Morning. Have I got a story to tell.
Putting profits before people is when the very people that support your business are ignored, overlooked or taken for granted. In some instance such as my story, the client does not rate at all. The business has become immune to its service responsibility and client obligations.
In over 30 years of working in retail and hospitality I have never had to resort to calling the police on a customer and yet today I was threatened with the police when I demanded some better service!
I purchased an online ticket for my daughter aged 12 to fly to Chch. It wasn't a super cheap seat but it was not a full price fare either.
We arrived in plenty of time to board only to be told that my daughter could not board her flight as she was an unaccompanied minor. Ummm show me that in writing?
At no time during the purchase nor on the printed ticket was any warning about unaccompanied minors.
I was able to purchase my ticket but not use it.
So I asked for an immediate refund to correct the error so I could choose another carrier.
I was told that a refund would be made available through the flight centre and to contact them.
But I booked online, take some responsibilty please.
These are your airline rules and yet you are NOT advising passengers until it is too late!
I then said if you will not fly my daughter , and you have already flown her twice already this year then refund my ticket now so I can purchase another ticket today. Why should I be penalised for your failure to notify!!!
I was expected to leave without a piece of paper even confirming my refund.
I got more than angry at this stage and said NO!
I am not leaving this counter without some sort of acknowledgment that my money will be returned immediately. I asked to see the manager and a young fair haired man appeared.
I said there is a solution to be had here but you won't even look for an answer to the existing problem.
He then told me to leave the counter. I said NO way! I am not leaving without some proof of purchase and a refund in writing. Otherwise it would be easy for you to say I was too late , missed my flight and too bad.
While I was holding up the line trying to get some service a woman with a child asked to check in. she was on the same flight and I said look here is the solution. "My daughter can travel with her and her daughter and then she is not alone."
But now the flight had closed and the woman and her child were asked to purchase new tickets for the next available flight. So now 3 customers got no service and no flight and all had to pay for another flight.
Once again the opportunity to help people get to their destination was not their concern. The people were treated badly and the only reason would be to ensure the airline makes its profit.
What sort of business sells and item that is unusable once purchased???
What sort of business fails to advertise the fact clearly that tickets purchased are worthless and that your flight plans are of no concern to us. We got ya money!
The manager refused to print out anything in writing or even give his last name. That doesn't seem right.
Finally I did get my letter and it stated that it would be taking two weeks before I got a refund.
We walked a short distance to another airline.
The man there was helpful and polite and we were able to buy a new ticket and get on a plane at the other carrier.
Wish I went to AIR NEW ZEALAND first and I promise. I will never book a flight or fly Jetstar ever ever AGAIN!!!
I am contacting Fair Go .
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Saturday, 22 December 2012
This Government lacks accountability not to mention Ethics!
I was listening to the radio this morning and they commented on something that has been noticeable in it's absence. Namely politicians and good leadership.
John Key leads the lack of accountability brigade with his flippant remarks or fudged replies. His careful covering of his own arse is about where his buck stops.
His second in command Bill English is hazy on how much asset sales are likely to recoup. In fact Bill's guesses are not much to go on. People generally expect a better plan for the economic recovery of their country.
There are no new jobs. None have been created and many job losses are still happening.
I am at a loss on how this improves our country.
When asked to comment on various issues that affect us, the voting public many National MPs are unavailable for comment.What do they get paid to do again? remind me?
The education minister Hekia PARATA IS A incompetent and willful women who has never taught in a classroom . she wants to privatise education in Christchurch through stealth and partnership schools, Schools are Government run services to educate our population not produce a profit.
Profit is what the government seems to care about . In fact making a buck seems to be ALL this Government cares about. It is a trickle down effect but in this instance it's not money that is trickling down but bad attitudes.
We did not vote in people so they could extort our last dollars. We didn't vote in a Government who will decimate schools, and local councils to make a profit. If you don't believe me just look towards the Post Office.
Once the backbone of every small centre,The Post Office was the hub for both banking and mail services now a shell of the former glory, and the last stamp I brought was a piece of sticky paper with a franked stamp in ink on it. I guess stamp collecting is deemed obsolete too.
