The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Below you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.
TODAY'S LETTERS:
Discipline would curb anti-social drinking
I note there is renewed pressure restricting liquor sales in supermarkets, putting up prices, and raising the drinking age.
None of those measures will solve
the problem. Raising the age will probably happen so our society can feel better. The only real remedy is to create a better society by upgrading the standards of social behaviour, and that will take a while.
Give parents and schools more disciplinary power, including the option of corporal punishment.
And come down hard on young people who engage in drink-related bad behaviour. Methods could include enforcing curfews, confiscating or disabling cellphones and other innovative measures.
Society needs to solve the problem, not engage in mass punishment of everyone else.
BILL CAPAMAGIAN, Tauranga
Climate industry
With reference to Harvey Rickards' letter ("Aussie emissions uproar overdue here"), I could not have put it better.
Almost everyone you talk to acknowledges that "global warming" is nonsense.
Professor Phil Jones, climate research unit director at the University of East Anglia (of leaked emails fame) said that for the past 15 years there has been no "statistically significant warming".
That has made a dilemma for the IPCC, who are now telling you it is "climate change".
IPCC official climate policy is redistributing the world's wealth.
The climate industry is a wall of money.
A billion dollar industry aligned to a trillion dollar trading scheme, and you are paying.
Remember carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas that you breathe out every day of your life and is required to provide all life on Earth.
To use a quote from Peter Godwin's A Memoir to Africa when a crocodile eats the sun: "Later generations will shake their heads in incredulous contempt and ask: But why? Why didn't you do something?"
KATH CHRISTIE, Otumoetai
Hone's real task
Before the recent Te Tai Tokerau byelection, Hone Harawira spoke at some length to the media about the large number of committees, organisations and groups that he had been involved in, and the great amount of time he had spent for the sole benefit of Maori.
Now that he has achieved his return to Parliament, he may wish to consider the words of that great Maori leader, former Anglican Archbishop and Governor General, Sir Paul Reeves, who stated recently on radio that in spite of the monies gained by Maori through Treaty of Waitangi settlements and the considerable sums paid to individual iwi, these have not resulted in any improvement of those problems affecting Maori in health, employment, crime, education and solo parenting.
Perhaps Mr Harawira may now wish to apply his undoubted energies in these areas, rather than pursuing divisive and unrealistic agendas for the sole benefit of his electorate.
BRYAN JOHNSON, Omokoroa
Lenient judges
Re: Named and Shamed: drink drivers May.
It's good that you name and shame these idiots, but what might be more valuable in getting society on board would be to publish their penalties and details of how many such convictions they have had.
If the public saw how ridiculously lenient the judges are most of the time with drunk drivers and repeat drunk drivers, we might get some traction for non-negotiable prison sentences for repeat offenders.
Just like the Government would like us to believe we already have.
KEN USMAR, Greerton
Don't spread bugs
Re: Martine Rolls - Self diagnosis is dangerous.
I totally agree with the following statement in the article.
"Patients should not be discouraged from using the internet to research their condition or treatment, but they may need to be reminded that internet research cannot take the place of a face-to-face consultation."
I have been a natural practitioner now for more then 20 years.
I encourage people to check my website for information but to preferably make an appointment to discuss the problem before spending sometimes heaps of money on not always the right treatments.
The internet can be very useful, if you are wise.
For general wellbeing, I have always found that if people concentrate on keeping their mineral levels at optimum and diet loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables, they can't go far wrong.
That is to say, not until they go to work while unwell and spread the bugs all around.
Good on you for staying home.
ALISON ODEY, Papamoa
Text Views
Body1: * i own a house in welcome bay and when the government announced it would build an underpass i felt the solution was definite this new proposal is a cost cutting idea and will not benefit any of tauranga only those paying for it and in a progressive city i am dissapointed at the lack of forward thinking as far as is this important part of tauranga roading is concerned our council should be pushing for a final solution now glen fraser
* The proposed roundabout for Welcome Bay is about as stupid as you could make it. An under pass is the best and that is what was promised. John Phare
* Its winter an cold i wana wear a balaclarva while i waitn 4th bus! I bet id b told 2take it off! Why? Bcos it looks intimidating? Same goes wf burqas!
* Wunda hu da bludy air head is hu thort out da welcome bay road dogleg - guvment workr i bet
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