Yes, it does cost money to see a GP or go to an accident and emergency clinic, but it's still cheaper than waiting for five hours to be treated, especially for an elderly person.
Naturally the family are distressed at having to wait that long for their father's wound to be seen to but I'm sure the victims of the heart attack or car accident or whomever the A&E staff had prioritised were grateful they had the opportunity to be treated first. I really don't understand why people refuse to follow advice from a trained, experienced professional and then get upset at said professional when they're not happy with the outcome.
Della Kidd, Mt Eden.
Train trouble
What does it take to get police action when hooligans brawl and intimidate passengers on a suburban train in Auckland? Police said after viewing cellphone footage of the rampage that there was nothing to warrant further action.
The little darlings were well recorded, even when kicking out at the train itself. Where is any comment by school principals or the transport company? Limp-wristed action such as this is no deterrent to antisocial misfits. No wonder dairies and the like can be targeted with impunity.
Ted Partridge, Mangere.
Sweet treats
Your correspondent Jocelyn Paterson is bemoaning the fact that global doughnut chain Krispy Kreme is establishing an outlet in New Zealand and, shock horror, in South Auckland of all places, claiming that this will aggravate obesity levels. Unless I misread the article, it has not yet been made compulsory to buy these treats and it seems to me that Ms Paterson is being a touch condescending to those who live in South Auckland by implying they are unable to make good choices.
Pat Taylor, Bethlehem.
Trump and the Pope
The awkward images of a Pope and a Donald bring to mind a quote from George Bernard Shaw, "Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power."
The Pope has previously described Trump as not Christian for his wall-building notions. Trump responded that to question a person's faith was disgraceful. These charismatic leaders have other things in common apart from private jets; both do a lot of talking with little effect and both have strong positions on the "place" of women.
The Catholic Church currently does not have any woman deacons - an ordained female position that is scriptural and historically attested. Women continue to be completely excluded from the Catholic religious hierarchy. Pope Francis' affirmation that the ban on priestly ordination for women "will continue forever" is shocking on a number of levels. Trump's hideous attitude and abusive treatment of women is public, appalling and remains unanswered. How can leaders talk about peace and justice with such positioning about half of the world's population?
Shaw also said, "Christianity might be a good thing if anyone ever tried it."
Russell Hoban, Ponsonby.
Shutting the door
I'm worried sick about Olaf's Cafe owners Robert Heeps and Olaf Blanke. If the Government goes ahead with proposed immigration changes, who is going to do all those jobs with no future and lousy pay? No real Kiwi will do them. We need to keep bringing in poor and uneducated immigrants or the world will end.
John Caldwell, Howick.
Taxing rental houses
Labour leader Andrew Little says he wants to remove negative gearing currently used by property speculators. As he correctly says, this gives speculators an unfair advantage over Kiwi families. Prime Minister Bill English dismisses this, saying, "At a time we need more housing, they're increasing tax on housing." Actually, speculators and investors don't build houses. Builders do.
Speculators and investors buy the houses that builders build, making them unavailable to would-be home owners and getting a tax break in the process. If our Prime Minister doesn't understand the difference between a builder and a speculator, I suggest that we need a change of government.
Euan Macduff, Titirangi.
Climate change
Victoria University's Professor Frame says if greenhouse emissions are not reduced, by the end of the century the climate would be unfamiliar to anyone alive today. It would, however, be pleasantly familiar to our ancestors. In the early 13th century, around the time of Robin Hood and his merry men, the Earth's climate was about two degrees warmer than it is now. This was not a disaster, in fact the period is called the Medieval Optimum and the climate got there all by itself - no cars, no coal-fired power stations.
By the 1500s the Earth had entered a 300-year period of unpleasantly cold conditions now known as the Little Ice Age, again with no help from humans. This unusually cold time is, of course, the pre-industrial period used as the baseline by climate alarmists. Fortunately for us, natural warming started about 200 years ago and continues to this day.
We can draw two obvious lessons from this little bit of history. First, a slightly warmer climate is not a disaster, it may even be beneficial, and second, the modest warming we are experiencing is almost certainly a natural process and man's contribution to it is minimal.
Brian O'Neill, Chatswood.
Greening planet
Jamie Morton's "Climate Shock on Horizon" got something right, our world has been "greening". Nasa satellites measuring the vegetative index, being the difference between green and brown areas, have found increased green plant life over the past 30 years.
Professor Frame attributes this to "water rising up from the soil", but the main cause is increased anthropogenic CO2 being hungrily gobbled up by a burgeoning plant life. With CO2 being removed from the atmosphere growing our food faster, a case can be made to increase, not remove, this essential gas.
Rex Sellar, Onehunga.
Bullying Trump
There have been several letters recently asking for people to stop bullying Donald Trump. Certainly bullying is not good but it is very hard to summon up any concern for a person who so often denigrates others such as Mexicans, Muslims, war heroes, the disabled, women, the list goes on. Also this is the man who relentlessly pushed the theory that President Obama was not an American citizen so I have no sympathy whatsoever for the Bully-in-Chief.
Jenny Senior, Waipawa.
Animal treatment
Know China before you judge it, as Alan Duff said in an interesting article this week. I think there are serious limitations, however, to what can be achieved by affording respect. The article failed to mention a few key facts that we do know about China. So let's put them out there and see if the respect is still justified.
Tigers are frequently caught in leg traps, I don't need to elaborate on the cruelty involved. Elephants and rhino have on numerous occasions had tusks removed with a chainsaw while the animal was alive. Sharks are finned, and thrown back alive. Dogs and cats are purposely, hung, beaten and flayed alive as the adrenaline is believed to tenderise the meat. Why is it this country, supposedly a birthplace of culture, has a monopoly on some of the very worst and most odious cultural practices? Respect for cruelty? Sorry, no. Respect is a euphemism for accept.
Ken Duffin, Papakura.
