America at it again in Venezuela
Have I got this right – a man declares himself president of Venezuela and the US and its puppets, including Britain and Canada, instantly recognise him as the head of state?
US President Donald Trump justifies his action by declaring elected President Nicolas Maduro criminally negligent, which strikes me as the ultimate case of the pot calling the kettle black, having shut down his own government down for 30-odd days, to say nothing of his climate change denial actions and twisting the presidential office into an entity to further his personal business interests.
There is plenty of evidence that Maduro may be criminally negligent, not least reports that Venezuelans have on average lost 11kg in weight thanks to food shortages.
However, given the furore over Russia’s interference in the US election and reasonable claims that Trump is in the pocket of the Russians, this is hypocrisy on an industrial scale that has been normalised by Trump to the extent we are no longer gobsmacked by it.
I am just wondering how long a US legislator who, despite not participating in the presidential election, seriously declared themselves president, would remain free.
Simon Louisson, Seatoun
Once again, the current United States Government is interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign country: this time Venezuela. Regrettably, there is nothing new in this as a cursory look to history will show that the US has interfered in this way under both Republican and Democrat administrations dating back to the 1950s.
The most shameful was, of course, in 1973 when the democratically elected socialist President Allende was overthrown and murdered by the fascist General Pinochet, with the full support of the US.
The years of military dictatorship saw tens of thousands of opponents to this regime ‘‘disappeared’’ – murdered. What gives the US the right to directly take part in destabilising democratically elected governments in Central and South America? I won’t even mention what happened in Vietnam in the 1960s – this was the classic interference of all times.
Venezuela is currently going through difficult times and I have no comment on this – it is entirely a matter for the people of Venezuela to resolve without direct interference from the US.
It is possible the US is doing in Venezuela now what it did in Chile: sabotaging the economy to destabilise the government.
Bill Nairn, Trentham
Replacing that plastic
If Gary Esler (Letters, Jan 24) is a keen fisherman he has plenty of opportunities to observe the plastic litter in our waterways and on beaches. There are easy solutions for the uses he lists for plastic bags.
The mess from fish filleting should be wrapped in newspaper for its journey to a compost bin. The fish fillets and the fish bait can be carried in robust plastic containers. There have always been waterproof carry bags for swim gear in the shops and now you can buy compostable bin liners. BBQ gear can easily be carried in boxes or cloth bags, and excess fruit can be given away in paper bags or returnable cloth bags.
It’s not difficult to make positive changes. Try asking your parents or grandparents how they managed before plastic became so ubiquitous. Leith Wallace, Karori
Light rail’s heavy cost
Ratepayers need to be wary of the proposal for a light rail system in Wellington.
The state government in New South Wales was warned as far back at 2012 of the limited benefits from a new light rail line in central Sydney relative to its high cost, with the cost of the project having already blown out by A$2.1 billion.
A planned US$9.5b light rail project in Honolulu in Hawaii is proving one of the most expensive per capita in the United States. The project was started more than a decade ago but is less than half completed and is facing a budget shortfall of up to US$3b.
Cities across the US that were planning light rail are delaying or cancelling projects and building bus transit projects instead. There are a number of reasons why cities are choosing bus over rail: bus is significantly cheaper, it can be implemented quicker and as metro area developments change, the bus service can be customised to meet the changing needs.
There is no doubt that light rail is sexier than buses.
However, with the possible extension of Wellington Airport up in the air, and a significant increase in the region’s population unlikely, Wellington should seriously evaluate a bus rapid transport system, alongside or instead of the light rail proposal when it next meets to discuss the proposal.
Robyn Grooby, Karori
Light rail in Wellington has been bandied about but no-one has mentioned using the harbour to get from, say, the Interislander hub to Evans Bay and the airport by ferries.
It would probably work out a lot cheaper and, if it proves popular, could be developed.
There is a lot of reclaimed land near the ferry hub for parking, etc, and Evans Bay could serve Miramar, Hataitai and other residents.
If the station at Kaiwharawhara opened up again, commuters could take a short trip into the city. I might be flying kites, but it should be thought about, shouldn’t it?
Maureen Lee, Waitarere Beach