U.S. President Donald Trump during the launch of a program known as Trump Accounts at Carnegie Mellon Auditorium in Washington on Wednesday.Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press
God bless Americans
Re “Don’t lose sight of the Americans trapped in the Donald Trump nightmare” (Opinion, Jan. 24): My wife (80) and I (81) were born in the United States and have experienced 14 and 15 presidencies respectively. Some were good, others, not so much. However, we have now clearly reached a historic low. So, we want to express our profound apologies to our Canadian neighbors. We love our country but have never been so ashamed of the behavior engendered by Donald Trump and his enablers. There seems little we can do to change the brutish, bullying, immoral behavior of the U.S. government led by Mr. Trump other than to protest and hold our breath until the midterm elections in November.
In the meantime, we will visit Canada frequently (if you’ll have us), and spend as much as we can afford. We also encourage our Canadian friends to boycott all things U.S. and hold off visiting us until the stench clears. And kudos to Prime Minister Mark Carney for standing up to the neighborhood bully.
Bill and Jane Gehring Upstate N.Y.
We in Vermont are requesting that Canada seriously consider buying our state. It is a good deal. For only $647,464, a dollar for each of our citizens, Vermont would become the 11th province of Canada.
In return, Canadians would get unfettered access to great skiing, hiking and boating, a thriving maple syrup industry, Bernie Sanders as an addition to your Parliament, and a population within the only state to defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.
And, you might ask, what’s in it for Vermonters? That would be the freedom from tyranny and oppression, and a return to the rule of law that no longer exists here.
Oh, Canada, please give it consideration.
William Gay Montpelier, Vt.
I write as an American citizen whose family has lived in this country since the mid-17th century. My roots here run deep, and so does my love for the ideals the United States has long espoused.
For that reason, I was horrified and deeply dismayed by the remarks made by our President at the World Economic Forum. Unfortunately, he is ill-bred, inappropriate and ill-equipped to be leading this great country. His tone and substance did not reflect the values of seriousness, respect or partnership that most Americans hold dear, particularly toward Canada and Europe, our longstanding allies and friends.
Please know that the behavior you witnessed does not represent the character of the American people.
Democracies are imperfect, and at times they produce leaders who fall short of the moment. In this case, our leader has sparked chaos and global upheaval. Many Americans are working, voting and speaking out in hopes of restoring leadership that reflects competence, humility, and respect for our allies. We ask for your patience, and your understanding as we continue this effort.
Our friendships with Canada and Europe matter deeply to us. We remain committed to them, even when our leaders fail to recognize this fundamental priority.
We are so sorry.
Alice Montague Sunapee, N.H.
I am from Minnesota, and I know that some significant portion of our electricity comes from Canada. The powers that be in Canada should call Donald Trump’s bluff on his tariff threats. Canada has been the best friend of the United States for more years than I can count. If the U.S. President decides to impose his ridiculous tariff nonsense, Canada should do the same.
Joseph Kustritz St. Cloud, Minn.
Shots at life
Re “Should we do away with childhood vaccine mandates?” (Opinion, Jan. 27): Vaccine mandates are necessary in society, as some vaccines are designed to protect society as a whole. An example is the rubella vaccine. Rubella is a very mild illness. However, the infection can cause irreparable harm to unborn babies, and control of this infection is mandatory to prevent damage to unborn babies. The other live vaccines can eliminate the diseases in the community, but only if there is widespread uptake. We must continue vaccine mandates.
Dr. Peter Strachan, associate professor of pediatrics (emeritus), University of Toronto
Thank you, André Picard. Your knowledge of vaccine issues and challenges was clearly evident in your recent article. A choice by parents not to immunize their children can cost lives or cause lifelong disability for those and other children in the community.
In the early 2000s, when I was working with the World Health Organization in the Western Pacific on immunization programs, I saw children who had been blinded by measles, and there were victims of polio, young and old, in several countries in our region. Deaths from meningitis were all too frequent. These diseases are all preventable through childhood immunization.
I truly hope your cogent argument for broad vaccine coverage will lead loving and concerned parents to immunize their children.
Kelly Butler DVM, former staff WHO- WPRO Ottawa
Hemingway’s Law?
Re “As Trump tries to dominate the U.S. Federal Reserve, how bad could things get?” (Jan. 28): Lawrence Schembri says, regarding the development of financial crises, “one should keep in mind the adage of late economist Rudi Dornbusch, that crises take a much longer time coming than you think, and then happen much faster than you would have thought.”
Prof. Dornbusch, an MIT economist born in 1942, claimed credit for what is now known as Dornbusch’s Law, that a financial crisis takes a much longer time coming than you think, and when it happens much faster than you would have thought.
Surely credit for this insight belongs to Ernest Hemingway who, in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, wrote: “How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually, then suddenly.”
In literature, this Hemingway quote is well known. So perhaps in fairness it should called Hemingway’s Law.
David Zimmer, Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto; Advisory Board member, Canadian International Council
Requiescat in pace
Re “Teen shown on $2 bill grew up to become world’s first Inuk bishop” (Obituaries, Jan. 26): Thank you for telling readers about the life of this remarkable human being. As the first Inuk bishop of any Christian denomination, Paul Ullatitaq Idlout exemplified what it is possible to achieve by bringing together traditional Indigenous culture and the best Christian values. In doing so he showed us an important path forward to reconciliation.
After making my way through the many reports of conflict and cruelty that are the daily staple of news coverage, it was wonderful to come to the end of the paper and find this inspiring story.
Peter Maitland Lindsay, Ont.
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