The Government has only one agenda for this country and it seems to be to wring out every last cent of profit or sell it off. There is no leadership of confidence in building something for the state. The State is a dirty word under a National government. State houses, get rid of them. sell them off or demo them and build motorways. A State house was meant to provide security and a permanent home to those unable to afford a deposit on their own home. Now it feels like state housing is despised.
The number of MPs who won't front up for a radio interview is also astounding. Frankly lets make a bigger effort next year and remove this nasty vermin that call itself Government and get some real people who want to provide good governance and real ethical leadership.
What blows me away the most is the money spent on mistakes and errors that adds up to millions of dollars. There are people in New Zealand who are in court for offences of $10.00 shoplifting or half a gram of cannabis or a beneficiary claiming an extra few bucks..This people go on to be made criminals while those in posh offices are screwing up and screwing us over and getting a golden handshake as well.
That is criminal.
John Key leads the lack of accountability brigade with his flippant remarks or fudged replies. His careful covering of his own arse is about where his buck stops.
His second in command Bill English is hazy on how much asset sales are likely to recoup. In fact Bill's guesses are not much to go on. People generally expect a better plan for the economic recovery of their country.
There are no new jobs. None have been created and many job losses are still happening.
I am at a loss on how this improves our country.
When asked to comment on various issues that affect us, the voting public many National MPs are unavailable for comment.What do they get paid to do again? remind me?
The education minister Hekia PARATA IS A incompetent and willful women who has never taught in a classroom . she wants to privatise education in Christchurch through stealth and partnership schools, Schools are Government run services to educate our population not produce a profit.
Profit is what the government seems to care about . In fact making a buck seems to be ALL this Government cares about. It is a trickle down effect but in this instance it's not money that is trickling down but bad attitudes.
We did not vote in people so they could extort our last dollars. We didn't vote in a Government who will decimate schools, and local councils to make a profit. If you don't believe me just look towards the Post Office.
Once the backbone of every small centre,The Post Office was the hub for both banking and mail services now a shell of the former glory, and the last stamp I brought was a piece of sticky paper with a franked stamp in ink on it. I guess stamp collecting is deemed obsolete too.
The Government has only one agenda for this country and it seems to be to wring out every last cent of profit or sell it off. There is no leadership of confidence in building something for the state. The State is a dirty word under a National government. State houses, get rid of them. sell them off or demo them and build motorways. A State house was meant to provide security and a permanent home to those unable to afford a deposit on their own home. Now it feels like state housing is despised.
The number of MPs who won't front up for a radio interview is also astounding. Frankly lets make a bigger effort next year and remove this nasty vermin that call itself Government and get some real people who want to provide good governance and real ethical leadership.
What blows me away the most is the money spent on mistakes and errors that adds up to millions of dollars. There are people in New Zealand who are in court for offences of $10.00 shoplifting or half a gram of cannabis or a beneficiary claiming an extra few bucks..This people go on to be made criminals while those in posh offices are screwing up and screwing us over and getting a golden handshake as well.
That is criminal.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Orphanages and a new twist on Oliver
I am a mother , a teacher and a grandmother. I Like children, and I worry about them. I think that children are powerless in society and that when children grow up in dysfunctional homes they are often damaged in ways that can make them in turn not the best of parents. I am not saying anyone is a deliberate bad parent but that some have little understanding of the needs of an infant.
In my childhood I read a lot of books and stories about poor children who lived in orphanages. I guess after two world wars there were large numbers of children that lacked two parents or one fit parent . Grief and loss were accepted with a stoicism that is unseen in our young people today. The book Goodnight Mr Tom was a classic example of abuse and hunger and poverty after the second world war. Thousands of children were also evacuated to safety . Many out of England and to Canada or New Zealand and Australia.
The 60's changed the way the world thought about war and contraception and the me generation, X and Y and it's subsequent offspring, have a sense of entitlement, unheard of too.
I see, little children in sad homes , hungry, neglected, poor and abused. How do we deal with it. Many blame. Some blame drugs and others race and inexperience. Is there help and adequet support and if you were 3 or 6 or 9 years old where would you go for help? Would you have somewhere to go for help? And would you? Children never tell on their parents, most think all parents are the same. Some are told not to tell or the consequences may be worse treatment!
