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:
Route K needs link to highway, Bethlehem
Re Route K tolls (News, January 29).
Why is there no exit to join State Highway 2 towards Bethlehem, Auckland? I live at
the Lakes and would regularly use this to get to Bethlehem and when commuting to Auckland, rather than the drive along Cambridge Rd.
Returning from Auckland it's a no brainer and would be worth the dollar to get home quicker. It would double my use of Route K straight away.
When the Tauriko Crossing shopping centre is built surely anyone coming from SH2 north of Bethlehem would use it too.
Richard Bland, Pyes Pa
Toms must go
I give my full support the actions of Patty and her other neighbours attempting to alleviate the gross nuisance caused by the straying tom cat in their area. It is hard to comprehend the mentality of the alleged owner to allow an un-neutered mongrel male cat to roam every night.
I sympathise with them over the verbal abuse they are being subjected to. Possibly the callers are the same coven of foul-mouthed hags that call me each time I write suggesting that cats should marked and registered so the owners can identified and the strays rounded up and eradicated.
It should not fall on the shoulders of the individual ratepayers like Patty to cope with the problem.
The SPCA should stop this ridiculous campaign of re-housing unwanted cats, the city suburbs are saturated with them. At the time that we are encouraged to grow our own vegies the gardens are being plastered with cat excrement, and the dry faeces spread a disease that can cause pregnant women to abort.
Why doesn't the council animal control department have a cheap way for people to dispose of their unwanted pets and why isn't the health department involved.
Pip Worlledge, Tauranga
What's in water?
Re Waihi Beach road accident (Your view, January 28) - best write-up I've read in years. Would love to read the "abridged" parts of Mr Butler's letter.
Heb hits the nail right on the head.
Makes me wonder if there is some sort of bug in our drinking water that makes our young kids and big kids act so irresponsible and outside of the law when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle that ultimately ends their lives and the lives of (in this case) an innocent husband and father.
It may sound harsh in saying whether the perpetrators deserve such a tribute? But what about the grieving wife?
He is so right in that "avoidable accidents will continue". Maybe it is time to change the water.
Norman Tane, Omokoroa
Not a garden
In response to Mr Rimmer's letter (Your View, Jan 29) I would point out my earlier letter did not name names or organisations - as Hans Zuur had done with his aspersions. My analogy was directed at the great harm and dangerous consequences that narrow, self-interest attitudes - "let's get rid of them" - can lead to in human affairs.
If an apology is needed it should surely be given to those whose concerns regarding the "dead zones" that resulted from the mangrove mulching have proven to be justified by subsequent investigations, and are not deserving of Mr Zuur's criticisms.
The seashore - quite unlike Mr Rimmer's assumption - has no similarity to a garden but is a very volatile sector of the natural environment where sea meets land and where plants such as mangroves (not "weeds" but part of our indigenous flora), need to be highly adapted to live in such harsh conditions.
Tidal conditions in our large Tauranga Harbour vary greatly. That silt deposits have been removed by tidal flows at one location (Waikaraka) certainly does not mean that the same will happen elsewhere. It certainly has not happened where the dead zones are.
Mr Rimmer may continue to limit his understanding to what he can observe - as primitive man did. I will continue to extend mine with some reading.
Eddie Orsulich, Otumoetai
Noisy police
On Friday, I witnessed a police car travelling very quickly in the Hewletts Rd bus lane due to heavy traffic in the normal lanes. This was just fine, except that it wasn't using its siren to warn the traffic ahead.
However, when police cars travel down Maunganui Rd in the early hours of the morning, they inevitably use their piercing sirens, despite there being little or no traffic around.
Can a police spokesperson tell me if this is a deliberate attempt by the police to keep the population from their sleep, or is just plain, thoughtless lack of consideration? Perhaps they are trained to keep us awake?
Jeff Law, Mount Maunganui
Emergency news
The blue skies the morning after Wilma gave a false outcome of the disaster in Northland, Tauranga and Whakatane, and only the radio gave up to date news every hour. I thought it was dreadful that we all had to wait till the 6pm news to learn what had befallen our own area of Tauranga, and indeed all around the North Island.
It's time we got our act together and have emergency news cutting into any TV programme - regardless. (Abridged).
Margery Mathieson, Tauranga
Editor's note: bayofplentytimes.co.nz had updated versions of a major news story on the cyclone on Saturday.
More tax on booze
The most recent estimate of the cost of harmful use of alcohol in New Zealand is $5.3 billion per year. That is $14.5 million per day. Excise tax from alcohol for 2008 was 907 million.
This sort of wastage would be better used for governance of our key strategic assets, such as power utilities. John Key has said that we need to "nip and tuck" a bit to reduce spending. Why won't he look at alcohol as a key driver of waste?
What is Tony Ryall's position on this as minister of health? Forty-four per cent of alcohol is drunk on heavy drinking occasions in this country and evidence from Kiwi researchers has consistently shown that heavy consumption is reduced where the price of alcohol is increased.
On the other hand, as alcohol prices reduce, consumption increases.
Tax increases are really the only way to control ultra cheap alcohol in a free market where alcohol is widely available.
Our Government is not interested in this price elasticity but they seem very malleable to commercial alcohol company interests. We have until February 18 to submit to the select committee on alcohol law reform that tax on alcohol should be increased so that we don't end up with cheap alcohol fueling huge health costs that could burgeon with the price of corporate electricity.
Tony Farrell, Mount Maunganui
Asset sale right
A strategic sale (49 per cent) of these four State Owned Enterprises to NZ investors makes sound economic sense. The sale releases capital to fund other necessary infrastructure such as Broadband, hospitals, schools and roads.
It provides NZ's small investors and Kiwisavers a range of blue-chip investments which promise regular dividends plus capital growth over time.
These floats will add much needed additional capital and volume to the NZX.
The Government retaining 51 per cent holding guarantees foreigners cannot take over the company.
This initiative plus the proposed changes to the financial services legislation is just the tonic NZ needs to divert investment away from property and into productive investments to provide the jobs the country so urgently needs.
Max Lewis, Mount Maunganui
TEXT VIEWS:
* I cat lover, i dont blame neighbours neutering spraying and straying cat. Too many kittens now, poor locale female cats. U would prop not do anything anyway. He was a nuisence in town acept it!
* So, why won't the baby seal bashers be beaten with an oar until they lose their sight in both eyes? Far more satisfactory punishment than fine or prison.
* Cr. Stewart said he wud push 4 a review of parking policy and luk at free parking 4 downtown. That is exactly wot council is currently doing.
* Hey secondary teachers you just had seven weeks off work and you go back and strike again! Quit if you dont like your job.
* Move 2 nz go on the dole 4 ... 10 yrs and then leave while getn a nz pension while key blurts on we cnt afford this and that.
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