The upcoming Christmas holiday is not just another Christmas for so many of us, writes Vesa Prekaz. Photo / Brett Phibbs
This year has been a year like no other in our lifetime. Tragically, the pandemic has meant the loss of lives for so many around the world, while for others it has meant the loss of loved ones, their businesses, their jobs, opportunities, experiences and more.
In one way or another, every person has been impacted negatively.
I had my first child just before the second wave of the virus hit Melbourne, Australia. I have been fortunate to have my husband around and we have thoroughly enjoyed raising our baby. But with the border closures in place in New Zealand and Australia, I have not had the joy of experiencing these precious and fleeting moments with my parents who live in Auckland. This has been my personal heartbreak. I have spent every day anxiously watching the progress of the second wave in Melbourne and I am so happy we have come out the other end of such a dark tunnel. Each day I am heartbroken seeing my parents suffer silently because they can't just reach out and hold and kiss their first grandchild. A FaceTime call can never replace this.
In Australia and New Zealand we are so fortunate to be in a good position in stark contrast to what is happening on the opposite side of the world.
I fully appreciate that we must all continue to be safe and make sure that the two countries continue to experience this somewhat Covid-normal situation that we are lucky to be living.
What we now need is compassion and for people to truly empathise. The upcoming Christmas holiday is not just another Christmas for so many of us. It is an opportunity to be with those who we love after an incredibly hard year.
I urge both the Australian and New Zealand Governments to please consider the true human impact these restrictions will have on so many of us and to work together to open up a two-way travel bubble so that like you, so many of us can also enjoy a Christmas and New Year with our families. Or if not now, an indication as to when it may be possible to do so. If we could at least know there is some day in the near future when so many of us can be reunited with our loved ones, that will certainly be better than waking up every day anxious and with a heavy heart not knowing when that day will be.
Vesa Prekaz, Melbourne.
I woke from a long nightmare and saw that in the light of day democracy had conquered disorder and it was not fake news. Not only is it pleasing to see President-elect Biden but also, and uniquely, Vice-President-elect Harris, a woman of colour. The future looks rosy and colorful and it's about time.
Life is balanced, with the great speech by Biden against the disturbing tweets of, soon to be ex-President, Trump. You cannot buy a victory, nor sue yourself into the role, you must be given it by the people, a reality Trump must accept before he skulks back to his golf course.
The complexities of this electoral system have caused concerns and some delay and it may be time to consider how to simplify it so the people, all of them, can make the decision and not a court.
It is time to look to the future and consign the few miles built of the "great, beautiful wall" to rubble as a symbol of the Trump presidency. The economy needs to be built up and Covid knocked down, the education system needs to be strong, equitable, available to all and preferably truly free. It can be done!
There is now hope and it is time for President elect Biden to build a better, united country. Good Luck!
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne.
American voters have decided to evict the noisy and disruptive buffoon from the White House. Unfortunately, top-quality tenants for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave are hard to find at the moment so they have been obliged to install a world-weary caretaker to keep an eye on the place until the next tenancy renewal rolls around in 2024. Let's hope they don't need a President any time soon.
Brian O'Neill, Chatswood.
I watched the news on the US elections as a senior Democratic politician said the incoming Biden Administration should avoid at all times using the word socialism when describing the new progressive policies Joe Biden hopes to introduce.
Later I heard Mitt Romney, a Republican politician, set out the American definition of the word socialism and it included the increasing of taxes for wealthy people, but apparently not for poor people, and the provision of a universal healthcare system.
One of the founding principles of the American republic was that "all men are created equal", but it seems that many Americans still consider that healthcare is a privilege to be enjoyed by the wealthy, and not a right to be equally available to all of its citizens.
David Mairs, Glendowie.
All Black coach Ian Foster is quoted in the Herald (November 9) as saying "of course we had to take a loosie off" after the red card incident in Brisbane.
Really? The rules don't specify which player has to leave the field to accommodate a prop's replacement following his red card — so why didn't the coaching staff consider taking a back-line player off? This would have retained a fully functioning forward back and simply required a change of game plan.
Instead, the All Black forward pack was depowered, and at scrum time, a back was brought in to shore up the pack — leaving a hole in the back-line anyway. Of course, the above suggestion might not have been the correct one, but it is disappointing to read that the coaching staff did not apparently even consider that an alternative plan was available.
David Bevan, Howick.
Recent correspondence to the Herald references the problem Joe Biden will face managing the 70 million Americans who voted for Trump. While the numbers are large the makeup of that total should be examined in the light of Trump's shrewd management of the American people.
Following a well-trodden path of many previous dictators he has managed to instil considerable fear and doubt into a population already insecure from Covid and its tragic economic consequences.
He has repeatedly portrayed — with no evidence — an apocalyptic and deeply threatening future for the country should Democrats win. While there are, no doubt, Trump supporters who genuinely believe in his policies a large majority voted his way from an irrational fear of what a Democratic victory would mean.
Biden is on track to dispel that falsehood-ridden myth and I believe many Republicans will soften their rhetoric and accept that a collaborative strategy is the best and only solution to America's woes. The real challenge for Biden and Harris is to clean up the mess left by the previous Republican Administration. I wish them well.
Patrick Alley, Epsom.
It's a toss-up who or what will be the last one standing or surviving on our planet. Crocodiles, cockroaches or coronavirus.
They have been around many more millions of years than the arrogant human, and will be once again after "biden" their time to resume global control.
Crocs relax in their "swamps" in estuaries, while cockroaches scurry under sofas and in kitchen cupboards, and coronavirus thrives contentedly on "party animals" spreading it and in triumphant election rallies.
Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Dick Brass apologises for "scaring" New Zealand and goes on to ask us for another chance now the US elections have been decided (or have they?). Yeah, nah sorry.
If it had been a landslide yeah, but 70 million Americans voted for Trump, more than in any time in history, and it has been nail-bitingly close in key swing states.
That tells me that 50 per cent of America embraces Trump's values, ethics, morals and alternative realities. Biden, I suspect, will fail because the problems are just so immense and if the Democrats can't gain control of the Senate then good ol' Mitch will be blocking Biden at every step, just as he did to Obama. So — another chance America? — we'll see in four years' time during the next Great Depression.
Paul Cheshire, Auckland.
Of all the political figures the United States could have picked to be the best Republican candidate as their commander in chief; there would have been quite a few, it's a big country, they chose Trump.
John Ford, Napier.
On news diligence
The defeat of Trump is significantly due to the diligence of old fashioned reporting in newspapers.
Robert Myers, Auckland.
On hosed off
After months of not being able to use our hoses, Aucklanders have had enough. With water savings regularly exceeding Watercare's goals it is time to ease up, even if for four hours of use each week. This would allow us to clean things we really need a hose for.
Wayne Carpenter, Glen Eden.
On brain gain
I read that roughly 500,000 Kiwis living overseas may return home. I hope they don't expect to have unemployment benefits etc when they arrive having paid no tax.
Norm Empson, Tauranga.
On stamp duty
Wake up Herald and Bob Wallace. Stamp duty on cheques was abolished in July 2014.
Roy Wade, Oneroa.
On cheques
I am using obsolete cheques on obsolete accounts as gift tags. I'm saving and the recipients have fun filling in a wishful amount.
Kathleen Sunderland, Hobsonville Pt.
On masking
Let's wear masks where social distancing with strangers is impossible in enclosed spaces, where air is relatively stagnant or extremely close proximity occurs such as travel.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.