In our "don't tell" culture, people are labeled narc if they report suspected child abuse. Famlies can conceal abuse and a code of silence surrounded the death of two babies in this country. Do I have an answer? I am not sure, but I think that our model of keeping the family together although well intended overlooks the child and it's whole environment.
Why don't we take all the children who are at risk out of the dysfunctional families altogether? We know that families are often ALL part of the cycle of abuse. If Nana or Grandad beat mum or dad , I would figure that all the Aunties and Uncles have been treated the same way. Sexual abuse, violence, alcohol and drug problems are connected as is the family.
I wonder if large modern and State run Orphanages or residential homes for kids are needed to supply the stability and security that has been lacking in their lives. The parents are not excluded but the children who are deemed unsafe within their own family need a fresh start and deserve something better . Something a lot better than many of them have been used too. A good breakfast, a warm bed, a bath or shower and a clean and dry towel plus schooling is the most basic needs of a child. Yet many are missing out. I know this seems against the grain , but maybe purpose built places for children where their own families can visit and learn how to be better parents, budget better, or reduce drug and alcohol use are what is needed.
In other words we value our children and as a country we are not going to allow them to be in cold unsafe and violent homes any more. I am not suggesting this is going to happen to anyone not already familiar and part of the system already. but CyF's policy of placing children and paying people to care for them is unsatisfactory in my opinion for the young person. Too often they get moved from home to home or placement to placement. I have worked with a young person who had had 51 placements. This is a disservice to this young man who is unlikely to ever feel secure when he can be moved when things don't work out. I go so far as to call it a form of structural and institutional violence. The person being protected- is not.
For this reason I wonder if we need to actually invest real money in creating happy and safe environments for our young children to grow up as wards of the state , together is a group where children are part of a group , and can form a new kind of family . Paid well qualified and trained staff work round the clock as house parents. I know that there have been problems with this arrangement in the past but I am sure we can do better.
In my childhood I read a lot of books and stories about poor children who lived in orphanages. I guess after two world wars there were large numbers of children that lacked two parents or one fit parent . Grief and loss were accepted with a stoicism that is unseen in our young people today. The book Goodnight Mr Tom was a classic example of abuse and hunger and poverty after the second world war. Thousands of children were also evacuated to safety . Many out of England and to Canada or New Zealand and Australia.
The 60's changed the way the world thought about war and contraception and the me generation, X and Y and it's subsequent offspring, have a sense of entitlement, unheard of too.
I see, little children in sad homes , hungry, neglected, poor and abused. How do we deal with it. Many blame. Some blame drugs and others race and inexperience. Is there help and adequet support and if you were 3 or 6 or 9 years old where would you go for help? Would you have somewhere to go for help? And would you? Children never tell on their parents, most think all parents are the same. Some are told not to tell or the consequences may be worse treatment!
In our "don't tell" culture, people are labeled narc if they report suspected child abuse. Famlies can conceal abuse and a code of silence surrounded the death of two babies in this country. Do I have an answer? I am not sure, but I think that our model of keeping the family together although well intended overlooks the child and it's whole environment.
Why don't we take all the children who are at risk out of the dysfunctional families altogether? We know that families are often ALL part of the cycle of abuse. If Nana or Grandad beat mum or dad , I would figure that all the Aunties and Uncles have been treated the same way. Sexual abuse, violence, alcohol and drug problems are connected as is the family.
I wonder if large modern and State run Orphanages or residential homes for kids are needed to supply the stability and security that has been lacking in their lives. The parents are not excluded but the children who are deemed unsafe within their own family need a fresh start and deserve something better . Something a lot better than many of them have been used too. A good breakfast, a warm bed, a bath or shower and a clean and dry towel plus schooling is the most basic needs of a child. Yet many are missing out. I know this seems against the grain , but maybe purpose built places for children where their own families can visit and learn how to be better parents, budget better, or reduce drug and alcohol use are what is needed.
