...AND ANOTHER THING

HATS off to politicians who propose full parliamentary approval before committing our country to war. Maybe it would not have affected Iraq, but at least individual voters could have rightly asked their elected representatives why. Jim Banks, Yarrawonga

By InvestSMART · 24 Dec 2009

By InvestSMART ·
24 Dec 2009

Politics

WITH an emissions target of 25 to 40 per cent by 2020, the Greens must still believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, fairies at the bottom of the garden and Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

Michael Freeman, South Croydon

DID anyone take a good look at our delegation to Copenhagen? Ministers, heads of departments, more advisers than you could shake a stick at, federal police, and the official photographer. A grand total of 114 people to discuss climate change, and not a scientist in sight.

Geoff Schmidt, North Fitzroy

THE Copenhagen fiasco is starting to make Abbott look Ruddy good, or is this Wong?

Ian Mitchell, Rowville

IMMIGRATION Minister Chris Evans uses the word "youths" to refer to the latest detainees (The Age, 23/12). The power of language is great, but it should not obscure the truth: these are unaccompanied children, and they have been locked up.

Ruth Boschen, Balwyn

IT MUST have been the timing that misled me, but I thought Mary MacKillop's second miracle was Tony Abbott becoming Leader of the Opposition.

Kevan Porter, Albury, NSW

Christmas

OUR 22 MILLION Australians spend $7.6 billion on food for Christmas celebrations (The Age, 23/12). That's $345 each. One billion people in developed nations commit $US10 billion ($A11.4 billion) a year to climate change help for developing countries. That's $11.40 each. Go figure.

Ralph Judd, Blackburn North

DAMON Young's philosophical outlook on Christmas is food for thought (Comment, 23/12). He is, after all, a philosopher. For the rest of us regular atheists, it is just another excuse for a booze up.

John Rawson, Briar Hill

Furthermore

WELL, Ahmed Fahour ("Banker Fahour now man of letters", BusinessDay, 23/12), you can't outsource posties to India, you need permission to raise prices and there aren't many accounts that you can raid for fees.

Gary Sayer, Warrnambool

THREE men have been charged and face up to five years' jail for sending money to aid Tamil Tigers. What about those at AWB who supplied hundreds of millions to Saddam's mob? No charges laid there.

Barrie Klemm, Maryborough

COULD Ross Garnaut (Comment, 22/12) supply his readers with an official list of the "serious countries"? Does a "serious country" require a "serious head of government"?

Jean-Paul Millour, Eltham

WITH Melbourne's population explosion, we should be encouraging home vasectomies, not home births (The Age, 23/12).

Paul Custance, St Kilda