Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on July 22.Erin Schaff/The Associated Press
U.S. politics by the numbers
Re Ten reasons why the Democrats without Biden can win in November (Opinion, July 23): Ten simple, easy-to-understand reasons why Donald Trump should not be re-elected president: 1. He cheated on his wife while she was pregnant. 2. He cheats at golf. 3. He called dead American soldiers “losers” for dying, while lying about his medical status to avoid being drafted. 4. He’s a racist. 5. He cheats on his taxes. 6. His every act is executed solely to serve himself. 7. He is a lying narcissist. 8. He’s old and in mental decline. 9. He openly talked about what it would be like to have sex with his daughter. 10. He lacks any measure of ethical behaviour, a moral compass, service to his country, generosity to those in need and the ability to know right from wrong.
Marty Cutler Toronto
Re Joe Biden’s selfless act must not be squandered (Editorial, July 23): I am delighted that Kamala Harris has now brought new hope and energy to the Democrats and that the evil spectre of Mr. Trump may yet be exorcised. But whether Mr. Biden should be credited with a selfless act is another question: He finally did the right thing, but only once he had no other option.
Tom MacDonald Ottawa
Re The rise of Kamala Harris sweeps away America’s political dynasties (July 23): So now Republican ads “accuse Ms. Harris of helping to hide what they call Mr. Biden’s ‘obvious mental decline.’ ” I’m not sure how she would have been in a position to do that, but any attempts on her part to prevent CNN from broadcasting the debate to the world seem to have been ineffective. Likewise for the thousands of videos of it that litter the internet. But which is the greater “sin,” (allegedly) trying to hide one candidate’s “obvious mental decline” or having the other candidate repeatedly broadcast his own “obvious mental decline” – then ignoring it? The former president’s concern for “the furniture” of our children and “the oranges of the Mueller report,” the way he repeatedly confused Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi, his insistence that he “beat Obama,” his odd concerns about sharks, electric boats and Hannibal Lecter – these are features, not bugs, in his campaign. No one on his campaign team tries to hide them. They seem rather proud of them, oddly. God bless Joe Biden for doing the right thing (as always), and good luck to Ms. Harris.
George Olds Hamilton
Re Endorsed by Biden, Harris could be the first female U.S. president (July 22): The United States always likes to be first, but as far as women at the very political top are concerned, the U.S. has been near last. The first step was to have a female vice-president, which has been done, and the next hurdle is a female president. If Kamala Harris is successful, she will be first on many fronts, including the first woman, woman of colour, South Asian, South Asian woman, honorary Canadian (!), etc. Never count America out. The prosecutor against the convicted felon – what a contest!
Douglas Cornish Ottawa
Money for nothing
Re LCBO strike should have never happened, Doug Ford says, blaming union for last-minute dispute (July 23): Outrageous is how I describe the idea that an employer would agree to a return-to-work protocol that includes back pay for striking workers. OPSEU tried to convince the public that it is perfectly normal for the union to include back pay for the striking LCBO workers in the return-to-work protocol. After 45 years negotiating labour contracts in both private and public sectors, I find it despicable that a union would have the gall to ask that of an employer. When a union decides to take workers on strike, it is the union’s responsibility to provide strike pay for its members. OPSEU picked the wrong battle and did it on the back of LCBO workers.
Francine McMullen Toronto
Bruce Lee!
Re I learned to love (and finally remember) the complicated but relaxing movements of tai chi (First Person, July 22): In my sixth decade, I was advised that tai chi would help lower my blood pressure. It did, along with many other positive side effects. But patience is key. Bruce Lee said it best: “Be water, my friend.” Martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth.
Ken Sutton Toronto
The politicians you know
Re A look at one year of strong mayor powers in Ontario (July 22): I find the “anti-democratic” argument regarding strong-mayor powers silly, as they are actually more democratic. Most citizens frankly only know their mayor, while only the most ideological or self-interested among us follow local politics enough to know specific councillors. Voters elect mayors and expect them to run a whole city, but their decisions can be basically derailed by councillors privileging special interests. Yet mayors get blamed for inaction while some councillors can run unopposed for years. Under a strong-mayor system, citizens can vote for specific platforms and can accordingly reward or punish mayors on their results in subsequent elections.
N.K. Anton Ottawa
Pragmatism and unicorns
Re Joly tells China’s top diplomat Canada won’t ‘tolerate any form of interference in our democracy’ (July 22): In light of the overwhelming evidence that China has sought to undermine Canada’s sovereignty, security and interests over the past number of years, the timing of Mélanie Joly’s trip to China defies rational explanation. The purpose is to ostensibly stabilize relations in a “pragmatic” manner. How is that even defined from a Canadian perspective in light of the extent of China’s subterfuge? Clearly the current government’s policy toward China continues to be filtered through a lens of rainbows and unicorns.
John Gilmour Ottawa
Stay grounded
Re Extreme weather and climate skepticism underline urgent need for more policy action (Editorial, July 22): You declare “All countries must take greater action.” Then give people false hope by concluding that we will be fine when we move to solar power and batteries. Countries have taken all the actions available to them while under the constraints of business, during almost three decades of fruitless COP meetings. Three decades wasted. The solution is on the demand side. People’s high energy demands push emissions. A report in Nature Energy shows that by far the greatest personal emissions are from air travel. If you truly want to get the public’s attention to mobilize toward climate stability with a “rapid, far-reaching” measure, then you end air travel, now!
Kathleen McCroskey Surrey, B.C.
Who you calling old?
Re Proof of age (Letters, July 23): An older letter writer states that when a person offers them a seat on a bus, they refuse, replying, “I’m not old. Look, I have an iPhone.” In that I’m 69 and still don’t have an iPhone, instead I pull out my skateboard and say, “You probably need the seat more than me.”
Steven Brown Toronto
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