Low-wage economy a disgrace
Your correspondent David Morris (Friday, July 14) writes approvingly that “our economy is bubbling along quite nicely, thank you”. Rephrasing that by contending our national income (GDP) is bubbling along quite nicely confirms such observations as meaningless.
The plain, unvarnished fact is that we have a $250 billion national income now shared by 4.7 million people. That gives New Zealand one of the lowest per capita incomes in the developed world. Hence our low-wage status.
Our national debt now exceeds $528b. That is where our national income should be. This grotesque outcome is directly attributable to neoliberalism and strong population growth fuelled by immigration, or force-fed economic thalidomide.
Despite 5 per cent unemployment, massive underemployment, low wages, child poverty, housing unaffordability, homelessness, desolated communities, gutted regions and massive wealth and income inequality, our economic performance gets majority tick of approval.
The claim of commendable economic performance simply cannot be reconciled with our low-wage, cash-strapped status.
John H. Gascoigne, Cambridge.
It must be compulsory that every school has a certain ratio of counsellors and whatever other support is required. Children are legally required to go to school and often cannot remove themselves from being bullied.
And as Mike King so eloquently stated in your paper, “self-esteem is a huge issue for young people”.
It is completely crazy that suicide is not a discussable subject in schools, and that so many of our teaching institutions are hotbeds of harassment directed at our youth by their peers.
A final thought is that so many parents, operating in a form of denial, are oblivious to their gay children, and without loving family support the potential for bullying makes this group at even greater risk. Parents need to open their eyes and provide the much-needed support. Schools themselves must eradicate homophobia because as an issue it is often swept under the carpet.
Stuart Prossor, Parnell.