I am writing in response to the letter to the editor World Statesman? Who did the Research? (The Daily News, Sept. 18).

The writer, Mr. Worth, questioned the validity of the award based on a litany of criticisms leveled against the Harper government.

Mr. Worth is free to express his disdain because we do live in a free and democratic society that values human rights.

That does not mean that the government cannot fine tune and redirect its resources based on changing world dynamics and the political mandate it campaigned on.

Mr. Worth is challenging the Harper government with secrecy, (suggesting) Harper muzzles his senior bureaucrats, while at the same time he is not being entirely forthcoming. That said, I understand Mr. Worth is the president of the local NDP association.

As well, his letter was paraphrased in its entirety, from a Toronto Star editorial entitled Stephen Harper's Democracy Award a Sad Joke on Canadians.

I really enjoy reading the letters to the editor. It is a venue for the general public to respond to local and broader events. I do not appreciate Mr. Worth attempting to subvert the process by reiterating political talking points.

I will not attempt to refute or clarify the various "abuses" that Mr. Worth has raised. I will say that Mr. Harper won the election and can pass the legislation that he campaigned on. That is democracy. We, thankfully, are not governed by who can scream the loudest. We each vote for the person we believe has the vision that aligns with our own. That is why we have secret balloting.

I suggest that Mr. Worth should spend more time outlining and convincing Canadians of his own ideology.

It will go a long way toward achieving his goals.

And, to prevent the automatic response that 60 per cent of Canadians did not vote for Harper, I would point out that 60 per cent of Jack Layton's constituents in his riding did not vote for him either.

It did not preclude him from being a legitimate MP and leader of the opposition.

SANDRA O'REILLY

Kamloops