Questions from Socrates

ANCIENT Greece is indeed instructive in defining the origins of democracy (Letters, March 13). During the Greek Golden Age Socrates had a fearsome reputation for asking inconvenient questions. In 399BC as an old man, he was forced to drink a potion of hemlock for asking too many of the wrong sort of questions that “corrupted Athenian youth”. Followers of Socrates were Plato and Aristotle who extended

Rates inequality

READER Brian Stafford bemoans, as does the majority of property owners in Hobart, the exorbitant level of rates and wonders where all the money goes (Letters, March 11). Ratepayers need look no further than overseas junkets by the majority of councillors with no apparent demonstrable benefits to anyone other than themselves. As well we have the profligate expenditure

Parcel

IN November I posted a parcel of Christmas goodies to my grandson in France. I paid higher postage to ensure it arrived before Christmas. The parcel arrived in seven days as promised. Thereafter, it was in the hands of the French postal system. It languished somewhere for four weeks, then turned up in Sydney at the lost and found department. Because I had emailed Australia Post and provided the tracking number, they were able to identify it even though there was no identification, that is, addressee or sender. It was returned to me in a deplorable state and on advice, I took it to my local post office. I filled in a complaint form and the following day received a call from a lady at Australia Post. After much consideration, and because of the circumstances, at their discretion, they refunded the postage and cost of contents — $106. So a big thank you to Australia Post from two appreciative grandparents.