Unjabbed take away right of others to live virus-free

Cathy Wilcox

COVID-19,let alone any other virus or bacterium,doesn’t give a jot whether one votes Liberal,Labor,Greens or callithumpian (‴⁣⁣We live in a prison camp’:Craig Kelly greeted with cheers at Sydney protest”,smh.com.au,November 20). However,it does have a preference for those unvaccinated. You may be free to not vaccinate your body,but if infected,there’s a likelihood your body will freely spread the virus to others. Such is your lot of living in society.Steve Dillon,Thirroul

Have the anti-vax people protesting in the streets lately ever heard of Edward Jenner and smallpox,or of the work of Dr Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine? Are they not aware that coronavirus is a serious,highly infectious disease and people die from it?Brian Parker,Terrigal

Simple solution. Now the vast majority have done the right thing for both themselves and the community,end all vaccine restrictions and have any unvaccinated Australian pay for their medical expenses if they need medical attention. It’s their “freedom” to choose.Rob Livingstone,Gladesville

What about the rights of the vaccinated to not want to have this minority anywhere near them or their children? It’s the government’s responsibility to keep us safe from them. This is sheer folly to have a small minority have normal entrance and mingling rights to return to them come mid-December. It’s hard to fathom that with alarming COVID-19 data coming in from Europe that we could have come so far and be so blind to what will occur once we let the unvaccinated roam free before Christmas. I hope they remain penalised by non entry to all public venues. They risk their own lives and ours;contributory negligence,surely? We stand every chance of coming undone at the seams and being back to square one come March. John Partridge,Balgowlah Heights

On Saturday,an estimated 10,000 people in Sydney attended a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Most telling was the keynote speaker Craig Kelly,still muttering his unsubstantiated claims about experimental vaccines. Even if there were 10,000 people there,it’s a tiny proportion of our population. Clearly,the organisers of such protests have a highly inflated opinion of their relevance,and thank God the vast majority of the state has gone with the smart option of getting vaccinated.Barrington Salter,Neutral Bay

To all those protesting against vaccination rules:I know there is nothing one can say that would make them change their minds. However,I would suggest that they think outside that particular box and make their protests more global. Climate change,if not tackled now,will lead to the devastation of this planet. There will be no vaccinations because there will be no people.Joanna van Kool,Crows Nest

I still get texts from something called UAP. I think it stands for Unauthorised Anarchic Propaganda. Something to do with a Craig Kelly,whoever he is.John Rome,Mt Lawley (WA)

Obscene lunches are a high price to pay

Just imagine if these power lunchers donated the price of one bottle of wine to charity (“Power lunching returns as lockdowns lift”,November 20-21)? It would make such a difference to persons or families at Christmas. Surely the “rich” could afford to donate? The cost of their meal would be more than many people earn in a week. So,the next time you are ordering a $200-$500 bottle of wine,there are families and singles finding it hard to put food on the table. Maybe the restaurants mentioned,and others,could sponsor a charity the rich could donate to?Robert Pallister,Punchbowl

The fat cats can now return to those long,expensive business lunches of pre-pandemic days. As they mull over choosing the $400 or $500 bottle of wine,in other areas of the city the powerless ponder whether their meagre budget will stretch to the next payday if they go without lunch.Joan Brown,Orange

I was disgusted to read about $500 plus bottles of wine and full-blood wagyu steaks being consumed during five-hour power lunches while I was watching a television program on Australian disability pensioners struggling to live on $40-$50 a day,an amount supposed to cover food,rent and other household bills.Gillian Branagan,Willoughby

The differences are stark,the obscene self-indulgence of people who have far too much money and the left-behinds who struggle to put food on the table versus power lunching and Roxy Jacenko,who bought her six-year-old daughter a couture gown. Watch SBS’sCould You Survive On the Breadline and see how we,through the government we elected,expect thousands of our families to live on less for weeks than is being spent on one lunch. Yet our businessmen (and yes,they are mainly men) are spending “more than ever on imported wines and dry-aged steaks”,and consuming four and five-course meals at one sitting. Gourmets or gluttons? Disgust is the only word which comes to mind.Fay Laginestra,Pymble

Reading about the no-expense-spared corporate lunches and the $1000 bottles of wine consumed made me sick. And it wasn’t anything I’d eaten.Max Fischer,Wollongong

I can’t be the only person who finds the idea of someone paying $500 to $1000 for a bottle of wine obscene. At a time of an exponential growth in house prices and increased homelessness,coupled with stagnant wage growth and inadequate social security payments,this kind of behaviour should be called out for what it is,selfish and immoral.Peter Jones,Rathmines

Handouts for wealthy cost lives

Thank you,Peter Hartcher,for your harrowing review of the $20 billion taxpayer handout SlowMo’s team showered on profitable companies and CEOs during the JobKeeper program (“PM may lie,but real test is trust”. November 20-21). This is about a quarter of total government health spending and equivalent to their total spending on hospitals 2019-20. Yet they do not see any need to recoup that free handout to the super wealthy,all the while refusing urgently needed new nursing positions,fairer pay for caring professions,new hospital beds,better access to mental healthcare,veterans’ health,domestic violence shelters,rural health access or affordable housing. These obscene government transfers of our money to the rich literally cost Australian lives – how can it be justified? Where is the robo-debt collector for these officials? When will politicians finally get jailed for such blatant abuse of power?Dr Ulf Steinvorth,Dunoon

