Seniors housing needed
The people of the Tilligerry Peninsula should welcome with open arms Bruce MacKenzie's idea of building much needed affordable seniors housing in the area.
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When Harbourside Haven was first established Bernie Thompson, founder, sought advice and support from then Shire President Bruce MacKenzie.
Later Tanilba Bay Aged Care facility was pioneered by Bruce MacKenzie. Many people currently enjoy these facilities and no doubt the community of Tilligerry will also enjoy the senior housing planned as a great initiative.
Gerry Mohan, Shoal Bay
Also read: Letters to the Editor, April 18
What is council afraid of
On March 26, Port Stephens Council adopted its own code of conduct despite it being specifically aimed at banning councillors from using social media to offer any opinion contrary to policies and decisions adopted by the council.
This is despite the fact that section 232 of the Local Government Act of 1993 includes a very comprehensive set of guidelines covering the conduct of councillors.
The councillor's handbook released by the Office of Local Government also states that 'the requirement to uphold the policies and decisions of the council should be read in the context of the implied freedom of political communication under the Australian constitution. In practical terms, councillors remain free to speak about the policies and decisions of the council but they must accept them and must not misrepresent them.'
Councillors must be trusted to accept and not misrepresent decisions of the council while expressing the concerns expressed by their constituents.
The code adopted by Port Stephens Council specifically rejects this by using terms such as 'potentially having a negative impact on their working relationships within the council'.
One wonders what this council could be afraid of?
John Ballantyne, Nelson Bay
Also read: Letters to the Editor, April 11
Time to ditch religion
When will people give up this childish belief in a mythical man in the sky?
You are only a Christian by accident of birth. If you were born in India the New Baptist pastor's opinion piece (Examiner, Opinion, April 18) would be substituting Jesus for the multi-armed Vishnu.
You leave behind Santa and the Easter bunny as you mature but not this fallacious belief in "the man in the sky".
Whilst the Judeo-Christian tradition has contributed greatly to western civilisation, it is time for the human race to mature and drop the endless peddling of religiosity that is holding us back.
Neuroscience has identified the evolved areas in the brain that make up our "religious" experiences and can activate them externally with no input from God.
I choose to put my faith in humans for better or worse, and I wish to journey through reason and debate in to the future as a species.
The clash of the Judeo-Christian west and Islam appears to be intensifying and seems to be heading down a dark path.
Only with the exclusion of religious fervour and cultism in all faiths, and the adoption of reason free of the promise of paradise can we realistically navigate the future with minimal violence.
Atheism does not mean we drop our human values, in fact it strengthens them for it means we only have the here and now, which is all we ever have.
Luke Thiele, Soldiers Point
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Letters on election issues must bear the name and full address of the writer. Responsibility for election comment in this issue is accepted by The Port Stephens Examiner and its Editor Anna Wolf. Writers should disclose any alliance with political or community organisations and include their phone number for verification. Election candidates should declare themselves as such when submitting letters.
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