Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 1, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 Balancing budget has cost Re: Ignoring the facts makes for a better budget (Opinion column, Sept. 30) Dan Lett hits the nail on the head and speaks, forcibly, truth to power. Premier Brian Pallister and Minister of Finance Scott Fielding can strut like roosters on a dung heap and crow about bal- ancing the budget, but the question remains: “At what cost to Manitobans?” One of the answers to that question can be found in Danielle Da Silva’s story on the very next page of Wednesday’s paper (Health staff burned out, work short-handed). Our health system is in worse shape than it has been for many years, wait times are still long, access is more limited than it has ever been, and facilities are fewer and far- ther between. Those health-care facilities we do have are severely and dangerously understaffed. Worse, this government has, in effect, privatized part of the system by awarding the lab monopoly to Dynacare, closing smaller labs and central- izing services, causing great inconvenience with long lines of patients waiting for hours to be seen. While Pallister and Fielding and the rest of those on the government side of the legislature continue to play with smoke and mirrors in their efforts to make it appear that they know what they’re doing, they cannot see the damage they are inflicting on this province by underfunding health and educa- tion programs, not to mention their sleight-of-hand obfuscation in other areas of our economy, such as Hydro and infrastructure funding. If this bunch gets a third term in office, Mani- tobans should be ashamed of themselves. Fool me once, that’s on you. Fool me twice, that’s on me. Fool me a third time? Let’s hope and pray it doesn’t come to that. RENE JAMIESON Winnipeg Once again, the Free Press and Dan Lett publish their biased opinions of the Pallister government. No surprise that when Lett writes his pieces, he is anti-Pallister. I can’t remember a piece he’s written on this government that didn’t show his disdain. We get it, you don’t like Pal- lister. Nor does the Free Press. One thing is that I, along with many readers, are fed up with the slant on how this government is seen. JOE MISSALINO Winnipeg Where’s proof of privatization? As far as the people who worry Hydro will be privatized, would it be possible for you to expand on what it is that Premier Pallister is doing that makes you feel the sale is imminent? Also, could you tell us what the premier would have to do so you would believe him when he says there are no plans to sell Hydro over NDP Leader Wab Kinew, who has been telling us about the sale of Hydro for years? It should also be pointed out that as the law currently stands, it is illegal for the govern- ment to sell Hydro. JAMES ROBERTS Winnipeg Reduce COVID-19 lineups Re: Balanced budget celebrated as downturn looms (Sept. 30) People continue to wait in long lines for a CO- VID-19 test, and we only have one testing drive- through in Winnipeg. I can’t imagine who is going to wait in line at the rest of the walk-up testing sites as the weather is becoming colder. I’m also hearing now that people are waiting so long, they are urinating in the streets. Pallister is clearly out of touch with the reali- ties of the situation in Manitoba. I listened to his so-called budget speech and the unfortunate thing is that it seems to be all he is concerned about. People have lost jobs, we have lost emer- gency rooms, and wait times are as bad as they were when he took over. If the Pallister government doesn’t step up COVID-19 testing, people will just not go to wait in line and that puts Manitobans at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. LEAH DURHAM Winnipeg Why is the provincial government making CO- VID-19 testing so unpleasant? How does it make any sense to force concerned citizens to wait in lines for hours and then be told to come back later? What sense does it make to allow hundreds to sit and idle their car engines for hours and some even be forced to urinate in back lanes or leave untested? For goodness sake, hire someone to prescreen people in line, or give out numbers so persons can make better use of their time. And put in a portable toilet or two to keep the inconve- nienced neighborhoods sanitary. HARRY PETERS Winnipeg Most people, especially newspaper readers, are aware of COVID-19. Please, Free Press, instead of disheartening articles and images, put daily on the front page a beautiful or interesting photo and article not related to a disaster, catastrophic event or tiresome politics. DANIELA WIGHTMAN Winnipeg Bully in the White House Re: Trump, Biden duke it out at debate (Sept. 30) Here in Canada, we’re concerned about bul- lying and we promote anti-bullying attitudes in schools and workplaces. Yet, we give exposure on Canadian TV to the biggest bully on the continent. AREND BERENDSE Winnipeg Where are bright bridges? Re: Bright bridges delight pedestrians (Sept. 23) Great article. Let’s celebrate our outdoors, but where are these bridges and can there be a map so people can discover this, or at least know where they are? RITA MORIER Winnipeg Praise for private restaurants Re: Close bars, restaurants (Letter, Sept. 29) I agree with writer Janice Chase that some bars and big restaurants that are not following the rules need to be closed. However, do not paint all restaurants with the same brush. Our smaller neighborhood restaurants that are privately owned are bending over backwards and jumping through all hoops to stay open safely. These owners deserve a pat on the back and our patronage in order to stay afloat. Their primary concern is the safety of their customers and staff, and they should not be forced to close because the bigger establishments are spoiling