Letters, Oct. 24

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This article was published 24/10/2024 (537 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Careful what you wish for

Re: “Recreational evil” (Letters, Oct. 22)

OK, I’ll bite…. While it was a bit of fun to see the Rosa Luxemburg’s maxim, “socialism or barbarism” referenced in the Free Press shoplifting editorial (Unwelcome, but not entirely unexpected, Oct. 18), the response from letter writer Gregory Unger, not so much.

Mr. Unger tries to sidestep Luxemburg’s stark choice with the seeming generosity of having “a good mixture of both,” socialism and barbarism. His no doubt heartfelt concern for the property rights of shopkeepers and concern with respect to police and prison budgets is duly noted.

Under the guise of civic-minded reasonableness, however, he manages to import concepts and ideas that are circulating in far right circles, terms such as: “anarcho-tyranny,” “‘subversive’ things,” “recreational evil,” “compelling force.”

Thanks, but no thanks; I’ll take a pass.

If property rights are of concern, I wonder if his justification for crushing crime with violence, “compelling force,” extends to white-collar crime and the land theft perpetrated upon Indigenous Peoples, or their “legal right” to respond in kind.

It should be noted Luxemburg and her colleague Karl Liebknecht were assassinated in 1919 by some of the same social actors that led to Nazi fascism in Germany in the following decades.

So be careful what you wish for and recommend.

Sig Laser

Winnipeg

Alice in Transitland

Re: No more frozen bus rides, province vows (Oct. 22)

“Do you mean to say,” Alice asked the white rabbit, “that up to now, there has been no law requiring that buses operating in Wonderland must be equipped with heating systems that work?”

The White Rabbit nodded and checked his watch again, muttering about being late for a very important date.

“But how can that be?” Alice said. “In winter, northern Wonderland gets cold enough to freeze the —”

“Uh, uh,” the White Rabbit warned.

“— to freeze the smile off a Cheshire Cat.”

“Well,” the rabbit replied, “it is true bus passengers in the north have had just about any part of them you would care to name — but really shouldn’t — frozen.”

“Curiouser and curiouser,” said Alice. “I just assumed buses operating in such cold weather would be heated.”

“It’s not safe to assume anything in Wonderland,” the rabbit said, rather petulantly. “You should know that by now.”

“It would be so nice if something made sense for a change,” Alice sighed. “Are they going to pass any more such laws in Wonderland?”

“You mean what the Mad Hatter would call common-sense laws?” the White Rabbit asked.

“Yes, I suppose,” said Alice. “Although, like his Tea Party, his obsession with the phrase ‘common sense’ is rather nonsensical.”

“Never mind that,” said the rabbit. “You’ll have to speak to Wonderland’s premier about any such future legislation. He’s very accessible.

“All you have to do to meet him is to explain why a raven is like a writing desk.”

Alice tossed her head angrily.

“Well, I’ve had enough nonsense,” she said. “I’m going home!”

“Take an Uber,” said the White Rabbit. “They’re warmer than a bus.”

Ross McLennan

Winnipeg

Distant discoveries

Re: Mission to Europa (Think Tank, Oct. 22)

Reading Gwynne Dyer’s column today, I reacted with a good deal of bittersweetness. On the one hand, what Europa Clipper discovers on Titan could be the greatest discovery of the human species, but being in my 70s, there is a possibility I might not be here to get the news, one way or the other.

As Dyer says, finding life of any kind on Titan would conclusively demonstrate life on Earth is not unique, and life elsewhere in the universe would suddenly be a given, even if most were bacterial life.

Here’s hoping Europa spews out a water plume for the Clipper to fly through, which could nail it down one way or the other!

Michael Dowling

Winnipeg

Flawed policy

Re: “Facts and tax” (Letters, Oct. 18)

In his letter, Ed Lohrenz states: “The point of the carbon tax is to encourage you to quit burning fossil fuels.”

While I appreciate the goal, the method is questionable. How does charging the tax and then refunding it change behaviour? For many it is the same as saving a little from every paycheque and then getting to spend it every three months. If we are to believe that many receive more than they paid, that is similar to getting interest on your savings.

The carbon tax, as currently functioning, is a Liberal attempt at income distribution from the haves to the have-nots. Unfortunately, they also fail at that effort. Poor people cannot afford to buy an EV, solar panels, heat pumps or any other expensive purchases required to reduce their carbon footprint.

The carbon tax does align with the Liberal record of increasing taxes and the total number of civil servants. Little is mentioned that GST is charged on the carbon tax. Then one must wonder how many people have been hired to circulate your money.

The current program is not working. Canada’s total GHG emissions in 2021 were 1.8 per cent higher than in 2020, and in 2022 they were 1.3 per cent higher than in 2021. Time to do a reset.

Brian McAughey

Winnipeg

Congratulations to Scott

Re: ‘Perfect time to say goodbye’ (Oct. 17)

Congratulations are in order for “the Destroyer,” Desiree Scott, the West Kildonan Collegiate and Bison grad who has decided to call it a career!

Desiree is and was the face of women’s soccer in Manitoba and Canada. She did us proud by representing Canada on the world soccer stage.

As well as being tenacious on the soccer pitch, Scott is a very humble and principled person. She is always a staunch advocate for her family.

I look forward to following her career whether it’s management, coaching or other endeavours.

Perhaps the city would consider giving her a key to the city or naming a street after her.

Ken Campbell

Winnipeg

Working parents’ struggles

Re: Woman protests lack of child care (Sept. 22)

I was touched by Arleen Kehler’s story about her struggle to find child care for her school-aged children, which unfortunately compelled her to leave her plumbing job. She is not alone. A lot of working parents are undergoing the same challenging situation. Many parents are forced to choose between their careers and their children’s care because of the lack of accessible childcare.

Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Nello Altomare said that the provincial government plans to create 4,400 new spaces for school-aged kids. However, it’s clear that this number is far from enough, since the population grows.

Without accessible child care, everyone suffers: parents are forced to leave their jobs, leading to lost income for families and lost employees for businesses. This creates a cycle that negatively impacts both families and the economy. We must advocate for more funding and child care that serves all age groups so that parents like Arleen have a choice to stay in the workforce.

Lijun Lin

Etobicoke, Ont.