Readers are invited to submit letters to The Guardian.
Letters may be e-mailed to guardian@cpa.org.au.
Letters of 300-400 words are preferred.

Letters to the Editor:

Preventable deaths

While we can never eliminate all accidents, there are still 
too many preventable deaths on our roads. And I don't think that 
spending billions on road improvements is the answer to reducing 
the road toll.

Having lost my six year-old child when a car left the road I know 
what families go through when I loved one is killed in such 
unexpected circumstances. Too often those bereaved retreat into a 
private world of pain to carry on a silent struggle to go on.

The community needs to be made aware of the very real on-going 
emotional cost to families of such tragedies.

The loss of a child or other loved one is not something that 
families ever get over.

There is also a massive social and financial cost to society of 
this road carnage.

Yet, if some measure of good is to come from such profound loss 
we need to find the strength to speak out and try to change the 
conditions that are killing so many innocent children and other 
people on our roads.

We live in a very fast society with too many people rushing 
about, trying to do too many things, trying save minutes of time, 
driving, but also talking on mobile phones, eating, reading, 
doing their hair and thinking about other things they have to do.

This is all at the expense of not focusing on the moment, the 
very serious task of driving the car or other vehicle.

Our community needs a lifestyle change; we need to slow our lives 
down, to give more care and more thought to our actions.

I am astounded and upset by the glamorisation and romance of 
speed and stunt driving I see on television advertisements for 
cars and movies.

This is a terribly distorted message to send to young drivers. 
This is socially irresponsible behaviour. I find it sickening and 
offensive way to sell cars, publicise movies or games.

An advanced and civilised society should not tolerate the 
promotion of speed and careless driving.

We are not only losing precious individuals on our roads, but our 
community is sadly losing its moral and spiritual worth for the 
sake of concentrating too much on the race to secure material 
possessions and social positions at the expense of what is really 
important in life.

Part of what determines the real health of a society is the care, 
treatment, protection and value it places on the lives of its 
people, especially its most vulnerable, like its children.

Steven Katsineris
Hurstbridge, Victoria

"Immigration Department figures revealed that nearly 97 
children had tried to harm themselves while in immigration 
detention over the past three years with 88 successful." (The 
Age, 12/02/04).

Now what did Mr Howard say about not teaching children "values" 
in public schools? What are his and his government's values? Is 
treating innocent, traumatised children as criminals a value to 
be aspired to?

It may be Mr Howard's attitude to children but it is certainly 
not many other people's.

"Disgusted"
Fairfield, NSW

I was having my lunch break at my workplace cafeteria the 
other day when I noticed another employee that I had not seen 
before wearing a t-shirt with the hammer and sickle emblem of the 
former German Democratic Republic emblazoned on it.

When this employee walked passed me I made the comment: "A Great 
Nation!" and made a salute.

His reply was: "Yes but it does not exist anymore" with a German 
accent as I could understand.

I do not know what thoughts went through his mind but some of us 
employees would welcome another Soviet Union and its allies.

What I see and come across in my workplace seems more anti-
working class and anti-progressive. When the workplace involves 
healthcare it's no laughing matter.

At least I felt privileged to see a proletarian symbol crossing 
my path. An encouragement to work towards a proletariat and 
progressive world.

Julian Melbourne,
Victoria

* * *

Note: The CPA has t-shirts with the hammer and sickle under the 
Southern Cross with the letters CPA on the right sleeve and left 
pocket. The logo is in gold on a red shirt. Price $16 plus $4 
postage and packing. Order from SPA Books, 65 Campbell 
Street,Surry Hills, NSW 2010.See the t-shirts at 
http://www.cpa.org.au/sale/t-shirts.html