Firstly with Donald Trump, while it is understandable why he was elected, if, however, he is protecting the American people and US sovereignty, then he is going the wrong way about it. 

Take the immigration ban. It won’t protect citizens because the overwhelming majority of terror attacks are either people exercising their 2nd US Constitutional Amendment “rights”, home grown or overwhelmingly not from countries affected by the ban. I am also concerned about people championing Trump while ignoring ongoing investigations of links with Russia. Russia is a foreign power which, according to many indications, sought to influence the outcome of the American presidential election. 

With regards to protectionist economics that Bill mentioned, the biggest problem with tariff walls is that everything becomes very expensive for marginal improvement in quality. The cheapest way to improve quality is through effective regulations (something Bill, that his previous letters indicated, is not in favour of). 

Regulations can discriminate against the cheap and shoddy goods that he complained about much more effectively than tariffs. Even if jobs are created all protectionism really does is make, at best, everything more expensive for locals.

Finally, given Bill mentioned globalisation, unfortunately nativism won’t deal with local, national and international issues that have to be dealt with by everyone, like global warming for example, regardless of whether people like it or not. Maybe localism would be more to Bill’s liking.

Mick McGlone, you inspire us all and set us all on the path of thinking well and to challenge and question. That is what I try to do and the paper is a vital cog in free speech and great debate to make our region a better place all round. The writings of the right wing journos does us all harm and divides people. Pauline Hanson is capturing the racist fear vote and as for Donald Trump, I can’t wait for the mid-terms in the US and the hope he will be impeached. 

With Wodonga still to receive the extra train trips that the Liberals and Nationals committed to prior to Labor coming to government, it is outrageous that Daniel Andrews and Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan have given V/Line employees a virtual ‘blank cheque’ with huge wage rises until 2019.

On February 9, the new EBA for V/Line’s track and signal employees commenced with V/Line CEO James Pinder among the signatories.  Not only do these V/Line workers get a 4.5 per cent rise plus a 3 per cent sign-on bonus effective from July 1 last year, but there was also a 1.5 per cent further wage increase on New Year’s Day and four more 2  per cent wage rises every six months until January 1 2019.

If these total 17 per cent wage increases weren’t enough, V/Line employees engaged in level crossing removals or many other major projects receive a 2 per cent further rise plus another 1 per cent on July 1 2017. Site allowances of $2.50 to $5.62 an hour are paid depending on construction project values. There is also $4 per hour allowance if V/Line employees work on sites controlled by parties other than V/Line. Long suffering V/Line commuters delayed with almost 35 per cent of Albury line trains 11 minutes or more late and 5.4 per cent cancelled in January 2017 along with general Victorian taxpayers have to pay for this.

Labor’s willingness to distribute this largesse to its union mates such as in the militant Rail Tram and Bus Union shows who runs the socialist Andrews government.