HERE’S MY 99C WORTH
Every Thursday I hate reading all the Western Leader as the West Liquor two-page advert has every price ending in 99c. For example, this week, all the expensive drinks such as Jim Bean White Label at $76.99 – as if you would refuse to buy it at $77, even though there are now no 1c coins, so if paying in cash it will in fact cost you $77.
I totally hate 99c prices, so much so, that about four years ago I wrote to Countdown and asked them to please stop all specials ending in 99c. They replied they would and sure did immediately. Not a single special of theirs now ends in the crazy 99c, so their special signs on the shelves and big signs handing from the roof now look so professional now; unlike New World, where 90% of their specials now four years later still end in a crazy 99c. Check their adverts in the newspapers today. They look so absolutely stupid and that is why I will never ever shop at New World. Do others hate 99c prices like I do? Please let me know.
Why do West Liquor and New World refuse to advertise properly after four years? We are not all 99c fools as they treat us like being one forever.
Murray Hunter, Titirangi
THREE WATERS
Gordon Campbell should listen a little more closely to National and Act when they say they see no place for co-governance in water management. As always, Campbell is toeing the Labor party line regarding Three Waters and not even considering alternatives.
Three Waters is a massive centralist bureaucracy consisting largely of unelected and unqualified people from 15% of the voters who live in New Zealand but have 50% of the voting rights under the cogovernance Three Waters system. The other 85% of us are precluded from having any say in Three Waters, even if we are eminently qualified to do so.
Campbell has not given much thought to a more simple and practical solution to our water problems. The main reason given for Three Waters is government can raise loans for improving our water systems at a much lower interest rate than the present councils can.
And, although all governments have up to now not spoken of any concern for rising council rates, this is the reason government has suddenly found for inventing Three Waters. Why not simply ask the councils to tell the government each year what the most urgent problems are that need fixing – and provide funds for that?
Gone would be the central control so loved by the socialists; gone would be the massive load of overpaid bureaucrats; gone would be the undemocratic system favoring one racial group over all other groups.
All that would be needed would be a clerk on about $60,000 a year to manage the whole thing after the money had been raised by government and then paid over to local elected councils.
These councils would then be responsible to their local electors, as indeed they should be – unlike Three Waters, where no person is made responsible for their actions and no person can be voted out if they make the inevitable errors that is the ilk of bureaucrats.
Simple and cheap to run and efficient, too.
Michael Walker, Blockhouse Bay
HOW TO SAVE THE BUDGET SHORTFALL
The Auckland Council budget shortfall of $295 million can easily be resolved by cancelling the unwanted and unnecessary Burswod bus bypass.
Surely I am not the only one who can see this is a total waste of money? The Pakuranga to Panmure busway already proves the buses only carry a full load of passengers for 1-2 hours morning and evening, Monday to Friday, and then remain empty all day.
This is OK if we can afford it, but we can’t.
Bob Wichman, Botany