In other words we value our children and as a country we are not going to allow them to be in cold unsafe and violent homes any more. I am not suggesting this is going to happen to anyone not already familiar and part of the system already. but CyF's policy of placing children and paying people to care for them is unsatisfactory in my opinion for the young person. Too often they get moved from home to home or placement to placement. I have worked with a young person who had had 51 placements. This is a disservice to this young man who is unlikely to ever feel secure when he can be moved when things don't work out. I go so far as to call it a form of structural and institutional violence. The person being protected- is not.
For this reason I wonder if we need to actually invest real money in creating happy and safe environments for our young children to grow up as wards of the state , together is a group where children are part of a group , and can form a new kind of family . Paid well qualified and trained staff work round the clock as house parents. I know that there have been problems with this arrangement in the past but I am sure we can do better.
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Being heard and Drug Testing Beneficiaries...
On Friday I was able to present my oral submission to the Politicians about the Amendment proposed under the Social Security Act about Drug Testing Beneficiaries. I was given name suppression and the room was cleared because, (i don't really know) but I guess it was because I was disclosing my deep dark personal secret cannabis use.
I wrote a submission outlining my life story as a teacher and how it is difficult to be a law reform activist and remain employed. Also how being on a benefit and having a prior conviction can make employment next to impossible. I certainly feel like I am last choice. Which is a shame, as I have had over a decade working alongside drug users, as a counsellor and two years working with youth at Odyssey House. I have a unique set of skills.
So when I went to present my submission I was pretty sure of the ground I stood on.
I thought it best to start by asking those on the panel, MPs from all Parties are part of the select committee three questions.
1. Have you ever been long term unemployed?
2. Have you ever been before a court?
3. Have you or your family ever smoked cannabis?
I must say I did not really get any answers.
One lady MP put her hand up for being unemployed I think.
I then said when there are no jobs and the number of being made redundant each week is growing there is a real problem.
I am afraid I did not know the name of the chair but he proudly held up his shiny new I pad and said there are 14,000 jobs on seek and I could get one easily. It may not fit my skills but that did not bother him.
I tried to explain that many people do not have internet or phones or many in Avondale, where I live are immigrants without the required language skills.
His reply was directed at me and that perhaps I should not be too choosy.
I said it does not make sense for me to go off and pick fruit when I am nearly finished a Masters degree in Public Health.
The word dolt! entered my mind when listening to this pompous prick with an I Pad tell me there are 17,000 jobs on seek.
I guess I can only hope that common sense prevails and this lot of DOLTs get voted out.
When you are creating the problem, (jobless) blaming them for being jobless does not bring about change.
What is needed is a proper structure in place to train young people and prepare them for real jobs. Not everyone is going to go to University and the cleaners,cooks and childcare workers are undervalued and underpaid.
To solve any problem I learned from Paolo Friere that you must be able to understand what the problem really is.
The point I wanted to make was why test beneficiaries for using drugs when there are no jobs. I have no issue with drug testing once a person has a contract for a job and that the job requires a level of alertness or safety that drug testing is justified.
It costs over $100.00 to test for substances in a body. Plus most substances, E, alcohol , P and LSD etc have been passed out leaving only cannabis remaining in the system for detection. why waste time and money when the goal is to create employment and more REAL jobs.
Right now there is extra seasonal work , pre- Christmas but that is not going to last.
I hope they understood me, that it is a pointless exercise, and one that smacks of coercion and bullying to attack the weakest and most vulnerable when a real job at a real living wage is what is needed.
I wrote a submission outlining my life story as a teacher and how it is difficult to be a law reform activist and remain employed. Also how being on a benefit and having a prior conviction can make employment next to impossible. I certainly feel like I am last choice. Which is a shame, as I have had over a decade working alongside drug users, as a counsellor and two years working with youth at Odyssey House. I have a unique set of skills.
So when I went to present my submission I was pretty sure of the ground I stood on.
I thought it best to start by asking those on the panel, MPs from all Parties are part of the select committee three questions.
1. Have you ever been long term unemployed?
2. Have you ever been before a court?
3. Have you or your family ever smoked cannabis?
I must say I did not really get any answers.
One lady MP put her hand up for being unemployed I think.
