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From: manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vince Manis)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: The new equal rights rule
Message-ID: <1048@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-May-85 14:11:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: ubc-cs.1048
Posted: Thu May  2 14:11:59 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 2-May-85 21:24:19 EDT
References: <262@looking.UUCP> <610@lsuc.UUCP> <491@mnetor.UUCP> <1043@ubc-cs.UUCP> <1044@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vince Manis)
Organization: UBC Department of Computer Science
Lines: 51
Summary: 

In article <1044@ubc-cs.UUCP> acton@ubc-cs.UUCP (Donald Acton) writes:
>In article <1043@ubc-cs.UUCP> manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vince Manis) writes:
>>The point of this whole discussion is one I've made before: the intent of
>>the Charter is to provide equality of opportunity, and to *prevent*
>>infringing on people's rights.
>>
>
>The concept of equality of opportunity is very nice but probably not 
>something that can be achieved without even greater government involvement
>in all aspects of our society.
>
>... one doesn't even need to look at such a big ticket item like university
>education. One can find all sorts of inequities between the public schools 
>in the major urban centres versus those in the outlying regions. Many of 
>these smaller schools don't have some of the following facilities: auto
>mechanics shops, band instructors, wood working shops, metal work
>shops, home economics labs, proper chemistry labs and/or access to pools and
>arenas. The high school that I went to had all of these facilities but 
>the one my cousins on Northern Vancouver Island attended had none. Did
>we really have the same educational opportunities? I think most of us 
>would agree that we didn't. The only two ways my narrow mind can see to 
>provide some degree of equality would be to:
>
>           1) Centralize schools and make students like my cousin
>              move away from home.
>
>           2) Build all of the above described facilities so that they 
>              are easily available to the schools in each school district.
>
>To me both of these approaches are unacceptable. The first solution
>is too dictatorial and limits the freedom of where one my live and the 
>second is too costly and an inefficient use of tax dollars.
>
>The intent of the Charter to provide equality of opportunity is one thing,
>but what really happens in practice is another. I guess we will all have to 
>wait and see what happens.

I guess Donald is confusing what might actually be accomplished with 
what an ideal world with infinite responses might achieve. Neither of 
the above approaches sounds sensible, but sane govts (excluding of course
BC's) tend to adopt elements of each. They provide school centres where
possible, and sometimes build uneconomic schools to serve tiny remote
communities.

I suspect that what will happen (especially given the stinginess of even
the Federal govt) is that some real abuses (kids being bussed 100km each
way to school) will be corrected, and other less serious problems will
get ad hoc solutions.