Broad
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DID Martin Stevenson just call me a `broad’?
Zero respect.
— NATASHA FOSTER, Dilston.
Rebuttal letters
THE totally defensive attitude by a couple of letter writers leaps out when reading letters to the editor.
Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic seems to spend time scanning the pages to write rebuttal letters.
As a federal MP I would have thought he had better uses of his time than look for dissent in his electorate.
— MAX WELLS, Sorell.
Tony Abbott
ONCE again Prime Minister Tony Abbott offers up Nazi analogies to his federal opponents in a display of just how low his parliamentary standards are.
Last time the Prime Minister had to issue swift and numerous apologies to Jewish groups including one my wife's family belong to in Sydney.
— PETER M. TAYLOR, Midway Point.
European tours
NOT long now till we see all the politicians and their extended families set sail for their public funded European tours under the guise of paying tribute to the fallen.
I wonder if they realise who’s responsible for all the headstones.
Wouldn’t be politicians would it?
— PETER CHURCHILL, St Helens.
Health insurance
WE have just received our new monthly premium rates from our private health insurer - a rise of $50 per month, taking our monthly premiums to $413.70 for two adults.
My husband and I are both retired, fortunately at this stage enjoy good health, but is it the aim of private health funds to make their product unaffordable to ordinary people thus putting extreme demands on the public health system, which is already unable to cope with current demands?
We feel that a rise of over $50 per month unacceptable and unjust.
It will be interesting to see how many other people share our views - even young people think twice before taking full private health cover.
— L. AND P. SCALES, Punchbowl.
Rabbits
EVERY year I find blind, starving rabbits on my property and on the roadside.
This is a result of deliberate biological warfare by governments to control rabbits.
Myxomatosis can take up to three weeks to kill, three weeks of torture for a rabbit.
The more fashionable Calcivirus, which kills by internal bleeding, takes a little less but must be just as cruel.
As the state government is so concerned about animal cruelty, I suggest they look in their own backyard as well.
The Greens could not care less as at least it keeps the little varmints out of the lettuce patch.
— M. LOUTH, Flowery Gully.
Asylum seekers
I APPLAUD the excellent letter by M. Campbell-Smith (The Examiner, March 18) in support of the inspiring talk by Julian Burnside on "We can do much better", especially with reference to our treatment of asylum seekers.
Mr Burnside pointed out that the term 'border protection' is false: we do not need to be protected from people fleeing persecution.
They are not threatening our borders and in fact, in terms of the huge world problem of refugees forced to leave their homes, Australia takes only a very small proportion of those seeking asylum.
— SARA STRONG, Launceston.
Road-kill rise a worry
I NOTICE the amount of road-kill seems to be increasing.
I believe the reason for this is that wallaby and other game, over the last 10 years or so, have been rapidly multiplying in our farmlands due to an abundant supply of fresh feed.
Plenty of fresh feed and lots of roads through the farmlands equals plenty of road-kill.
In the mountains, the only place we see significant road-kill is where the grass or scrub has been cut on the side of the road.
This encourages fresh growth that draws the game out to the killing field.
Unless there is a plan to stem the explosion of wildlife, we will have more road-kill in years to come.
If you think that there is a lot of native animals on our road now, just imagine 10 years down the track.
We will end up with nice fur-pelt covered roads.
Native wildlife on the road will cause accidents, and tourists who are not used to seeing wildlife on the road will be involved in these ever-increasing accidents.
People will be killed in these accidents caused by wildlife.
My concern is that no one is seeing this problem and so there is no plan to address this ever-increasing issue.
Please tell me I am wrong and that there is a plan.
— PHIL STEERS, Westbury.
Cigarettes
TOBACCO industry representatives say they support regulation on cigarette sales, yet urge the Legislative Council against backing the proposed private members bill tabled by Windermere independent MLC Ivan Dean to ban sales of cigarettes to all Tasmanians born this century.
This is in full knowledge of the fact Tasmanian medical, dental, public health organisations and widespread public endorsement of the ban.
Cigarettes are a legalised drug and do as much damage (over a longer period) as the high end substances.
In acknowledging regulation is needed, tobacco companies are admitting their product is harmful and yet are prepared to defend it, in the name of profit.
— ROBERT LEE, Summerhill.
Debt
IN common with Adam Clark, (Growth, not Austerity, The Examiner, March 16) I simply do not understand the concern for Australia’s government debt.
Our gross government debt level is very low by international comparison, 27.15 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Our government’s debt levels compare very favourably against a host of other sovereign nations like Canada, United Kingdom, the US, Singapore and even New Zealand.
If we want investment in expensive infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports and airports, then we need to borrow.
And there is no better time to do so with very low interest rates prevailing.
However, doubtless we should look to where and from whom we borrow.
There is $1.8 trillion (three times our government debt) sitting in Australia’s superannuation funds.
What a great source investment borrowings is that?
Or perhaps this current federal government doesn’t want us to know about that fact simply because much of that money is invested in Industry funds.
Industry funds, run by employees, for employees, and incurring very small charges against employee member’ balances.
— E. ROBBINS, Launceston.
Safe schools
ISABEL Bird “Compassion lacking for children suffering” misses the point of our objection to the Safe Schools Coalition program.
The ideological bent of the Safe Schools Coalition program is potentially detrimental to young people.
Defining gender as simply how you think about yourself; allowing students to use the toilet of their choice; relaxing of uniform regulations to allow for cross-dressing; encouraging whole school participation in pro-homosexual marriage rallies.
This is also likely to cause real concern for many parents, as is the labelling of young people as LGBTI.
Adolescence is a turbulent stage of life and not surprisingly research shows that most young people with gender confusion, or same-sex attraction, lose such feelings within a few short years.
How is telling them they are “born that way” compassionate?
ACL deplores all forms of bullying but experts agree that bullying is best tackled as a whole of school approach rather than highlighting one group of students for special attention.
Yes, young people with gender confusion or same-sex attraction may be a target group but so are those who are overweight or those with different coloured skin.
All bullied students (one in four experience bullying) should be supported and cared for as part of a school’s anti-bullying program.
There are a number of good programs already available that achieve this.
— MARK BROWN, Tasmanian Director, Australian Christian Lobby.