Ratepayers are fed up with wasteful spending
Congratulations to the Prime Minister on not beating about the bush and telling councils it’s time to stop the vanity and money-wasting projects.
Ratepayers are fed up with double-digit increases in rates and have been telling this to councils for years, yet the waste continues.
Two recent local examples of waste: the costs to the Dunedin City Council of the persecution of Lee Vandervis because he is cost-conscious and does not conform to the norm, and the wasteful rebuilding of public toilets in an Oamaru park — an eye-watering $450,000.
What I found particularly galling, was the impolite "groaning" from the mayors and councillors, when being reminded by Mr Luxon of the need to be fiscally responsible ...
This country was not built on government handouts ... yet they continued to ask for such.
I have three suggestions for responsible councillors.
1. Those individual councillors who agree with the prime minister and are frustrated at council waste, break free of the other councillors, perhaps even form a New Zealand-wide group of "fiscally responsible people" who are prepared to undertake to stand for council in 2025 on that ticket.
2. Persuade the council to look at the financial benefits of withdrawing from the local council collective (a de facto union) set up to lobby government, and which itself now wastes money on generic advertising etc.
3. Suggest to councils that individual councillors donate a proportion of their council earnings to a mayoral relief fund for donations to those locals, groups in need, and discontinue all other council handouts.
Intergenerational debt
A headline (ODT 24.8.24) states "Labour will give money to councils". Is this possible?
Many people expect the government to find more money for schools, hospitals, health, social housing, law and order, roading, energy, infrastructure etc. The list goes
on.
It’s very easy for past politicians and others to blame the present government for not providing sufficient finance for everyone’s needs and wants.
Stop and think. Does anyone ever bother to research the total interest, paid daily, just to service the debt incurred by the previous government?
With all that extra borrowing, surely more of the problem areas should have been fixed in the past six years? Covid can’t be blamed for everything.
This present government has been in power for just eight months and is on a tight budget.
All debts, with added interest, must be paid and available funds must be used carefully and wisely, No-one can get money from a stone and we certainly don’t want politicians to keep borrowing excessively. This would only heap more debt on to our grandchildren in their future years.
Foam-flecked arguments
With reference to Rob Harris’ letter (ODT 20.8.24) one has to accept that people can have different opinions about Trump and the current Trump campaign, and he and Joe Bennett (Opinion ODT 22.8.24) have an equal right to comment on this.
But it is clear that the only "foam-flecked" arguments here are emanating from Rob Harris’ letter. Read Joe’s writings more regularly Rob. You will have a much better understanding of humanity.
Special event for special kids: special praise
My two disabled sons were able to fulfil a lifelong wish on Sunday by taking part in the wonderful Special Rigs for Special Kids event. There are not enough words to describe the joy they experienced from riding in a logging truck. Equally there are not enough words to adequately express my gratitude to the organisers and volunteers of this event.
I am especially in awe of the hundreds of truck drivers who gave up their Sunday and headed out in the freezing rain to bring joy to a group of kids they have never even met. I have never felt so humbled.
What made the day even better was all the locals who lined the route to cheer on the trucks and their precious cargo. My boys felt like rock stars.
I believe Dunedin is the greatest community and our truckies and their families are its beating heart.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
