Overlapping Public Services

About 10 years ago I was working around the house when I heard a tremendous noise of truck traffic on my little side street. It sounded like an invasion of tanks. I zipped outside to see what was going on and was amazed to watch a team of garbage trucks, 3 or 4 per side leapfrogging each other as they picked up the trash. One would pick up the trash from house #10 and the truck behind would pass and pick up the trash from #12, etc., etc., etc.

I asked one of the men why they were doing this. I was told my street was getting the final pick-up and none of the trucks could go back to the barn until a certain time so they actually were killing time so none of the workers would lose pay for finishing their shift early. When I protested that this was a waste of taxpayer money the man responded, "Well, would you rather have us on welfare?".

Is there no better way of having our tax dollar spent? Because of the powerful unions representing city workers they aren't even allowed to do other work needed in the city when their own has been completed.

Now I read that both public and Catholic schools (probably every other religious school funded by the government) has their own bus service to pick up and return school children. Some wise administrator has suggested that the buses combine their service so that children of 2 religions living side by side would not need 2 different school buses to take them to and from school. It had never occurred to me before that this waste of tax dollars was happening.

The Catholic school board is fighting tooth and nail to keep this from happening because they want Catholic children isolated from non Catholics as long as possible. How sad. And this is a religion that preaches brotherly love.

Maybe only if you and your brother are Catholic.

I've always felt that separate schools were a bad idea. Children need to learn about other cultures and that includes other religions. It would result in more understanding and accepting adults because we fear what we don't understand.

Today our public schools are filled with children from many different backgrounds. Their parents want their children to blend in with their neighbors instead of holding themselves separate. They don't fear losing their identity because it's within the family. These children should grow up more well rounded from experiencing other cultures on a daily basis.

I know the issue of overlapping public services is just one more example of tax dollar waste but wouldn't it be nice if our elected officials just used their heads sometimes and eliminated some of the waste? After all, that's their job.

To the Catholics out there. Religion should be taught in your home and in church. Schools are for teaching your children about the world.