Banks should lend more responsibly

Readers discuss bank lending habits. Other topics: problems with populism and maternity leave.

A generous amount of maternity leave is a win-win for individuals and companies, a reader says. Getty Images

People need to be responsible with their spending, but it takes two to tango (Good Samaritans stepping up to help UAE debtors, September 24). Banks need to be much more responsible as they are supposed to be experts in the financial world. I think much more could be done to educate people financially.

Michal Teague, Abu Dhabi

First and foremost, start by informing those attempting to move from their villages in search of riches in Dubai that it doesn’t come easy. All too often I witness people sneaking out of the country broke and ashamed.

TC Darmon, Dubai

It seems that these people are looking for a way to make money out of people in difficulties. This is just a business opportunity for them. Are they actually authorised to give people advice?

Sarah Broom, Dubai

How are they good Samaritans? They are charging fees. Call it as it is, they are providing a service and getting paid for it.

Mehdi Suleman, Dubai

The problem with populists

Populism is simply the intended form of democracy (Why the rise of populism may be Obama's legacy, September 23). The elected officials should be responsive to the people.

Too many cronies have infiltrated all levels of government around the world and now see themselves as entitled to the positions and benefits of power. Barack Obama and the Clintons have made that arrogance clearer than anyone in recent memory – in America.

Name withheld by request

But instead of voter fraud, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton talk about racism and sexism. Mr Obama told black voters that if they didn’t vote for Mrs Clinton, it would be a “personal insult”. And it was Mr Obama who brought race to the forefront. Through a series of hasty and unwise comments, he began to create racial divisions long before this election began to take shape.

He has refused to take a strong stance against violence in inner cities such as Chicago, while making judgments publicly on individual cases involving minorities before all evidence is known. He has publicly sided against law enforcement, growing the myth that law enforcement is actively out against the black community.

When he is wrong – as in the Michael Brown case, in which the department of justice investigated and found that evidence supported the officer’s version of events – Mr Obama never returns to clear the air or apologise for jumping to a wrong conclusion.

He encourages protesters while simply ignoring the accompanying chaos. He has nothing to say about the vandalism going on in Charlotte. He allows the myth that has taken hold in this and other cases to continue to grow.

By the way, just because voters do not want Mrs Clinton does not mean the country is “not ready” for a female president. A strong female leader without the scandalous and secretive baggage would have been miles ahead in polls.

Name withheld by request

Maternity leave is not charity

With reference to your article UAE workers push for longer maternity leave at private firms (September 22), I guess the corporate world somehow sees it as a charity.

They forgot that they were also babies at one point of their lives. How did their mothers manage?

Kristina Margit, Dubai

The economy of the UAE suffers when many of its bright and young people leave the workforce never to return (Longer leave for mothers makes sense, September 22).

The amount of leave should be set at one year, with a full guarantee of employment in the same job for the same pay.

With a full year, women could be with their babies during a very critical time and have more time to think about returning to their careers.

Owen Neale, Iraq