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
Times are tough for workers
The poor old worker, grafting for the minimum wage, really is the meat in the sandwich now as they prop up the bottom slice
of bread consisting of beneficiaries, drug and alcohol dependents on disability benefits and the huge number of young solo mothers collecting the DPB, to name a few.
The last group are on the pig's back having all the fun leading up to their pregnancy and, as the impregnators wing their way across the Tasman to avoid financial responsibility, the poor old worker falls into bed too tired to even think about a bit of nookie.
Then to be woken by the phone requesting they add $20 to their bill for some charity - in addition to the already exorbitant phone charges since the privatisation of our public assets.
I think this was called progress.
Out on the street they are again bombarded with money receptacles to contribute to other worthy causes.
The top slice of bread consists of politicians, councillors and investors, giving themselves unwarranted salary increases, tax cuts and huge leaving packages while the poor old worker is lumbered with extra GST, all the other new fan-dangled taxes and told to tighten his belt.
Gwyneth Howard, Greerton
Mercury danger
Re: M Godfrey's letter regarding mercury from crematoria (Your View, April 13).
Yet again Dr Godfrey spreads his hysteria about mercury and incorrect data about its effects on health.
He raises the grisly concept of extracting teeth before cremation but interestingly, other "concerned" countries have chosen not to mutilate their loved ones for such a tenuous risk.
Realistically, what risk? In New Zealand, we live with metals present in our environment quite naturally.
Because of volcanic activity, we have natural exposure to a huge range of metals including mercury and yet we, and previous generations, have thrived despite this.
Mainstream science confirms that dental amalgam is safe as a public health measure, which includes all aspects of its use.
Commonsense tells us with any funeral process, the risk from amalgam is extremely small, probably nothing at all and we can do without the hysteria.
I would prefer to care for our dead in a respectful manner which happens to be ethical and culturally sensitive without mutilating our loved ones.
Dr Graeme Lynam, Matua
Homeopath reply
Re Professor hits out at homeopathy (News, April 20).
As a homeopath I am somewhat bemused by Prof Shaun Holt's attacks on homeopathy.
His copious press releases contain derisive generalisations and hyperbole that betray a lack of knowledge of the subject.
No doubt the reasons behind this "carpet bombing" will come to light eventually.
Holt has stated that homeopathy is no better than a placebo.
This is false. Homeopathy has been shown to be more effective than placebo in many published scientific studies. These studies are listed in the research section of the the British Homeopathic Association website www.britishhomeopathic.org.
More recently, scientific research from Nobel prize winner Prof Luc Montagnier has detected substance-specific electromagnetic charges in dilute homeopathic preparations which can exert a biological effect.
Last year, Holt displayed poor judgement when he accused Christchurch homeopaths of attempting to make money from traumatised earthquake victims.
In reality they had shown admirable public spiritedness in setting up a free clinic to treat people for trauma and shock with medicines donated by themselves and homeopathic pharmacies.
Prof Holt should channel his energies into targeting treatments that are genuinely dangerous and ineffective.
Homeopathy is neither.
Clive Stuart, Tauranga
Voting a choice
I disagree with Colin Marshall on the subject of voting (Your View, April 20). I do not vote for people I disagree with.
I refuse to give my permission to un-principled people to do things I disagree with, and when propositioned to chose between a poke in the eye or a punch on the nose I chose neither.
They are going to give me one of them regardless, so why should I make them feel justified in doing it by giving them my permission?
Those people who do chose to vote are part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
I disagree with giving other people the right to chose what I can and cannot do with my own money and property. I do not agree to them taking whatever portion of my wages they choose to spend on things I disagree with.
It is time to learn the meaning of the words "property rights" and the rights of the individual, but while your life and property are up for grabs there will be plenty out there happy to vote themselves a share of it. (Abridged)
Graham Clark, Lower Kaimai
Don't fix it
Re: Poll used in bid to put squeeze on Zespri (Rural News, April 20).
I vote no to a change from Zespri being a single-desk selling point for kiwifruit.
We have been kiwifruit orchardists for over 30 years here in Te Puke and have been through all the ups and downs of the industry which has never seen the collapse the apple industry has when it was deregulated.
Why try and fix something that obviously isn't broken?
Wendy Watson, Te Puke
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