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"We can't allow things that are inaccurate to stand." — The Word of Our Dan, February 19, 2008.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

For the record

An object lesson in why the phrase "at this point in time", as well as the curiously popular impersonal construction "there are...", are big red flags.

From the proceedings of the Bow-Wow Parliament on May 27:

MS JONES: On April 10, 2008, the former Minister of Education informed the House of Assembly that the government had no plans to close the School for the Deaf. I ask the minister today, if that is still the case?

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, our intentions for the School for the Deaf have not changed since the previous minister spoke in this House. The School for the Deaf still operates and we still offer governmental support to the same degree that we have in the past couple of years. There are no changes at this point in time from government.
MS JONES: Government has announced its intentions to build a new school for the west end of St. John’s.

I ask the minister: Will the School for the Deaf and the adjacent properties be the site of this new school, and if so, will the current buildings be renovated or incorporated into the new school design?

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is asking me to draw a lot of conclusions and make a lot of assumptions. The future of the School for the Deaf – as I said before, we have no intentions and have not laid any plans to do anything with that school at this point in time. The member opposite knows full well that as demographics change and student enrolments change and parent choices change, we will react accordingly. I am not going to speculate on where that will be at any time in the future.

* Really, though: Cf. Bill Clinton, "there is no relationship."

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