I TAKE exception to Katrina Hodgkinson’s ill-informed comments about the Greens on Monday, March 30, in which she denounced the Greens as anti-farming, anti-farmer and mostly vegan. For a start, the Greens are certainly not anti-farming. Like everyone else, they recognise that we will always need to feed an ever increasing population.
They key thing here is that the Greens are for sustainable farming, which means our practices will allow farmers to keep up food production into the future.
In light of climate change, be it a natural phenomena or man-made, we need, as a nation, to have a long hard look at sustainable farming, or our grandchildren’s children will not be fed.
Secondly, it is complete nonsense to claim that the Greens do not care about farming because most of them are vegans. In fact, most Greens I know do enjoy meat, especially flavoursome, organic, or better still, biodynamically produced, meat. Again, it is about sustainable practices in farming.
Katrina, I believe that to be your goal also. There is room, indeed necessity, for cooperation on these issues ahead of flippant and incorrect comments on the TV, which are negative and divisive. These issues are so crucial that without cooperation to implement forward-thinking policies, and the joint political will to do so, we may not survive the next 200 years or so.
Beryl Turner, Old Junee
Commonsense prevails
IT WAS a pleasant surprise to read in The Daily Advertiser (April 10, 2015) that approval for the trotting track at North Wagga has been deferred; this means that there is still the possibility that commonsense will prevail and the track will be built elsewhere.
Surely if millions of dollars are to be spent on a track, and associated facilities, the first priority should be to purchase a suitable site. I would love to see the track built in Wagga but if this is the only site available, and I can’t believe that is the case, then I would prefer to see the track built at Coolamon.
If my memory is correct the land in question was purchased by council because Dick Gorman thought it would make a good lake; I think he was on the money.
On another topic I have to agree with Graham Gorrel’s thoughts about cricket. Cricket, at all levels, used to have sportsmanship as a top priority but the almost thuggish behavior of our cricketers displays a total absence of sportsmanship and because of this I no longer watch the game.
John Kjeldsen, Lake Albert
Big wigs keep winning
BIG Smokin Joe wishes to reform the taxation system and encourage all to contribute more. Well, how is this for starters - last year Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox paid less than 1 per cent tax in Australia - and then the company did a simple restructure in which no money changed hands and “bingo” the company scored a $880 million, yes million, refund from the ATO, which is really the taxpayer.
While Joe, “ah well look” Tony, and other politicians bow to the rich, the less well-off, including pensioners, will continue to do the heavy lifting.
Peter Dolden, Wagga
Good news a miracle
ON ARRIVING home recently I turned on the news and I was absolutely delighted when the first item was the report that 11-year-old Luke Shambrook had been found alive and in relatively good condition.
I felt that not only had my prayers but all those of thousands, probably millions of fellow Australians had been answered.
Congratulations Luke and a big “thank you” to the police, emergency rescue personnel and the many volunteers who spent days searching for Luke. Well done all of you.
