Posts by mark taslov

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  • Speaker: An Open Letter To David Cunliffe,

    And on the Twitter:

    I’m up to the point where some guy called Mark slags me off for about two pages worth of comments for not “fronting” to him #CommentsDelayed

    I had no issue with you not fronting to me James. As I said:

    If James were to front up here, I’d have nothing but respect for the guy.

    It was people like Lynn calling you out for the inconsantancies in the initial nine pages, where I thought an explanation may assist dumbasses like myself in wrapping our heads around the furore.

    There’s been a bit of slagging off going on on these pages, and I guess I’m glad that you’re at least following the whole discussion, but ‘fronting up to’ me would be no cause for occasion as the only thing you could front up with to me is your having fronted up to the only individual who I’m not asking you to front up to i.e. me.

    If on the other hand you decided to front up to someone who was specifically slagging you and your letter off, but not slagging you off for failing to front up, there are options here, though the fact that most of the harshest stuff is coming from new or first time posters speaks volumes. You don't need a sniper's rifle for that stuff.

    However, my real hope is simply that you’d make an appearance for no other reason than to shoot the shit in what is – regardless of superficialities – a fairly sympathetic environment, a fact exemplified by my slag being dragged out attempting to rebut the strident defence the good folks here optioned at me over 2 or more pages

    Most would agree Cunliffe’s time is up, and so some have questioned your wisdom wrt the letter, but something’s gotta give sometime and in a couple of months it’ll all be water under the bridge. So keep keeping it real and peace to you.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: Compulsory voting and election turnout, in reply to Brent Jackson,

    Which does make me wonder a little about the process, in that I'd feel a lot more comfortable if it were my enrollment application being witnessed than who I'm voting for.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: Compulsory voting and election turnout, in reply to Brent Jackson,

    desk sergeants at Police Stations fit this description.

    Yeah, in a western country it would have been a shoe in, here ‘desk sergent’ is not one but many different jobs, ‘police station’ may be part of a few different departments.
    Realistically, given a couple of weeks and a few misfires, a certified translation of the documents and perhaps calling in a favour, you might find the right person who could and would do that.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: An Open Letter To David Cunliffe, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    Attachment

    Cunliffe has been George MCGoverned

    Yep, I’m with you there, he has, and if not before Sept 20th then most certainly after, and as painful as that may be for him to come to terms with, it is in all but the most unlikely of circumstances, irreversible.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: An Open Letter To David Cunliffe, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    Grant can talk but so can Cunliffe. I am concerned that with the centering of both Labour and National, that the “fear of the unknown”, “devil you know…” campaign that John Key ran, was an unprecedented success. I worry that attempting to trump Key’s soothing dulcet tones with Grant’s soothing dulcet tones again may fail to stick out as any kind of viable alternative to the average voter. Familiarity is comfort.

    I’d never have noted or voted Helen Clark for her wit, as much as her forthrightness, and a perception of integrity. Yes Key displaced her, but there seemed to be a consensus even from members of the left that it was more than anything else, simply, her time to go. Alternatives need to be thoroughly explored. Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe, Grant; look like the results that would come up on Dating site’s advanced search.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: Compulsory voting and election turnout, in reply to Brent Jackson,

    Sorry Brent, I should have been clear, I live in Shenzhen China, on the furthest outskirts of a city I’m not familiar with, there are no phone books. If it had looked reasonably probable that I could have succeeded at little or no cost in that time frame I would have made the effort. I was gutted.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: Compulsory voting and election turnout, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    Thanks Jack I certainly feel there’s so much more public discussion to be had around the specifics and models which New Zealand could adapt. Possibly not in this thread, perhaps Keith’s thread needs to live again.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: An Open Letter To David Cunliffe, in reply to Jack Harrison,

    That is certainly the direction that the MSM has lead things Jack, and that was my basic reasoning in suggesting MSM-free (Keyless) live, team, debating, tours, to spite the MSM, I guess in an attempt to lead the country in another direction, the object being to hopefully leading the country.

    Anyway, it’s out there now, and not to parrot on, But it seems fairly obvious from here that barring economic catastrophe or death, Key will romp in again if Labour - led by whoever - continues to play him at his game.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: Compulsory voting and election turnout, in reply to BenWilson,

    people struggle to even conceive of how taxing capital gains could be fair, with theoretical arguments everywhere, completely ignoring that the system is commonplace around the developed world.

    Not that I’ve seen much of that, but I’ve looked at enough of the examination of CGT’s and the numerous possible arguments, implementations and options:

    A threshold under which capital gain on a principal residence is not taxed. For example, the United States exempts the first $250,000 of gain on the sale of a principal residence from tax. This excludes almost all home sales from the tax, but some tax still applies if the gain is very significant.

    …to strongly question whether this classification of CGT as a non-negotiable singular system may in fact contribute to peoples’ fear, when the two leading proponents of CGT in New Zealand are presenting only superficially similar CGTs and the media has largely only focused on one of these.

    Deeply questioning whether either Labour’s or Green’s proposed CGTs are yet refined to be the best fits in order to maximise all desired outcomes for New Zealand, whether they could even coalesce, and whether either one or another or neither is fair or unfair is a far more nuanced, impacting and multi-polarising topic than a binary and a purely theoretical debate as to whether not not-voting is a democratic right.

    People are brainwashed as you say Ben, but one of the most disagreeable symptoms of this is that this brainwashing for the most part encompasses the idea that Labour’s CGT is THE CGT and therefore that to classify Labour’s proposed CGT as unfair is easily misconstrued as discrediting all CGTs as being unfair.

    As for the right to vote and the topic at hand, I was overjoyed to learn I was eligible to vote, I enrolled (with no witness required) well ahead of time with no formal ID required, but my papers never arrived as is too often the case with snail mail in China. When I went to download my papers directly on the day before the election I found that in order to submit my vote, I needed a witness:

    The following people are able to witness your declaration:

    Relative, or member of the household, or business colleague or associate, of the special voter (this person does not have to be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident); or
    Registered New Zealand elector; or
    Person approved by the Returning Officer; or
    A commonwealth representative such as an:
    Ambassador
    High Commissioner
    Minister
    Charge d’Affaires
    Consular Officer
    Trade Commissioner, or
    Tourist Commissioner of a Commonwealth country; or
    Person authorised to take a statutory declaration such as
    Justices of the Peace
    barristers and solicitors
    Registrars and Deputy Registrars of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and District Courts
    Commissioner of Oaths; or
    Notary Public; or
    Person authorised to administer an oath for the purpose of a judicial proceeding in the country in which the declaration is made.

    My wife had suddenly had to go up north for her Grandfather’s death, I had fuck all money, no business colleague, no other member of my household. So couldn’t vote. I guess I expected a passport scan would have been sufficient. My point being, I am happy to support compulsory voting but please ensure that it's reasonably doable and go easy on the penalties.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

  • Speaker: An Open Letter To David Cunliffe, in reply to andin,

    I dont want too get too deep

    Connected to the hub, to the people and personalities that defined our culture, in a nutshell, finally connected to rest of our country, beyond it merely being a place we’d only ever get to see on TV or out a car window, for the briefest moments we were more than an afterthought farm town, and those pixels on the screen were flesh and blood. In terms of my suggestion, feeling connected to the Beehive, to the politicians as actual eating and shitting people just like us, and being empowered by that, influenced by the effort they could make to connect with us, debate us, listen to us, learn from us and adapt to us: The forgotten 43%.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report

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