On a local level, Mark Wassung has some great ideas, he is proactive and I will vote for him again because we could use him as a councillor to push some alternative modes of transport in this growing city. (Abridged)
Paul Belcaster
Tauranga
GST on food - an easy fix
The letter from Don Brash (Letters, February 10), ex-governor of the Reserve Bank, ex-leader of the National Party and ex-leader of the Act Party, amazed me.
In my view, he's an old-fashioned economist who thinks in terms of double entry booking keeping ledgers.
The UK and Australia have both been doing it for years, perhaps we are not smart enough?
From a practical point of view, all that needs doing is a flag in the 13 digit barcodes used commonly for food and let the software take care of whether an item attracts tax or not.
The initial classification of goods would require some thought but this has already been done by other countries and is not copyrighted.
Pete Dolden
Papamoa
Cartoon not funny
It was not funny, in fact absolutely insulting to see Hubbard's cartoon (Opinion, February 1), where he jokes about the fact that Paula Bennett has had a stomach operation, as do many people these days. Why is she singled out and then to have a so-called further recommendation that she is sacked by the National Party.
What an appalling thing to design a cartoon whatever one's political persuasion might be, about a capable woman who has leadership potential, and who has come from a background where she knows what it is like to be a single mum on a very limited income. Anyone could admire her background, she got herself educated, and worked, and then into government and became a minister of the Crown.
It's not good enough, in my view, for a cartoonist to produce such rubbish about a woman.
Margaret Murray-Benge
Bethlehem