Top of my list would be to dump the insanity of political correctness. I’m sure I am not alone here.

I would like a book that turns its own pages, not an e-book, but one made from that wonderful renewable resource. Yes – trees.

Maybe embed something in the spine that’s not too much to ask is it?

Some may think I’m lazy, not so, I’m innovative.

Ron Baines, Kings Meadows.

HAVING been born and raised a Christian, I was taught why we celebrate Christmas and Easter, along with the relevance of other dates on the Christian calendar.   

I knelt by my bedside, eyes closed, hands clenched and prayed to “gentle Jesus”, in awe of the great things I was taught about him.    

As a child in church I never really understood the meaning of the ‘thees’; ‘thine’ or ‘thous’, but it made me feel good to be sat there listening intently to the Sunday School teacher and church minister.

We were told that as children we would be protected by God and his ‘agents’, the church ministers’ and that our church was a “neighbourhood house”, a place in which to feel safe and and feel love. 

The love of God.   

What a load of codswallop.

What was once my church, is proving again to be just a money grabber and money waster.

So-called experts cannot agree on when Jesus was born and so it is alright to celebrate his birthday anytime of the year.   

Christmas Day is a giant lie.

Many of God’s agents abused the children and now one of the chief agents is telling us we don’t need a church in which to go and seek love and security.   

Our Bishop Condie is telling me that what I have been taught through religious teaching is a complete farce and I now agree.

Bill Chugg, Campbell Town.

HOW harmful inhaling smoke from just one cigarette per day is, was reported in New Scientist, February 3.

For men, it is at least a 48 per cent increase in men, 57 per cent in women of having a heart attack, and 30 per cent in both men and women for a stroke.

With carbon monoxide equivalent from 3000 to 12,000 cigarettes an hour and tar from 800 to 40,000 cigarettes emitted from a typical wood heater.

Is it any wonder that Tasmania has such poor health statistics.

F. Groenier, Don.

THE old saying “how do you start a small business in Australia?” 

To which the answer is “give them a big one and wait”.

Having inherited the NBN and NDIS, both much needed by the community due to penny pinching measures and making administering nightmares of registering for assistance under the NDIS we can now change to “how do you stuff up good ideas ?”

Give them to the Coalition government and wait, but only a very short time.

A. Carter, Mowbray.

RECENTLY released figures show there has been a substantial increase in tourism figures to Tasmania. 

As a consequence there is unprecedented pressure for tourism developments in areas these visitors come to see. 

The government seems hell bent on unlocking our reserves. 

Consider the major impacts of developments, such as the cable car up Mount Wellington. 

Imagine the experience of driving or walking up the mountain and have cable cars passing over your head.

Would this improve the view of the organ pipes? 

In other wilderness areas the peace and tranquility would be badly disturbed by helicopters flying overhead. 

The flights to provide building materials and supplies would destroy otherwise wilderness areas.

And, on the ground, what about the new roads and resulting  traffic noise? 

How this would disturb the residents?

Decades ago they got it right when they decided to implement legislation to conserve and make these areas out of bounds for development.

A management plan in 1999 provided the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Areas to require a comprehensive assessment, but a search of the 2016 plan conveniently omitted this.

Bill Carney, Riverside.

WINEGLASS Bay is an iconic tourist attraction in Tasmania.

I could not believe that the Tasmanian government plans to stop car parking and only allow bus services to bring in visitors to Wineglass Bay. 

I have just arrived back from holiday in Thailand where Chinese tourists are picked up from the airport on Chinese-owned buses transported to Chinese owned-hotels and transported to various tourist sites around the country on Chinese-owned buses. 

One can only hope that the Tasmanian government has not fallen into the same trap.

While nine million Chinese tourists visit Thailand each year, very little money is spent at locally owned establishments. 

As a result many small businesses are closing down. 

Only a matter of time before it happens here if we are not vigilant and see only one side of the picture.

Colin Viney, Legana.