Preventing deaths not key for Govt
It would appear the coalition Government is determined to remove protections that prevent the deaths of cattle and of children.
They intend to restart live animal exports, despite evidence of people (vets, for instance) that animals are going to be in appalling conditions and a percentage are guaranteed to die.
And Act is determined to remove speed constraints around schools, putting children’s lives at risk in the name of ideology and against the wishes of schools, parents and communities.
They may say they have a mandate, but nearly 50% of the population did not vote for any of the coalition parties.
Gordon Bowers, Thames.
Presidential debate
The USA has a presidential election in November. At the present time there are two main candidates, one a Democrat, one a Republican, one who is better suited to an aged care home, one who is better suited to a prison cell.
What a debacle. This was once the greatest country in the world but that is no longer so. And at the end of the day (to coin a phrase), the people of the USA have no one but themselves to blame.
Phil Chitty, Albany.
USA not okay
So now we see the calibre of the men who will be leader of the free world. One who constantly lies, and another who belongs in a home for the slightly bewildered.
Vladimir Putin and other enemies of the West must be laughing. What an indictment on the USA that out of 330 million people, this is the best contenders they can put up.
And with their ridiculous first-past-the-post system, the President is not chosen by all the general populace but just the residents of a handful of states.
The tragedy is that, to some extent, one of these candidates will be our leader too.
Vince West, Milford.
Ghahraman injustice
I believe Golriz Ghahraman has been handed a great injustice, having a conviction lodged against her as well as a fine.
It’s been well documented that she was in a mental space where no one would want to go during the commission of these incidents. Before those who think she should have had the whole weight of the law thrown upon her get up in arms, ponder this.
If she was a daughter, wife or sister of any of you, how would you feel about having her career prospects ruined for the foreseeable future? It was, in comparison to some vicious, violent crimes recently which have attracted a penalty of home detention, a very petty mistake.
Please don’t impose any more stress or vitriol on someone who doesn’t deserve such punishment.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Strait talking
Surely if a vessel on the scale of a Cook Strait ferry loses steering control, there are other emergency measures with which to control it.
Measures such as putting all engines into reverse, using asymmetric power or simply releasing both anchors in order to halt its movement. It seems on the face of it not much was done and it wound up on a rocky shoreline.
Perhaps another option might be to continue to use the boats but rather than having them use their own propulsion and steering, simply hook them up to an ocean-going tug and then tow them back and forth.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Try tolling
The regional fuel tax was introduced to accelerate investment in Auckland’s transport infrastructure.
With it gone, efforts to improve public transport will stall or the lost income will have to be found elsewhere.
It’s clear ratepayers have no appetite for further rates rises. A cheap-to-administer alternative is to make the city’s motorways toll roads.
This spreads the costs to all users, not just locals. But the money raised must be ring-fenced for improving public transport, which in turn solves the congestion problem.
Ian Swney, Morrinsville.
Water increase
The Watercare bill will rise on July 1 but I doubt if I’ll even notice the difference, as they seem to draw the numbers out of a hat anyway.
My monthly bill can fluctuate between $50-something one month and $80-something the next, with no changes in my household usage. I have given up trying to find out why, and no, I don’t have a swimming pool or a water blaster.
One time, for two months in a row the bill was $99+ because, apparently, they were short of meter readers over the holidays.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
