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PAGE 6 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1994 EiO U C O O U LA L. ANLANLatntrato s coctaiities Teachers have never had it so good On April 1, Canada‘s senior citizens received an old age pension increase of $1.93 to the magnificent sum of $387.74 a month. The maximum guaranteed income supplement increases to $460.79 from $448.50 a month for a single pensioner and for a marâ€" ried pensioner whose spouse does not receive the old age pension or spouse‘s allowance. Compare this with the pensions received by defeated members of parliament who, after serving a minimum of six years, are entitled to a basic pension of $18,000 effective on leaving office. The amount increases by five per cent for each year of service up to 15 years at which time the recipient gets an annual payoff equal to 75 per cent. Tory Perrin Beatty, age 43 and a member for 21 years, receives a pension of $70, 436 a year and Tom Siddon, age 52 and a member for 15 years, pulls down $68,068. Former Waterloo MP Walter McLean, a member for 14 years, now collects $48,370 a year and the National Citizens‘ Coalition estimates he will receive a total of $1,469,796 by age 75. A total of 73 recently defeated MPs will collect pensions of between $27,000 and $70,000 a year while seniors get a measly $4,652 after a lifetime of paying taxes. It‘s a lousy April Fool‘s joke. Teachers‘ Strike: Teachers should be periodically reminded that they‘ve never had it so good. Granted, they have a tough job and it‘s Waterloo Town Square 75 King St. South, Suite 201 rooms and violence in the schools. But lots of other workers have tough jobs too. Other workers however, don‘t get a week off in March for a spring break. They don‘t get two months‘ holiday in the summer, eight professional development days or all the other holidays teachers get. Not only that but teachers‘ salaries in Ontario are among the highest paid in the western world. Which brings me to my point. With such an attractive salary and benefits package, it‘s pretty hard for teachers to complain about the provincial social contract legislation and to threaten an illegal strike in various parts of the province. Before they do, I wish they‘d take a good look around them and check out the plight of many others who would give their eye teeth for this kind of salary and benefits package. Taxpayers are pretty irritated with the quality of education in our schools and with 1.6 million Canadians unemployed, they are in no mood to listen to teachers whining about how poorly they are being treated. A Canadian Republic? Australia, Bermuda and New Zealand have given strong indications they are planning to do away with the monarchy and become republics. They are doing it openly with lots of public debate and a target date of the turn of the century. Here in Canada, the politicians for the most part have avoided the issue of the monarchy while allowing various groups to do an end run around the issue. A year ago, an Angus Reid Poll revealed 51 per cent of Canadians reject the monarchy. The findings were conâ€" sistent with a poll conducted in June of 1992. The latest organization to reject the monarchy is the Girl Guides of Canada. Guiders will no longer have to pledge doing their duty to God, queen and country. In future, their cath only includes God and To me, the monarchy isn‘t that important an issue one way or the other. It adds a nice touch to government but isn‘t very realistic in modern day terms. Since Australia, new Zealand and Bermuda are giving the issue a fullâ€"scale airing, why don‘t we clear the air, have a debate and have a referendum at some future date in conjunction with a federal elecâ€" . Bob Rae has begun his reâ€"election campaign and one item is a review of the 1.3 million cases (wow!) currently on the welfare rolls. Mark you, there‘s no intent to deprive any deservâ€" ing folk of assistance. The aim is to root out some of the widespread fraud and save a lot of money. I‘ve always respected Ernie Ginsler, executive direcâ€" tor of the Kâ€"W Social Planning council but his reaction to the caseâ€"byâ€"case review was unworthy of him. He implied a kneeâ€"jerk support and sympathy for the welfare cheats by calling the review another "chedp shot" at people on social assistance. He added that "it sounds like a meanâ€"spirited attempt to do what is politically popular." Yes, popular it is but simâ€" ple justice, too. . Cheap shot? How can you call anything cheap when untold millions are involved? And what‘s meanâ€"spirâ€" ited about rooting out frafid? And who said anything about dumping deserving cases from welfare? Heaven knows, the Rae regime should have acted long ago. Ontaric‘s welfare system has been fraught How‘s about the shackâ€"up couples that are mulcting That includes the couple awaiting spring so they can put in a belowâ€"ground pool. | Or how about claimants signed up in more than one NDP crackdown on welfare abusers is simple justice Or how about the latest disclosure, that teens are cashing in on welfare to pay hundreds of dollars in rent to their parents? You might want to consider this: you may rememâ€" ber that 1982 and 1975 were recession years, yet Ontario has nearly three times as many welfare cases in 1993 as in 1982 and nearly four times as many as And consider this too: through the 1980s boom, more Ontario folks lived on welfare than during the 1981â€"82 recession. That says to me that, to many, welâ€" fare has become a way of life. To do their own investigations, communities like Waterloo Region can tap in on a $20 million fund over the next two years. Let‘s hope the regional councillors and bureaucrats show more resolve on rooting out fraud than they‘ve demonstrated so far. But say, what can you expect from an operation that gives its investigators a fancyâ€"smancy name like Waterioo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by The Fairway Group Subscription rates 215 Fairway Rd. S., $45 yearly in Canada, President: Paul Winkler +G8T. _ The views of our columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper, f have travelling money. The Michigan Travel Bureau has unveiled a $650,000 campaign to lure people to the state‘s biggest cities. The campaign targets visitors from Chicago, Cleveâ€" land and three Canadian cities â€" London, Chatham and Kitchener. They‘ll be invited to drop their tourism dollars in nine Michigan cities, including Detroit. I can see Detroit as a real draw to Kitchener folk. It‘ll give them a chance to see the kind of downtown that, given some hard work, they can aspire to. Sticks and Stones:There‘s not a word of truth in the rumor that Kâ€"W Collegiate now has a metal detecâ€" tor to seek out knives and guns. The tale is flatâ€"out untrue says principal Lou Ford who adds that the school has become increasingly serene over the last two years. He doesn‘t ascribe the tranquility to any one factor. He thinks it‘s due to a combination of things. In any event, KCI and other schools are taking nothing for granted. The situation is steadily moniâ€" And say what you will, it‘s a far cry from some Toronto schools â€" the ones that are so tough, their debating teams take steroids. Room and Board: Getting elected to a school board offers about the same job security as getting appointed to Canada‘s senate and there‘s a reason. With so many trustees, it‘s hard to keep track of their records so most voters mark their Xs for familiar names. Mike Ramsay and Gary Ferguson are familiar names but don‘t bet they‘ll be reâ€"elected. Each has a flawed attendance record and each has mademrhthdemdubw-ynh‘- tunate. The election is many months away but it may still cost them. s Byhm.mwfimm@ there‘s a voter test for trustees I‘d like to suggest: it‘s whether it‘d be safe to name a school after ‘em. Welcome Mat: Say, our neighbors think Kâ€"W folks