Is it time to ban the public use of fireworks? Photo / 123rf
Orwellian approach to Treaty rules
Education Minister Erica Stanford’s statement that school boards should not be obliged to implement a Treaty obligation that rightfully belongs to the Crown only makes sense in the Orwellian world of double-speak.
Aside from the obvious fact that state schools are arms of the Crown, the Government requirement of all schools to implement Treaty obligations is, in itself, a method by which the Crown meets its obligations. By removing the requirement, the Crown is withdrawing from its Treaty obligations.
Be honest, minister.
William Walker.
Where’s the force?
David Seymour wants te Tiriti obligations on school boards removed because people shouldn’t “be forced to learn about a set of spiritual beliefs or culture because somebody else thinks it’s important to them”.
For one, school boards don’t “force” learning — they have other roles. School and subject leaders and teachers work out the learning.
And I thought te Tiriti was a signed agreement between those who represent those “spiritual and cultural beliefs” and his preferred Eurocentric colonial masters.
We all know where the “force” bit is coming from.
Peter Beyer, Sandringham.
They do have a CGT
Deborah Chambers writes (Nov 3), “That’s why many successful economies – Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong – don’t have capital gains taxes. They attract capital. We repel it.”
That is wrong. The Swiss capital gains tax exists locally at the cantonal and communal levels with rates and rules different from locality to locality. The Swiss also have a wealth tax.
Alfred Tobler, Hobsonville.
Squeezed to death
I agree with “relic” correspondent Robert Reece (Nov 4) when he laments the average Kiwi, even when employed, now cannot make ends meet. He suggests looking at corporate profits.
Further back in the Herald’s Business section appears the headline “Westpac’s profit jumps 13% as it fattens its margins”.
The Reserve Bank admits that banks actually create money out of thin air when they make loans, so their lending is not limited by what savers put in their bank. Naturally, banks create as much money as possible to maximise their profits. This fuels rampant house price inflation, which in turn means people who manage to buy property must pay an ever-increasing portion of their wages on servicing debt, while those who cannot are locked out of the market, destined to rent forever.
Regulations should be changed to stop such house price inflation.
We are being squeezed to death.
Cliff Hall, Blockhouse Bay.
Fair game
Most New Zealanders agree that we need to reduce our carbon footprint. But in the light of our minimal international contribution, some calm reassessment is needed.
The targeting of farming, cars and the exploration of our oil and gas reserves threatens Aotearoa’s food and industrial security.
But what about the international sports industry? Every weekend, millions of players and their supporters fly everywhere, adding to the emissions of the aviation industry.
So, when Chippy hits the campaign trail with his capital gains tax, will he have the guts to also campaign for Scott Robertson, Dame Noeline Taurua and all the other New Zealand coaches and players to stop their international and domestic flights and limit their games to local venues only?
No, because this would lose him the election.
Johan Slabbert, Warkworth.
Air points
It seems contestants in The Chase generally have a goal of seeing how many countries they can visit in their lifetime, blissfully unaware of the reality that a 747 burns through a gallon (about 3.8 litres) of fuel a second. Furthermore, emissions produced while flying in the stratosphere do more environmental damage than those produced at lower altitudes or at ground-level.
Hence, the competition over how many countries visited can be a competition for the biggest carbon footprint.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Time for a ban
Surely it’s time to finally ban the random use of fireworks. That doesn’t mean we couldn’t still have professional fireworks displays for the public to enjoy.
Making decisions such as a ban seems to be the hardest thing for our Government to do.
Curiously, though, if they were deciding on an increase in superannuation for MPs, that would no doubt happen overnight.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
What about the humans?
Every year, there is a great outcry about the adverse effects fireworks have on animal welfare.
What about the adverse effects fireworks have on humans?
Then there are all the physical injuries and property damage caused by fireworks.
If other countries have the good sense to either ban or place restrictions on the public use of fireworks, why can’t we?
The worst aspect of Guy Fawkes is that it goes on for months after the event, with fireworks sometimes going off at all hours of the night.
Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.