Letters, July 9: Shameful tantrum

It was a pathetic and shameful tantrum by truckers, who could well have cost the economy as much money as a year's road user charges by blocking city streets on Friday morning.

New headlines should say that workers and families in cars have been paying 64 per cent of their costs to the economy, while truck drivers paid only 56 per cent of their costs.

That was in the Transport Ministry's surface transport costs and charges study of 2005.

Instead trucks make headlines by deafening workers and businesses with their hooters and generally behaving like a bunch of spoiled children.

What's more, they kept doing this for more than three hours, wasting their time, their employers' time and losing public support every minute.

With rising petrol prices, ordinary motorists who were paying the greater share of road costs in 2005 will now be paying an even higher proportion of that unless the selfish and destructive large lorries take a fair share of their far greater damage to our roads.

It is to be hoped that the brainless vandalism of this protest drives more New Zealand businesses to become rail freight users who, in 2005, were paying an average 82 per cent of their cost to the economy.

JOSEPH PEART

Auckland

 

Rail advantage

How cynical is that?

The group (formerly known as the Government) have increased road user charges to create a penalty for everyone, in order to artificially advantage freighting by rail.

This is the same rail that they bought because it was not doing well.

Go figure.

PETER HEASLIP

Hamilton

 

Grave accolades

Isn't it great when, having purchased yourself a new train set, you also have the power to immediately make your competition less viable by whacking truckies with increased road user charges.

Well done Clark and co.

Uncle Joe (Stalin) will be applauding them from the grave.

PETER TASHKOFF

Auckland

Charges hit hard

The Government has announced an increase in the road user charge for diesel vehicles, as from almost immediately.

Realising this will affect the prices of everything and put jobs at risk, I would like to speak up for a minority group of the communities who will be hard hit.

People with disabilities rely on a diesel van to transport electric wheelchairs, and many rest homes use a community van for their residents.

Life is just going to get that bit harder, but how come they can do this with immediate effect, yet we have to wait months before the benefits/pensions are increased?

LINDA SHILLING

Hamilton

 

Historic Christianity

I read with fascination Russell Armitage's claims (Waikato Times, June 28) that the Anglican church currently discriminates against practising homosexuals.

I guess by the same logic, rugby unions discriminate against soccer players.

It is unimaginable that a soccer player would join a rugby club and only play according to the rules of soccer.

Yet people like Russell Armitage want the Christian Church to become a different religion to historic Christianity.

I have no problem with people believing a different religion to historic Christianity.

But why don't they start a new church rather than infiltrate the existing ones?

Imagine how rugby union players would feel if they realised that the management of their union are actually people who prefer soccer and have secretly been working away for years to turn the game into soccer?

I expect they would be rightly exasperated and would want to maintain a union of people who actually wanted to play rugby and not soccer.

That is what is happening within the Anglican church.

There is exasperation at a new religion being promoted within the church and unions are forming of people who hold to historic Christianity.

PETER COLLIER

Assistant Minister

St John's Anglican Church

Christchurch

 

Embracing people

I write in reference to the several articles printed in the Waikato Times over recent weeks relating to gay issues and the Anglican Church.

The Anglican Church, like much of society, has not as yet reached any clear consensus with issues relating to homosexuality.

Like the wider community, this is something with which the Anglican Church and many other denominations continue to struggle.

It seems from much of what has been written that the Church sees itself as being the bastion of righteousness and truth and therefore can be openly criticised for its dealings with gay clergy.

This is not the case and is perhaps the view of those who stand outside the Church.

Those who attend a church know that church communities are made up of many different people who come with a variety of expectations, cultural biases, theological positions as well as their own personal histories.

The one thing that we have in common is that we are aware of our own failing and sinfulness and seek to do something about it.

This is what brings us together to worship our loving God who freely forgives.

We at St Peter's Cathedral welcome all people, young and old, male and female, gay and straight, black and white, rich and poor because God does not discriminate against anyone.

Our aim is to be an inclusive community which embraces and supports all our people and the community in which we live, and fights for justice for those who are oppressed.

THE VERY REV JAN JOUSTRA

(Dean of Waikato)

St Peter's Cathedral

Hamilton

 

Riff Raff rumour

Is there any truth in the rumour that the Hamilton City Council is debating whether to move the statue of Riff Raff closer to the Anglican Cathedral?

P J MURPHY

Patea

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