I then said when there are no jobs and the number of being made redundant each week is growing there is a real problem.
I am afraid I did not know the name of the chair but he proudly held up his shiny new I pad and said there are 14,000 jobs on seek and I could get one easily. It may not fit my skills but that did not bother him.
I tried to explain that many people do not have internet or phones or many in Avondale, where I live are immigrants without the required language skills.
His reply was directed at me and that perhaps I should not be too choosy.
I said it does not make sense for me to go off and pick fruit when I am nearly finished a Masters degree in Public Health.
The word dolt! entered my mind when listening to this pompous prick with an I Pad tell me there are 17,000 jobs on seek.
I guess I can only hope that common sense prevails and this lot of DOLTs get voted out.
When you are creating the problem, (jobless) blaming them for being jobless does not bring about change.
What is needed is a proper structure in place to train young people and prepare them for real jobs. Not everyone is going to go to University and the cleaners,cooks and childcare workers are undervalued and underpaid.
To solve any problem I learned from Paolo Friere that you must be able to understand what the problem really is.
The point I wanted to make was why test beneficiaries for using drugs when there are no jobs. I have no issue with drug testing once a person has a contract for a job and that the job requires a level of alertness or safety that drug testing is justified.
It costs over $100.00 to test for substances in a body. Plus most substances, E, alcohol , P and LSD etc have been passed out leaving only cannabis remaining in the system for detection. why waste time and money when the goal is to create employment and more REAL jobs.
Right now there is extra seasonal work , pre- Christmas but that is not going to last.
I hope they understood me, that it is a pointless exercise, and one that smacks of coercion and bullying to attack the weakest and most vulnerable when a real job at a real living wage is what is needed.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Times have changed
I heard an interesting speaker in the weekend talk about drugs and changing our consciousness . His topic showed that for the whole of mans time on Earth we have been enjoying getting high, From the ancient rock drawings on caves to buried herb burning bowls, for ritual, people have liked to use substances to alter their perception. Alcohol is the main drug used today . It is legal and widely accepted plus it is also very cheap. 80% of New Zealander's over 18 have tried alcohol.
I come from parent who were minimal users of alcohol. They were daily drinkers , yes but drank about a thimble full each night with dinner. Port for or Sherry. Eeew.
They were not part of any party set.
In fact seriously straight probably best describes them. the most entertaining of their friends once leapt into his pool at a party with his socks still on. to my parents this was hilarious . Quite outrageous behaviour. Hmmm not quite scandalous or even risky compared to behaviour these days.
The range of substances available and used by many today is also astounding.
At the Meeting another speaker asked us to name the different substances people commonly use and then we rated their harm individually. What was amazing to me was I am so unfamiliar with many of the substances. I know my ABC's and BZP and P , E and LSD but I am not too sure about MMD and DMT sounds very close to MSD??
Being an advocate of Cannabis Law Reform and also a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor I was surprised by my own ignorance. I am naive to the point I do not know what some of these products are or their effects. Certainly I have tried some pills for educational purposes and in my experience I do not get any pleasure from them.
I then had to question am I a product of my parents and super straight too?
I come from parent who were minimal users of alcohol. They were daily drinkers , yes but drank about a thimble full each night with dinner. Port for or Sherry. Eeew.
They were not part of any party set.
In fact seriously straight probably best describes them. the most entertaining of their friends once leapt into his pool at a party with his socks still on. to my parents this was hilarious . Quite outrageous behaviour. Hmmm not quite scandalous or even risky compared to behaviour these days.
The range of substances available and used by many today is also astounding.
At the Meeting another speaker asked us to name the different substances people commonly use and then we rated their harm individually. What was amazing to me was I am so unfamiliar with many of the substances. I know my ABC's and BZP and P , E and LSD but I am not too sure about MMD and DMT sounds very close to MSD??
Being an advocate of Cannabis Law Reform and also a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor I was surprised by my own ignorance. I am naive to the point I do not know what some of these products are or their effects. Certainly I have tried some pills for educational purposes and in my experience I do not get any pleasure from them.
I then had to question am I a product of my parents and super straight too?
Monday, 19 November 2012
LOSER? Who me?
