COMING UP TRUMPS
Adrian Devlin (Illawarra Mercury, January 14) has been ignoring facts for so long that readers seem to have come to expect it, but his latest must get a response. Donald Trump had a "landslide win"?
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The official figures show that 65.8 million Americans voted for Hilary Clinton and 63 million voted for Trump. Only a massively distorted college system put Trump in the White House.
Meryl Streep's moving criticism ("fake emotional sympathy") of Trump for mocking a reporter with a disability is unjustified because it "did not happen"?
It happened. I have seen video of it happening, on the ABC, which I regard as a much more reliable source of information than either Trump or Mr Devlin.
Peter Cockcroft, Corrimal
PRODUCING THE TRICKS
Donald Trump: A showman determined to produce all the tricks to win …. even though he has no idea how to play the game.
John Macleod, Berry
SAVING LIVES
The fact there has been 21 drownings since Christmas day is not only very sad but also extremely worrying.
We are a nation surrounded by water and accidents do and will happen but further action needs to be taken to reduce this number and stop it from increasing. What can be done?
Perhaps some of these ideas may trigger some positive thought and solutions among us.
Life jackets or buoyancy vests could be made compulsory for those of us that don’t, for whatever reason, swim between the flags; and compulsory for all rock fishermen. These devices should be as familiar as taking your beach towel or fishing rod with you.
If you swim on a patrolled beach between the flags, then it may be your choice whether you wear a lifejacket or not. Boardriders already have a floating device with them, but swimmers outside the flags, have no support.
These devices are already compulsory when boating, could it be extended and applied to all those that use our coast and waterways. This action could also be applied to people (particularly children) who use backyard swimming pools.
In conjunction with educating our children and new arrivals to our country with compulsory swimming and water awareness lessons; life jackets could be lifesavers.
Steven Thomas, former professional lifeguard Australia and UK, Shellharbour
DISMANTLING DEMOCRACY
How many votes would a political party get if they went into an election saying “Medicare will go”, “Pensions will go”, “Your rights, under the law will go”, “There will be no national broadcaster”, “Unions will go”, “Universal education will go”. No political party would do this.
Whitlam’s changes attempted to enshrine basic standards for everyone.
First people are our First People, that education is an investment that yields far greater returns than any corporation could ever dream of, that access to universal health care was a solid foundation upon which to build a healthy society, that a legal system had to be accessible to all if it was to have any value (let alone merit), that the social ‘safety nets’ aren’t welfare as much as they are insurances taken out by societies to ensure the safety of those that are most vulnerable.
All of these hard won standards are being eroded away. The coalition’s plan has been to do this by stealth. With the Murdoch media on-side, there has been an endless supply of distractions, blame shifting, obfuscation and outright deceit.
Ordinary citizens have been left in the dark, blind, ignorant and obediently submissive while the corporations strip-mine our wide brown land and dismantle our democracy.
Don Kelly, Kanahooka