Your Letters

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday February 26, 2008

LETTERS

Support enough for all

FROM recent Herald reports it seems to me that those at the top of the tree at the Knights and the Jets do not have a problem with each other's existence.

The coaches meet occasionally and swap pointers, Garry van Egmond had Adam MacDougall to talk to Jets players before the preliminary final, and a former Knights captain and coach were quoted wishing the Jets luck.

Why is it then that some supporters cannot do the same?

I am an unashamed Knights fan, a season ticket holder, but I wish the Jets well.

Any team that represents my home town on a national level deserves my support.

So it is disappointing for me when some Jets fans try to turn it into a competition for support, or even a desire to see the Knights go down.

Why is this attitude necessary?

This town is big enough to have two national teams, especially since one is in summer and one in winter.

It would be nice to think that fans of other codes could at least appreciate that, like the Jets, the Knights proudly represent this region in a national competition and as such deserve their support, or at least not so much negativity.

Please don't spoil this elation by turning it into an opportunity to have a go at the other Newcastle team.

We need them both.

Jan Caine

Maryland, February 23

The world game

NEWS of our mighty Jets is even finding it's way to the wintery tundra of Latvia.

Congratulations Dutchy et al on a fine season. Lieliski! (Bravo!)

Badens Bogdanovs,

Grasi, Latvia, February 23

Time to reassess this dam proposal

WITH the the spotlight now well and truly on the apparent incompetence of the Iemma Government, I think it is high time for an independent inquiry to be held into the Premier's decision in 2006 to dam the Williams River.

This largely unpolluted river situated near Dungog, is earmarked for destruction in 2009 with the building of an unnecessary dam estimated to be four times the size of Sydney Harbour.

In addition to the damage to the environment and the loss of one of the few remaining free-flowing rivers in the state, thousands of hectares of productive farmland will be submerged and lost forever.

It's just one more appalling decision from Macquarie Street.

Ken Kneipp

Dungog, February 23

Not cut out for new responsibility

I COULD not believe the Federal Opposition's performance on Friday ( "Face-to-face with democracy" Herald 23/2).

There seems to be a lot of members on the Opposition front and back bench who cannot accept that they lost the election.

The photo of Bob Baldwin smiling and laughing at the cardboard cut-out of Kevin Rudd was to me beyond the pale.

Mr Baldwin should remember he only scraped in by the skin of his teeth and was very close to not having a bench to sit on.

I would suggest he gets on with representing the people of the Paterson electorate and forgets about joining in the antics of a bunch of sore losers.

Les Baldwin

Pelican, February 23

Railing well short of critical mass

I BELIEVE Bruce Donaldson's short take (Letters 25/2) on rail and light rail repeats a common mistake about these forms of transport being less polluting than the alternatives.

Just because there is no exhaust pipe it does not mean they are pollution-free, it simply means that the pollution is out of sight for the end user. Electric rail uses coal-fired electricity, which has perhaps the worst greenhouse footprint of all.

However, he is quite correct about the need for rail once a critical mass of people is reached. I understand the figure to warrant a Cessnock to Maitland line would be in excess of 750,000 people.

Aaron Lewis

Cessnock, February 25

Centrelink move will hurt needy

THE ALP, the so-called party of social justice, is, in my opinion, ripping the heart out of services for the country's most vulnerable by announcing that it will cut 2000 jobs from Centrelink ("2000 staff to be cut at Centrelink" Herald 23/2).

This unjust cut will affect those reliant on aged pensions, students and many other people on government benefits people who are already living below the poverty line.

These cuts will also be devastating for the many families whose only breadwinner works for Centrelink.

How long did we hear the ALP crow about the mean Coalition and their cuts to the needy?

You'd think Mr Rudd's razor gangs would have slashed the funding from other departments that will not directly affect the poor.

Bad luck for all those Australians who cast their vote hoping that the ALP would somehow be a more caring Government.

The ALP should practise what it preaches and make cuts to greedy not the needy.

Brett Paterson

Georgetown, February 24

Covering the expense

I BELIEVE Jeff Corbett is 100 per cent right, it all comes down to profit ("Late-night masquerade" Herald 22/2).

A case of 30 cans of beer costs a shopper about $36, venues would pay considerably less.

If you multiply that by $5 a can at a nightspot, that is a total of $150, making a minimum profit margin of $114 a case.

A 16-bottle case of Vodka Cruisers costs $45 to $50. Sold at $7.50 a bottle the total is about $120 a case, a profit of at least $70 a case.

Maybe it is about time the pub and club operators put their hands in their pockets and get CCTV to cover where they know people will converge. I believe it should be at their expense, as they are the reason the revellers are in the city in the first place.

If the community gives to them, it's about time they gave something back to the community.

Richard Walters

Lambton, February 22

Letter of the week

This week the letter judged the best, most succinct and interesting will win a pass for two adults and two children to the Australian Reptile Park, courtesy of The Herald. The winner will be announced on Saturday on this page.