It seems our pious Prime Minister has made a pragmatic choice between knowing the truth,which sets us free (John 8:32),and telling the truth,which can be inconveniently restrictive. Quiet Australians are nauseated by his sanctimony,insulted by his disregard and no longer trust his words,deeds or motivation.Meredith Williams,Northmead

Solutions in short supply

At the next election,we can all remember how our PM stood tall on the international stage and told the world that he doesn’t hold the hose in Australia (“Split-persona PM risks a can’t-do from voters”. November 20-21). Trust him,it will be can-do capitalism supported by our gutted universities and our diminished CSIRO that will provide the phantom technological solutions to climate change. If that fails,fracking our farmland will provide a gas-led solution. Australians can look forward to getting all their water from plastic bottles but,like everything else,it will need to be imported.Wayne Pearson,Wingham

Can do,won’t do

Why are there so many commentaries on “can-do capitalism” and none asking why Scott Morrison’s “don’t do” government members haven’t resigned if they don’t want the job?Colin Sutton,Newtown

Coalition’s ABC attack

The Communications Minister is reported as saying that the ALP’s “Save the ABC” policy “should be of concern to any Australian who cares about the ABC’s objectivity and political independence”. (“Labor raising funds for ABC vote campaign”,November 20-21). How touching to hear this from Minister Paul Fletcher,whose government has an outstanding record of attempting to question the ABC’s objectivity and to undermine its political independence. How hypocritical,in fact. What concerns so many is the Coalition’s constant,well-documented bias against a public broadcaster which happens to be regarded by most Australians as their most trusted media organisation.Grahame Hacket,Bowral

Unknown,not forgotten

The naming of Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark as the only member of HMAS Sydney’s crew found after the cruiser sank is a testament to our nation’s promise of “Lest we forget ... we will remember them” (‴⁣⁣Unknown sailor’ from HMAS Sydney was engaged”,November 20-21). Unknown for 80 years,he was the embodiment of all his shipmates and will remain so. Let us also not forget the many men and women,volunteers and professionals,navy and civilian,who over many decades brought about this closure to HMAS Sydney’s story. Their commitment and persistence and use of advancing science is commendable.Commodore Bob Trotter,ex-director,Finding Sydney Foundation,Swanbourne (WA)

With age comes wisdom

Your correspondent (Letters,November 20-21) reminds us “how often the perspective from age is ignored”. Not always. I am an octogenarian (81) and have never forgotten the sage advice given to me by an “oldie” in 1959. He offered some advice about living:“Eat a healthy diet,exercise regularly and understand the benefits of compound interest.” This has guided me for the past 62 years.David Austin,Grange (Qld)

Dog’s dinner

Good on your correspondent (Letters,November 20-21),there should be no hyphenated Australians. One of the eccentricities of the US is their tendency to advertise perceived ethnicities,but this is no reason to follow their lead. We are a proudly blended nation with one common identity – Australian. Besides,one of my great-grandparents came from what was then West Germany and I would not like to be called an Alsatian-Australian.Lance Rainey,Rushforth

Lines of duty

A relative of letter writer Kerrie Wehbe is concerned she may get rocks thrown through her window (“How Herald letter writers continue to surprise,enrich,inform and enthral”,smh.com.au,November 19). In 24 years of writing,I have had only two threats of physical retaliation – about the death of Princess Diana,and when the North Sydney Bears gave a lifeline to the Manly Sea Eagles. I must have mellowed in my letters,as both these events were many years ago.Tony Nicod,Collaroy

There is a dark downturn to having a letter published,depending on its content. On several occasions,I have received hate mail,always anonymous,plus phone calls abusing me because they didn’t like what I had written. That has been outweighed by others who have taken the time to write or ring with words of support.Con Vaitsas,Ashbury

Cricketing pain

Ye who are without sin,bowl the first ball (“Legacy in ashes:Paine quits after sexting revelations”. November 20-21).Peter Fleming,Northmead

Why,oh why,didn’t he use Snapchat?Pam Cameron,Rozelle

It is fascinating to consider whether we hold our Test cricket captains to a higher standard of character than our political leaders,especially when you consider we get to vote for one and not the other. Certainly,our cricketers generally appear more contrite,when found out.Philip Cooney,Wentworth Falls

As Bob Hawke,Barnaby Joyce and Bill Clinton have shown,an extramarital indiscretion does not automatically preclude one from holding a leadership role. Many others with less public but similar lived experience would be inclined to agree.Shane Joseph,Marsfield

As Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania investigations found Tim Paine had not breached the Cricket Australia code of conduct,it would seem the code is overdue for serious revision. Some basic yet explicit expectations on players’ personal media management would help managers and investigators face up to nuances in their job.Sue Dyer,Downer (ACT)

The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday onsmh.com.au
‘The single greatest blow for fairness’:push to raise Jobseeker
FromSuzyQ:It is completely insufficient to provide such a tiny sum to people in need. I struggle on the old age pension and it is more than that. Our attitudes to unemployed people need to change,we need to provide them with enough to live on and the gift of dignity,or at least not cruelty.

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