Two contributors to The Weekend Sun's letter pages bring attention to the most serious error of our times - namely I Stevenson's letter ‘Staff salaries part of ratepayer-fleecing' (Friday, June 27).

If these errors aren't known and corrected they'll create disharmony in communities, bring grim times and cause everyone serious regret from not being taught how our world economy works.

Both letter writers mentioned must have some memory loss, for they too – like all citizens – must have participated to some extent in creating this economic outcome we're all having to shoulder.

The emphasis on council staff salaries, which specifically effect rates, is only one concern.

The sad thing is most incomes today don't relate to or aren't based upon individual productivity.

New Zealand doesn't score well on the OECD countries' scale of productivity.
I think our score is 17th: not good.

We should remember nothing works well unless it works as intended.
I learned years ago what it was when I watched our savings being stolen by market forces.

What's being stolen today is the value of our means of exchange. It's portrayed as market forces, as though players in the market aren't to blame.

There's an equation here and if you take out the players, there would be no market.
So is it the ignorance of this reality at fault? I believe so.

D L Reid, Bethlehem.