A way with words
Germany's Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, wins the award for the best statement by a politician or diplomat (Germany Evicts CIA Chief Amid Outrage Over U.S. Espionage – July 11).
He deserves the accolade for so succinctly and accurately calling the United States' spying on its ally Germany "so stupid it can only make you weep." Would that our politicians could learn to speak so clearly.
Michael Robinson, Toronto
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Civilians as targets
Michael Bell describes the Israelis who burned a Palestinian alive as "angry" and "twisted," but the Palestinians responsible for the murder of three young settlers as "terrorists" (You Can't Blame Israel For Using An Iron Fist – July 11).
Can some Palestinians not be angry and twisted after decades of brutal military occupation and land theft by settlements? What would an Israeli need to do to be labelled a terrorist?
All who target civilians are guilty of terrorism, whether by dropping a missile into a crowded neighbourhood or firing a rocket without targeting capabilities.
Barnabe Geis, Toronto
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Apparently, Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. What does this say of the leadership in Gaza and Israel?
Mike Winward, Hamilton
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Hooked on opioids
It is true that for people with opioid addiction, access is key (New Medicines, And Old Harms – editorial, July 9). However, this question has two sides. The solutions you offer are sensible – albeit unproven – ways to reduce supply, but they don't address demand. Without viable alternatives, the addicted person will do whatever it takes to get opioids.
Predictably, clamping down on oxycodone has led users to switch to other opioids. If the supply is reduced further, the use of more dangerous drugs (fentanyl or street heroin) will increase.
Focusing only on prevention might actually increase harm unless accompanied by a more comprehensive strategy. Rehabilitation programs that include methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone are proven treatments that improve the quality of life of most people who receive them and are far cheaper to society than leaving the person untreated. Naloxone is known to stem overdose deaths, but it is still not widely available.
Access to comprehensive client-centred, evidence-based treatment, especially in primary care and community settings, is sorely needed and will have the most immediate impact on reducing opioid-related deaths.
Peter Selby, chief of addictions, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto
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Cheaper in the East
Re Why Ontario Drivers Pay The Highest Car Insurance Rates In The Country (July 10): What is wrong with the Ontario system is not who is delivering it but what is being delivered. Private insurers offer a competitive market. Look no further than the experience in Atlantic Canada where rates, on average, are much lower than elsewhere in the country.
In Ontario, between the third quarter of 2013 and the end of the first quarter of 2014, insurers have reduced rates by almost 6 per cent on average. To lower rates more and to fix this system, the government needs to be committed to addressing the increasing cost pressures. Consumers should support attempts to reduce these unnecessary costs so benefits actually get to those who need them most, rather than to those who make their money off the car-accident business.
Ralph Palumbo, vice-president, Ontario; Insurance Bureau of Canada
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Sex for profit
Re Is There A Moral Case Against Prostitution? (July 10): The short answer is: Yes.
Ricardo Di Cecca, Burlington, Ont.
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When I consider together the Supreme Court's decision on prostitution and the government's response in the form of Bill C-36, it's obvious that the Harper government has become expert at making a bad situation worse.
Boris G. Freesman, Thornhill, Ont.
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Games, their critics
Re Why Toronto Should Get Excited About The Pan Am Games (July 10): Ironic that Games chairman David Peterson should have to be a cheerleader for an event that was basically promised to sell itself. The reason critics exist in Vancouver, London, Sochi and Brazil is because there's truth underlying the criticism.
The notion of mega-events like the Pan Am Games inspiring youth "to get in the game" has long since been discredited. For example, despite similar rhetoric in the lead-up to the London Olympics, according to Sport England the number of young people playing sports has actually declined since the event. Given that the legacy promise rings hollow, the question that instead needs to be asked is if the estimated $2.5-billion for the Pan Am Games could be better spent on things like health care or education.
Jon Heshka, Kamloops, B.C.
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Carbon connections
Re The Shocking Truth About B.C.'s Carbon Tax (July 9): It is always interesting to note that when three authors start an article about B.C.'s carbon tax with a quote from Mark Twain – "Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story" – they could be accused of the same indiscretion.
They point out that the carbon tax has been so successful in B.C., residents pay the lowest personal income tax in Canada. While that may be true, we have a host of fees and taxes on provincial goods and services that more than offset any benefits from low income tax. Good examples are our retail liquor and gas prices, which are among North America's highest. A better guide would be adding up all the taxes collected by the province and dividing that total by our population. Then, B.C. comes out near the top on the per-capita extraction of taxes.
The carbon tax may be successful but suggesting it's because our personal income taxes are low would be misleading.
The rest of the article has similar allusions that suggest there is some sort of connection between B.C.'s economy performing well and the carbon tax that has been imposed. The provincial economies across Canada are far too complex to conclude any correlation. Without other jurisdictions following B.C.'s lead, in many cases it puts B.C. at a competitive disadvantage cost-wise.
Rick Fisher, Vancouver
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Hmm …
While I cannot disagree with the general sentiment of your editorial on Japan, your statement that the country is today "a model international citizen" did raise my eyebrows (Fighting For Change – July 10). I think you'd hear a very different interpretation if you were able to interview a whale.
Mike Baker, Kingston