Letters to the editor

A6

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This is an excerpt of a letter to Premier Shawn Graham.

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I write this letter in support of the nurses across this province who are definitely overworked and cannot continue to function under the present conditions. It is the responsibility of this government to change the situation.

There is a great shortage of nurses; therefore the ones who are working are putting in many hours of overtime, which eventually causes stress and burnout. This in turn causes a bigger shortage of nurses. The number of staff keeps tumbling down.

The result: seniors, veterans, and all patients are not receiving adequate health care in nursing homes and hospitals.

In most nursing homes there is one registered nurse for 25 patients during the day shift and at times one RN for almost 100 patients from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. This is not only difficult on the nurse, but it results in neglect of adequate health care to the old, frail and forgotten nursing home patient.

Nurses are on the front line. They carry out the physicians' orders, provide hands-on care, teach and support the patient and their family and work with many other health-care providers. Nurses want to provide adequate, quality care to their patients but are finding it impossible under the present situation.

Premier Graham, please give the 3.5 hours of care to nursing home residents that you promised in 2006 and change the nurses' working conditions so they may offer quality care to all their patients.

VERONICA RATCHFORD

Retired RN, Bathurst

Support your local brewery

Moosehead Breweries recently announced layoffs of approximately 50 union employees due to the decline in product sales. Many of you are probably saying, "Well, welcome to the real world."

I was once involved in layoffs and had to do what us Maritimers do best, survive. I have seen friends, co-workers and others lose their jobs. Moosehead is the latest victim. Fortunately in the brewery business, we have a say in the amount of people we do employ. Buying local beer not only supports Moosehead Breweries but it also helps our local economy. When more people are working, there are more people buying homes, cars and clothing. They are also going out to the local bars, restaurants, sporting events and attending various other events the city provides. This keeps these industries rolling and these people in a job. The spin-off is enormous.

Moosehead Breweries is not only locally owned but it boasts the title of the only Canadian-owned major brewery. Moosehead has donated money to countless charities, sponsored local sports teams and kept consistent employment in this city for more than 100 years.

So the next time you visit any place or event where alcohol can be purchased, think twice about which product you buy. Your decision directly affects many hardworking people of this city. For those of you who do support Moosehead products, Local 362 thanks you.

SCOTT CRAWFORD

Saint John

Harper shows strategic abilities

Gaffes and civility are at opposite ends of the political spectrum and prior to this election we witnessed an unusually significant quantity of both. On that matter, there is an adequate amount of material to constitute a comedy of errors previously unappreciated by the majority of Canadians.

A party relentlessly rummaging in backrooms with electronic devices, to bring disrepute to political peers in hope of producing "jackpot bonanzas," is unconscionable. A display of decorum in Canadian parliament is not "in the cards."

The French language debate proved thought-provoking when each leader was requested to articulate something virtuous about his/her counterpart. In general, the comments were altruistic and civil, but superfluous by reason of personal, diminutive jibes. Notably, Jack Layton and Elizabeth May did come up with niceties, albeit, they attached backhanded caveats. Mr. Dion was, to some extent, more reserved in his assessment.

By far and away, Stephen Harper's assessment of Jack Layton was most congenial in appraisal without recourse to provocation, which is a tribute to him.

Once the smoke and residue settle, Canadians will become able to comprehend the unparalleled strategic abilities of Mr. Harper, who has managed the most prosperous minority parliament in Canadian history.

RONALD J. YASCHUK

Quispamsis

Reversals, changes have discredited PM

Even after Peter Mackay broke his promise to David Orchard and "united the right" by scuttling the party of Sir John A. Macdonald; even after the "Income Trust debacle," I was still prepared to vote for Harper's Reform in Conservative drag.

I was even prepared to forget the Karlheinz Schreiber affair, the Cadman offer, and the RCMP's raid of Conservative headquarters investigating illegal evasion of federal campaign spending limits.

Harper still promised a refreshing change from duplicitous Liberal nuances in political affairs. Yes, one has to accept some water with their wine, even in politics. But then Harper broke his own law by calling an election, and hypocritically reversed his honourable and principled stands on Afghanistan and China.

This former potential statesman has discredited himself by betraying a complete and total loss of integrity!

If Harper gets his majority, he promises to impose ideologically driven and irreversible decisions on an outraged and injured Canada.

The damage would be irreparable; various codicils protected by the Free Trade Agreement are lost forever once surrendered.

THOMAS MUELLER

Rothesay

Conservative MPs helped Saint John

One thing Saint Johners know for sure is that Paul Zed has proven himself to be a crafty politician. He has portrayed himself as a bipartisan who has delivered the goods for the Saint John area.

Even when Mr. Zed was an MP on the government side in the riding of Fundy Royal or with the short-lived Martin government, I can't think of one major issue or project that he owned or delivered on for Saint John when he had the opportunity.

Now, while he is politically impotent and in Opposition, he has hammered the Harper Conservatives time and time again, ridiculing senior ministers and anyone who has stepped foot in his riding or near the city of Saint John.

Not a very smart move.

Without the good will of MPs Greg Thompson and Rob Moore and their cabinet colleagues, issues such as harbour clean-up, providing infrastructure funding for twinning major highways and building the One-Mile interchange would not have come to fruition. We would be stuck out in the cold again... and that would be thanks to the partisan antics of Mr. Zed.

The people of Saint John and southern New Brunswick have great reason to have much hope and optimism on major developments over the next few years. I hope voters in the riding of Saint John do not drink Mr. Zed's Kool-aid, but choose to have someone at the table of government. Time to leave Mr. Zed in the fumes of his carbon tax plan.

MARK McCREADY

Quispamsis

Saint John debate was disappointing

I attended the Rogers Television debate and want to share my experience. I will be transparent and declare my Liberal roots. However, I still feel I can offer some truths.

Many of the candidates referred to the Liberals and Conservatives as the "old parties." Stéphane Dion's Green Shift is one of the most innovative platform ideas in years.

Mr. Weston stated that a vote for Paul Zed was a vote for Stéphane Dion. What he did not mention is that a vote for Mr. Weston is a vote for Mr. Weston, and after the debate I still know nothing about him or his plan for Saint John. He did not mention one thing about himself or his plans in his two-minute introduction or one-minute conclusion.

The most popular issues were poverty and safe drinking water. It should be stated the poverty rate, while still high, has decreased over the past several years in Saint John. Mr. Zed was instrumental in working with Team Saint John to secure federal funding for harbour clean-up while a member of the opposition party. This proves his teamwork and leadership skills.

Mr. Weston has no plan for clean drinking water, and the Conservatives have eroded the surpluses they were handed from the Liberals.

It was a disappointing debate with many distortions thrown at Mr. Zed who has brought, in partnership with Team Saint John, more than $100 million in federal funding to Greater Saint John.

DANNY JARDINE

Saint John