-show presentation. How quaint. Can you imagine something like that being shown today? People are not only yelling into their cellphones in theatres, restaurants, cafes and supermarket lines, they have taken to texting while driving. I know, they’re multi-tasking and I don’t get it.

But let’s imagine a world that is completely different. Let’s imagine showing each other basic courtesy and small daily considerations. That’s the kind of community we should all be raising our children to live in.

Today's Province Column

	Friday » July 11 » 2008
Why is today's world increasingly peopled by ill-mannered louts? David Berner Special to The Province Friday, July 11, 2008 The abandonment of good manners is a shame; the loss of civility is a tragedy. Yesterday's Province story about a man who parked in a spot for the handicapped before slamming a car door twice on an amputee's leg is a case in point. The other day, I was leaving a bank parking lot. A perfectly pleasant, fortyish woman in her perfectly pleasant family van drove in. She parked diagonally across two parking spaces -- one of which was, of course, the handicapped spot. She smiled at me as if this was a perfectly normal thing for an able-bodied person to do. Last month, I asked a girl who was doing the same thing at a Point Grey supermarket if she was, in fact, handicapped in any way --other than mentally and morally, that is. She said: "Oh, I'm just parking here for a moment." I told her that a moment was a moment too long, and asked her how she would feel if she were disabled and couldn't find a place to park. She told me I was rude and dove into her car. I'm rude? I'm not the able-bodied selfish fool who is parking in handicapped spots. Last week, my son Sean and I were walking at Kits Beach. A man was sitting in his late-model bimmer, drinking beer and throwing empties out of its sunroof onto the grass. While Sean went to retrieve the can, I leaned in through the roof and said: "What are you doing, sir?" Before the man could finish sputtering, Sean, like a soldier tossing a hand grenade into an enemy tank, returned the empty to him. On Wednesday, a girl in her late teens was using the "frigging" word liberally and with considerable volume at a local coffee shop. When she and her friend stood up to leave, I was treated to a full view of way more than half her doughy posterior exploding out of her distressed jeans. When it comes to lack of civility and decency, children using restaurant furniture as their own personal jungle gym has become the norm. So has the sight of the parents sitting blithely by. I can't for a second claim to have been a good parent. But I don't remember our children doing anything at restaurants other than eating and talking with us. Is all this constant bad behaviour simply a generational thing? I'm a grouchy old guy and I just can't get with the program, right? As the lady who tried to push past me on the bus said: "Chill out, man!" When I was in high school, I played "Mr. Manners" in a slide-show presentation. How quaint. Can you imagine something like that being shown today? People are not only yelling into their cellphones in theatres, restaurants, cafes and supermarket lines, they have taken to texting while driving. I know, they're multi-tasking and I don't get it. But let's imagine a world that is completely different. Let's imagine showing each other basic courtesy and small daily considerations. That's the kind of community we should all be raising our children to live in. david@davidberner.com

So busy these days

While I may not be running for Vancouver City Council, my candidacy for the office of President of United States is still going well.

Check it out.

The Law is an Ass, Part 943b

1. An entire family who appear to specialize in guns, drugs and murder is out on bail. As usual, no one can conclusively prove that they are responsible for anything in particular. Nice.

2. The courts and the privacy commissioner have lined up to help the BC Transmission thugs run their power lines through a neighbourhood that doesn't want them. Nice.

3. The greatest mass murderer in Canadian history is out on bail and smiling a lot. As are all his friends and relatives who can't wait to shepherd him to a holy site. The man was found to be the biggest liar the courts had ever heard and none of his testimony was believed. He is still facing perjury charges. Really nice.

The only good part of this story is that the Vancouver Sun and others are launching court challenges to learn the conditions of bail for this dreadful man. Opaque continues to be the Worst Attorney general in Living Memory.