Posts by Sam M
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Hard News: Budget 2017: How do we get…, in reply to Kumara Republic,
Yep. But in reality isn't that what we need (I'm a house owner too!).
If you think of housing, fundamentally, as a human need (shelter) and therefore a cost rather than an asset in which to measure wealth, then you would want them as cheap as possible.
Even if you accept there is some benefit to housing as a store of some wealth, the fact they have got so out of whack on real terms vs incomes means they need to come back some surely. No politician is willing to take that line.
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The MOST frustrating thing I find about political discourse in this country is that those on the right throw out that the left is ideologically driven and would ruin the country when EVIDENCE suggests that is horses&ˆt and the opposite is true.
A slavish devotion to lower tax and trickle down economics can be nothing more than ideology in this day and age.
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Genuine question: What are the biggest levers the government has access to to influence how the economy develops? I'm assuming, tax policy would be one of the biggest?
How can the Opposition truly offer an alternative vision for the future if they will not change the balance of what and how much we tax?
Also, I'm with Matthew. There have been heaps and heaps of improvements in productivity here and around the world but the spoils are no longer being shared. I don't see how we change this with tinkering around the edges.
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Hard News: Fear of Cycling, in reply to AThrift,
Is that right? Interesting. I thought I read somewhere (here?) that they had no legal standing.
I tend to stop as far forward as possible anyway - which is generally in front of the green box with my front wheel up against the lines showing the pedestrian crossing channel (if there is one).
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My experience is that it is the rule rather than the exception that the front car will stop inside the green cycle box at intersections. I always make a point of riding out and stopping in front of the car to claim my space.
The worst intersections are those that split from one lane to two for the intersection and then converge back to one lane on the other side. Cars racing to get one or two places ahead give me the s&ˆts. Blockhouse Bay Rd / New North Rd / St Jude St is the one of the worst for this.
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Hard News: Fear of Cycling, in reply to Chopper,
I thought I read somewhere a few years ago that research suggested helmets in rugby actually made things worse because they caused the players to believe they have more protection than they actually did and so they took less care of their heads...
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I ride a lot in traffic around West Auckland and into town. To be honest, I am not so scared of the cars that buzz too close or give me a hard time (though they do give you a fright at the time). It's the ones that just don't see you that will kill you. My closest calls have all been cars that simply pulled out in front of me from side streets or driveways leaving me no-where to go.
I'm also with Russell - I find riding to be cathartic (not sure if that is the right word) in that I concentrate hard and actually arrive home feeling pretty good about everything! I also agree that being a driver helps knowing what drivers are thinking and likely to do.
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Hard News: Public Address and PressPatron, in reply to Alex Clark,
Heh, thanks. Looks like it didn't work. I had assumed it did because I received the email. Will use the link.
Another bit of feedback re Safari on iPad. When I clicked to support, it opened up a box in the middle of the page which asked me to enter my credit card details. It didn't navigate to a new page and didn't tell me in any way that the connection was secure. I paused, almost backed out and then just took it on faith that it surely would be! I could see the background page had a padlock but nothing to confirm that the box was from the same secure domain.
Cheers
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Signed up for a monthly. The biggest issue that has prevented me in the past is not knowing what is appropriate. I get that you want to leave that to individuals, but that in itself can become a mental block.
In this new world, I really don’t know how to $value$ my consumption of websites like Public Address (when everything just seems to be free). This is the first time I’ve pulled the trigger to contribute to one so that is at least some indication of the appreciation I have for your efforts!
Also, when it asked me to enter a password to create an account, it just hung from that point and never actually confirmed that an account has been created. That was on an iPad.
Cheers
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Polity: Hekia's waynebrave, in reply to Hilary Stace,
I had the exact same thought.