I wonder what sort of person, immediately calls a person a loser because they disagree with what you are saying? It has been said that the person who resorts to name calling has already lost the argument. Clearly they are unable to argue with fact or reason.
Yesterday I rang a well known talk-back radio station to comment on a facebook posting that invited callers to comment on Kim Dotcom calling John Key a liar. I felt qualified to phone in and comment as I saw the interview with Kim Dotcom on the television. Problem was , instead of getting Mike Yardley in Christchurch I got some buffoon called Elation in Auckland who promptly called me a loser for voicing my opinion.
He asked what evidence did I have for my assertion and I and said body language but his credibility.That John Key has been seen to be not telling the truth on several occasions previously. He mocked me and called me a loser.
I have had a day to reflect on my loser status and I have come to the conclusion , that I am not a loser. I work 6 days a week in my cafe business and am not a loser.
I have raised three children mostly on my own and with very little income . I am not a loser.
My two school aged children are doing well at school and are well liked by their teachers.
I am not a loser as I survived the Christchurch earthquake, sold my house and moved to Auckland on my own. I am neither a quitter or a loser.
I fight for the under dog and may be a little different to some peoples opinion of what makes a winner.
But I participated in Occupy and felt more alive there, than I have ever have .... any where.
I also protested against the closure of the Avondale Post Office as part of the community I now belong to. I belong to Auckland Action Against Poverty.
I care, and that makes me an OK person , If not Lame Leighton's view of a winner.
His idea of a winner seems to be a male. Perhaps one with money and more power. His idea of a winner is a bully who can name call .
I do not have status. I am not rich. I have been to court for my beliefs and will sit in a cell again .
I care about the children and young people who have not got a voice. I care about the people who cannot read or write and cannot participate.
I have a voice and no one can silence me or make me a loser.
Yesterday I rang a well known talk-back radio station to comment on a facebook posting that invited callers to comment on Kim Dotcom calling John Key a liar. I felt qualified to phone in and comment as I saw the interview with Kim Dotcom on the television. Problem was , instead of getting Mike Yardley in Christchurch I got some buffoon called Elation in Auckland who promptly called me a loser for voicing my opinion.
He asked what evidence did I have for my assertion and I and said body language but his credibility.That John Key has been seen to be not telling the truth on several occasions previously. He mocked me and called me a loser.
I have had a day to reflect on my loser status and I have come to the conclusion , that I am not a loser. I work 6 days a week in my cafe business and am not a loser.
I have raised three children mostly on my own and with very little income . I am not a loser.
My two school aged children are doing well at school and are well liked by their teachers.
I am not a loser as I survived the Christchurch earthquake, sold my house and moved to Auckland on my own. I am neither a quitter or a loser.
I fight for the under dog and may be a little different to some peoples opinion of what makes a winner.
But I participated in Occupy and felt more alive there, than I have ever have .... any where.
I also protested against the closure of the Avondale Post Office as part of the community I now belong to. I belong to Auckland Action Against Poverty.
I care, and that makes me an OK person , If not Lame Leighton's view of a winner.
His idea of a winner seems to be a male. Perhaps one with money and more power. His idea of a winner is a bully who can name call .
I do not have status. I am not rich. I have been to court for my beliefs and will sit in a cell again .
I care about the children and young people who have not got a voice. I care about the people who cannot read or write and cannot participate.
I have a voice and no one can silence me or make me a loser.
Monday, 10 September 2012
New Zealand is an alcoholic country awash in denial
I am perplexed as to the character of those currently sitting in Parliament. Especially those leaning right and wearing expensive suits. No amount of dry-cleaning will be able to rid them of the smell of hypocrisy. I am referring to those in power who want us to believe- cannabis bad, alcohol good. It's so Orwellian like two legs good , four legs better.
Every study from around the world tells us that like tobacco, alcohol is an addictive drug and it's harm outweighs its pleasures for many people. I do not want to ban alcohol I want some fairness. Last night the Campbell show featured a story about an ordinary woman and her fall from grace due to her dependence on alcohol. Those people are everywhere. They are normal part of society and a product of what happens when we normalise an essentially unsafe commodity. They feel ashamed but carry on drinking. Its too easy to get alcohol 24/7 and its cheap.
