Madam, - I'm no chicken myself, but I have to say to my fellow senior citizens that they are being juvenile in the extreme and it's time they grew up.
The politicians and parties they are ranting about are the very ones for whom they have been voting for several decades. They may indeed stop voting for them now, but it's a bit late. Anyway, will they even remember the whole business when the next election comes? We old people are the most practised at voting, but our performance, even in our prime, suggests the leakiest of memories and the blindness of those who will not see.
The medical card was going to be taken not from all old people, but from people so wealthy that probably they never paid their fair share of taxes and who, in their earning days, were, and perhaps still are, in the 2 per cent band of the proposed income levy. It is ludicrous that such people should have their routine healthcare paid for by severely straitened taxpayers at a rate several times greater than what suffices for ordinary mortals.
Whatever ranting and raving there may be about the utter waste and wanton costs of systems that, on the evidence of election after election, came into being and continued to burgeon with the tacit approval of those who are now protesting, it is an inescapable fact that taxes, whether fair or unfair, regressive or progressive, must be sufficient to pay for the costs that actually arise, whatever inefficiency, waste or even graft may underlie those costs. If there is a mismatch, then taxes must be increased, costs must be cut, or both.
The clock will not stop while people mount the soap-box of selfishness and the rostrum of greed to debate which tax might be right, which cost might be wrong and which benefit ought to be given or taken away. - Yours, etc,
FRANK FARRELL,
Lakelands Close,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Madam, - Alison Healy provided readers with a vivid report on the Age Action meeting that darkened St Andrew's Catholic Church, Westland Row in Dublin last Tuesday (The Irish Times, October 22nd).
St Andrew's Church is a house of prayer. The Blessed Sacrament is normally reserved there for adoration. Mass is celebrated on the altar as an act of love and of propitiation. Many of those at the meeting would remember the words repeated every Sunday morning at the beginning of Mass: "I have loved, oh Lord, the beauty of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwelleth". Where now is the beauty, where is the glory?
The Age Action meeting in that holy place disgraced itself. It showed a horrible Ireland. The degree of insult and of presumption was immense. How dare people use the church, and even the very sanctuary, for coarse aggression? Do they presume they have the right to appropriate God's house for such a shameful pantomime?
The meeting was largely composed of mature people - I mean mature in years. So those guilty of silver-haired gurrierism cannot invoke youthful ebullience by way of excuse. They were old enough to know better. If they were incapable of reverence, at least they might have remembered their manners. What a way to give thanks for the gift of years.
The priests in St Andrew's Church may decide that a public act of reparation to the Divine Presence is in order. - Yours, etc,
Dr CYRIL DALY,
Howth Road,
Killester,
Dublin 5.
Madam, - I object to your accusation of "rudeness" against those senior citizens who shouted down Government party politicians at recent events (Editorial, October 23rd).
I attended the meeting in St Andrew's Church and the demonstration outside Dáil Éireann. I too cherished the opportunity to shout down, in glorious chorus, those hypocritical politicians and their self-serving patronising attempts to justify and apologise for their despicable acts - although they were not prepared to vote in accordance with the wishes of the people.
Oh, I was not denying them their freedom of speech. But I did not want to hear their excuses, lies and bullshit any more and I used my freedom of speech to tell them so.
The moment presented itself and by God it felt good. If this upsets your liberal sensitivities, so be it. - Yours, etc,
JOHN P. BENNETT,
Camden Place,
Dublin 2
Madam, The "rudeness" and lack of "manners" in the pensioners' demonstrations referred to in your Editorial and in the letters columns is not only understandable but to be commended. It is what politicians are used to and it is how they behave in the Dáil chamber and in radio and TV panel discussions. - Yours, etc,
FEARGAL MAC AMHLAOIBH,
Dún Chaoin,
Co Chiarraí.
Madam, - I must agree with Prof Donnchadh Ó Corráin (October 20th). As an American of Irish descent and a frequent visitor to Ireland, I was shocked on arriving this week in Ireland to learn that there is a plan to try to save money by merging the National Library and National Archives.
