America, please, show Trump the door marked exit

What an appalling display of arrogance was on show as Donald Trump delivered the longest ever State of the Union address to Congress (“In a rant for the ages, Trump delivers Capitol punishment”, February 26). Half the House of Representatives cheered wildly while the glum Democrats sat in stunned silence except for a few hecklers. His attack on the Supreme Court judges was unprecedented. Hopefully, the US voters at the upcoming midterm elections will register their dismay of a president who believes he is not governed by the Constitution. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Trump’s State of the Union address is telling by the fact that there is such a disparity between Republicans and Democrats. Whether the union can survive a further 250 years will depend on the American public willing to put the good of the republic (and decency) before mere idolatry of one person. (It didn’t work for Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, and it cannot work for the US.) Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga

How anyone could voluntarily listen to 108 minutes of Donald Trump’s rambling, pontificating, unashamed and self gratifying lying is a mystery to me. Your reporters used fact checking to isolate 13 blatant falsehoods, I suspect further investigation would reveal many, many more. This man is in the middle of destroying what we once knew as the free and democratic Western world, of which we Australians are a part. Wake up America. For the sake of democracy and what’s left of the free world give this corrupt maniac the finger in the upcoming midterms, and his marching orders in 2028. Donna Wiemann, Balmain

The State of Union address was more like a pantomime show. The president had handpicked his cheer squad and rattled away his speech, which didn’t pass the fact-check test. Only in America. Peng Ee, Castle Cove

Complaining in his State of the Union address that “Our country is winning again – in fact, we’re winning so much we really don’t know what to do about it”, may I suggest we help him out by invoking the mercy rule in sports, where the umpire can end a competition early to prevent further humiliation to a badly losing side? Mary Carde, Parrearra (Qld)

Trump talked a lot, but said nothing. Ron Russell, Leura

It’s obvious how Donald Trump has perfected the art of political communication, electoral success, and irrepressibly Teflon-like ability to avoid any consequences for his actions. Just listen to him during his lilting State of the Union address: from the soothingly captivating tone and cadence of the delivery, you’d swear it was the marvellous, infective, avuncular Garrison Keillor speaking about Lake Wobegon. Albeit rife with – but well concealing – a general malice and intermittently specific brutality in the actual content. Alex Mattea, Kingston (ACT)

I noticed the words “In God We Trust” over the podium as Donald Trump delivered his SOTU rant. Well, may the American people put their trust in God because they can’t trust Trump. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill

How apt this quote by Benjamin Disraeli to define Trump: ″⁣A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity, and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at all times command an interminable and inconsistent series of arguments to malign an opponent and to glorify himself.″⁣ Edward Loong, Milsons Point

I’m surprised that Iran felt it had to articulate that Trump was telling lies. Tim Schroder, Gordon

New acronym post State of Union address: MAGA – Make America Go Away. David Goldstein, Balgowlah

Nature or nurture?

Thank you for your extraordinary efforts, Dr Jamal Rifi (“If ISIS women and children return, Australia is safer”, February 26), a sole saviour aiding those abandoned by their country of origin. I’m haunted by the image of children suffering, be it in Gaza or detention camps in Syria, but other than voicing my outrage, I feel powerless to act. It takes a human with deep conviction to risk personal safety and intervene on their behalf. All power to you, bring them home, immerse them with education and understanding and I don’t doubt their love for this country will run as deeply as yours. Janet Argall, Hurlstone Park

In the debate surrounding the return of the ISIS brides and their children we seem to have lost memory of the adage “give me the child and you may have the man”. How naive are we to believe mothers who subscribed to IS values would not have begun “educating” their children at the same time as they taught them to talk. Clive Powell, Northbridge

A clear and concise opinion piece by Jamal Rifi and all I have to add is that I’m sure Anthony Albanese’s mother would have said, “But Anthony, think of the children.” Ken Pares, Forster

Somehow I doubt if the IS women belonged to a Christian cult they would be treated so shabbily and virulently. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

PM must step up

Shaun Carney (“Labor must not waste this moment”, February 26) asks will Albanese lead the government to make the bold policy changes that Australians are telling it are needed, starting with the next budget, to begin reversing the unfairness to the young in favour of the old that has characterised most of this century. It will take real leadership to stand up to the barrage of criticism that can be anticipated from those sections of society who don’t want this. Is Albanese up for it? If not, should Labor members break Labor Party rules and elect a new leader? With the world on fire and so many things here crying out for real change some would think it justified. Albanese needs to step up. Gary Barnes, Mosman

C’mon, Albo, maybe take a page out of Trump’s playbook and “flood the zone” with all the progressive legislation piling up on the backburner. Start with negative gearing, franking credits and CGT changes, sweeten the deal with the popular anti-gambling package, add a dash of Ken Henry’s tax reform, mix freely with hate speech and anti-discrimination laws (no religious exemptions) and for the cherry on top, legislate The Voice. Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn

Chalmer offensive

Jim Chalmers should take a leaf out of Donald Trump’s book and blame any rate rises or economic woes on Joe Biden (“Chalmers under fire as rates to rise in May”, February 26). Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Crowded house

I am opposed to having more federal seats (“Labor’s plan to add dozens more MPs in parliament”, February 26). Australia is probably the most over-governed country in the world when we consider local, state and federal governments. The other problem with federal governments, in particular, is the two major blocks, the Coalition and Labor, follow the decisions made by their leaders. Why do we need more of them? Perhaps rather than more of them we increase the number of staff allocated to them to deal with the issues raised by constituents. These can be sent to relevant ministers or shadow ministers to take action. John Rome, Mt Lawley (WA)

