Checks and balances failing the American democratic example

I feel reassured to live in Perth. Our lives are well-ordered because Australia is one of the world’s most enduring democracies that respects the rule of law.

We are seeing the impact of the erosion of the rule of law in the US.

The granting of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution by the Supreme Court has created a president who ignores the rule of law – for example, deploying the National Guard (army) to control its own citizens undertaking a peaceful protest. How do people respond?

The conventional checks and balances that characterised the democratic experiment in the US are no longer workable. Creative and potentially lawless solutions may be required.

This may explain the actions of Governor Gavin Newsom, who is threatening to withhold federal taxes from California.

Robin Clarke, Ballajura, WA

Victorian precedent

Before our self-righteous Prime Minister dares to criticise US President Donald Trump for the use of rubber bullets on rioters, perhaps he can recall his Victorian Labor colleague, Daniel Andrews, deploying Victorian police to unleash a torrent of rubber bullets on innocent Victorians during his crackdown on civilian resistance to enforced Covid vaccinations.

Mary-Anne Higgins, Rose Park, SA

It is appropriate for our Prime Minister to express his serious concerns to the US government over what he calls the “horrific” shooting of an Australian reporter with a rubber bullet during coverage of the Los Angeles riots.

I believe it would also have been appropriate for the Prime Minister to express his serious concerns to the Chinese government over the live-fire exercise conducted by the Chinese navy in the Tasman Sea in February that resulted in the diversion of domestic airlines.

But that never happened.

Trevor Maxwell, Currumbin, Qld

Parlous dependence

All of us want the energy trifecta: reliable, sustainable and cost-effective power.

The outage at the Yallourn power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley makes it obvious we can’t keep falling back on coal-fired power (“Yallourn coal outage puts power grid on high alert”, 11/6).

There were 128 coal-fired power station outages in Australia across the 2024-25 summer, many of which triggered price spikes. Is energy that requires a smokestack still the best way to keep the lights on?

Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

Savers trapped

Labor knows that the fable about ant and the grasshopper is not how the Australian electorate thinks.

In fact, most people wrongly believe that people in business are among the rich and exploiting their employees. So targeting $3m superannuation funds doesn’t even get noticed.

Not only does it affect $3m accounts but also couples with, say, $1.6m each – not a huge amount, considering 5 per cent does not provide much of a pension.

Now, if one of the partners dies, as must happen, the balance goes to the other partner and thus throws them into $3m territory.

The truth is that the government is simply eyeing off the legitimate savings of people working, in some cases, 60 to 70 hours a week.

And, in my case, three jobs a week and still working at age 78.

Garry Robinson, Mannering Park, NSW

Not a pretty picture

Hypothetically, how could a major painting by Vincent van Gogh, worth well over $3m, in a superannuation fund be assessed to determine its unrealised capital gain?

An estimated increase of $1m in one year would subject the fund owner to a huge increase in tax. As the painting increases in value – which is normally the objective of any super fund – there could be an increasing annual impost, even if the artwork remains secure and undisturbed in a bank vault.

Ian Bernadt, Swanbourne, WA

Grievance politics

Janet Albrechtsen’s complaint about the politics of empathy has some foundation in that there is the danger of becoming a sucker for the politics of grievance (“Ardern’s fuzzy empathy edict won’t change politics”, 11/6).

Nevertheless, it is important that we have more women in political leadership and Jacinda Ardern will likely encourage more women to become engaged in politics.

The men currently in global political leadership roles are making the world a more combative place. Empathy without weakness could make the world a safer and more peaceful place.

Kindness is not necessarily a weakness. Especially when the person is also firm and fair and avoiding the pitfalls of grievance.

David Muir, Indooroopilly, Qld