Political parties need to work together over Covid
WE pensioners have been given a choice by our business leaders on the economy: ‘‘Our Money or Your Lives’’!
They are desperate to open our borders (ODT, 3.6.20).
So how do they propose to manage more than three million visitors and tourists when our administration is having problems handling a few thousand returning Kiwis, particularly from nations where the Covid19 virus is rampant.
It is time the National party and NZ First came up with practical commonsense suggestions to assist the Coalition Government instead of sniping from the sidelines.
Keep politics out of it until we have this pandemic beaten.
Jim Childerstone
Hampden
Bee Card
YOUR bus fares article (ODT, 26.6.20) failed to mention the proposed $5 tagoff penalty.
Everyone forgets sometimes, but such a high penalty is a far bigger hit on the budget for low incomes than the 35c50c discussed. I know from experience in Wellington that even a small tagoff penalty can leave one unwittingly without enough on the card to get home.
Kuini Scott North East Valley
Bus service
THE editor sings the praises of the city bus service in the editorial (ODT, 30.6.20), and rightly so in some respects.
Punctuality, however, is something it still needs to work on. Still, there is always a funny side — a recent query about a late bus netted the complainant with the following written response from the Otago Regional Council: ‘‘. . . we apologise for any incontinence caused’’.
Tim Hambleton
Opoho
Bipartisanship
TODD Muller should just wear his red Trump hat for all to see and be done with it.
At least Simon Bridges pledged bipartisanship over this virus which still threatens us all. Not so these Nats. Judith Rivers
North Otago
DCC spending
WE are often told that in public and private businesses high salaries are required to attract the best people.
At what pay grade was the council person who approved the budget and subsequent overspending for the temporary closing of the Octagon recently?
The budget for this was $159,000 and spending was $377,000. An overspend of about 137%. Why?
If the average rate account in Dunedin is, say, about $2400, this means that the total rates for about 150 households was wasted.
Peter Buchan
Maryhill