Letters: Budget money never enough

Finance Minister Grant Robertson during his Wellbeing Budget 2019 presentation. Photo / File

Re the Budget 2019.

Do people really think deeply during and after our Government releases the Budget?

Many people, both sophisticated and unsophisticated, express and almost demand their wants. Of course, the amounts of monies allocated are never enough in their opinion to satisfy their projects.

Two facts stand out to me. Firstly no one ever says thanks for the allocation of funds and secondly it is always these same people who want lower taxes.

Has anyone ever given any thought that any government can only allocate out the monies that come in through taxes?

One can only take out of the pie what has been put into it.

John Smale

Fairy Springs

Concern over high-impact sports

There has been much concern recently about the high-impact sports that children are becoming involved in.

I do not think that provided the children are properly supervised and - importantly - judged medically capable (that is not suffering from things such as asthma, heart ailments or any physical disability) then there is no reason why they should not be able to engage in any sporting activity.

I learned to skate at age 5 and I was playing ice hockey within two years. Children in Canada and the US, Russia, and Scandinavia play ice hockey as soon as they can stand up on the ice.

Rugby is also a tough sport and I believe that head protection should be brought in, with children in mind it is essential. Otherwise, let them at it.

As nippers, we climbed trees, swam in rivers, rolled down snowy slopes on tin trays, and played just about every type of sport imaginable. OK, they may get the odd cut or scrape - even the odd broken bone.

The medical profession is much more capable of fixing them today that it was 50 years ago.

Jim Adams

Rotorua

Vaping a concern

May 31 was World Smokefree Day.

There was a table of vaping devices at the Rotorua Library.

Is this appropriate? It was being supervised by a couple of men.

I realise that vaping is a way for some people to give up cigarette smoking, which is a step in the right direction.

But there is concern that young, non smokers are taking up vaping because it is seen as cool.

Vaping has not been around long enough to know if it is harmless, and some scientists are saying it can cause various cancers.

I think the library needs to rethink this promotion in a public space.

Lesley Haddon

Rotorua

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