YOUR VIEWS

BOB Janssen’s use of the wellknown imposition “before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes” (GCB, January 28) brings to mind Billy Connolly’s observation “then if he gets angry you’re a mile away and you’ve got his shoes”. MALCOLM SHEPHERD, TALLAI

TO all those couples who churn out multiple offspring and then carry on about the cost of childcare, they know what the simple solutions are without having to be told.

I buy a new Mazda 2 with cash after trade-in every four years, not a Ferrari.

Having kids is quite a luxury. DAVID HALL, COOMBABAH

WHAT a strange place America is, the Democrats have spent the last four years doing nothing but complain and cause disruption but now are saying everyone should pull together. What a pity they didn’t follow they own advice . ROD WATSON, SURFERS PARADISE

SURELY the time has come to rein in the likes of the 17-year-old male who took away a young couple’s life who were walking their dog.

Whatever happened to the family unit?

This couple didn’t deserve to die at the hands of a young moron who obviously had no parental control and who will now become a burden on society.

From where I am sitting nearing my 80th birthday there seems to be a society that is heading down a slippery path, with little if any attempt to bring family units back to a civilised society. D.J.FRASER, CURRUMBIN

ENOUGH is enough. We as a community must demand tougher sentencing of those who steal a vehicle and hoon through the streets putting everyone’s lives at risk.

It happens every day and there is nothing, it seems, in our juvenile justice system to deter these young criminals from repeating their actions at the next opportunity.

I don’t have the answers ... although mandatory sentencing and guaranteed jail time for such crimes seems a good starting point.

The heart-breaking deaths of that young couple in Brisbane could have been any one of us. DULCIE JAMES, ARUNDEL

THERE are better options for Gold Coast, blessed with remarkable gifts of nature, attractions and a range of accommodation, than spending on unlikely projects (GCB 18/1, Visit Gold Coast: Cableway and dive site pitched as a tourism solution).

The cruise ship fantasy, after more than a decade, seemed to sail off into sunset, jettisoning millions of ratepayers’ money spent on studies and our officers’ paid time, before it sank.

Definitely a sound outcome, in a habourless ciity.

Is there to be a fortune on studies, when a fortune’s worth of prior studies showed high impact activity near Springbrook World Heritage site could risk delisting of World Status protection of irreplaceable species, unique on the planet?

Non-impactive wilderness experience and absolutely incomparable tourism marketing opportunity, rebranding of our magnificent city’s tarnished image, is the enviable contribution World Status can give.

Australia’s World Heritage areas include Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, Tasmanian Wilderness. Sydney Opera House ... and GC’s own small species-rich Springbrook National Park.

NSW’s Wollemi NP at 5000sq km does not even come close to species density of Springbrook NP of 61sq km.

Springbook is tiny. Surrounds need great care.

Our world responsibility is Gondwana Rainforests, Springbrook a part, with largest, most significant remaining stands of rainforest. Antarctic Beech trees grow in few spots in Australia. Springbrook’s Queensland National Park is one of these places.

SALLY SPAIN, PRESIDENT WILDLIFE QUEENSLAND, GOLD COAST