it for the rest in these trying times. CHRISTINE RANICK Winnipeg Dynacare crowds cause problems Re: Dynacare profi ts fl ow to U.S. (Letter, Sept. 26) Thank you for your recent coverage on Dyna- care. I live with a number of invisible health con- ditions, some of which from time to time impair my ability to stand for periods of time. That’s not immediately evident when looking at me though. Through all of this, I stay motivated through maintaining a full-time job. I have to get regular blood work, so it generally means I have to come in late to work because of the crush of people as soon as Dynacare opens. It’s rather embarrassing and I’m grateful every day that my job doesn’t de- pend on me being in at a certain time. As long as I make up the time it’s good, but it calls attention to me when I’m already missing a tonne of time for appointments. Also, the web check-in does not help because it’s only available as soon as Dynacare opens. Please help us keep the economy going by thinking about this demographic as well. BECKY LETT Winnipeg LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? THE FREE PRESS WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. The Free Press is committed to publishing a diverse selection of letters from a broad cross-section of our audience. The Free Press will also consider longer submissions for inclusion on our Think Tank page, which is a platform man- dated to present a wide range of perspectives on issues of current interest. We welcome our readers’ feedback on articles and letters on these pages and in other sections of the Free Press ● Email: Letters: letters@freepress.mb.ca Think Tank submissions: opinion@freepress.mb.ca ● Post: Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6 Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. ● Follow us on Twitter @WFPEditorials OUR VIEW YOUR SAY PERSPECTIVES EDITOR: BRAD OSWALD 204-697-7269 ● BRAD.OSWALD@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A6 THURSDAY OCTOBER 1, 2020 U.S. debate a low point for political discourse I N the normal run of political campaigning, the question most asked the morning after a major candidates’ debate is, “Who won?” In the aftermath of Tuesday’s faceoff between incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden — the first of three scheduled debates in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 U.S. election — it’s likely that a great many who tuned it in were left lamenting 90 squan- dered minutes they’ll never get back and wonder- ing out loud, “Who CARES?” It was, simply put, a shameful affair. Variously described in media reactions as “a train wreck,” “a joke,” “a dumpster fire,” “a low point in politi- cal discourse,” an “unseemly shout-fest,” “a s**t show” and “the worst presidential debate in living memory,” the televised encounter dragged the very notion of political debates — in which candidates are implored to engage in face-to-face discussions aimed at enlightening the electorate on each’s policies and beliefs — into a figura- tive ditch so deep, befouled and disgusting that there’s reason to worry the format can never be unsoiled. It’s a night most Americans — including the two candidates and the woefully ineffectual modera- tor, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace — would very likely rather forget. But there are many reasons it should not be cast immediately into the dustbin of history, and should instead be held up as a stark reminder of what American politics has become, and an encouragement for voters to use the power of their ballots to ensure it’s not what American politics will be in 2021 and beyond. While it’s fair to observe that no one on the stage in Cleveland acquitted himself well, it’s inarguable that blame for the debacle-ishness of the event is not evenly distributed. Fault for the undignified and brutish demeanour of the dia- logue falls squarely on Mr. Trump, who arrived at his podium clearly intent on employing every insult and untruth at his disposal to set Mr. Biden off balance while avoiding accountability for his manifold failings as president. Mr. Wallace’s attempts to keep the discussion on topic and on track failed completely as Mr. Trump, in as unpresidential a turn as has ever been offered in a debate forum, ignored the rules to which his campaign team had agreed and con- tinually interrupted his opponent with juvenile insults and falsehood-based provocations. Mr. Biden, for his part, was not unflappable, referring in frustration to Mr. Trump as a clown, a liar, and the worst president in U.S. history. At one particularly low point, an exasperated Mr. Biden simply turned to face his opponent’s ongo- ing harangue and shot back, “Will you shut up, man?” There was precious little, in terms of policy or party platform, for voters to absorb. There were, however, moments that should be held in mind as Americans cast their ballots, the most notable be- ing Mr. Trump’s unwillingness — or, perhaps, in- ability — when asked directly to do so, to categor- ically condemn the alt-right, white-supremacist faction that has long supported him and that he has been very reluctant to confront. When Mr. Wallace asked if he would tell his white supremacist followers — and specifically, the violent fringe group known as The Proud Boys — to stand down and cease interfering in the electoral process, Mr. Trump instead called on the group to “stand back, and stand by” — a statement that by evening’s end was being dis- played on T-shirts and shoulder patches circu- lated online by the group’s members. Shameful, indeed — the statement; the re- sponse; the debate. EDITORIAL JULIO CORTEZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. President Donald Trump Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis A_08_Oct-01-20_FP_01.indd A6 9/30/20 7:27 PM ;