Dear Editor
Having been, for many years, a close observer of the negative effects of an almost total reliance on property taxes for funding local education in the United States, I must admit I felt a bit hopeful when the Saskatchewan Party government chose to take over the funding of K - 12 education by removing that prerogative from local school boards. Boy, was I wrong!
From what Brad Wall has lately indicated, instead of finding other funding from provincial coffers to fund education (and perhaps getting local property owners off the hook), it seems Wall is taking a page from a greatly criticized policy of some First Nations, and seems to be planning to divert (and perhaps increase) education taxes from education to general infrastructure, for necessary things such as roads and bridges and other infrastructure
Wall is a rather canny politician, so I suppose he has been slyly hinting about such a move to gauge public reaction, which I hope will be severe enough to cause the Sask. Party to cease and desist. But it does appear that, although the economy of Saskatchewan has, for about 10 years, been experiencing uncommon growth, the Sask. Party government has an impending shortage of funding for such necessary services as repairs and improvements to local and provincial infrastructure.
That, in turn, is casting more light on the popular misconception right-wing conservatives are good governmental fiscal managers. The truth is right-wing governments in both Canada and the United States generally spend more than they take in, and some spend significantly more. (Our own Devine government of the 1980s is a shining example, but at least, Devine had the excuse of having a somewhat depressed economy most of the time.)
I hope voters are paying attention.
Russell Lahti
Battleford
