Does Mr Abbott not notice the free ride he already gets from News Ltd and most of the shock jocks? The ABC's objectivity is vital in Australia. Time for "Ten-Flag Tony" to realise how important his job is and offer mature government.

T. Greenwell, Bonython

I was disappointed to hear that Parliamentary Secretary Alan Tudge and another guest pulled out of Monday's Q&A panel in the wake of the Zaky Mallah issue. I'm wondering whether it would be worthwhile asking Mr Tudge why he was keen to stand on the rostrum condemning our former prime minister Julia Gillard beneath the distasteful "Ditch the Witch" signs, but now finds himself too principled to appear on the ABC.

J. McDonald, Downer

Money is a figment of the human imagination, yet now totally dominates much of human activity. Its quintessence is the game, played in the money markets of the world by computers that gamble against one another without human involvement.

Money worship is humanity's largest cult. Recently, its high priestess, Christine Lagarde, has been meeting with devotees and others to discuss "Greek debt" – not, as one would have hoped, to devise ways to improve the quality of life for Greeks, but instead to protect the banking system from admitting that it loaned more than the Greeks could afford, and is also responsible for the debt. Capitalism is clearly in terminal decline, but, as after the global financial crisis, it's the hoi polloi, not the banks, who the cult insists must pay. When will humanity have an emperor-has-no-clothes moment and insist that money is its servant, not the reverse?

Adrian Gibbs, Yarralumla

Perhaps Greece could call in a tax on Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns worldwide.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

The revelations concerning the infiltration of the Calabrian Mafia into Australian politics ("Calabrian crime group infiltrated highest levels of Australian politics", June29, p1) gives rise to reasonable suspicions concerning the peculiar bipartisan decision last year of the Legislative Assembly to lift restrictions on donations to political parties.

What assurance can the people of the ACT have that our political leaders are any more squeaky clean than their state and federal counterparts?

Chris Williams, Griffith

Tony Davis' excellent article "Was a car salesman involved" (Drive, June29, p3), while being highly amusing, is most important and relevant to current wild and irresponsible, government expenditure.

In the manner of corrupt Third World governments that succumb to the wild inducements of armament manufacturers, the Australian Defence Department is indeed throwing vast sums at US armament manufacturers. Travellers at Canberra airport have the advertisements of the merchants of death forced on them throughout the ground floor.

Do our defence leaders feel important approving reckless expenditure on unproved hardware. Keep it up, critics. You are not unpatriotic if you attack corruption, for it is hard to see any other reason for such irrationality.

Jack Palmer, Watson

Lying is an integral part of the jobs of politicians and other managers – perhaps the most important part ("The art of not setting fire to your pants", Forum, June 27, p2). However, as they are well paid, they should produce high-quality lies. As an amateur liar (I didn't reach management level in my job), I judge lies in a largely intuitive way. (For example, I think "it's a levy, not a tax" is poor quality, and "90per cent of electricity used in the ACT in 2020 will come from renewable energy sources" is high quality.)

This is clearly unsatisfactory. I, therefore, propose that professional liars draw up standards to evaluate lying, in the way that diving and gymnastics are evaluated. Then a panel of experts could publish their ratings of recent lies.

Mike Dallwitz, Giralang

John Quiggin's excellent article "Seize the day ... and our future" (Times2, June25, p1) reminded us of some of the technological advances that have helped address the enormous fossil-fuel usage of our Western lifestyles, such as more energy-efficient appliances. The need to simply use less power requires urgent action, including at an individual level.

The frequent experience of dressing appropriately for the weather and then either roasting in winter or freezing in summer when one enters an overly temperature-controlled building should be a relic of the ignorant past. Winter means very warm clothing, including inside homes, offices and public buildings, before turning the heater up.

Summer means very light clothing and even, shock horror, feeling a little warm, before turning the airconditioning on. And perhaps our cities don't really need to be lit up like Christmas trees every night. We, our children and grandchildren will pay an increasingly severe cost for our wasteful habits with a finite and polluting resource.

