Whanganui letters: Votes for 16-year-olds and budget feeds for kids

Ingraining the democratic habit at a younger age would improve democracy, writes Keith Beautrais. Photo / Bevan Conley

Votes for 16-year-olds would be a progressive step.

Politicians know that the senior citizen vote is important, so they get to the Grey Power meetings and listen to their needs to garner their votes.

Wouldn't it be great to incentivise them to visit senior secondary school students too, and listen to their questions and ideas?

Ingraining the democratic habit at a younger age is likely to lead to the habit sticking and would strengthen our democracy.

If it is good enough to let people keep voting when they are perhaps declining in [their] ability to consider change, then it should be good enough to let younger people have a vote, too.

After all, they have a much greater stake in the future than us gold card holders.

KEITH BEAUTRAIS
Westmere

Eating cheaper

I understand that some Whanganui children are going to school hungry because their parents cannot afford to buy food for them. I have checked prices at Pak'nSave and Hill Street Greens and discovered that $7 a day is enough to buy food for 3 children.

Each day, three children need about 25 - 30,000 kilojoules of energy, 200 to 250 grams of protein, and plenty of fibre, minerals and vitamins.

Breakfast for them can be 500g of rolled oats ($1), an egg (50c), and 50g of whole milk powder (45c), mixed with water and microwaved. This gives 8800kj of energy and 100g of protein.

Breakfast or a school lunch can be muffins baked the previous evening. Mix up one egg (50c), blend in 50g of Pams' smooth peanut butter (70c), grate/slice cheese, carrot, onion, celery, apple etc. (about 20c-40c), add these to a mixture of 150g of wholemeal flour, 150g of plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder (50c), make it into a dough with about 150mls of milk made from powder (15c) and cook. This gives 11,600 kj energy, and 85g of protein. I had to stop making these yummy muffins, because I couldn't stop eating them and put on too much weight!

Or, school lunch can be sandwiches with a cheap wholemeal loaf of bread ($1.15), 75g of Pams peanut butter (45c), and a bin apple or cooking-grade banana (40c). This gives 8000kj of energy and 90g of protein.

A dinner of rice risotto can be made for them from 2 cups of dry rice (90c), an egg (50c), an onion (20c) and whatever other bits of vegetable you have (50c). Or rice, onion and 90 cents worth of chicken. Search for recipes on the internet similar to these to give variety.

Hopefully, teachers could show students how to feed themselves cheaply like this.

JOHN ARCHER
Ohakune