David Crowe claims that Donald Trump, “worried about the midterms … has betrayed Kyiv for a paltry amount of oil” – what I term “30 pieces of silver” (“President’s latest ceasefire ‘trick’ fails its first test”, October 13).
uncertain
trick → claim → test
This is not surprising, being quite consistent with the combination of the principles espoused in his ghosted book The Art of the Deal, and his narcissistic personality.
asserted
This → espouse → Deal
Trump’s Judas-like behaviour, linked with his quest for increasing his power and wealth, along with his admiration for other world leaders who demonstrate similar personality traits to himself, has further diminished the status of the US presidency and the trust formerly placed in it by so much of the world.
asserted
who → link → world
More importantly, and tragically, the cost of Trump dealing in castles in the air is that the rest of the world pays the rent.
asserted
rest → deal → rent
One can only hope that voters at the coming US midterms will show that they want no more of Trump’s delusions.
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they → hope → delusions
Paul Casey, Callala Bay
As if Trump’s deal to purchase diesel fuel from Putin isn’t bad enough and such a betrayal of the Ukrainians
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deal → purchase → Ukrainians
, it is awful to hear that the first diesel shipment arrived only 24 hours after Trump announced the purchase on Truth Social.
asserted
Trump → hear → Social
The deception is that the shipment left Russia on September 22, some three weeks ago.
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shipment → leave → September
Trump and his administration must never be trusted.
asserted
Trump → trust → ?
Mark Berg, Caringbah South
Russia declares it wants a lasting peace: a lasting piece of Ukraine.
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it → declare → Ukraine
Never before has a US president been so fixated on impressing the world with the power of his office as Donald Trump, yet his ill-fated war in Iran demonstrates the sheer impotence of his own power and that of America itself (“Broken promises will cost Trump”, October 13).
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promises → impress → Trump
On April 4, 1967, Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered a powerful speech entitled “Beyond Vietnam”.
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Jr → deliver → Vietnam
He scolded America for being the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, especially over the way it conducted itself in Vietnam.
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it → scold → Vietnam
For despite the killing of more than 2 million innocent civilians and a million combatants, US forces finally withdrew in disgrace.
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forces → withdraw → disgrace
Dr King warned against America possessing such power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.
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America → warn → sight
Today these same words could be directed at President Trump, whose vision of America is so far removed from that of this black Baptist preacher who had the courage to speak the truth to power.
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who → direct → power
Donald Trump’s chief skill is maintaining his own entrapment in a vortex of worsening personal degeneracy and petulance.
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skill → maintain → degeneracy
Brian Collins, Cronulla
Literary application
Things only get worse for Angus Taylor.
asserted
Things → get → Taylor
Many commentators see Andrew Hastie as the most likely threat to Taylor’s leadership but perhaps a new challenger is emerging from the political shadows.
asserted
challenger → see → shadows
Just when Taylor jumps on the populist bandwagon and loudly affirms at CPAC that the Liberals are a “party of the right”, former treasurer Josh Frydenberg publishes a book calling for the party to reconnect with the political centre (“Frydenberg ‘job application’ has left the Liberals in limbo, and Taylor in the shadows”, October 13).
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application → jump → shadows
Although ostensibly a memoir, the book is being viewed as a “job application” for Frydenberg’s potential return to politics, and it is inevitable that he will subsequently be seen as a strong candidate aspiring to Liberal leadership.
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he → view → leadership
When he begins his campaign for re-election, do you think Josh Frydenberg will apologise for the $20 billion of taxpayer dollars he gave to businesses that didn’t need it?
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that → begin → it
The COVID largesse to jobseekers was dwarfed by the gift to business.
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largesse → dwarf → business
Counting the costings
One Nation has decided to use its internal resources to review its policy costings for the NSW state elections (“One Nation refuses chance to cost its policies”, October 13).
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Nation → count → policies
With respect, could its financial scrutineers be made up like people in a kangaroo court?
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scrutineers → make → court
Hearing our political opposition parties’ policies on immigration, without any costings, is of concern.
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Hearing → hear → concern
Voters are unable to judge success of a policy where all matters have not been considered, including the cost of the policy.
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matters → judge → policy
Surely, as voters, we deserve better from politicians who wish to be our government.
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who → deserve → politicians
Your correspondent lists many general areas of government expenditure that he doesn’t want cut (Letters, October 13) but fails to looks at the detail within each to find savings.
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he → list → savings
In healthcare, I know from experience that the means-testing for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is very generous; couples with incomes up to $160,000 a year can receive the card.
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couples → know → card
We want to reduce greenhouse emissions and we keep arguing about getting more for the nation from our mineral wealth but now pay about $15 billion in diesel fuel rebate to miners.
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we → want → miners
On the revenue side, ATO data shows that about a third of large companies pay no tax each year.
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third → show → tax
Introduce a baseline 3 per cent revenue tax that is credited towards the tax payable under the existing rules.
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that → introduce → rules
My estimates are for about $12 billion to $15 billion tax from those now paying nothing.
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estimates → pay → nothing
Nobody wants cuts to government programs that might affect them.
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that → want → them
Governments often face this dilemma.
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Governments → face → dilemma
To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a fact generally acknowledged that at any time the public service must be in need of a cut.
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service → paraphrase → cut
Of course, you can’t cut back on frontline staff, so back-office bureaucrats are the go.
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bureaucrats → cut → staff
That way the government can point to salary savings even though it may have had to pay for contractors or outsourcing to get the job done.
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job → point → contractors
Nobody has paid more tax, nobody’s favourite program is directly affected, and the government is seen to have addressed the terrible problem of budget deficits.
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government → pay → deficits
…and 52 more, not listed.
The Aporia
