Letter of the week: Tony Olissoff, Mt Eden
The day I left home at 18, I caught the bus to self-determination. All my friends did the same, wherever they were from.
When we screwed up, and we all did somewhere along the line, pride stopped us going home and whining to
Mum and Dad. We raised and looked after our families, paid our way and now are retired or retiring. Yep, those Boomers.
We salute every person born or raised or who settled in this fine land who stand tall, determine what they want and go about getting it (501 mobster plans aside).
That so many are apparently now deprived, awaiting their redemption by someone else doing it for them is just pathetic.
Self-determination is what you do for yourself. What the government does for you is welfare.
Asking prices
In suggesting that residential real estate (private housing) should be sold in accordance with the requirements of the Fair Trading Act and be marketed with a fixed selling price (Weekend Herald, July 3), contributor Frank Davis appears to disregard the subtle difference between (figuratively) supermarket items and speculative investments. The original Mona Lisa for a fixed price? Unlikely.
Still, if (perhaps) the intentions of the Fair Trading Act were intended to encompass speculative investments, maybe we could look forward to the majority of "average" residential houses being marketed with a fixed price of, say, $5m today, maybe more tomorrow, and a minimum of small print noting "or nearest written offer".
If we really want to reduce the price of housing we need to reduce the demand per unit available, by way of increased production or decreased population. Both of the "problems" are international and unsolved. We can look forward to a worsening situation, and certainly no local "eureka'" breakthroughs, for the long term foreseeable future.
D B Smith, Napier.
PSA guidance
In response to Conor English's article (Weekend Herald, June 26), Peter Calder asserted that the PSA test "is a very blunt instrument" of "extraordinary unreliability" which is regarded by "many authorities … as worse than useless as a diagnostic tool" for prostate cancer "unless done repeatedly over a period of time and show a sudden elevation".
Dr Cloherty also stated that "… the history of screening is littered with controversy and emotive decision-making. … It is often better not to perform a test unless there are clinical indications to do so."
Both appear to be unaware of the Ministry of Health's 2015 Prostate Cancer Management and Referral Guidance which clearly stated that "The best recommendation is for primary care practitioners to discuss the benefits and risks of prostate cancer testing with men aged between 50 and 70 years and men aged over 40 years who have a family history of prostate cancer, as they are the most likely to benefit …."
Most sensible GPs and men will rely on the Ministry of Health's Guidance.
Mark von Dadelszen, president, Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Sparse tendrils
It is good to see (Weekend Herald, July 3) Auckland Council finally noticing that there is a bit of a housing crisis and belatedly taking long-overdue steps to allow denser housing along public transport routes.
There is no shortage of leafy streets with single villas occupying generous sections, so clearing some areas near to train and bus stations could provide desperately needed, semi-affordable housing. The large areas between the sparse tendrils of the public transport networks can retain all that beautiful character for the fortunate few to enjoy for generations. Our housing crisis will not be solved without some significant changes to the actual structure of our city and this is finally a small start in the right direction.
Alex Davidson, Forrest Hill.
Shadowlands
Today we drove past numerous cleared sections poised for big development in those suburbs randomly chosen for housing intensification.
Spare a thought for little north-facing bungalows with laden citrus trees, destined to languish in the shadow of five-storey apartment blocks, cold and dark on these gloriously sunny days.
Will their increased electricity bills be paid by Auckland Council? And are they voting for these developments in their own backyards?
Mary Tallon, Takapuna.