Letters: Carbon tax increases price of more than gas; flag decision turns the clock back

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Carbon tax touches more than just gas

Regarding Mr. Belliveau’s letter from Saturday April 27, the very definition of inflation is: “a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.”

Anytime we are taxed our purchasing value goes down. Also, your rebates and your cost of gasoline in a year aren’t the whole story. All prices go up due to the carbon tax, so when your food travels to the stores via diesel trucks, they charge the stores more, then you pay more. When the farmer has to pay more for fertilizer and fuel due to taxes, they pass that along to you via higher prices.

Every single thing in our lives is affected by the carbon tax, except carbon. The climate will always change as it has been since the beginning of time. To actually think we can change the climate by taxing people is almost as ridiculous as our prime minister. Wake up.

Sandy Mechefske

Riverview

Disappointed in flag decision

I was saddened by the news that Woodstock Mayor Trina Jones and council have determined that, after several years, 2SLGBTQ Pride banners would no longer be displayed on the lamp posts of downtown Woodstock. 
 
Under the administration of Mayor Art Slipp and Deputy Mayor Amy Anderson, Woodstock had demonstrated a more inclusive understanding of human diversity. It was town council that promoted the rainbow crosswalk on a busy downtown street corner. There were a few complaints – one attempt to deface it – but overall nothing to suggest a need for censure. 
 
Allies for inclusion worked hard to soften the reputation Woodstock had as “the buckle of the Bible Belt” and we did a decent job.  So many progressive Christians in the area applauded our work. Woodstock High had the first Gay Straight Alliance in the province. 
 
The argument used to deny Pride banners and proclamations is a typical right wing tactic used to suppress progress on gender and identity issues. You quasi camouflage it in very transparent semantics wrapped in a morally suspect blanket of faux inclusion and that’s how easy it is to turn the clock back a few decades.

Richard Blaquiere 

Riverview