Our superannuation would be financed, our property market would be more financially rational, and we could have properly invested in infrastructure and public services.
Where I disagree with Prebble’s neoliberal economic policies is deregulation, it has never been a panacea. It has always ended in a race to the bottom.
The repeated sharemarket meltdowns, Ponzi scheme collapses, sub-prime mortgage disasters and the devastating leaky homes debacle have all been the result of so-called deregulation dressed up as cutting red tape.
Take away proper standards and oversight and the worst inevitably happens. Greed will inevitably trump common sense, if allowed.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland central.
Puberty blockers
Charlotte Paul, doctor, epidemiologist, and emeritus professor at the University of Otago, brings to the forefront a much-discussed issue of today; the rights-based approach to those young people suffering gender dysphoria (Herald, January 8).
It is often a hand-wringing discussion from those watching disbelievingly as a growing number of our young are provided legally this damaging prescription.
We know how distraught puberty years can be and we know decisions at this age are strongly influenced not only by those we know, but through media outlets as well.
We know our young change their minds – often.
This is clearly seen in Charlotte’s report from the English Cass Review on gender identity. It found weak evidence of benefit and potential serious harm. It found also many de-transition and express regret.
For all these and many more reasons Sweden, Finland, Denmark, England, Wales, and just recently Scotland, have stopped supporting puberty blockers.
Let’s follow in their saneness and protect our young from an unnecessary intrusion on their minds and bodies.
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
Health savings
There must be numerous ways of saving money in our health system with its ballooning budget.
Most sterilised kits come with a pair of scissors which are tossed out after a single use. Surely these can be put into a separate recycling container, sterilised and reused. A very small item when multiplied would be a saving of thousands.
Plastic syringes and tubing used to dispense fluids via a drip could also be melted down and repurposed. There must be millions of these tossed into landfill everyday. Other examples are disposable bedpans, nappies bandages, etc.
Someone needs to invent an innovative way of recycling these throwaway small but when added up, costly items for the health budget and landfills.
We cut out single-use plastic bags, let us cut out more single-use medical supplies.
Another saving could be the use of talk-to-text recording medical records just needing a correcting glance by the writer and immediately able to be posted for the patient onto a health app. A saving in mail and paperwork. Letters and clinical records are years behind.
In this day of X-rays and ultrasound why can’t visits to specialists be completed in one day. In a country of five million, a New Zealander should be able to access results and care at any hospital or clinic in the country.
Marie Kaire, Whangārei.
Different generation
I read with interest the article relating to retirement homes and complexes. I travel New Zealand two weeks out of four and find these retirement places springing up everywhere in all sorts of different forms.
I do wonder if people of my age bracket (early 60s) are going to be occupying all these units everywhere?
Unlike those a couple of decades or so older we don’t have such large properties we are rattling around in after the kids have left, are probably a lot more active (70 being the new 60) and independent, and don’t like the lack of capital gains as well.
As with many business types, many companies jump on the bandwagon when they see a potential profit, but I think eventually they will have to be rented out to young people and immigrants. If I had shares in these retirement companies, I would be very wary.
Hamish Walsh, Devonport.
An old story
French President Emmanuel Macron is quoted (Herald, January 8) as saying “10 years ago who would have imagined the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks … would be intervening directly in elections”.
But that is exactly what has happened for centuries as the rich and powerful use their undue influence to pursue their control of power.
Think of super-wealthy media barons such as Rupert Murdoch, and further back to Lord Beaverbrook and Randolph Hurst, who used their empires to push their personal political views, albeit contrary to the best interests of the vast majority of citizens.
Yes, Elon Musk is doing it again now using his vast wealth to gain ownership of Twitter, now called X, and his ownership of the means of delivering communications with Space X.
This is about power and hanging on to obscene levels of wealth. The United States has already further succumbed to this malaise as evidenced by Musk’s sudden elevation to one of Donald Trump’s closest confidants.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Shift summer
The question asked by holidaymakers about summer is what summer?
Having experienced 83 of them I have noticed the hottest month with most sunny days has shifted to February when everyone has gone back to work. In other words, summer has shifted forward a month.
So why don’t we move our holidays accordingly, return to work after Christmas until the end of January and head for the holiday spots in February?
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Blunt message
Now that Trump has stated that he wants to take over Greenland and Canada, I suggest that the citizens of these two countries give a similar reply that Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island gave to a Russian warship threatening to bomb them.
Steve Horne, Raglan.
