Posts by Terence Wood
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Work creates wealth, and a sense of purpose, and of a better future. Which creates communities. Who set and enforce norms. By themselves.
James, I agree with you too a point but, ultimately, it's more complicated than that.
Firstly, there's work and there's work. My own job maintains my current level of wealth and provides purpose etc. but there are plenty out there that don't (or do so only marginally).
Secondly, by all accounts, the lives of most indigenous Australians prior to colonisation were rich in social capital, bound by norms, and purposeful. This took place for the most part without anything resembling a formalised labour market.
Thirdly, there's cause and effect: work may generate wealth and purpose, but it's also much easier to get work if you are endowed with both in the first place.
With regards to the John Howard's chest beating intervention (which strikes me as a blend of Tampa and RAMSI) I thought that John Quiggin made some good points at Crooked Timber.
1. Alcohol is already officially banned in most of the effected communities.
2. X-rated pornography is banned in all the states and territories except ACT.
and
3. Given what just happened on Palm Island, flooding these communities with police might be problematic to say the least.As for alternative solutions, one that springs to mind is looking at what works in functional indigenous Australian communities (they do exist).
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Yeah sure Juha et al. you're pretty funny and all, but when it comes to parody y'aint even close to the gang on the Kiwiblog thread that Merc linked to:
Here's Sinner:
This whole thing just goes to show how much Labour has destroyed NZ's respect for hard work and business savvy. Fay and Richwhite did nothing wrong - they simply did what every good businessman does: made money. They really helped restructure NZ after the disaster of the previous labour govenment --- and will soon be able to do the same again!
We will need Fay and Richwhite and their colleagues - people who understand profit and how to make money - to fix all the schools, hospitals, trains, airlines, roading and everything else Labour has destroyed! -
ah...but can you mix metaphors and grow a bushy moustache...
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Oh Russell! For a moment there you started to sound ever so slightly like Thomas Friedman...
Please take care whilst overseas; Friedmania is ever so hard to treat once you've got it :)
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Rich from Observationz makes the key point, Keith's argument assumes perfect competition in labour markets, which is unlikely. What will happen given both union and employer price setting powers is unclear if you ask me.
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Ben,
Yip.
As Janis Joplin sang: "Freedom's just another word if it isn't freedom too".
[ends lunch break having made the worst contribution to the thread]
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Regarding Kiwisaver,
It's just silly to say that it is the end of national super. Possibly, it might make it easier for some future political party to eliminate or abolish super at some distant future point but I doubt it. If they tried withing the next 40 years retirees (who will comprise an increasing slice of the voting age population) will be able to argue - quite correctly - that Kiwi Saver started to late for them. Even after that, because nat super is not a pay as you go system; there'd be a heck of a lot rather angry voters, a good proportion of whose taxes were spend on funding other people's retirement, irate about receiving none of the same in return. Matt McCarten should worry about realistic threats, not imaginary ones.
As for risk,
As I understand it you will be able to choose what sort of investment strategy your investment provider follows. Particularly in the low risk strategies much of the investment will be in relatively safe areas such as govt. bonds. There's still risk true, but that's no different from any other investment you make. (Graeme, you forgot the bit about the two mortgages...)
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oh no - I honestly meant to write 'columnist' just then. Honest. Perhaps a Freudian slip when I saw the name David Brooks...
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Craig - I agree, a <i>good</i> right wing magazine, or merely a columnut, would be good too. As for DIY leftwing media - funnily enough I once had a semi serious look into this but concluded that I didn't have the capital, health (chronic illness particularly bad at the time), or experience. I'd love to do it one day though.