Paying the Price
NOW here's a thing. We know society needs to change or we are in trouble.
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Our environment is suffering. We need to get smarter. Too many people are being underpaid or ripped off while the high end of town seems to be enjoying a significant increase in wealth.
Now here's the rub. One party wants to lower taxes to address these issues. The other party wants to raise them.
At the heart of this divide is an essential reality: we cannot change for the better without being prepared to pay the price.
When one party says that the other cannot handle the economy that they will increase your taxes and we can't afford them.
What they are actually saying is we can make things better for you at no extra cost. Now that is a straight out lie.
Just possibly the biggest lie of this election campaign for which Prime Minister Scott Morrison is yet to be held to account.
Tony Newport, Hillwood.
Hospital Debate
AFTER reading the article "Labor to move against Minister" (The Examiner, April 29) I was saddened to read that Rebecca White is blaming Michael Ferguson for the death of people in our hospitals.
There is no mention of their cause of death. Was it old etc? We now have a very unhealthy generation.
I see more young and middle aged people having to be treated in our hospitals with sicknesses that a generation ago was unheard of.
This of course then puts more pressure on our hospitals and health system.
I believe Mr Ferguson has done a great job with the limited amount of funds he has at his disposal. To judge him like the Labor party does is unjust.
I ask myself, would they do better?
Keep up the good work Mr Ferguson for many of us appreciate what you have done in your short time as health minister.
Armin Rehrmann, Legana.
Wages and Pensions
WHAT really matters to low wage people and pensioners is not so much their money wages but what they can buy with it.
Cost of living has risen steeply, much more than low wages and pensions.
This stagnation clearly shows they're worse off. Wages and pensions have fallen; reduced spending has put small businesses at risk. Using specialised, segregated financial techniques against low income people is very offensive.
A privileged group are taking a bigger slice of the cake, enjoying obscene salaries , loopholes, creating inequality of opportunity.
There are no fair wage councils to fix what a maximum high income should be. Controlling some of those eye popping amounts would be far more beneficial for the economy than driving low income families and pensioners into poverty.
Familiar figures pretend they are searching for fair balance, while protecting themselves from critics who produce data showing extraordinarily high inflated salaries.
William Ovnell, Grindelwald.
Election Matters
THE policy-content of the LNP's election campaign thus far puts one in mind of the famous Balfour aphorism, nothing matters very much; and very little matters at all.
Dave Robinson, Newstead.
Political Commitment
WOULDN'T it be great if our politicians recognised the need to accept that, just like the spinners and weavers of times past, the miners today need to accept that their occupation is outdated, making it necessary to channel their occupations into areas of sustainable, renewable, alternative energies,for example electromagnetic, solar and wind. If our politicians were prepared to fully back such sustainable schemes, giving our workers the opportunity to refocus their livelihoods, then we could happily forget the wasteful, polluting, destructive-to-the-environment oil and coal mining activities which are destroying the earth.
Our people would then be able to work in occupations with a clear conscience, knowing that every day spent and the money earned would be to truly profit themselves as well as benefiting the environment.
Wouldn't it be great?
Lucia Dale, Summerhill.
School Strikers for Climate Action
LAST Friday, at 75 locations across Australia, School Strikers for Climate Action, along with parents and grandparents, protested outside MPs offices demanding action on climate change.
I was disappointed the Tasmanian media did not cover the event in Launceston.
Students travelled from as far as Latrobe and Georgetown, and knocked on local MPs doors to put their demands: No Adani, No new coal, oil and gas, 100 per cent renewables by 2030.
People are aware that there has long been the technology for transitioning to clean, renewable energy but government have continued to support the fossil fuel industry.
It is commonsense to transition to renewables.
Recently the UK, and indeed councils here in Tasmania have declared a climate emergency. It cannot be ignored any longer, the momentum is building, led by the young for action, their determination is inspiring and gives me hope for a brighter future for my children and grandchildren, as long as people don't vote for the current government who have no intention of taking action.
Kathleen Green, Beauty Point.