I admit Trump is a loose cannon, but in living memory, a relentless string of tight cannons, securely fastened on board have ejected backwards, recoiled and gone overboard, with retaining bolts sheared off. This has left the country in a mess. Pats politicians have looked us in the eye and unprofessionally lied, all the while saying, "God bless you and America". They really mean God bless myself. But the ungodly devil is in the detail.

Now enter a professional liar in the form of Trump. Voters at least knew what they would get as most saw him coming. A democratically outvoted majority thought in their blinkered way all was going well, with prosperity and a comfortable lifestyle thanks to the similar succession of presidents who fooled everyone for decades. But inevitably steering the country and non-financial commoners into a seemingly inextricable mess. All the while, the wealthy will emerge unscathed. Maybe Trump has even fooled himself and taken the desperate along for the ride, hoping for numbers. 

Colin Holmes, Ballarat

East Africa is in the middle of a food crisis. More than six million South Sudanese people are suffering severe food shortages. Around 20 million people in Eastern Africa are going hungry right now.

In February, South Sudan was officially declared as in famine, which means four out of 10,000 children were dying every day. The crisis is not over, as other areas in the region slip dangerously closer to famine every day.

Yet a new Plan International Australia report examining attitudes expressed on social media reveals a lot of Australians are cynical of this crisis.

In some ways, it isn't surprising because it's difficult to fathom the horror of a famine until you actually see it, but as a major aid agency responding to thousands in need right now, we feel compelled to correct the record. One of the most common things we hear is that over-population is driving the hunger crisis. We know this simply isn't true.

Conflict is driving farmers from their land, leaving no one to produce food for the rest of the region. The conflict is so intense, South Sudan now has the fastest growing number of refugees in the world, even more than Syria. Some people feel that famine is a perpetual reality in Africa - that's just how it is. It isn't. Many African countries are thriving. It's worth remembering until this year, the entire world was famine-free for six years.

Many feel that donating to agencies responding to the hunger crisis is ineffective because the money doesn't make it to those who need it most. Let me assure you that it absolutely does. Without donations, we simply cannot feed, clothe, protect and educate thousands of children who've done nothing to deserve this fate.

To help the people of South Sudan, visit www.plan.org.au/give/appeals/south-sudan-famine or call 13 75 26.

Ian Wishart, CEO, Plan International Australia

Sarah Hanson-Young, may not wish to be lectured to by grumpy white men regarding ripping off the taxpayers to the tune of $4,000 to go whale watching. Grumpy white men built this great country, established and developed the most successful form of democracy.

Terri Pryse-Smith, Ross Creek