Didn鈥檛 they promise to open rail trail section by now?
Dear Editor:
Took the rail trail from Glenmore up to the airport and back today for the first time this year and noticed that the part from the airport and beyond still is not open.
I read, last year, that all the Tsa国际传媒 were crossed and Isa国际传媒 dotted so what the heck is going on that this last section still is incomplete and not open to the public?
Who's to blame? C鈥檓on, get going and open up that section for Godsa国际传媒 sake.
Richard B茅gin, sa国际传媒
Canada crumbling same way the Roman Empire did
Dear Editor:
Edward Gibbon, an 18th-century historian, politician and author of 鈥淭he Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,鈥 made some observations that in my opinion are remarkably similar to our present-day circumstances.
He noted the fall of the empire was due to the rampant moral depravity of the ancient Romans.
At one time Rome was a porno-saturated world (evident in the ruins of Pompeii) with pornographic parades throughout, where parents had to guard their young sons on their way to and from school so they would not be kidnapped and raped.
Civic virtue evaporated, the effective functioning of civil and political order abandoned and the empire laid bare for unscrupulous officials willing to betray those who had long defended them.
Higher and higher taxes were imposed with the spending of public money on free bread and circuses. Rome had become a regime more interested in worldly wars than the domestic suffering and crumbling infrastructure at home. Sound familiar?
We all have different views of what is just and proper. It is the basis for how we judge others and the choices we make on a daily basis.
This innate moral code has been the foundation of the laws that govern every society. It is how we've held people accountable for their actions, but the preservation of our values and principles are at risk. Why?
It's difficult to fight crime and corruption when criminal elements are able to infiltrate the ranks of government or when a lack of adequate accountability spawns abuse.
Today, politicians exercise power to direct government spending to particular projects, leading to lobbying and corruption scandals.
SNC Lavalin comes to mind and more recently the federal Green Fund with breaches of conflict of interest.
Government employees up and down the line have every incentive to exaggerate their output and pad their payrolls.
Hyperinflation from wasteful government spending is destroying the value of people's money and taxes collected are barely covering the interest on the national debt.
Governance at all levels is becoming dangerously dysfunctional and fiscally irresponsible. In the words of the federal auditor general: 鈥淭he takeaway from these reports is that when good governance is lacking, the remedy isn鈥檛 necessarily new processes, or more people or money, itsa国际传媒 about applying the rules that exist.鈥 To survive in a nation of sheep, ruled by wolves, owned by pigs, you must become a lion or perish.
Mary-Anne MacDonald, Summerland
Enforce bells on bikes for greater safety听
Dear Editor:
If you have used any trail as a pedestrian, you鈥檝e probably experienced a near miss, or worse yet, a hit by a cyclist.
When my wife and I were out for a walk one beautiful afternoon, three bikes came racing by from behind and scared the heebie jeebies out of us.
We met up with them shortly when they were stopped and taking in the views. They said they were visiting from Europe. When we brought up the frightful experience, they were apologetic saying that their bikes were rentals and 鈥渨ere not equipped with any device to warn of their presence.鈥 They said a bell would have been nice.
In their defence, they did say they announced their coming up behind us, but they all had quiet voices and we certainly did not hear anything.
Bells should be mandatory on all bikes and e-bikes, even bike rental and sales shops. They are cheap and highly effective.
Oops, and then there are people with earbuds and riders who won鈥檛 use them even if they have them. Ahhh. C鈥檈st la vie!
But hey, it would be a smart move forward. Have a safe day out there.
Chris Mayhew, Sooke
Cyclists, let others know you are about to pass听
Dear Editor:
I am a year-round cyclist. I鈥檓 also a pedestrian around town.
My suggestion in the ongoing tug-of-war between these two modes of transport: the city needs to have an information/rules of etiquette campaign for cyclists.
Cyclists need to call out 鈥減assing鈥 when silently speeding up behind someone.
Simple!
My nerves can鈥檛 take this anymore!
Whatsa国际传媒 so hard about calling out? How can it be that others aren鈥檛 suggesting this? And while I鈥檓 at it, how about speed limits on trails?
Patricia Millet, Victoria
Think of our veterans every day, not just on D-Day
Dear Editor:
Think of veterans every day, not just on D-Day.
He wasn鈥檛 angry. He was for all intents and purposes far from being a happy man.
As I grew older I gained insight as to what bothered him.
Then I discovered in the bottom drawer of his upright bureau various -pictures, medals, and letters from the Second World War as had been -experienced, and had the living daylights scared out of my father. Before some 50-odd bombing missions, my fathersa国际传媒 stomach churned in fearful anticipation.
When in the air fear held its grip as my father navigated the Lancaster bomber, a veritable tube of tin with four huge engines roaring so loud you could hardly hear yourself think.
That fear was raised to a crescendo when flying in the dead of night, the plane flew into bombs bursting in air and other destructive pieces of slag, all around.
On one of those last few flights a chunk of slag knocked the pilot unconscious, forcing my dad to fly the damaged aircraft back to England with a bit of slag embedded into his knee.
He was commended for his actions but it was the horror of war that rumbled around in his head daily that made his life tough.
The men and women who fought for our freedoms should be honoured daily, not just on June 6.
Steve Hoffman, Victoria
