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Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com

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Tolls? Bad idea

Re Let Them Pay Some Paltry Tolls (editorial, Sept. 21): "Roads are free to drive on. But that's an unfair imposition on taxpayers who don't drive."

I can't believe you said that. Can you campaign for me to stop paying school taxes now that I don't have family members who use them? What were you thinking?

Colin Wheeler, Whitby, Ont.

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You suggest users should pay for the road system. They already do – in the form of gas taxes. If we need more money for roads, increase the fuel tax – that way the users pay for all the roads they use. Put a tollbooth at the provincial boundary if you're concerned about low-tax, out-of-province fuel. I object to being asked to pay twice for the same road.

John Hopkins, Toronto

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Foreign-policy math

Re Why Foreign Affairs Should Be A Hot Topic (Sept. 21): Spending more on defence won't suddenly make our allies happier or improve our standing in the world. We need to be hardheaded about where and how we spend our money: More than $500-million to keep a few fighter aircraft in Kuwait is not a good return on investment.

That same amount spent helping refugees swamping the region would earn us far more goodwill and have a more lasting impact. Foreign policy can also be a cost-benefit calculation.

Sean Sunderland, Ottawa

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Death doulas

Re Should Doctors Be Allowed To Kill? (Sept. 19): Short answer: No.

Ricardo Di Cecca, Burlington, Ont.

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I'm a physician with 38 years experience, including many years of palliative care. Except for a handful of cases, in all those years I have rarely "healed" a patient.

Most doctors understand that we primarily relieve suffering. That may involve a comforting word, a hug, a prescription or a referral to a specialist, but when all of that is exhausted and we realize that death is inevitable, we do become the "death doulas" to which Margaret Wente cynically refers (I never cease to be amazed by the parallels between the birthing process and the dying process).

The right-to-die movement will ultimately enrich our living, as well as our dying. We don't need "luck," as Ms. Wente suggests, but sensible, evidence-based discussion on how we, as a just and caring society, can make this work.

Gerald Ashe, MD, Brockville, Ont.

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Fly away, fly away

While most cat owners are distressed by the death of a bird, many, myself included, don't want to keep their cat indoors (Curb Your Feline, Preserve The Birds – Sept. 18). What to do?

A bell on a cat's collar is useless. Cats lie in wait, still and silent, where they know a bird is likely to appear. They simply reach up quickly to catch the bird; a bell doesn't help.

But there is a product that does. A cat bib attaches to a collar. When the cat reaches for the bird, the bib is lifted by the cat's outstretched leg, obstructing its view, and the bird gets away.

I used to find, almost daily, the remnants of dead birds in our yard. Not now. I wish more people knew about this product.

Claire Bouchard, North Saanich, B.C.

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Taking stock

Today, I celebrate the 50th anniversary of my arrival in Canada on the Cunard Line ship, Corinthia. Does 50 years in Canada (39 years as a certified Canadian citizen) make me "old stock"?

If not, what about my sons? Does having a Canadian mother make them "old stock" or are they "half stock"? What about the blood quotient of grandchildren?

My wife is a full-blooded, native-born "old stock" Canadian, her grandparents having emigrated from the United States, England and Wales. Can I be "old stock" by marriage?

I emigrated from the northeast of England and have the pale complexion of a long line of ancestors deprived of prolonged exposure to sunlight. Does that automatically elevate me into the status of "old stock"?

Fifty years this week in Canada – Sept. 22, 1965 – and I am left wondering what stock I am. This confusion is marring the celebration of my half-century anniversary on Canadian soil.

John Maclennan, Toronto

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The term "old stock" is often used when economists talk about demographics (movement of population). Politicians and tradesmen are prone to think of shop terms, like FIFO (First-In, First-Out) and LIFO (Last-In, First-Out).

Donald C. Chivers, White Rock, B.C.

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Before "old stock," there was this gem from Stephen Harper in Report Newsmagazine in January, 2001: "You've got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettos and who are not integrated into western Canadian society."

Before they can vote, immigrants must become Canadian citizens, and at the time Mr. Harper made this sensitive comment, they had to be here for at least three years. In other words, three years of living in Canada didn't make your views worthy of consideration. Perhaps Mr. Harper will enlighten us as to the minimal amount of time required.

As the grandson of four immigrants, all of whom arrived before 1920, I assume I'm "old stock" enough for my views to count: I would ask Mr. Harper not to project his divisive, xenophobic comments on to the rest of us.

Arthur Chapman, Winnipeg

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Please recognize the term "old stock Canadian" for what it is, a useful term for identifying a genuine demographic group, and stop politicizing this issue.

Lesley Betts, Kanata, Ont.

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No. 99's nod

Wayne Gretzky has endorsed Stephen Harper, even though Mr. Gretzky can no longer vote here due to Mr. Harper's Fair Elections Act (Gretzky Tells Harper He's Been 'Wonderful' To Canada – Sept. 19): Does this make Mr. Gretzky an "old stock" Canadian, a new stock Canadian – or just an out-of-stock Canadian?

Robert W. Barclay, Harriston, Ont.

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What if Wayne Gretzky played hockey like Stephen Harper governs? Only fans who could prove they were going to cheer for him would be allowed into the arena. There would be no attendance count, in case someone felt it violated their privacy; no commentary in case he was criticized.

Once the game started, he'd make his classic move – passing from behind the net to an open teammate in front. But that teammate's job would be to hold the puck until Mr. Gretzky came out and shot for him. His team would stick to one strategy – always using the west side of the ice, which would work at first but ultimately go badly. And when it looked like he was going to lose, he'd pick up the puck and suspend the game until a time that worked better for him.

David Green, Vancouver

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