Big Smoke lives up to its name
I stopped taking the bus and shopping and working in town years ago. The place is disgusting. If car “soot” fumes don’t get you, there’s smokers everywhere. At the bus stop it was a nightmare. There would be smokers both sides of me, then if you think you’ve found a spot by yourself, another smoker. They rule everywhere.
Give me a mall any day. Where you don’t have to cross the road, there’s no air pollution or smokers inside. Bliss. Your clothes and hair are clean.
Helen Lowe, Albany.
Hope for America
I didn’t believe we could sink to an even lower standard of morality and humanity in America but the last two weeks have proved me wrong. If you disagree with someone’s religion or politics, it’s easily rectified. Just visit your friendly neighbourhood gun shop and pick up an AK47 or alternatively, construct some good old homemade pipe bombs. Insanity tinged with ingenuity at it’s best. Lies aren’t lies, they’re “alternative facts” and enemies of the state are no longer just under the bed, they’re everywhere.
“Home of the free and land of the brave” is an illusion. My beloved America which fought for democratic principles is a forgotten dream. I have a hope, though, that the nightmare will soon be over and America will be great again. 2020?
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Could work both ways
I note the proposal to trial point to point speed cameras between Manukau and Papakura on SH1. As I understand it, you pay a fine if you cover the distance in less time than if you were travelling at the speed limit. Fair enough, however will we get paid if we cover the distance in more time than if we were travelling at the speed limit? This could well be an incentive to quicken the glacial pace of the roadworks causing intolerable congestion on that stretch of road. When a project’s deadline is extended by years, this could be the circuit breaker needed.
Nick Cottle, Papakura.
Affordable houses
The village model that is used to house retired folk safely, securely, communally, humanely and affordably, could and should be approved by councils for firsthome buyers, or anyone with budgets of $200,000-$300,000. Up to 50 or 80 smaller houses, as at retirement villages, would fit neatly on a small acreage.
Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Nothing has changed
Your say, “Abortion law needs to align with the times”. So what’s changed since “the debate of 40 years ago”? An unborn baby is still a human life, with the same right to life as his/her mother. Women are still uninformed of the health risks of abortion: prematurity in subsequent pregnancies, psychological trauma, increased likelihood of breast cancer.
“The earlier the abortion, the easier for the woman”, you say. Abortion is never “easy” for the woman, and always hard on the baby. It’s not “a health matter”, it’s scientifically proven adverse effects on women’s health make it very definitely a sickness matter.
The Law Commission ignored the weight of submissions which overwhelmingly opposed removing abortion from the Crimes Act — under which it has never been a crime for the mother, and rarely the practitioner. How can you substantiate that most health practitioners want it “purely a matter between the woman and her doctor”?
To “align with the times” you should be reporting on the information amassed in the last 40 years on the unborn child and the risks of abortion to women. It’s our right to be informed and your responsibility to report that information.
Julia du Fresne, Waipukurau.
Natural abortions
One in four New Zealand women have a miscarriage, most in the first trimester, up to 14 weeks. I have never heard antiabortionists comment on the loss of those “unborn babies”. I do not hear them clamour for a decent, respectful burial. This indicates to me that those against abortion are not concerned about the loss of the foetus. Their concern is to stop women having a choice. When it’s inadvertent, they just let it go by. Not a word from those who supposedly put the sanctity of life above all else.
Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.
Boys and girls
A. D. Kirby’s letter on Monday describing the Labour-led Government as “boys and girls” trying to do the grown-up jobs is either a joke or the author has been marooned somewhere news-less for the last eight weeks. The “grown-ups”, on this account, are the party whose leader described a member of his own team as “f***ing useless”, agreed “two Chinese would be better than two Indians”, and insisted on a pointless inquiry over leaked information which turned out positively benign compared to all it stirred up.
Oh, and said the PM’s daughter should go to school wearing boy’s clothing. (I suppose at least he hasn’t pulled anyone’s pony tail.) Meanwhile the Government is quietly getting on with the job, managing a coalition of three parties, making tough decisions, and addressing years of policy neglect. So, which are the grown-ups and which the “boys and girls”?
Tim Dare, RD Tuakau.
Not intentional
A correspondent suggests a number of MPs may have uttered two words when the earthquake was felt recently in Parliament, with a reference to those expunged from the daily prayer. May I suggest there may well have been another couple of words also uttered of a more carnal nature, which may not have necessarily been the intentional outcome of those who uttered them.
Dick Ayres, Auckland Central.
Mental health policy
From the Prime Minister down, we need to better understand the difference between mental health and mental illness. According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises her or his potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and are able to contribute to the community.
This definition means we all have varying degrees of mental health at some point of time. No one is immune.
Because a range of social, psychological and biological factors determine the level of mental health of all of us, mental heath policies need to be concerned with mental disorders and the broader issues that promote the mental health of us all.
Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
Classical coverage
Last week’s Herald had a large article proclaiming, “Why we need to relax into classical music more often”. This is rather ironic considering I recently heard the Herald is reducing its arts/music content even further. Ten years ago there used to be at least a full (large-size) page or two dedicated to classical music events in Auckland every Saturday with reviews, previews and the like. That was reduced to a column, and now there’s an occasional review of the same few organisations, which does a disservice to the many smaller choirs and orchestras who never get mentioned. This is greatly disappointing and contributing to the demise of classical music in this country.
R. Howell, Onehunga.
Minimum income
New Zealand leadership resolutely refuses to do the sums on a minimum yearly living income. We endlessly obfuscate on the matter. The implications are just too scary.
The Ministry of Social Development confirms 30 per cent of Kiwis require financial support. Sixty-two thousand Kiwis also require additional assistance such as the accommodation supplement.
Across the road from me, two rental properties are now almost $1400 a week. It is estimated a four-person family in Auckland pays about $1155 a week for the basics of life, without rent.
This indicates an annual minimal cost for such a family living near me of around $133,000 a year. However, this is a net income. Taxes, insurances and other levies would be taken from their gross income. This would indicate a gross income in the vicinity of $200,000 a year for this four-person family.
Such figures are in line with our cost of living ranking of 49th out of 439 cities in the world yet our incomes in no way reflect this. It’s obvious why home ownership is collapsing and why we drift towards a crisis of the working poor and ever-decreasing spend on social support.
Simple economics call for a national dialogue on establishing a minimum yearly living income per capita as an urgent national conversation.
Russell Hoban, Ponsonby.