What a joke - Letters, 4 November 2011

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Repayment rate of debt ridiculous

Re: Woman admits stealing more than $60,000 in welfare benefits, by claiming she was single while living with her partner (News, November 1).

This was discovered by authorities after a tip-off.

Firstly, I admit that it's impossible for the Ministry of Social Development to keep a check on the honesty, or otherwise, of all beneficiaries.

I would suggest that this case is just the tip of a very large iceberg. These fraudsters are an enormous cost on the taxpayer.

I think the department needs an 0800 number (or a well-publicised existing number) so that we can dob these people in. I'd have no hesitation in doing so if I was aware of such an occurrence.

I get angry and frustrated when I hear of these shysters who try to rip off the system (I think some treat it as a game or a challenge). This woman is yet to be sentenced. However, the frustration really set in when I read that she is to repay the debt at $5 a week.

What a joke.

This will take 230 years to pay back what she has stolen from us.

Anybody else frustrated?

JOHN BINDON - Otumoetai

Brave efforts

I greatly admire Elly Maynard's/Sirius's brave efforts to thwart the Philippines/Korea/China trade in dog meat.

Whether or not it is illegal, it is certainly cruel and immoral and any such attempts to lessen this appalling treatment of an intelligent, social, and dependent species can only be lauded.

Human rights abuse is a justified international issue, such animal rights deserve some support way above any dubious claims of offending another culture.

Such practices do not fit with any reasonable definition of "culture".

In fact, this situation is in many ways analogous to intervening against Japan's dishonest scientific whaling and their erroneous claims of a cultural practice of eating whale meat.

Australia's ban on exporting live meat to Indonesia is another similar recent example.

More power to the likes of Sirius, Sea Shepherd, WSPCA, etc.

Dr KEITH CORBETT, MBE - Welcome Bay

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