To the Editor,
Re: Turkey holiday can be shelved, Opinion, Oct. 8.
This editorial brought this question to mind and my thoughts drifted back to the early years of the 1950s when every Sunday was a family day – no stores open, no meetings, no sports practices.
Only essential workers – police, firemen, hospital staff, etc. – worked or were on-call on Sundays. That’s 51 family days per year.
In addition there were statutory holidays and a minimum annual one-week holiday, making a total of 62 days when families could enjoy time together.
In 2012 we have far fewer holidays, a word derived from Sabbath or Holy Day – the seventh day of the week.
We now have far fewer and in many instances one or more of the family is working in a store or elsewhere.
Who benefits from this?
The large chain stores in the malls, those who choose to work so that they can benefit by the increased hourly rate and the shopaholics.
Who are the losers?
The renters of small stores in a mall who in many cases have no option but to be open when the mall is open, the children who don’t have the opportunity to sit down to a leisurely ‘Sunday’ dinner, a one-time tradition.
Have we progressed or are we going backwards? Are our families stronger? What are our priorities?
Don’t blame corporate greed and those with large bank accounts. Those are people who provide the money to create the jobs. They pay large taxes that pay for our health care, education, child allowance, old age security, subsidize transit, pay our civil service, our army and our police force.
We should remember government has no money, it relies on corporate and individual taxes to provide for the needs of the people to the best of its ability.
M.J. Howarth
Nanaimo