Bringing back a community
I met a woman from East Germany who had emigrated to New Zealand. A Kiwi was asking her about her experience. The question was: "What's it like to be living
in freedom after all those years trapped in a Communist regime?" The response was interesting.
"Until I came here, I had never paid for medical care, dental care, education fees, or public transport. I think you have been drinking some Kool-Aid about what it is like to live under Socialism."
Jacinda Ardern is doing what she can to redress the disparities between our richest citizens and the rest of us. We have become an appallingly self-interested and self-centred mob, and the Government is trying to turn us back into a community in which we all care for each other. It is not over-dramatising to say that unless we re-establish a sense of community we are going to go extinct. Until recently, that sort of idea was unthinkable.
But now, in the present day, we are faced with adverse climate changes that we alone have caused, and mutating diseases that might wipe us off the face of the earth.
What's the old saying? Nature bats last.
Bruce Rogan, Mangawhai Heads
Coveting capital
It would be helpful if those who think that market capitalism (and competition) creates inequality and excessive wealth for some were to suggest an alternative rather than the vague assertion that capitalism needs to be "reworked".
It seems necessarily implicit in such calls that the wealthy must return capital (i.e. have a "haircut") and limit earnings to a specified amount. Where do the wealth and earnings go? To those below the line or to Government for schemes to redress equity? And how would this be done?
Any cursory view of the benefits of competition, incentive and reward for individuals shows that it is by far the best means of providing dynamism, innovation and success for countries. In the main, it makes people better off. It is the greatest engine of human progress.
There have been rogues within capitalism and some wealth may have been accumulated by doubtful means or evasion of taxes, but prevention and mitigation of this is the responsibility of governance (which involves global effort and co-operation). Neither woolly idealism nor wealth envy assists in solving this problem.
John Collinge, St Mary's Bay.
Swiss model
Dr Dennis Wesselbaum's comments on the Government's proposed "unemployment insurance" (Herald 13 Dec) are thin on facts. There is a lot of theoretical economic jargon about all sorts of scenarios, without any fact about what the Government is proposing.
Indeed Dr Wesselbaum says, "We do not have details about its precise design".
There are quotes about how unemployment statistics went in Germany and Spain without any detail of their schemes. He is also assuming that the New Zealand scheme will be funded by an income tax increase, although this has not been stated anywhere.
It would have been good if he had looked at other overseas unemployment schemes successfully run in several European countries, such as the one operated in Switzerland, a country which definitely cannot be described as a "socialist welfare state", and where their unemployment insurance scheme is funded pretty much the same way as the successful ACC is in New Zealand. Workers and their families getting support from that scheme very much welcome this model.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Beyond economics
I suspect Dr Wesselbaum (NZ Herald, December 13) may place far too much emphasis on higher personal income, lower taxes and no emphasis on societal happiness.
The harsher capitalist society he apparently identifies with has shown itself as a failed/failing system, which is not wanted here or elsewhere by the majority.
All those countries have laws, particularly taxation laws, designed to enhance and fix in place inequality going forward.
Congratulations to Labour for understanding the happier-society goals moving forward.
That is the country I want to live in.
Dennis Pahl, Tauranga.
Stuck at lights
Isn't it nice that the Cabinet Ministers can toddle off to their holiday homes until Jan 17 and not have to bother with, oh... running the country?
In the meantime they will leave the country at "orange" on their barmy traffic light system until they can be bothered coming back to work.
I wonder how the hospitality industry feels about that? They will be working their butts off trying to stay afloat while Cabinet Ministers lie back in the sun and enjoy life.
One has to wonder what planet they are on. Do these clearly self-entitled people still not understand what the rest of us are going through? Are they that divorced from reality?
Is it beyond their abilities to have a quick get-together, say around January 3, to review the "settings" and thereby give businesses a boost?
Probably.
David Morris, Hillsborough.
Left in a fix
Most business income comes in the December months, balancing the lower incomes from the rest of the year.
Prime Minister, what have you done? You have effectively killed off many hard-working restaurateurs' incomes. The reason for this is, "we don't want to risk yo-yoing between lights".
Why? Surely that's the reason for having the traffic light system in the first place, to be flexible and allow for changing circumstances?
