Letters: Drink-driving checkpoints worth every cent; National MP David MacLeod can’t be trusted

"Any one of the four offenders stopped and found to be over the limit could have continued on their way and killed themselves and/or innocent victims." Photo / Duncan Brown

Letters to the Editor

Drink-driving checkpoints worth every cent

I think Brett Atkinson (NZ Herald, May 21) might have a bit of a rethink on his assertion that seven police on breathalysing duty over five hours or longer is a waste of their time.

Any one of the four offenders stopped and found to be over the limit for driving could have continued on their way and killed themselves and/or innocent victims of their reckless behaviour.

The police hours most wasted are those spent having to investigate these events, inform families that one or more of their loved ones have just been killed or maimed, the hours spent in courts giving evidence – the list goes on. Thirty-five police hours spent preventing any of the above scenarios are hours well spent in my view. Prevention in this case is much better than the cure.

Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.

Sobering reality

Twenty-four years ago I was permanently injured when my car was hit by one driven by a drunk driver.

I am fully supportive of police checkpoints anywhere and at any time. If I go past them, I compliment the officers on their work and hope that they haven’t caught any drivers – because everyone is driving sober – and commiserate when they advise that the paddy wagon isn’t empty.

Sadly, the police’s trade is failure: catching those who fail to obey the law.

Andrew Parsons, Ōrākei.

MP can’t be trusted

If David MacLeod can’t keep track of $200,000 of donations, he can’t be trusted with millions of taxpayers’ dollars.

With all the focus on party donations over the past few years, eg Winston Peters, you would have thought that all MPs would be on guard.

Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

Luxon’s line in the sand

I can’t help concluding that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s harsh stance on David MacLeod and his donation scandal, if you can call it that, is to send a message to his Opposition foes that he will not tolerate errors of judgment.

He has clearly said that he won’t find a feeble excuse to justify said actions, and there is no mental health crisis afoot that will garnish sympathy and hopefully take all the heat out of the fire.

John Ford, Taradale.

Flooding failure

The photos of flooding on Tuesday paint a picture of basic housekeeping not being done.

In the past 14 months since the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods, I have cleared stormwater drain covers at least a dozen times. Every time there is a downpour, the grates are blocked with gravel, leaves and rubbish.

The water rises, the road floods and the rising water threatens the neighbouring houses. I clear the grates (usually in the middle of the night) and the water subsides.

According to the Auckland Transport website, residential streets are swept every 12 weeks. I suggest that if this basic housekeeping was done more regularly, especially in autumn, some of the flooding problems may not happen at all, or at least be greatly reduced.

Cecilia Clarke, Remuera.

Privatisation’s winners

David Sewell is partially right (NZ Herald, May 21) - power privatisation has been very successful, but only for some people.

If you invest in power and water companies, you have a market that provides something people need every day. If you can position yourself between the supplier and the consumer, you can make money for doing virtually nothing. The classic example is the power companies in Britain, where power prices have now reached almost unaffordable levels and poorer people live miserable lives in unheated houses. Privatisation has certainly not worked for them.

Right-wing commentators would have you believe that private enterprise is far better than state ownership, but they are very good at ignoring the enormous amount of evidence than shows shortcomings in their theories. The Government has had to step in to rescue airlines and banks when bad decision-making by well-paid directors has led to financial collapse.

Who can forget Ansett Airways and the sub-prime banking disasters that led to the economic disaster in 2007? Those who constantly attack governments for their involvement in the economy ignore the fact that much of this country was built by the Ministry of Works, and the roads and bridges we use every day are concrete examples of successful state involvement.

John Lipscombe, Whangamatā.

Credit where it’s due

Like police and nurses, you have to admire our Defence Force. They serve without complaint when called upon yet are underpaid considerably for the work they do and the training many have had to undergo.

Unlike so many, they do not put their hands out for honours and rewards, content in the knowledge that by their efforts they aid and assist so many. In short, they are indispensable.

Paul Beck, West Harbour.