Letter of the week: Mike Carter, Pāpāmoa
I am of a generation that crouched in Anderson shelters when London was blitzed. I experienced rationing, the Cold War, two years of National Service.
Now with bombs devastating
Ukraine, people here are worried about the cost of petrol.
I watch a train of cars, each containing one person pass me. I see almost empty buses. Buy a bike, people, car-pool.
I feel sick at heart that the National Party can only come up with "lowering taxes".
As for the "freedom fighters", what a self-indulgent, arrogant, selfish mob.
I did not think I'd ever be ashamed of Kiwis. I am now.
Hopefully, people will take a long hard look at themselves - maybe go for a walk on the Hollyford Track, tramp over Tongariro, play a ukulele, go surfing. For crying out loud, be grateful.
Price of vanity
In the midst of a rising Omicron outbreak and with the cost of living skyrocketing, Labour persists in pushing grandiose vanity projects such as light rail (Herald March 12) tipped to cost $29 billion.
The Three Waters reform foisted upon us without process transparency or public consultation looks dodgier with every new report extracted. Labour's blinkered approach to fiscal prudence is already frightening voters into the arms of National with Christopher Luxon looking increasingly like a safe pair of hands to take over in 2023.
Don't agree with National's tax cuts for the rich, but Labour's spending priorities, if unchecked, are destined to make everyone poor with little or no benefit to see for it.
Coralie van Camp, Remuera
Home truths
In her response to Bernard Orsman's report (Weekend Herald, March 12) about the impending destruction of Auckland's heritage, Auckland Council's Megan Tyler says people will be able to make submissions about the Council's proposal to remove protection from the affected properties.
That may be so, but the Act says the new provisions allowing this destruction will come into effect in August regardless of any submissions anyone may make? What then will be the point of making submissions?
Everyone agrees more affordable housing is needed. The way to get that is for the Government to build it on land it already owns.
It is now four years since the Government announced in March 2018 that it was going to build thousands of homes on the 26ha of land it owns in Mt Albert on the Carrington land.
Yet not a single house has been built there yet. Why?
John Burns, Mt Eden.
Finger on the button
John Roughan, "Ultimately Putin cannot win this war" (Weekend Herald, March 12) supports his argument without once mentioning "the elephant in the room". Putin's menacing nuclear threats cannot be so idly dismissed.
Nato is in no doubt of the dangers when refusing to consider a Ukrainian no-fly zone for the very reason that it might trigger a Russian nuclear response.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Reflecting on abuse
Your correspondent Maurice Robertson (Weekend Herald, March 12) points out the plight of our children. He then asks whether we think something should change.
Yes, certainly something should change.
Stop driving drunk, drugged or aggressively: $2 billion saved.
Stop being the third fattest nation on earth: $3 billion saved.
Stop abusing spouses and children to the tune of one reported incident every four minutes: $1 billion saved.
It is facile to blame this government, that government, or the "rich". If you want to see why our children are neglected, buy a mirror.
K H Peter Kammler, Warkworth.
Buy crikey
One can't help but notice the empty shelves in supermarkets are in all the luxury and overly expensive junk food items such as ice cream, chip packets and wine shelves. So do we have a cost of living crisis?
New Zealanders spend $37 billion on beer; $4b on Lotto; $4.3b on fast food, sugary drinks and takeaways; even petrol at $3 a litre is only 3.12 per cent of our monthly take-home packet. Cost of living crisis?
If junk food, gambling and alcohol sales are anything to go by, not on your Nellie.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Volcano city
I support the letter from David Howard (Weekend Herald, March 12) about valuing our natural and human history.
We have up to 50 volcanoes, with evocative terraced hill forts, and sometimes, warfare. Yet, we are not publicised as the City of Fifty Volcanoes.
Our familiarity has made us blasé.
Harold Coop, Remuera.
A quick word
I sometimes wonder if fashion will ever go out of fashion. John Norris, Whangamatā
Those who spurned the rebate on electric utes and vans because "they don't like Jacinda Ardern and her Government telling them what to do" and went out and bought petrol and diesel vehicles. How clever are you feeling now? John Capener, Kawerau.
When does the illogical, shut-mindset against unvaccinated nurses and midwives during crisis healthcare shortages become gross negligence? J McKeown, Red Beach.
I would recommend John Roughan's well balanced and researched article on Putin (Weekend Herald, March 12) to anyone who has not yet read it. Great to see journalism of this standard. Randal Lockie, Rothesay Bay.
I agree with John Roughan that Putin cannot ultimately win the war with Ukraine. If Putin's military is that good, why does he need help from Belarus and Syria? Pauline Alexander, Waiatarua.
Zelenskyy is on the front line with his troops and people. Where is Putin? Cowering in a Kremlin bomb shelter. Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.
A newly qualified nurse is paid $50,000 p.a. Tax and GST takes about 20 per cent. A shareholder sells shares at a profit of $1.000,000 and may pay GST only, depending on how they spend it. P Grant, Hamilton.
Oil prices climb like rockets but come down like a feather. Mano Manoharan, Hamilton.
During the level four period, we were forced to go without. This time we have a choice to do without, and be wise about how we divide the household budget. John Ford, Taradale.
It beggars belief that South Auckland must wait four to five years before significant investment in a cycleway (Weekend Herald, March 12) while there are plans for a $35 million cycle project for two of Auckland city's wealthier suburbs. Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
Your editorial on President Biden's response (Weekend Herald, March 12) may be correct that Western countries might be lucky that he is currently President. However, Ukrainians probably felt a lot luckier when Trump was President and they weren't invaded at all. Helen Allan, Tauranga.
To hear Biden and Ardern blame Putin for inflation is a bit rich Prices were rising well before Ukraine, which has just added fuel to the fire. Dr Alan Papert, Queenstown.
I'll miss Rod Emmerson's drawings of Simon Bridges. Barbara N Barwick, Gisborne.