Such An Eloquent Letter

I have several times made reference to the enjoyment we derive in subscribing to The Toronto Star, a progressive paper with an official agenda that includes issues of social justice. Like the journalists in their employ, The Star's letter-writers tend to express thoughtful and well-reasoned views, a refreshing contrast and antidote to the mindless screeds that use stereotyped labeling and vile ad hominems to try to bully their point across.

I was especially impressed by a letter that appeared in yesterday's edition on the issue of pensions, a polarizing topic if there ever was one. Because of the ephemeral nature of readers' letters on newspaper websites, I am taking the liberty of reproducing in its entirety one by Tom Legrady of Toronto :

Re: Meagre earnings can’t fund retirement, Letter July 15

Sandra Snyder, unable to salt away a retirement on her meagre earnings, objects to teachers salaries and pensions. I find it unacceptable that people have to struggle to live on subsistence government pensions, but blaming workers who have done well is not the solution.

The rich and powerful have always deflected anger on to scapegoats. Poor southerners hated blacks for not being worse off than they, especially after the end of slavery put an end to the inferiority inherent in property. European and Russian anger was redirected on to Jews.

Do not hate unionized workers for having a decent living. Instead wonder why non-unionized workers are kept in abject poverty. All of us, union and not, can thank unions and the CCF and NDP for Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, Unemployment Insurance.

Labour campaigned from early in the 19th century for 16-hour days to be reduced to 10, and later eight, for weekends and for vacations. Do you think the owners extended those benefits out of generosity, because they felt they were too rich?

Their grandchildren certainly have no such compulsion to share their wealth, when they want to terminate union position and replace them with generous contracts to their industrialist buddies employing minimum wage labour.

Tom Legrady, Toronto