Useless tests for P need regulation

Sir Peter Gluckman, the Chief Scientific Adviser to the PM, originally appointed by Sir John Key, has released a report stating living in a house where P has been smoked doesn’t cause any harm to humans and that the unofficial level that has been set by the P testing industry in New Zealand is at least 10 times too low, resulting in millions of dollars being wasted on tests that were not required and are not carried out anywhere else in the world.

The only time testing can be justified is where the house has been used for manufacturing P. It is essential that new regulations be passed by Parliament to put an end to this unnecessary industry which has cost the people of New Zealand millions of dollars.

Mayor’s budget

Auckland’s mayor claims he has kept his promise to keep rate increases to 2.5 per cent for the 2018/19 year. This is sophistry of the highest order. The “general” rate increase, whatever that means, plus the new “targeted” rates add up to an increase way beyond 2.5 per cent. This does not even include the petrol tax. For some people it could be a 7 per cent-plus increase. This is nonsense with inflation less than 2 per cent and wages stagnant. The council must cut its functions drastically and focus on efficiency.

Farm compensation

Much as I sympathise with dairy farmers over the culling of their livestock, in what other occupation could you expect to receive full compensation by the state for the loss. My job, for example, depends on a satisfactory medical check each year and if I were to fail it then my job could be in jeopardy, and I would not be compensated by the Government, that is for sure. Similarly folk who suffer a business failure have to take it on the chin.

Farmers though, year in and year out, are compensated for losses due to drought, floods, disease, low prices and so on. If only the rest of us could be so treated.

Consumer response

Though it’s been said that Mycoplasma bovis does not infect humans, I don’t relish the idea of drinking milk or eating cheese or beef from diseased animals. I’m wondering if farmers opposing the cull realise the potential harm to both home and overseas markets if it is not eradicated in New Zealand. Culling is the tough but right path at this time.

Police chase

It was really enlightening to hear criminal lawyer Deborah Manning’s opinion on police chases on National Radio. What she said really comes down to this. The people being chased are predominantly kids with a lot less judgment than adult (so-called) responsible police. Causing a death even in part is possibly manslaughter yet the police calmly walk away saying they’re “just doing their job” leaving paramedics to clean up the bloody mess.

One must realise that losing a life so young prevents children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren from being born, so potentially affects lives of a large number of people who would otherwise be taxpayers.

Serious offences such as armed robbery are where such resources should be spent. To the police profession who otherwise operate well, please respect human life as if it were your own.

Ripped off

There have been several occasions when our small rubbish bin which has been put out complete with tag has had the tag removed but the bin has not been emptied. It has been suggested the tag has been removed by a neighbour for their own bin but this is not the case. How many others are being ripped off by the collecting agents?

Lost plane lesson

Will we learn from the unresolved fouryear saga of the loss of flight MH370? In 2009 there was a similar experience with Air France flight 447 that crashed into the South Atlantic Ocean but because the plane kept to its scheduled route searchers knew immediately where to start looking and eventually the black boxes were recovered. In the case of MH370 the range of possible locations was impossibly wide and no trace has ever been found.

There is a cheap and simple solution to the delay in locating crashed aircraft. A subset of critical parameters (altitude, latitude, longitude, air speed, heading, rate of climb/descent) should be continuously broadcast by radio. The data is already available as hundreds of data points are already being collected and fed into the flight data recorder.

Mt Eden village

You say in your article on Tuesday that the locals like having more places to eat. As a true Mt Eden “local” I disagree. Maybe those coming to the village only to visit a restaurant view it like that. Local residents, I believe, are missing the daily and necessary services and shops that are gradually disappearing from our village. A shopping district is not just about food.

If these changes are what is meant by progress or if it is thought inevitable as your article suggests, then that is sad. Maybe just set up the entire village as an Uber Eats service, as apparently everything done by one’s phone these days is thought to be “progress”.

Speaking rights

Sue Marsh tells us, “Only when a man can carry a baby in his womb should he be able to make comments and decisions about abortion”. This highly exclusionary principle would also shut out women who are struggling with fertility. It means no one may comment on any issue unless they have personal life experience of it.

A person wanting to comment on an issue would have to submit a detailed life experience resume to a panel of experts who determine whether the person is suitably qualified. Even journalists would have to “live it” before they write about it. Instead of valuing every person’s ability to use evidence and reason, we’ll listen only to the life-experienced. The idea is ludicrous. Even if “experience is the best teacher”, no one ever said it’s the only one.

Case for cannabis

Reading about recent deaths caused by synthetic cannabis and continuing damage from meth use, I feel a more commonsense approach is required.

In simple terms, many people like to get high, and most don’t really care which drug gets them there, except that the legal one, alcohol, is rather dull. The obvious solution would be to regulate the sale of cannabis to give people an alternative to the scourge that is meth.

However, it needs to be done with care, in particular as regards its strength. Hybrid strong strains should not be allowed, they can induce psychosis. But if lower- and medium-strength weed were made nationally available at a reasonable price, I’m sure many users of more damaging drugs would reduce or even stop their use.

Light rail

Michael Littlewood has a point. He says light rail has a reputation for time delays and cost overruns. Once installed the systems never make money so require taxpayer support. Light rail in Sydney is 12 months behind target and $500 million over budget. Constructors are suing the NSW state and the state is suing the constructors for mega dollars.

George St in Sydney has had works blocking much of it for three years, resulting in severe loss of turnover to the retailers. Many have left. In an effort to get it finished construction teams work at night, resulting in noise echoing around the tall city buildings and hotels.

Catch-up falls short

I have watched Coronation Street for over 40 years. TVNZ has informed me that from June 11 viewers can either watch the episodes running a week behind Britain in the evenings (which can be applauded) or watch the catch-up episodes at 1pm on weekdays.

This sounds fair until we find out the catch-up episodes are not in fact catchup episodes. They will not include the forthcoming episodes screening three times a week in prime time from the middle of June. It is only common sense that “catch up” means that viewers can see all the episodes right up until the last afternoon episode is identical to the most recent evening one. TVNZ, stop hoodwinking your viewers and get your act together.