The opposite is also occurring, where the people, who use cannabis , (often instead of alcohol) are being demonised. This week the presenter of the Q+A programme said in relation to something about the drug testing of beneficiaries , "Lazy , over paid, dope smoking crims". How outrageous and offensive!
How very disingenious of our politicians to want to bring all sort of punishment down on a few people who smoke cannabis. Was this a response to the Court Protest in Palmerston North, where Billy McKee pleaded with a judge for permission to use cannabis. Billy McKee is 57 and an amputee as the result of a drunk driver. It would be ironic if it wasn't so sad. His supporters protested outside the court. I made a sign that said , Doctors not Judges. I want a doctor to have the power to say , this man can benefit from this treatment.
Judges do not like to be challenged. In court they are always listened too and of course always right. Maybe they are right and it is the Law that is wrong in this case.
Lazy , over paid chardonnay drinking crims may also apply to the politicians. How is it that over 52% of New Zealanders' have tried cannabis and in one longitudinal study the figure was 72% of the cohort had tried cannabis. What they are saying and it makes me feel sick to my stomach is, it's ok to punish people for a harmless act. In fact they are so far removed the reality of truthfulness, in suggesting this because imagine that before any beneficiary is drug tested we were able to apply the same principle to our MP's. And why stop at drug testing them , shouldn't they all be breathalysed each morning before they come to work?
I am sick of lies and double standards. We all know that people smoke cannabis with very little harm all over the world. We also know that these people in power have family and friends that smoke cannabis as cannabis is used across the whole of society. It just suits the media to only show the poorest of the people who have nothing to lose to make a point. You would be forgetting the American Billionaire who came to new Zealand on his super yacht was caught with hash and cannabis in 1999 and Richard Branson is in favour of legalising cannabis. Hardly loser types.
Every study from around the world tells us that like tobacco, alcohol is an addictive drug and it's harm outweighs its pleasures for many people. I do not want to ban alcohol I want some fairness. Last night the Campbell show featured a story about an ordinary woman and her fall from grace due to her dependence on alcohol. Those people are everywhere. They are normal part of society and a product of what happens when we normalise an essentially unsafe commodity. They feel ashamed but carry on drinking. Its too easy to get alcohol 24/7 and its cheap.
The opposite is also occurring, where the people, who use cannabis , (often instead of alcohol) are being demonised. This week the presenter of the Q+A programme said in relation to something about the drug testing of beneficiaries , "Lazy , over paid, dope smoking crims". How outrageous and offensive!
How very disingenious of our politicians to want to bring all sort of punishment down on a few people who smoke cannabis. Was this a response to the Court Protest in Palmerston North, where Billy McKee pleaded with a judge for permission to use cannabis. Billy McKee is 57 and an amputee as the result of a drunk driver. It would be ironic if it wasn't so sad. His supporters protested outside the court. I made a sign that said , Doctors not Judges. I want a doctor to have the power to say , this man can benefit from this treatment.
Judges do not like to be challenged. In court they are always listened too and of course always right. Maybe they are right and it is the Law that is wrong in this case.
Lazy , over paid chardonnay drinking crims may also apply to the politicians. How is it that over 52% of New Zealanders' have tried cannabis and in one longitudinal study the figure was 72% of the cohort had tried cannabis. What they are saying and it makes me feel sick to my stomach is, it's ok to punish people for a harmless act. In fact they are so far removed the reality of truthfulness, in suggesting this because imagine that before any beneficiary is drug tested we were able to apply the same principle to our MP's. And why stop at drug testing them , shouldn't they all be breathalysed each morning before they come to work?
I am sick of lies and double standards. We all know that people smoke cannabis with very little harm all over the world. We also know that these people in power have family and friends that smoke cannabis as cannabis is used across the whole of society. It just suits the media to only show the poorest of the people who have nothing to lose to make a point. You would be forgetting the American Billionaire who came to new Zealand on his super yacht was caught with hash and cannabis in 1999 and Richard Branson is in favour of legalising cannabis. Hardly loser types.
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