Sue Wareham, Cook

Gina Rinehart must have been infected with a pathological urge to sue by her late lawyer husband. Whenever her name is in the paper, it is usually about another court case she's involved in – mostly, not putting her in a good light.

After all those newspaper articles, I found the TV drama about part of her life showed her in a much more favourable light than I had expected.

Now she's suing the producers. She cannot be in need of more money. Obviously, she never heard the expression to leave well enough alone.

M. Pietersen, Kambah

For your editorial writer to compare the walk undertaken by Prabhdeep Srawn with that of day trippers catching the chairlift to walk to the summit is drawing a long bow at best ("Time to tackle ill-prepared bushwalkers", Times2, June29, p2). Where is the evidence of people dying like lemmings on the summit walk?

One bushwalker dies entering a wilderness area, ill-prepared and not following well-known safety procedures, yet we have to blame somebody – preferably, someone with money. Is this what society has come to? You can put up all the websites and signs in the world and apply the nanny-state cotton-wool approach, but it won't make people more intelligent. People will still die.

In the meantime, we can all feel safer because there is a website or sign telling us there is danger. Poppycock.

T.J.Farqahar, Ainslie

One of the suggestions in Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker's report on the tragic suicide case of Peter Zovak was that there be a review of the Crisis Assessment and Treatment team (CATT) in ACT Mental Health.

According to Megan Gorrey's report ("Inquest finds man's care not adequate", June24, p1), a review of CATT and the mental health triage system is supposedly under way.

If there is to be a review, then there needs to be direct oversight by a representative committee, which includes mental health carers and consumers.

It must also meet regularly, not like the ACT Suicide Prevention Implementation and Evaluation Working Group which, I understand, has met only once this year.

Denis Strangman, Fraser

TO THE POINT

The Canberra Times wants to hear from you in short bursts. Email views in 50 words or fewer to

letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au.

DEFINITELY NOT FAIR

Craig Smee (Letters, June 27) suggests it's not fair that the bottom 50per cent of income earners pay no net tax. I agree. It's woeful that 50per cent do not earn sufficient income to pay tax, and that a substantial proportion of our society does not earn a living wage. An economic system that does not sustain people, depletes the environment and exploits the majority of people deserves to be overturned.

David Bastin, Nicholls

Dr Smee says the bottom 50 per cent of income earners pay no net tax. This statistic, popularised in the Murdoch press, ignores indirect taxes such as the GST, which fall disproportionately on people with lower incomes. Dr Smee also quotes a version of the US Tea Party rallying cry "no taxation without representation". He has no need. Under this government, his upper-level income constituency has never had it so good.

Paul Feldman, Macquarie

HARDLY SMALL

How can a 105-square-metre house be called a micro home ("Micro homes for Fluffy blocks", June26, p1)? As the article stated, that was normal house size 50 years ago. This growth of houses is part of the reason for the housing affordability crisis and Australia's high environmental impact.

Caroline Le Couteur, Downer

A CLASH OF COLOURS

Fighting over lanyard hues may the fiercest battle most in Defence encounter ("Black the Defence choice, with one lanyard to rule them all", June27, p3). If this revolt is not promptly put down, how will the enemy be identified.

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW

OVERTURNING TRUCKS

I hasten to correct a detail of my email about trucks overturning (Letters, June29). The overturning force varies inversely with the "radius" of turn, not the "rate" of turn. It amounts to the same thing, but it's incorrect as stated. Mea culpa.

Colin Glover, Canberra City

SOLUTION SIMPLE

Surely the most simple and satisfactory solution would be for the Services Club to rebuild on its original historic site. Problem solved.

M. J. Hume, Lyneham

PLEASE NOT MIRABELLA

Sophie Mirabella is making another run for the seat of Indi. I'd gladly start a campaign to support sitting independent MP Cathy McGowan or, for that matter, a street sign, old boot etc, as a candidate to keep Mirabella out of Parliament.

Linus Cole, Palmerston

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).