Big grant better off elsewhere
Re: Plugging into the unplugged, B次元官网网址, Jan. 7, 2011.
I hope this story is an early April fools joke, written to test the readership.
If not, it is criminal to grant $500,000 of taxpayer money to research B次元官网网址渨hy people live off the grid.B次元官网网址�
This retired gasman can give you the main reason why people choose that way of life.
They like nature, are not deadbeats, they like working for their living and health and want to get away from politicians that would approve this waste of money and professors that feel the need to B次元官网网址渟tudyB次元官网网址� this matter.
This taxpayerB次元官网网址檚 money and the professorB次元官网网址檚 energy would be better applied to the welfare of children, the sick and the elderly.
George Lucas
Colwood
Where did Haiti donations go?
Haiti, a year-old horror, and in our backyard.
While such disasters are heart-wrenching should we not wonder where all the funds Canada (and others) contributed ended up?
Unless someone from here was there to deal directly with our money, see it go where intended, how can we be sure it didnB次元官网网址檛 settle into the pockets of those with the means to channel it there?
Sending it off with good intentions and feeling that the good deed has been done is not good enough.
Don Wilkes
Langford
Horgan campaign strategy needs help
Re: Juan de Fuca MLA running for NDP leadership, B次元官网网址, Jan. 12, 2011.
Up until recently I thought Juan de Fuca MLA John Horgan made sense even if he is NDP (IB次元官网网址檓 not).
But the fact that he supported Carole James to the bitter end even when she was getting the boot as leader shows he is politically naive.
And to cap it off, his announcement meeting was at 7 p.m. after all the early evening TV news programs are finished.
Every other candidate announced during the day to get maximum media coverage. ItB次元官网网址檚 not like John Horgan is a household name anywhere other than around here. This guy needs some serious help if his bid for leadership of the NDP is going to be successful.
John Townson
Colwood
Make B.C. Family Day every Sunday
How very interesting that Christy Clark should hit upon the brilliant idea of creating a new provincial public holiday designated as Family Day.
In this age of speed, greed and problem families, it may be profitable to remind her of the time when there was a family day every week, on the day called Sunday.
Perhaps instead of allowing corporations and shopping chains to exploit the parents of so many children for financial gain, politicians could be persuaded to give some thought to restoring the six-day working week for retail shopping, thus affording most mothers and fathers one of the keys to strong families B次元官网网址� having quality time together.
Thus, parents could spend one day a week with their children B次元官网网址� not just one special day a year courtesy of an ambitious and opportunistic politician.
The government that holds a referendum on ending Sunday retail shopping in British Columbia will be doing more good for children than all the welfare schemes any politicians can conceivably concoct.
Ralph Smith
Saanich
Shared information averts danger
Probably more significant than proroguing parliament is the circulating of a dangerous perspective that stabs at the heart of fair trials in Canada.
B次元官网网址淭he RCMP is calling on the Harper government to find a way to ease disclosure requirements that force the Mounties to share all of the fruits of their investigations with defence lawyers.B次元官网网址�
Their argument is disclosure costs too much. They apparently think sharing already gathered and paid for information is not worth the effort to them.
In fact, handing over copies of evidence is the least expensive part of our justice system and withholding them is critically damaging.
How profoundly wrong can our government and its agencies get? But the attitude is more than a drift to the wrong side of the road.
Eugene Parks
Victoria
