Unbelievable

Dear editor:
I swore that I would not do this again but I must vent my anger someplace, lest I take out my frustration on the nearest Mike Harris look-alike.
Last week, the Harris government discussed a possible 42 percent pay raise for Ontario MPPs, citing a prolonged 10-year drought as a justifiable reason for increases in the members’ salaries.
Other than a slight adjustment due to amalgamation, my last salary increase was one percent in 1991. It has been estimated that with freezes and the “Social Contract” clawbacks, my buying power is down 15 percent from 1991 to the present.
Mike Harris will probably, after considerable sacrifice, back down from the 42 percent to the meagre 33 percent raise recommended by a government-appointed commissioner.
Unbelievable!
I’d be happy with a mere 15 percent raise just to bring me back to where I was in 1991. But Harris has graciously allowed for a 1.85 percent increase for teachers’ salaries in his funding formula this year–despite the increased workload.
He wanted a crisis in education and that’s exactly what he’s going to get.
Pass the stable gun!
Sincerely,
Rick Wiedenhoeft