Letters to the editor, Nov. 18: ‘Many Canadians approve of the new world for Canada that Donald Trump has created’

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Looking south

Re “Red carpet” (Letters, Nov. 14): A letter-writer blames Justin Trudeau for “destroying the longstanding tradition” of U.S. presidents making their first official visit to Canada.

Long before Mr. Trudeau, George W. Bush made his first official visit to Mexico in his first term, and to a Brussels NATO meeting in his second. Barack Obama did visit Canada first in his first term, then Israel in his second. Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden visited Britain.

Let’s stop blaming every sparrow that falls on Justin Trudeau. Who wants to see Mr. Trump here anyway?

Tom MacDonald Ottawa

Re “Canada is far from ready for the chaos coming our way” (Nov. 13): Many Canadians approve of the new world for Canada that Donald Trump has created.

We encountered several white supremacists on our Georgian Bay trails recently. Each one celebrated a Trump victory and recited word for word the same mantra: Kamala Harris lies, our media lies, our government is broken; Mr. Trump is genuine and Justin Trudeau is the devil.

We couldn’t agree more with the wishes to join Europe. We have wanted this for a very long time.

Roger and Rozanne Stein Collingwood, Ont.

What to expect

Re “Postmortem” (Letters, Nov. 13): “The evidence is that most Americans have higher real incomes now under Joe Biden than they did under Donald Trump.”

But FactCheck.org reports that U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show real average hourly earnings for all private sector employees decreasing, when adjusted for inflation, by 2.24 per cent between January, 2021, and May, 2024, and real median weekly earnings for all full-time workers decreasing by 2.14 per cent over the same period. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that real per-capita disposable personal income decreased by 9.04 per cent over that period.

There’s no doubt that the U.S. economy has been growing, and that the growth in corporate profit has outpaced inflation. And there is good reason to expect that Bidenomics will eventually increase real average earnings for workers.

Sadly, I see little to suggest that’s happened yet.

Don LePan Nanaimo, B.C.

Re “America’s democracy delivered, whether you like the results or not” (Nov. 15): The ironic and cruel truth of democracy is not, as some like to think, that the people are always right. It’s that the people have a right to be wrong.

J. Phillip Nicholson Ottawa

Cards are stacked

Re “Time to ante up on sports betting ads” (Editorial, Nov. 13): Given the harm that gambling addiction does to gamblers and their families, this is an important area for government intervention. But it does give rise to questions about how the sports gambling problem could have otherwise been ameliorated.

Lets start with hockey players who serve as promoters. Multimillionaires such as Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid chose money over principle.

The National Hockey League could have provided leadership on this issue, but failed to do so. Governments aided and abetted gambling in its various guises because of the tax revenue it generates. They also failed miserably at putting protections and controls in place.

“The house always wins.” In sports betting, it seems that the “house” includes governments, players and leagues that enable and promote gambling while ignoring the human cost.

Robert Pruden Winnipeg

End game

Re “Swifties deserved better in the Eras ticket mess” (Editorial, Nov. 14): The ticket monopoly of Ticketmaster, StubHub et al. has allowed huge fees to be added to tickets of all types.

I recently purchased a ticket to a hockey game in Philadelphia. The base ticket price was $125 but the fees were $50 – a 40-per-cent markup.

If this is not robbery, I am not sure what is. There was no other option to buy tickets; they have cornered the market and are adding ridiculous fees, because they can.

I see two options: Regulate this industry and put strict limits on markups (despite industry whining that it can’t be done), or go back to the good old days of dealing with ticket scalpers on the street.

At least with the latter, we have a chance of not being robbed. With the current system, that is guaranteed.

Mark Botham Halifax

Re “Don’t blame Taylor Swift for her triumphantly middlebrow march around the globe” (Nov. 9): When road manager Kosmo Vinyl designated the smashed seats after the Clash show in Toronto in 1979, I was there with many lifelong friends. The chairs were not destroyed out of malevolence, but rather the irresistible forces of righteousness, passion and rock ‘n’ roll.

Don’t believe me? Have a look at the inner sleeve of London Calling and there will be photos of us stacked in a human pyramid above Joe Strummer. Are you on an album sleeve?

While thrilled to be referenced alongside Taylor Swift, I take exception to the negative tone. She writes her own songs. Her lyrics are clever, the playing and production adroit and her message speaks to many.

Ontario music fans are not easily duped. The legacy of local talent is manifold. Toronto remains one of the most discerning and productive centres of contemporary music.

Swifties can help me crush seats any time they want.

Angus Smith Boston, Mass.

Hey, man

Re “No, you won’t boycott men. Nor should you” (Nov. 14): The data shows that some 46 per cent of women voters actually chose Donald Trump in the U.S. election.

So blaming men feels unreasonable and shallow. And perhaps that kind of attitude is one of the reasons so many people in the United States are seemingly fed up with being preached to.

John Arbuckle Ottawa

I agree that sex drives are not unique to men, but disagree that sex boycotts are pointless.

As someone who gave up men in personal intimate relationships and who came out as lesbian last year, I suggest that people can have their cake and eat it too, when it comes to boycotting men while maintaining a flourishing sex life. Intimacy can take many forms and so can sexuality, which is a spectrum from asexuality to an intense sex drive.

Men continue to cause so much pain and suffering; this is not likely to mean better lives for women under Donald Trump. Many of these women may never leave the closet. They may stay with abusive men or make unsafe decisions on reproductive care in states where abortion rights are not protected.

Oh, and sex between two women is amazing – so much better for me than with a cisgender man.

Katrina Ince Toronto

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