Editor, The News:
Re: What ails the New Democrats? Plenty (B.C. Views, June 19).
Thank you to Tom Fletcher for another provocative column concerning what ails the New Democratic Party.
This seems to be one of his favorite subjects.
I only wish the editor would give him more column inches so he could have included such things as believing that the resources of B.C. should benefit all the citizens rather than merely a few wealthy corporate friends; that hard working folks should be paid enough to live on; that holding the record for kids in poverty is not something we should value; that investing in education pays great dividends for all of us; that planning to reduce poverty actually saves the government money; that ‘green’ jobs are the future; that supporting young families with good quality daycare would actually boost our provincial GDP; that people taking loved ones to the hospital don’t need the added stress of pay parking; that corporations should pay their fair share of the taxes to support services; that people with disabilities deserve decent levels of support.
I know many of these are values of a bygone era (Mr. Fletcher’s words), so 20th Century – but they are still held by many Canadians.
Bob Goos
Maple Ridge
Editor’s note: Bob Goos is president of the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows NDP riding association.