Next week at this time, you’ll be talking about Alberta’s provincial budget. It comes down next Thursday.
Teachers are going to do more than just talk about it; they’re planning to walk about it — with a march to the legislature in the afternoon, as the budget comes down.
Teachers are upset about their salaries — they haven’t had a raise in years, and now, operating money for schools is being cut back.
Nurses are in much the same situation. The rollbacks they’re facing haven’t been this bad since nurses went on strike back in 1988.
There are many others upset about the cuts so far and fearing what might be in the budget on Feb. 27.
But I hear from people on both sides, and there are those who believe that Premier Jason Kenney is doing the right thing, that today’s pain will be tomorrow’s gain, and that his policies will turn around Alberta’s economy.
As you decide where you stand, remember the words of the old philosopher Will Rogers, who said, “A budget is like a mythical bean bag. The government puts mythical beans into it, and then tries to pull real beans out.”
Let me know what you think.
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations.
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