The idea of the Irish Government trying to wrestle funds away from these vital institutions is quite disturbing. I know from many years of experience that the library and archives have been woefully underfunded, although librarians and archivists have worked valiantly in difficult circumstances. It will be years before some of the important material already accessed by these repositories will be available to readers, because they are already so short staffed.
The Irish abroad are proud of their heritage, and we come "home" to research, understand, and enjoy that heritage. On my frequent trips to Dublin I undertake research in both institutions and I advertise their importance and services to my countrymen and women planning trips to Ireland. Merging the National Library and the National Archives would be a great mistake, whether to reduce spending or not. Both institutions are in great need of more funds (not less) so they can function better as custodians of the treasury of Irish history and culture. Turning these two venerable institutions upside down and inserting a new level of bureaucracy on top of them will only cost the Government more money, which would otherwise be so much better spent funding more staff and expanding services. - Yours, etc,
KYLE J. BETIT,
Editor, The Irish at Home Abroad,
Salt Lake City,
Utah, USA.
Madam, - It is with utter dismay that I read of the rising level of national discontent at the Government's budgetary proposals.
Last time I checked, we live in a healthy, functioning, secure European democracy. We are free to choose our political, social and economic destiny, unlike countless millions of people around the world.
We chose this Government - three times. We chose to be closer to Boston than Berlin. We chose the warmongering US over Europe. We chose low taxes and private affluence instead of a system of efficient and accessible well-funded public services for all.
When certain Government individuals were not defending themselves in tribunals they were presiding over the squandering of the extraordinary exchequer wealth created by the Celtic Tiger.
You reap what you sow. We had ample warning along the way and we chose to ignore it. - Yours, etc,
GERARD BURKE-KENNEDY,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Madam, - As a lecturer in international politics, and father of a five-year-old boy, it is with considerable despair and frustration that I survey the state of Irish education funding today. My son, who attends a rural primary school, is in an already overcrowded classroom accommodating both junior and senior infants, whilst the valiant teacher stretches to cover two sets of curricula while helping first-time school-goers to settle in.
With class numbers rising to become the highest in the European Union, how teachers and students will cope, never mind have the opportunity to thrive, is beyond me.
Such is the result of the short-sighted squandering by the current Government of the wealth generated by citizens educated in our under-funded schools, universities and institutes of technology. While the corporate and banking sectors benefit from a multi-billion bailout, the vital literacy programmes that enable children to understand and participate in society are pared back and in some instances eliminated. While the Construction Industry Federation tempers its delight (in public, at least) at the generosity of its director general's former colleagues in government, the INTO general secretary informs us that there will be more than 100,000 pupils in classes of over 30 pupils next year.
Meanwhile, across the third-level sector, instead of the much-needed increase in funding to serve the intellectual capacity of our future entrepreneurs, engineers, teachers and other professionals, we are being asked to do more with less funding.
The horse, greyhound and betting industries are being better served by the current government than are our children. There is a glaring gap between the dishonest and frankly shameful rhetoric of the Taoiseach and Minster for Education about a world-class education system and the reality of our decrepit schools and meanly-funded research activities.
My son's future is the most important element in any choice that I make as a father — including electoral choices at the next local, national and European elections. I can't wait for my chance to vote. I think you know for whom I shall not be voting. - Yours, etc,
GERARD ARTHURS,
School of Business,
Waterford Institute of Technology
Madam, - In those dreary, dismal days of global bank collapses, economic doom and gloom, and a swingeing, savage budget - a veritable Ossa-piled-on-Pelion mountain of hardship - how refreshing to read Miriam Lord's witty and hilarious take on shenanigans in the Dáil, and have a good, hearty laugh.
Her column is a tonic - a timely antidote to "the blues". - Yours, etc,
VERA HUGHES,
Moate,
Co Westmeath.