At a time when the Labour Party is being asked to rein in the expenses, wouldn’t adding more MPs add to the cost? Consider the monthly salary and other generous allowances, not to speak of the pension and expenses for life of an MP. What a waste of resources. Ariyur Rangarajan, Baulkham Hills

Fast rail is an opportunity lost

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and looking back (“Sadly, this train may never arrive”, February 26), the way to increase the possibility and viability of the fast rail from Newcastle to Sydney would have been to choose Newcastle airport as Sydney’s second airport. It would promote Newcastle’s growth potential and improve the financial case for a fast rail link between the two cities. Let’s face the reality that an airport in the middle of the western suburbs has so many negatives that its success is marginal. It lacks easy transport access, will be prone to mists and fogs, and will add 24/7 noise that will affect hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders. My crystal ball says the fast rail is a great opportunity lost. Eric Sekula, Turramurra

The invoices are already pulling in to the station, with tens and soon hundreds of millions of dollars spent on investigations, reports and costings. Recently, an article in The Economist drew attention to the HS2, Britain’s long-planned high-speed rail project that was once slated to open in 2026. In short, it was budgeted to cost £33 billion (2011 prices, or £53 billion today). It consisted of three legs, two of which have since been cancelled due to cost, and the remaining London-Birmingham segment has been delayed to the late 2030s. Costs are now likely to be over £100 billion. Given our governments’ extraordinary ability to underestimate the costs of major infrastructure projects, where will this $90 billion quote end up when/if it ever arrives at the station Andrew Raymond, Parramatta

Alexandra Smith’s lament on yet another fast train proposal for NSW highlights a troublesome absence of big-picture vision for our infrastructure needs. Do the politicians and mandarins in charge of such projects actually think beyond the glittering prizes of architectural and engineering marvels that grace, or are about to grace, our fair capital? Perhaps they need to get out a bit more. Some years back, the mayor of an eastern European capital withdrew chauffeur-driven cars and ordered their public transport managers to experience the real world of failing transport infrastructure. The mindset did shift, slowly, but perhaps not as slowly as yet another high-speed thought bubble. Bradley Wynne, Croydon

Square on repeat

“Radical alternative” or a blurred vision (Letters, February 26)? When a vision has been articulated and then adopted in principle, why diminish or muddy its imaginative capacity? The clear collective vision of George Street being the central pedestrian “artery” that connects Circular Quay and Central Railway, with the Town Hall at its central “heart”. Each location defined by a unique generous public square. A vision formed over a decade ago with the creative guidance of world-renowned Danish professor Jan Gehl, instigated by Lord Mayor Clover Moore. Imagine a grand, open-landscaped public urban space that invites its residents, daily workers and visitors to gather for celebration, protest or simply participate in the daily life of a great city. Gathering in the carved-out confined spaces under older nondescript buildings doesn’t quite cut it. Stick to the original, clear vision. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why

Your correspondent suggests Sydney’s Civic Square plan be put in the “talkfest category”. Perhaps, better in the “chestnut” category, along with the high-speed rail. The latter has been trotted out each election cycle since the 1960s. Shane Nunan, Finley

Shooters not criminals

I was most disappointed by the Herald’s editorial (“Gunslinging is not a good look for NSW Libs”, February 26). People have had firearms licences refused or revoked for less than the concerns known to authorities about the Bondi criminals, yet the many thousands of people who have done the right thing for years or decades are vilified and persecuted by the Labor and Liberal parties. All the language used about safe, legal, licensed firearm owners by Premier Chris Minns is the same as the language used about actual criminals, yet licensed firearm owners are the most law-abiding identifiable group in the community. Minns’ ignorance of the subject, amply illustrated by his commitment to ban non-existent “belt-fed shotguns”, was exacerbated by his refusal to listen to bodies such as the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) despite repeated attempts to engage with him. This body has been engaging responsibly with government and police for many years, until it was frozen out by Minns when he most needed their co-operation and expertise.
A parliamentary petition has gained almost 100,000 signatures. It asks for firearms legislation to be evidence-based. This is the largest parliamentary petition ever, being many times more than the next largest and achieving the number needed to require a parliamentary debate on the topic (20,000 for an online petition) in less than 24 hours. The resources that will need to be allocated to a big increase in scrutiny of safe, legal firearm owners would be better allocated to chasing up actual criminals, as evidenced by the reports of the activities of organised crime. Bill Irvine, Goulburn

Where there’s a will

As the mother of Caitlin Thornton said (“Alleged abuser had control of Caitlin’s body and her money after she died”, February 26), if her daughter had a will appointing an executor other than her alleged abuser, that executor would have control over Caitlin’s body, and assets, pending probate (if required). The legal profession, trustee companies and many charities have forever been trying to convince everyone over 18 to make a will. Even if you don’t think you have sufficient assets to warrant making a will, appointing an executor can assist in many other ways, such as dealing with your funeral arrangements. Rosemary Long, Wyoming

Carr out of the box

In the article on Bob Carr (“Bob Carr on marriage, grief and finally learning how to do a load of laundry”, smh.com.au, February 25), he is described as “a young working-class man from Malabar”. He was before my time but, according to a neighbour, he grew up in Oxley Street, Matraville, and would round up the other kids in the area to play “Pick a Box” with Bob asking the questions. The old house is gone, but maybe a statue is in order? Paddy Grattan-Smith, Matraville

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