Jan. 31: Shameful bank behaviour, unethical profiteering, tax the billionaires and other letters

Bank’s behavior ‘disgraceful’

The governor of the Bank of Canada certainly has too much power over everyday Canadians. It is not fair to Canada that interest rate decisions come down to one person. Sure, there is supposed to be consensus on the board, but there is no vote.

I feel that this unelected position has more power over us than the Prime Minister and Prime Ministers. I read that the Monetary Policy Report mentions wages a bunch of times, but corporate profits zero times, even though they are extremely high.

Tiff Macklem and the rest of his board seem so out of touch with Canadians. They seem to have no idea the impact they have on us. Also, if you look at the board membership…it’s not a diverse crew. The whole thing seems shameful.

Unethical profiteering

Is anyone as fired up as I am about the article titled ‘Metro Reports Double-Digit Increase in Profits for 2022’ (Jan. 25)? That leaves the CEO of Metro whining about the higher costs the grocers are enduring due to “higher costs fed through the supply chain” and their declining gross food margins. I don’t believe any customer will disregard price increases if the percentages are identical to the grocery store’s profit. This is not the case and is not fair treatment. During these desperate times, top executives were awarded bonuses, pay, stock dividends and compensation increases. Taking advantage of people who wrestle to make ends meet while a lucky few profit is atrocious. One writer (Jan. 28) actually suggests that we stop complaining about inflation and consider the tragedy in Ukraine. I think we’re all focused on that part of the world and its atrocities, but that doesn’t mean we have to tolerate unethical behavior.

We need a daily smile

Have you ever thought of having a smile or joke of the day to cheer people up? I know you have the political cartoon and comics, but I was thinking of something to really make people smile because there seems to be a lot of doom and gloom out there.

Sharon Travers, Brantford

Pay attention to Santos story

Regarding ‘Odious Santos is a wake-up call’: This article’s call is to reform our culture’s toxicity, the lies, the weaknesses of our political class, which is unfortunately necessary, but in the George Santos case it misleading. It is alleged that Santos was financed by a Russian oligarch, that the $700,000 spent on his campaign for Congress leads to a wider web of conspiracy. It has been reliably claimed that Speaker of the House McCarthy is complicit in Santos’ rise to a Congressional seat. Both allegations are being investigated and I believe will uncover a staggering web of conspirators. Vladimir Putin is following Adolf Hitler’s successful plan to corrupt a nation from within through propaganda and fascist sympathizers so that his armies would conquer them more easily as was evident in his takeover of Czechoslovakia, Austria and France (and perhaps England if not for Churchill and the Labor Party). In Canada, we need to listen to this particular wake-up call, which is evidenced by Putin’s success in Belarus, Hungary and some African countries.

David Richard Beasley, Simcoe

It’s simple – tax the billionaires

I’m tired of hearing about homelessness and food banks and crises in health care and the environment. Why can’t your government tax the excess profits of the billionaires and the fossil fuel industry when you have the support of the NDP?

Either you are afraid of them or you are too friendly with them, or you don’t have the expertise to find all their hidden money. We need that money to make our society better and more equal.

You say we have to be optimistic to overcome these challenges. I’m saying you need to recognize the inequities and act to correct them.

Gerry Bukovinsky, Hamilton

Is this the best we can do?

Isn’t anyone else’s head exploding that the CRA can’t find the time to recover the billions wrongly paid during the pandemic while some poor sod in St. miserable disability payout? Canada, is this the best we can do?

Blair and Jan Chatland, Hamilton

MacKay unfair to anti-vaxxers

Once again the tolerant and inclusive left show their magnanimous humanity. Has MacKay examined the arguments of the side pushing back against the mandates, restrictions and other infringements on Charter rights, or is he content to show them as loudmouths dying for their freedom?

DeWitt Shainline, Hamilton