Once again gang members have shown they think they’re above the law, and intimidation was the reason for the patches being worn. Ormsby should have upheld the law.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Tana’s entitlement
Lorraine Kidd’s letter (HoS, Aug 25) stating that the only reason why Darleen Tana is holding on to the $168,000 per annum job as a parliamentarian is because they do not have $10 to rub together, is a little harsh.
Tana represents many people throughout New Zealand nowadays. They are the champion of the gender pronoun and they cannot understand why anyone would be confused by it all.
They are also the darling of those who indiscriminately drink from the government largesse without conscience, as demonstrated by their insistence that they stay on in Parliament as an unelected MP even after having been abandoned by their own party, the Greens.
So why shouldn’t Darleen Tana be given credit for what they are doing? After all, they are only doing what they think is good for them and an increasingly large number of people in New Zealand they represent. That is, the confused, the selfish and the entitled.
Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.
Ambulance funding
The editorial regarding the plight of our ambulance officers made for very sorry reading (HoS, Aug 25).
Time and time again some of our most important workers - paramedics, nurses, teachers, police officers, fire crew, etc - are taken advantage of.
These are people we rely on to take care of us and maintain the fabric of our society. I completely agree with First Union, and have maintained this position for years, that the ambulance services should not be run by a charity reliant on donations, but be fully-funded through the health system.
Why this was not rolled into Health NZ when the DHBs were disestablished is beyond comprehension. It wasn’t even considered.
Hato Hone St John is not a viable or sustainable option anymore, it’s time for those service delivery contracts to end.
John Deyell, Ellerslie.
Council spending
What previous Prime Ministers may not have had time for, our current PM looks like he is on to something.
While previous governments tried to squarely take control of local water assets, out of council hands, Christopher Luxon has seen the full picture and knows that cutting down on wasted pennies leaves more pennies for the basics (HoS, Aug 25).
These days examples of waste are so blatant that we have to pinch ourselves, hoping we are in a daydream. Compliance costs and traffic management seem to be today’s pet excuses in order to justify ridiculously blown-out costs when often small projects cost millions of dollars.
Ratepayers in general cringe and moan, but there is little they can do, because apparently council officials have never been under much scrutiny, except from in-house comments perhaps.
Have you ever seen roundabouts being replanted by council staff every season? Out of seven employees on-site - paid for by us, the ratepayers - two are on the phone, one is leaning on his spade, two are just chatting away, while one lady is pushing the wheelbarrow from the trailer to the traffic island. Surely, one able-bodied person could finish the roundabout replant in under a day.
Of course some councils, like Queenstown, Rotorua and Taupō, need to focus more on beautification, but in times of hardship this is where savings should be made first. Savings like in my example, where permanent plantings have no need to be ripped up every season. Pretty primulas do not need to be replaced with fancy pansies four times a year, when lovely low-growing evergreens have the same effect for years on end.
My horticultural observation is probably just the tip of the iceberg, but surely we all prefer pure drinking water, well-maintained sewerage pipes and potholes to nice-to-haves and look at how-pretty-I-ams.
But, ultimately we need to bring forward more people in local council who question and challenge every penny spent or lack of (maintenance) spending, otherwise the district voters have absolutely no voice from the day after they cast their three-yearly votes.
René Blezer, Taupō.
Card surcharges
Like correspondent Paul Beck, I am also wondering about the percentage charges of retailers, shops, medical appointments and even private cash machines (HoS, Aug 25). They vary between 1.5% and 3% to use any sort of payment card.
I added up all my charges in one week, they came to $21. On Friday while buying my lunch and waiting for a coffee I noted eight out of 10 customers paid with cash. The lady told me more people are using cash to avoid the charges.
Wendy Galloway, Omokoroa.
Holiday levy
Paul Beck bemoans the credit card surcharge imposed by some businesses. However in most cases they are simply trying to recoup the cost imposed by their bank. Cost-free alternatives such as Eftpos and cash are available options
A far greater rip-off is the public holiday 15% surcharge levied by most cafes and restaurants. Other businesses such as supermarkets, department stores and service stations also incur additional staff costs but do not impose a surcharge. The simple solution is to boycott those establishments that levy the surcharge.
Ray Gilbert, Papamoa Beach.
Gangs and cash
Congratulations to the police for busting the Comancheros. However, in the long run this won’t make a scrap of difference to the illicit drug trade.
Those who enjoy drugs will continue to seek them out and as long as there’s money to be made, others will step in and supply them. Society has to make crime less profitable, and more difficult.
Get rid of paper money. Make it illegal to sell for cash anything with a value over $1000.
It seems we’re committed to continuing a game in which the only winners are criminals.
Chris Elias, Parnell.
