LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Great leaders need great followers
Recently we have witnessed the resignation of two stalwart leaders in our midst in Premier Brad Wall and Chief Clive Weighill. We watched with dismay, as two relatively young men with much left to offer stepped aside rather abruptly. We’re left with an uneasy sense they were both frustrated and discouraged with the unceasing negativity heaped upon them by those who chose to tear down, rather than build up.
As a people, we seem to have forgotten that the making of great leaders relies upon great followers. This isn’t to imply we are to be sheep; the best followers support and aid a leader when they’re doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader when they’re headed in the wrong direction.
Many of the same qualities we admire in great leaders — competence, motivation, intelligence — are the same qualities that we should demonstrate as great followers.
Social media is today filled with trolls, vitriol and hatred where the anonymous feel entitled to let their worst selves loose on the world.
Let’s take on our responsibility and commit to be better followers; a little more kindness to all leaders would be an excellent place to start. Mike Cey, Saskatoon
Socialism won’t solve our problems
RE: Privatizing Crown corps editorial
Michael Murphy’s statement that the Crowns are in business for the common good, and not to make profit, is an NDP dream. A political system where corporations are owned by government and the labour is hired and benefited by the rulers is called communism.
Believing that while communism has failed in many countries, an ideal socialist government can solve problems in Saskatchewan, is believing in Utopia.
Privatization will inevitably mean “the replacement of a fairly paid and experienced workforce with poorly paid part-time workers, on contract and without benefits.”
This implies that private businesses are blood-sucking employers only out for profit and hiring incompetent labour.
This denies the rhetoric of government, university, hospital and city officials who, when ballooning wages and benefits are questioned, argue that they must compete with private industry.
It’s okay to dream about living in a perfect world, but it’s not fair to blame Premier Brad Wall for anything and everything.
Isn’t it a common good to have a strong economy and a balanced budget?
Governments don’t make money, they collect money and use it to rule and represent their citizens.
Jolanta Kedra, Saskatoon
Don’t try to rewrite history
My message is for the Prime Minister, the Ontario Elementary Teachers Federation, and all other well-meaning, but misguided, people who are attempting to put a new “slant” on Canadian history. Changing the name of a building or removing a statue is not going to change past events.
Our history is what it is: some good, some bad. What is vastly more important is that we learn the lessons that history can teach us so that we don’t repeat the bad parts.
As John Ivison pointed out in his Aug. 25. 2017 column, Yale University has developed a framework with which to examine calls to rename public buildings and landmarks. According to Ivison, the authors of this plan suggest that “renaming on the basis of values is warranted on occasion, but only if a number of principles are met.” For instance, what was the namesake’s principle legacy?
Additionally, were the namesake’s views unexceptional for the time and place in which he or she lived? If so, leave things as they are.
Dayle Bowman, Indian Head