Posts by Rik
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I never knew Bureaux was the plural of bureau...it pays to read Public Address!
What happened to Hard News - is it history now?
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@ Idiot Savant - I'm not missing your point at all, I just see things a bit differently.
Sure things change - but not for long as is being evidenced now. Labour does it their way for a bit then National comes along and does it their way for a bit and so on.
If the change was permanent then yeah, things would have changed.
But the way things have worked out historically for NZ (government-wise) it's just like shifting sands.
So from my way of thinking nothing really changes. Call me stupid if you like. Oh - you already have!
:)
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@ Idiot Savant
I have vague recollections of having a conversation along these lines once before on here...but with regard to your comments, the point is that with Labour the needle swings one way and with National the needle swings the other way (with the needle being a useless metaphor for higher taxes for higher income earners/more benefits for the lower income earners/beneficiaries vs lower taxes for higher income earners/lower benefits for the lower income earners/neneficiaries.
So would you rather have it all one way (because you are right and the other half of the country is wrong) or is it better that we have a bit of a yin/yang thing going on which keeps half of the people happy for half of the time rather than one half happy all the time?
We all have different ideologies and personally I think once you have earnt a certain amount and paid a reasonable amount of tax you should be given a break and pay a lot less tax over a certain amount of income (say anything over $100k or maybe $150k). But that's just me and you may not agree. But hey - we all have a say right and just because you don't agree with the current administration there's plenty that do. And the same happens when the opposition back in to power (as they surely will one day).
So sit back and recognise that you had it your way for a good few years and now it's slipping back more towards my way for a bit. And the balance is maintained.
And sure I care about stuff - I just meant I don't care in particular for National or John Key per se.
Anyway - cheers!
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I'll borrow a phrase from McDonalds to describe how I feel when reading your comments David - i'm lovin' it
Will be interesting to see if the minority voices here are loud enough to affect the election process in the fullness of time.
I'm not really passionate about politics or more specifically National and/or John Key however would like it noted that I do not agree with your opinion.
Has anyone consider how the activities involved in governing a country may have evolved over time? I start to wonder if it is not too dis-similar to the administration of a large company - money comes in (corporate and personal taxes), money goes out (health, welfare, police/justice). Books have to be balanced, you can swing things one way or another (higher or lower taxes, higher or lower benefits) but at the end of they day it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the country should not run at a loss for an extended period of time and that all people seem to want is the face of someone that they can relate to (trust, be proud of, whatever) at the helm of this "administration".
I'm happier with John Key steering the ship than I was with Helen Clark.
You, obviously, are not.
But that's cool - I patiently waited for Labour to get the boot and now you can do the same with National.
But nothing really changes at the end of the day.
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I forgot to mention in my first post there was this dude at the concert who was arguing with the usher over his seats - his ticket said row C so why was he 5 rows from the front and she tried to explain that there was an AA and BB row and the A-B-C, etc but he still was not happy, So anyway, he finally sits down in one of the two spare row C seats next to me and as the concert got underway I got my mate who was about 5 rows back (due to a ticketing communication breakdown) to come up and take the spare seat and this guy leans over and waves two tickets under my nose and angrily grunts "I OWN that seat!" and as we just couldn't be bothered pointing out that while he may own a ticket for that seat the fact that he was there on his own shouldn't really stop someone else from sitting there my mate dropped back to his seat. This guy then alternated between calling for blood any time anyone got up to dance in the middle aisle and getting up there himself. What a tw*t.
I also forgot to mention the short older-lady usher that kept attempting to get people dancing (swaying?) up the front to move along - she had balls, that's for sure.
In the old days concerts were like a Darwin-esque survival of the fittest expidition, the tickets were one price and those with the desire/strength made it to the front and everyone found their place in the melee. These days you get fat old gits (I could variously fit into this category) with the money to buy expensive tickets sitting at the front which surely has to take some of the excitement that a band would feed off away from the equation thereby lessening everyones experience? I guess you can't have it both ways - I like the fact that I can buy my way to the front but I hate the fact that it is so boring up there nowadays.
In my world if you're at the front in a seat and the crowd stands up then you stand up with them. And if you are unable to stand up then you should buy a ticket in the stands/circle/whatever.
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Hey Russell - you've pretty much put in to eloquent words exactly what I felt about Lucinda's concert (although no tears but I know what you're talking about). I was like 5 rows from the front and right in the centre and there was this distracting and ugly battle going on between all these old folks (I'm 40 myself and felt young at this concert) and the handful of people who came up to dance at the front. Why don't they just all stand up and we could all enjoy the show (probably because they can't stand for that long at their advanced years)?
Like you I bailed for the side, not that I'm a big dancer but just to get away from all the moaning and also because I just can't sit down at a live show.
Little Rock Star was a cracker on the night, probably my fave but then I also had to rate Buick 6's cover of the Television classic "Marquee Moon" as an absolute surprise and delight. I think I will track down their instrumental disc on the web.
Let's hope she does come back soon!
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beneficiary's as usual miss out on everything as the undeserving poor they never get tax cuts, as the govt lowers the base rate
Does anyone believe this?
So "beneficiary's" had a good run under Labour...obviously on the flipside someone else was having not such a good run and now that will be addressed.
If you look at the population of NZ and take out those that don't pay any tax (retired, kids, sickness beneficiaries, welfare beneficiaries, prison inmates, Hotchin/Watson and their ilk) it doesn't leave all that many people to fund the country through tax and you have to wonder sometimes why some end up shouldering the burden more than others.
The whole concept of a beneficiary receiving a tax cut makes me sick - if you're not putting anything in, how can you expect to take anything out? Sure you may have paid your way in previous times and sure you should be looked after by the welfare safety net but don't cry foul because you don't get the same treatment as an income-earning, tax-paying member of society.
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OK so it may have started with Muldoon, could have been even earlier. But I think the Herald has hit the nail on the head - things really had got out of hand and question time had just become an embarrassment.
I have to say I am just loving all this. Don't worry - Labour will be back one day! It's part of the yin and yang of life.
Possibly Helen won't be back though...boo hoo!
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That's almost one quarter of parliament.
Just out of interest - how does that compare to Labour's last parliament?
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After reading comments on previous blogs about National being a party of "rich white men" I am wondering if the new line-up of ministers which includes a goodly proportion of women, a couple of Maori, an Asian and an "openly gay" (according to NZ Herald) mix will do anything to appease?