CONGRATULATIONS to whoever was the first person that wrote this very true statement" - An assisted dying law would not result in more people dying, but in fewer people suffering ".

— M. LEPPARD, Invermay.

Thank you

I WISH to thank the lady who found my mobile phone (Tuesday, August 25) and who took the time to hand it in to the police station.

You have confirmed my belief that most people are by nature honest and trustworthy.

— PETER WILSON, Launceston.

Cyclists

AS A resident of St Helens it dismays me to see the number of young people that ride their bicycles around town without helmets.

The police seem to take no notice of this.

Will it take a death to jolt them and the parents of these youngsters into action?

— NEVILLE CRAWFORD, St Helens.

TasNetworks

ON August 26 at 11.15am, I went to the mail box and found a note from TasNetworks saying they called at 11am to remove the pay as you go meter and install the standard meter but couldn't because it was locked.

The power box is hard up next to the front door.

The car was in the driveway, I was home and  my wife was home.

They couldn't be bothered to knock on the door and they went away.

When phoned all they would repeatedly say was the power board was not accessible, no indication of what month, week or day of their next couldn't care less visit.

Got us by the throat eh.

— PHILLIP WILLMOT, Rocherlea.

Greens

SINCE Tasmanian Greens MP Nick McKim always failed miserably to solve, or at least improve, any problems or situation specifically pertaining to his own state, what is the point of him now entering Federal politics?

I can foresee that he is going to be about as effective and successful as a bucket with holes that’s full of water.

— CARMEN FRELEK, Launceston.

Abetz

IT’S gutless, against the rules claims Eric Abetz.

That is the political definition of selective memory.

It is very clear in everyone's minds how it was within the rules for Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd from Mr Abetz and co when he was in opposition.

What goes around comes around. Something about glass houses and stone throwing.

Suck it up. If you can't take it be careful about giving it.

— WALLY REYNOLDS, Perth.

Guns

OF ANY state Tassie knows full well the horror of quick firing weapons, yet we see our so-called representatives doing a grubby deal to allow the Turkish A110 shotgun in.

Talk about selling their souls except it’s our souls they have sold.

So how about naming and shaming those who have done this?

I can guarantee there will be the usual senate suspects advocating this gun lunacy

— PETER TAYLOR, Midway Point.

Politics

CAN somebody please put me out of my misery.

Of late I  have spent more time than usual reading about, listening to and watching our 'political class' at work.

All I have witnessed is a totally shambolic situation getting worse and worse.

It's time to put an end to this farce.

This government needs to go and the opposition needs a good shake up.

Are my observations correct, or am I deluded?

— S. STRONACH, Launceston.

GST

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott’s Liberals were prepared to die in a ditch to ensure there was no tax levied on big mining and the coal industry.

But proposals to expand the GST onto online purchases and expand the rate are very likely to go through with minimal fuss.

The Liberals are unashamedly nothing more than the political branch of a millionaires’ club, always prepared to bash the poor and working in order to ensure a free ride for those who have done best out of Australia.

— PETER LLOYD, Reedy Marsh.

Amalgamation

REGARDING the amalgamation between the George Town and Beaconsfield hospitals.

While there are problems that have arisen leading to extra workloads for the NVM and the RN’s on the floor, to say morale is very low is not a true reflection on the employees who work at the George Town hospital, which can easily be verified by feedback from patients who have been in care here.

I do not work at Beaconsfield therefore I cannot comment on the situation there.

I am not "angry” and enjoy going to work.

We are endeavouring to amend our problems and patients are still receiving the same professional, friendly care they received before the amalgamation.

— D. BOWER, George Town.

Airlines

I RECENTLY attempted to book a regular and popular flight to Melbourne.

On the net I noticed that the flight no longer existed.

I contacted the airlines call centre (in the Philippines) to ascertain why the flight had been cancelled, they could not explain why.

I then contacted the airline on two occasions via their website and again on their customer complaints/compliments line requesting an answer.

Result, no reply.

I will however continue to fly with said airline  because as far as I am concerned, they are the best.

However, I recommend that the head of the airline send his customer service/relations staff to Singapore Airlines for a two week course on how to treat customers with a problem with their bookings.

— GERRY KITE, Legana.

Roads

THE recent announcement of a proposed $9.6m upgrade to a 3.2km section (that equates to $3,000 per metre) of the Bass Highway west of Birralee Rd, highlights again appalling planning decisions which are made around the design and construction of our roads.

It was stated that this section of highway is “confusing” as it is a section of a single carriageway with double carriageway east and west of it.

Confusion is not the problem with this section of highway.

Any confusion as to which way traffic should travel could be alleviated by good signage and road markings.

The real problem with this section of highway is that it includes the only hill on the highway between Illawarra Rd and the Meander River at Deloraine, and there is no climbing lane up the hill.

I wrote at the time the highway was built that this was a design flaw.

A politician in Hobart or Canberra, or both, approved the construction of a sub-standard highway to achieve a short term budgetary gain.

— ROSS WARREN, Devonport.

Streets

I AM a little bit confused about an article that appeared in The Examiner (August 18), the heading was "Council to apply for black-spot funding".

In the article it mentions Eardley Street, a street that goes in an east-westerly direction.

The council seems to think it goes north-south.

Also, the council, according to the report, wants to put Eardley Street in the middle of the Wellington Street and Howick Street intersection.

Another thing that has me puzzled is the council wants to "discourage the use of Wellington Street and Hobart Road as a route to Youngtown".

Do they expect everyone who lives in Youngtown or Kings Meadows to find some other way to go to work or get home without using Hobart Road or Wellington Street?

In another section of the report, Dineen and Joffre Street in Mowbray are mentioned.

To use their statistics, 25 per cent of all cars going through this intersection crash, but in the same paragraph it is reported that there have only been three crashes there in three years, statistisc and lies perhaps?

— JOHN DENNE, Longford.

Reform Summit

WE are on the eve of the National Reform Summit.

The summit is an initiative of the Fairfax and Murdoch (News Corporation) newspapers, specifically The Australian Financial Review (AFR) and The Australian national newspaper in concert with major accounting firm , KPMG.

The summit is representative of industry, business, welfare and seniors’ groups as well as the ACTU.

The summit’s initial draft statement says “reform is now urgent” and that government must be open to considering all options for tax reform.

“Current debate is consumed by special interest lobbying and single-issue politics at the expense of broader community interest”.

The draft statement also states that the government’s priorities should be to “lifting productivity growth and workforce participation, tax reform, fiscal policy to drive economic growth”  the latter I take to mean government spending on projects such as roads, ports and railways that should derive a significant cost benefit to all.

How utterly refreshing to witness a group of highly ranked representatives, who often hold disparate objectives and opinions, come together and behave as “grown-ups” should.

Politicians of all persuasions should take serious note, look to themselves and have the intestinal fortitude to put their immediate political ambitions behind them for the sake of the country and good governance.

What chance?

— DOUGLAS ROSS ROBBINS, Trevallyn.