The Border and Kids

Sheeeesh, it's getting really bad. My border fixation seems to be colouring everything I see, say and do. Now I will suggest comparing the border choices with daycare. But really, can you blame me.

My friends at the Windsor Star Editorial Board are big boosters of a "public" bridge but want private choice for daycare, using public money however. It's like a Public/Private Partnership for kids.

Some excerpts from their editorials, first on daycare:

• "Conservative leader Stephen Harper wants parents to choose the day care they want for their children while Prime Minister Paul Martin wants the government to make that choice for them...
  
  Both plans would help subsidize day-care costs for families and both would likely spawn a needed creation of child-care spaces across the country.
  
  ... Only the Conservative plan offers parents a real choice -- an essential ingredient for any day-care system meant to serve a country as diverse as Canada...
  
  The Liberal plan would create another layer of bureaucracy and restrict parental choice to a series of cookie-cutter institutions that reflect the ideals of bureaucrats and not parents. ...
  
  "The Liberal plan is for politicians to pay other politicians," said Harper. "Our plan is to pay families...
  
  The only debate is who chooses -- you or the government -- which type of child care is right for your children."
  
  

And their public bridge rationale

• "Eventually, there will be another border crossing in our community. That point isn't even debatable. The economies of Canada and the U.S. dictate the need for greater capacity to move the goods that promote growth and secure jobs.
  
  The more difficult question would seem to be who will be given the green light to build the next crossing -- especially given the gamesmanship, lobbying and rhetoric that's now being fuelled by various proponents...
  
  The next border crossing should be fully financed and owned by the public.
  
  While that may seem to be an inconsistent conclusion coming from a newspaper that promotes the private sector over government involvement, the critical importance of the border -- in terms of both our national security and economic security -- changes the rules. Governments are the only ones with the ability to deal with these critical security issues."
  
  

In my day, the money paid out by Government for children was called "Family Allowance." First everyone got it, then it was based on certain criteria and then finally eliminated. Now it is back again but called daycare instead.