The last council had a committee chaired by Helen Craig for formulating a new tree policy. Whatever became of that? Pedestrians still have to duck or walk around these obstacles.
How many readers remember the flooded driveway into KFC. It took the council 10 years to get around to fixing that.
M. AFFLECK
Springvale
Seymour's bill
Re: Item on David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill:
It's a sad day when a MP must water down a private member's bill to suit the needs of an MP like Maggie Barry.
Ms Barry is not out of the woods yet regarding her behaviour in the Beehive towards her staff. If her recent performance on TV1 when interviewed on David Seymour's private member's bill is an example, she was sarcastic and acted like a childish school bully.
I believe Ms Barry's private member's bill on palliative care should stand or fall on its own merits.
Barry and her lot have done their best to torpedo the euthanasia bill which is downright disgusting when you look at all the social crap pushed by her.
Our terminally ill deserve the right to end their life if that is their choice.
Why is eligibility now being limited to the terminally ill? Does that mean only those in the last week of their life can implement their choice to terminate their lives and end the associated pain and stress? I certainly hope not.
The Government is looking at bringing class 1 drug addicts and other druggies into our over-burdened health system at huge cost.
These people have been a burden on our domestic and social system most of their lives and have been supported by our generous taxpayer-funded welfare system.
They have keep drug dealers and gangs in business using welfare payments and crime to pay for their habit. Now they get a double hit - continued benefits and free healthcare.
Yet a small number of valued New Zealanders want to exit from a terminally ill sickness or disease and are subjected to years of chain-dragging and stress by people like Barry and former prime minister Bill English.
Elected members need to remember who put them there - certainly not their religion or church.
R.G. WALKER
St Johns Hill
Drone exclusion
An interesting article about the dangers associated with drone flying (Whanganui Chronicle; December 24), especially the non-attributed phrase: "In Whanganui, drones cannot be flown within 4km of the boundary of Whanganui Airport and Whanganui Hospital ..."
Ignoring for the moment that "cannot" is incorrect, the 4km exclusion area covers the majority of Wanganui's suburban area. A map displaying this exclusion zone can be found at www.airshare.co.nz/ maps.
Drone operators holding a model Flying New Zealand wings badge, or a pilot licence, or qualification, or being supervised by someone who does, and also has the approval from the operators of Whanganui Airport and Whanganui heli-pad (probably both because their 4km zones overlap) may fly a drone within that area.
But as 99.99 per cent of drone owners clearly do not meet these conditions, then they may not fly their drones anywhere within the majority of the Wanganui suburban area. But I bet they will.
V.W. BALLANCE
Westmere
Trump and Pelosi
As your editorial states, US President Donald Trump met with Democrat Senate and Congress leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and invited the press to join them, filming the exchange.
I am glad that the meeting was filmed because anyone can watch it and see whether they agree with your editorial's characterisation of it as a victory for Ms Pelosi.
For example, watch the Democrat leaders repeatedly suggest the conversation be in private and not in front of the cameras. The same people who keep calling for "more transparency" from the president - even in their press conferences after this meeting.
Another example is Ms Pelosi trying to use "talking points" at the president, claiming that he "has the White House, Congress and the Senate" and doesn't need Democrat assistance to pass border security funding.
The president had to explain to Ms Pelosi that 52 seats in the Senate does not equal the 60 votes required. Does Ms Pelosi - this "most effective congressional leader of modern times", as she is described - not know how the Senate works?
Watch the two Democrats oppose a border wall, something they had voted for in 2006. They claim experts say such a barrier would be "ineffectual", but many of those studying the border issues and working at the frontline policing the border have said they need a barrier and that it would be quite effective.
K.A. BENFELL
Gonville
