April 25: We did vote on LRT, a Greek history lesson and other letters to the editor

I’m as frustrated as anyone that there aren’t more news updates on the Hamilton LRT project, but that doesn’t justify forgetting what we already know in order to drum up content.

The 2018 municipal election wasn’t just “sort of” about LRT, it was entirely about LRT. The opposition movement, led by single-issue anti-LRT mayoral candidate Vito Sgro, made sure of it. They repeatedly insisted before the election that it was a referendum on LRT.

It was only when their candidate lost decisively to pro-LRT candidate Fred Eisenberger — who won 54 per cent of the vote, plus 13 out of 15 wards and 189 out of 222 polling centres — that they started trying to move the goalposts.

Canada is a parliamentary democracy and we elect governments to engage constituents and enact policy. We didn’t have a referendum on LRT for the same reason we didn’t have a referendum on the Red Hill Valley Parkway, another controversial public infrastructure project that was never going to enjoy universal support.

Let’s focus our energies on current issues that demand our attention instead of endlessly nursing old grievances.

Ryan McGreal, Hamilton

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• Dec 31, 1969

• Dec 31, 1969

Heed Greek history lesson

Re: “Enough of the pettiness” (April 23)

I, too, am not an economist, but it doesn’t take a genius to know you can’t spend what you don’t have. Warning people that large and small-C conservatives will cut social spending masks the obvious fact that eventually we will all suffer when we spend more than we have.

Canada today is what Greece was in 2008. Its debt was the highest among EU countries because the government borrowed like there was no tomorrow. But tomorrow did come, and world economies turned as Greeks faced hardship not seen since the Second World War. Before this economic collapse, the Greek government wasted what it borrowed on spending policies such as giving public workers bonuses for showing up to work on time, or on any number of bad spending decisions that ran the country into the ground (Think ArriveCan scandal on steroids). The spending ended. The German banks came calling and everything came to a grinding halt.

Canadians are facing their 2008, and instead of paying taxes meant to make our society fairer they are making us poorer. Justin Trudeau’s spending for the sake of fairness will lead us to the socialist promise of equal misery for all.

Chris Asimoudis, Ancaster

Axe the oil subsidies first

Bravo to Steve Buist for a brilliantly sane analysis of how well off Canadians are, and how off-message Pierre Poilievre is.

If Mr. Poilievre really wants to “axe the tax,” then why doesn’t he eliminate the $18.5 billion paid out to fossil fuel companies in 2023 as subsidies? According to Environmental Defence, this would save every Canadian taxpayer $600. This is the real carbon tax.

Grant Linney, Dundas

Vilifying the wealthy

In recent television interviews, it’s obvious Justin Trudeau is attempting to regain voter support by vilifying the wealthy. Just how absurd and hypocritical is that? Trudeau has a net worth of millions. He stayed in a $6,000-a-night luxury hotel in London, for the Queen’s funeral, and enjoyed a 10-day trip to Jamaica that cost taxpayers $230,442. For Trudeau to portray the wealthy as “the enemy” to Canadians is quite laughable, but is also nauseating. The blatant hypocrisy of Trudeau transcends every level of human decency.

John Harley Whitlock, Brantford

It’s easy to complain

Why is everyone so angry and opinionated these days? Let us step back and be thankful for the country we live in and the freedoms we are privileged to have. With all of the negative events transpiring around us it is easy to complain about things, rather than taking the high road and doing something about them in a positive way.

When we were children, our elders taught us “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say it.” We should all be mindful of those around us and perhaps think twice of our thoughts and actions before we cause someone undue stress and hardship. Sometimes our actions have lasting affects on others. If all of us can be kinder to each other, than this world would be a better place.

Maria Harrison, Hamilton

The Bard’s words live on

Re: Shakespeare’s words live on in our everyday language (April 23)

So appreciate the words from teacher Hughena Matheson and her love of quoting Shakespeare lines that are so relevant to today, 400 years or so later.

Jane Evans, Hamilton