Last Updated:Friday - 09/24/2010
October 9, 2006
WCR Letters to the Editor
Service to Church now considered 'immoral'
The Church and gambling, another hot button issue!
Many years ago when I came to live in this country and got a job at a prominent Vancouver Catholic school, I soon learned about money-raising efforts, especially bingos. Without these efforts, this school couldn't really continue to exist.
It didn't take long before I found out that bingos and other games-of-chance were fixtures in many parishes and Catholic schools that, at least in part, depended on them. In fact, I came to think of bingo as the "eighth sacrament" of the Church.
These types of money-raising efforts required a lot of the time, energy and support from many generous, dedicated and hard-working Catholics; these efforts also built community.
Maybe, all this should be remembered by those who condemn and try to put a stop to these types of fundraisers as "immoral" and as "feeding on the weakest members of society."
I and many of my friends don't feel that we were involved in "immoral activities." In fact, we feel insulted by those who so eagerly wish to condemn these "immoral" activities, even calling us "half-baked Catholics" (by the rector of the cathedral in Calgary, and duly reported in The Calgary Sun).
We always thought that we were doing this as a service to the Church, often encouraged by clergy. And as far as "the goal doesn't justify the means" is concerned, I wish that Church leaders would have told us this sooner, so that we could have spent our time, energy and money in more pleasant and easier ways.
Henk Gal
Calgary
Letter to the Editor - 10/30/06
All is not well in gov't-funded paradise
Re:Sept. 25 letter: "Tell whole truth about government support for poor."
Dear Gentle Reader, Some of what you say to the editor it true, but you have also missed some of the truth and certainly missed the point.
First, not all people who are disabled and cannot work qualify for AISH. In many cases, people on welfare have no-fault diseases or disabilities and should be on AISH, but are not.
I, like your adopted son, are blessed to receive AISH benefits, but I have many fellow schizophrenics who for whatever reason cannot qualify. Some had the misfortune of having too good a job before they became ill.
Another point is the people with PDD (People with developmental disability) are under a different distinct category than people on AISH, and receive substantially more support.
You seem to be quite concerned about unmarried mothers. Would you prefer that they have abortions? When the United States put a two-year limit on welfare, it simply meant more children were unsupervised while their mothers went to work, or living in abusive homes because their mothers were forced into abusive relationships for financial security.
When I married, AISH began to deduct 20 per cent of my income. Perhaps those of us who believe in real "family values" should begin to insist that our legislators pass laws that strengthen the family instead of penalizing it.
The value of a society from our mutual Christian ethos is in how it treats its most vulnerable, marginalized citizens. The next time you walk downtown and see one of the thousands of homeless mentally ill, you will be able to justify not giving them any alms because of the abundance of finances provided by our most wealthy society.
To quote Ebenezer Scrooge, "Are there no poor houses?"
Austin Mardon
Edmonton
Downloading services doesn't work in Alta.
Link Byfield can't be serious in advocating downloading more services from Ottawa to the province. (WCR letters, Oct. 2). Existing services are poorly managed as it is.
Despite its great wealth Alberta education has to contend with crumbling schools, understaffed and overcrowded classrooms plus underfunding generally.
The problems of our mismanaged health care include a shortage of doctors and nurses, hospital beds and ever growing waiting lists for surgery. Like the sword of Damocles the threat of privatization and two-tier medicine hang permanently over the service.
Labour relations are at their worst and most unfriendly. Workers have little protection on or off the job, and the government promotes child labour.
Water, air, and environmental issues are studiously avoided by a government that rarely sits in session, rules by decree, and is notorious for its secrecy. Its adulation of "the leader" would shame some Asian despots.
Its open season on the province's natural resources to satisfy the greed of multinationals, and profiteering in an unregulated energy market is the order of the day.
Space must limit further examples of provincial gaucherie and incompetence but it would be criminally irresponsible to add any further services from the federal level, at least until there are some major changes to the status quo.
Brian Callinan
Edmonton
Pope had no reason to apologize
The sub-headline to the story"Pope responds to Muslim fury," says that "He is 'deeply sorry' for giving offence."
The WCR really should print a retraction to this statement, given the fact that it is absolutely untrue. Pope Benedict expressed remorse for the reactions of certain people to those parts of his Regensburg address that were taken completely out of context.
The pope issued no apology whatsoever, simply because he had no need to. If certain people desired to take baseless offence at his speech, that does not imply that any offence was intended, or given.
If anyone should be apologizing, it is those members of the Muslim community who reacted with such violence, in the name of God, to the pope's words.
Jim Verreault
Red Deer
Letters to the Editor
The WCR welcomes your letters. Please write 300 words or less and tell us your name, address and daytime phone number. All letters are subject to editing.
Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily represent the views of the WCR.
|
