Your view: Employment, economy, Egypt, ghosts, climate change, Don St parking

OPINION:  Click here to find out how to submit a letter for publication.

PM's stance on jobs disappointing
I was disappointed to read John Key's implication that the employment situation will only improve as a result of an improving international situation, and nothing more can, or will, be done.

There are about 2000 unemployed in Invercargill, with 1500 of these wanting to work. The rest are unemployable, too ill to work, or don`t want to work.

It is unjust that these 1500 should be forced to accept a subsistence income ($150/week), while the working population do considerably better. They have no choice other than to accept this income, and this situation.

During the Great Depression, when policymakers had a social conscience, work was created for those out of work. Why can this not be done now? Work is not only a means of making income, it adds purpose to life, adds structure to your day, engenders discipline, fosters self-sacrifice, gets you out of the house, and provides a peer group, amongst other benefits. It is ridiculously hard to find work at the moment.

To have infinite free time, and no money to do anything with it, is not a recipe for happiness in my book.

I feel that John Key should look at being more proactive about the New Zealand unemployment situation, by creating jobs, be they minimum wage, introducing the "work for dole" scheme, and otherwise actually doing something about unemployment, rather than letting good people stagnate on benefits. You'd almost think he was just a businessman minimising a loss.
Don Collie Jr, Invercargill

9/11 mentality
Key and Smith seem to have the same mindset as the suicide pilots on 9/11.

They have hijacked the country's people on a one-way trip to economic suicide: wClaiming a carbon tax will stop climate change when there is no scientific or physical proof to support this theory.wMaking rules that allow carbon traders to swindle money out of people by claiming forest CO2 sinks will offset emissions when there is no scientific or audited proof to support this theory.wClaiming farmers must be taxed on their emissions, which is wrong, because in the Kyoto Protocol agriculture does not have to be included.

Apparently, no auditing will be done on any of the ETS. This shows that the whole thing is a farce.

The ETS will reduce New Zealand's economy to Third World status.

Leaked emails from the climate change office in the UK show how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has forged and altered data on the climate.
S D Payne, Rimu.

Egypt clarification
To clarify my previous letter about the supposed Jews in Egypt, there is, in fact, no evidence that the Hebrews (Jews) were present in Egypt at all at the time of the building of the great pyramid cluster at Giza. Egyptologists tend to believe that the Hebrews were one of the Hyksos tribes that invaded Egypt around 1630BC from the direction of Syria. The Hyksos were noted for their cloaks of many colours!

The first pyramid was completed at Saqqara by the pharaoh Djoser around 2615BC, the great pyramid at Giza was completed by Khufu (Cheops) around 2530BC and the last pyramid at Abydos by Ahmose I around 1530BC. The pharaoh Ahmose I was the one who finally defeated the Hyksos.

The Exodus is believed to have happened during the reigns of either Ramesses II or Merneptah, between 1280 and 1215BC.

The most likely scenario is that the Hebrews arrived in Egypt around 1630BC, 1000 years after the building of the Cheops pyramid, and that they were confined to settlements east of the Nile Delta by Ahmose I around 1530BC, where they remained for about 300 years before making themselves scarce.
Martin I McGregor, Invercargill

Apparent apparition
In this modern age who would believe that ghosts would make the front page?

Does anyone out there really believe that reflection to be a spooky ghost?

I for one am a bit smarter ... it's a vampire!
Christopher L Hall, Invercargill

Pseudo-science spin
Carol Cowan says I can find the facts about air pollutants and global warming on Wikipedia.

Sure, I can go to Wikipedia for proof of global warming and I can go to Wikipedia for disproof of global warming.

That's the point; the way so-called facts are being used to shore up scientists' reputations and politicians' agendas.

At the recent Copenhagen conference, the underdeveloped nations were only too well aware they were being subjected to pseudo-science-supported spin by the big league and they were rightly suspicious.

In New Zealand we all know how power freaks like Helen Clark can use ammunition handed to them by those who stand to gain by so-called green policies.

The global warming issue must be subjected to reputable scientific investigation leading to practical, effective solutions, not nebulous wet-blanket nonsense like emissions trading.

This has not happened yet and, until it does, we must constantly challenge scientists to prove their conclusions and politicians to justify their policies.
Martin I McGregor, Invercargill

Don St free parking
It's great to finally see the footpaths and car park lanes finished in Don St, outside Middle School and the 2nd NZEF Association.

I have noticed during the past couple of weeks, there have been no yellow lines repainted in these areas. And people have made use of the extra parking outside both of these two places.

As there are no parking meters in this area, they are receiving all- day parking free. Which is awesome, as it must be expensive when you work in the CBD. But now that school has gone back, why are you still parking there?

These parks are normally used by parents to drop off and pick up kids at the school.

The school has only seven carparks out the back of school for parents.

This is not enough parks ... so to the people who park outside the school – stop being selfish and tight, pay for a parking meter or start parking where you used to park.

The safety of kids should come first, not how much you've saved on parking for the week.
K McWilliam, Invercargill

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