Dear Editor,

Gordy Robson should have a care with the power of his words [Check out the offer, Feb. 5 Just Saying, TIMES]. Several of the skills he uses in current and past careers had their inception during his school years, and were encouraged by his teachers.

Teachers educate and need to be valued by a society. So when a teacher gets together with other teachers to try to help a government hear the need for change, they are not “whining idiots,” but educated professionals asking to be heard.

When he held the esteemed office of Mayor of Maple Ridge, sometimes or maybe frequently people would question the decisions made by him and council. Often those people were expressing opinions without knowing all of the facts, and wasn’t it nice when Mayor Robson had the opportunity to explain and help those people understand how he and council came to decisions.

These were decisions made after collecting relevant data, communicating with involved parties, discussing, deconstructing, debating, and finally voting: not an easy process, but necessary when decisions affect such a large and significant body.

And yet, even though he explained the process and his position, some people would not understand; they would maintain their opinion without checking their facts.

Those people were “just saying,” and not “just thinking.”

Please take the time to talk to a dedicated, well-meaning, community contributing teacher and ask if he or she feels valued by a government that bullies with the power of legislation, ignores the statements of the Supreme Court, and tries to cut the education budget when it’s already one of the lowest, compared to the other provinces in Canada.

These are facts that Gordy can discuss with the valued teachers in his immediate family.

Sheldon and Elizabeth Rosenau, Maple Ridge