Re: “Words can be cool but are often misused”, page 18, June 10 Albertan
I would say that the letter writer doesn't have a good understanding of being True North Strong and Free either. And being wealthy is not the best way to ensure freedom.
And assurance of safe freedoms does require some insightful guidance. And the alcoholic premier he refers to actually started the decline of our health care and education quality in Alberta by cutting government funding to provide the balanced budget referred to.
He was bought and paid for by our resource industry, much like our current premier is. Being wealthy is often just a reflection of greed. It does not assure freedom for society in general.
Like Frances Gardner, my deceased friend once said, "greed comes naturally but conservation (and I add to that empathy and willingness to share) must be learned.”
Freedom must be good and available to all of us, not just to the few wealthy elites. Some several thousand southern Albertans are going to be subject to selenium toxicity in their drinking water, just to enable a billionaire Australian to make more money to add to her wealth.
Is that freedom? No it's the misuse of wealth for the benefit of a very few, including some greedy power-hungry Alberta politicians.
And I realize there's no easy fix to Canada's current situation, but an independent Alberta is not the answer, especially when we are land-locked and don't have easy access to the markets to make us the wealthy, independent country as suggested.
It's nothing more than another pipe dream by people who don't have a good understanding of the meaning of being True North and Free.
Darrel Florence,
Cremona