Once again we are governed by idealism over practicality.
Andrew McAlpine, Herne Bay.
Principle objective
Undoubtedly the vaccine rollout could have been done better.
However given the restraints on supply and the logistics of transporting and storing the vaccine, the system achieved its principle aim of preventing as many hospital admissions and deaths as possible.
This should be remembered in any debate about the vaccination programme.
Jean Ross, Hamilton.
Mob mentality
Dr Jarrod Gilbert (NZ Herald, December 13) puts forward the argument that, if you look at the gang history from yesteryear, then the violence currently happening is similar to what happened some 30 years ago; nothing has changed and things are not really more violent.
He also says, because it mainly affects gang members going at each other, that this too is acceptable and "it is no picnic for them either". Really?
I would proffer that in the real world, inter-gang violence is driven by the need to control and dominate. Control of the lucrative drug trade in the main, and the reward it brings. They do not care about the families torn apart by the drugs or the wider society that is caught in this crossfire.
People in the main want innovative, actionable change rather than continued historical acceptance, which changes nothing as he has so rightly pointed out.
Paul Schon, Browns Bay.
Conspiracy scramble
OMG! Omicron Delta is not only an anagram of Media Control but also Clot Radiomen.
Relax – the letters can also spell Clarinet Mood and Cradle Motion.
But wait – we can also find Carotid Lemon and Erotic Almond in the mix.
The conspiracy is complex.
Michael Smythe, Northcote Pt.
Urban scrawl
Those who tagged the sound barriers on the southern approach to the harbour bridge at the beginning of lockdown must be chuffed their signatures have remained visible for so long.
The vandalism will give those visiting Auckland when the border opens some idea of what did, and didn't, happen in our city during lockdown.
Matt Elliott, Birkdale.
Short & sweet
On lights
What was the point of Monday's traffic light announcement? Nothing has changed for a further 16 days. That's a nothing announcement if I've ever heard one. John Ford, Taradale.
It's inconceivable that the restriction modifications of December 13 are the last prospect for more freedoms until mid-January while Cabinet rests. David Jones, Parnell.
Well done to our Prime Minister for helping Tui out with a new slogan. Normal summer: Yeah, right. Hugh Chapman, Hingaia.
Every day in these unusual times I have been, and continue to be, grateful for a Government that listens to the experts and proceeds with caution. Janet von Randow, Grey Lynn.
On socialism
Dennis Wesselbaum laments the Government working to turn NZ into a socialist welfare state (NZ Herald, December 13). He need not worry. Sadly, there is no chance they will succeed. Martin Ball, Kelston.
On TV
My vote for television personality of the year is the lady from the Turners Car Auctions TV ads. She's a natural, just brilliant. Phil Chitty, Albany.
The Premium Debate
Gone are the days where landlords/investors can expect all, or most, of their costs to be covered by the rent. It is unsustainable for renters, on incomes which have not risen at the rate of housing costs, to afford the basic right of having a roof over their head. In NZ, we used to pride ourselves on our standard of living. Now it's common for a family of four or five to be living in a 53sqm apartment, with no parking, because a basic brick and tile house in the suburbs is impossible to get, or impossible to afford. Family-sized apartments and rent control will need to become a reality at some point. Kylie T.
The Government was told of the folly of meddling in the market and removing interest deductibility from rental properties. Now surprise, surprise we find rents are skyrocketing making it even harder for tenants to save a deposit for their own home. Another bad policy from a totally incompetent government. Richard T.
There should be a law that prevents rent increases from exceeding CPI. Brendon H.
No surprise here. The costs of providing the rental accommodation has gone up by many more times the rate of inflation, and therefore so will the rents. The loss of the tax deductions have only just started so are yet to have an impact, so tenants can expect more rent increases soon. Anthony W.
Got my rent increase notification today, a 21 per cent increase. Kirsty D.
It's a cancer on society which literarily takes the food out children's mouths and takes the shoes off their feet. It's a growing divide that will always drive up crime and mortality rates in lower socio-economic communities. David B.
What did anyone expect to happen? The more the Labour Government meddles with the market, the worse things become. After nine years of careful, prudent government under National - this is what Ardern and co have done to NZ. Justin L.