It's Friday. The budget is out, but Labour are still in. The talk is all about tax cuts, and the vote seems to be "it's not enough", or "I expected more". That's coming across as very greedy and self-centred. You can expect Labour to capiltalise on that, and National will have to be careful in the way they position their election promises.
Personally, I don't think people's intention here is about greed. The reality is, after nine years in power, with year on year tax surpluses, people have seen their own pay packet eroded by inflation and by "bracket creep". This inflation then hammers a whole segment of home owners on big mortgages, with interest rates way up. What many people realise is those interest rates were pushed higher by massive increases in government spending, as much as Bollard tried to blame the property market.
Even so, maybe that would be acceptable, if the Labour government looked like they cared. The reality is though there have been no adjustments in the tax thresholds in 9 years. When they came into power, they put all the taxes up. They've added or increased over 40 taxes since getting the pin number to the IRD accounts.
And Cullen has the cheek to call people on $60,000pa "rich pricks". Yes, the 60K tax margin will be increased to 70K. For the rich pricks. Charming. And reeking of arrogance.
People are simply looking for a fair deal -- and to see tax surpluses even after increased government spending, with Cullen saying "no relief" is just grating.
To make matters worse, we also seem to be going backwards in delivery of government services. Throw in government bungles in accounting (Kyoto for starters) and a series of high profile incidents of wasteful government spending (Te Wananga swallowed half a billion dollars alone), year after year, for 9 years, and then suddenly, on the eve on an election, Cullen and Labour throw out a bone, it's no surprise people are coming across as "greedy" as they digest the election bribe.
I suggest it is merely a reaction to the way we have been treated for 9 years, and it's taken a downturn in the economy for a large chunk of casual voters to suddenly get interested in seeing how the government is going to help them, given they've been helping the government so loyally for the last three elections.
Meanwhile, I, like many, are waiting for National to respond with something that is indeed far more than a discussion on tax cuts. To keep the conversation limited to tax would indicate a certain degree of greed and self-centredness. What voters need to hear is how a suite of economic policies will, as Rodney Hide often declares: "Make the cake bigger" rather than just arguing about how to divide the cake we have. In that environment, we can have our tax cuts and spend them too.
Drop in for a chat, it's Friday, and there are more things to talk about than just tax.
Personally, I don't think people's intention here is about greed. The reality is, after nine years in power, with year on year tax surpluses, people have seen their own pay packet eroded by inflation and by "bracket creep". This inflation then hammers a whole segment of home owners on big mortgages, with interest rates way up. What many people realise is those interest rates were pushed higher by massive increases in government spending, as much as Bollard tried to blame the property market.
Even so, maybe that would be acceptable, if the Labour government looked like they cared. The reality is though there have been no adjustments in the tax thresholds in 9 years. When they came into power, they put all the taxes up. They've added or increased over 40 taxes since getting the pin number to the IRD accounts.
And Cullen has the cheek to call people on $60,000pa "rich pricks". Yes, the 60K tax margin will be increased to 70K. For the rich pricks. Charming. And reeking of arrogance.
People are simply looking for a fair deal -- and to see tax surpluses even after increased government spending, with Cullen saying "no relief" is just grating.
To make matters worse, we also seem to be going backwards in delivery of government services. Throw in government bungles in accounting (Kyoto for starters) and a series of high profile incidents of wasteful government spending (Te Wananga swallowed half a billion dollars alone), year after year, for 9 years, and then suddenly, on the eve on an election, Cullen and Labour throw out a bone, it's no surprise people are coming across as "greedy" as they digest the election bribe.
I suggest it is merely a reaction to the way we have been treated for 9 years, and it's taken a downturn in the economy for a large chunk of casual voters to suddenly get interested in seeing how the government is going to help them, given they've been helping the government so loyally for the last three elections.
Meanwhile, I, like many, are waiting for National to respond with something that is indeed far more than a discussion on tax cuts. To keep the conversation limited to tax would indicate a certain degree of greed and self-centredness. What voters need to hear is how a suite of economic policies will, as Rodney Hide often declares: "Make the cake bigger" rather than just arguing about how to divide the cake we have. In that environment, we can have our tax cuts and spend them too.
Drop in for a chat, it's Friday, and there are more things to talk about than just tax.
I've been invited to a pot luck dinner. So I'm packing the family off for the evening. Probably will not be a late night, will check in later and see how busy the blogosphere proves to be.
ReplyDeleteAlready got some good feedback on Ironman (the movie) from the point of view that superhero movies are always an interesting way of looking at virtues - typically the hero has heroic tendencies that seek to help their fellow man, but also have human weaknesses that hold them back (varying from alcoholism to loneliness and even blindness), and are challenges to overcome if one is to fulfill their destiny and attain inner peace.
Fun stuff, the stuff of heroes. But I digress. Off to the pot luck. Now to find a pot, and a few cups of luck.
Anyone seen the cheese?
ReplyDeleteI saw Iron man a couple of days after it came out. It's good value; better than the average superhero movie anyway (but nothing beats Spiderman 2 in my book for pathos and what it means to be a hero).
ReplyDeleteIt's the "Hard Cheese" Budget in my book.
ReplyDeleteI think the "Desperate and Dangerous" tag is most likely to catch on though.
And voting National will only give us a watered-down version of the same.
ReplyDeleteLike the poor fools who just voted for the Tory candidate in the UK by-election and are hailing the result as a "victory"....
They'll wake up to find that the new boss is pretty much the same as the old boss.
Hello Youse All. Haven't called in for a while so I hope you are all well.
ReplyDeleteKeith, when will you learn to do 'subtle'?
What astinishes and saddens me is that despite all the rhetoric from the right about National, ACT continues to languish in the polls. It appears the disaffected voters of National and Labour are flocking to the Greens. God, knows why, because the Greens are a pack of commies.
I will be doing my bit by giving ACT a hand with canvassing and letterbox dropping because I want to see Rodney and his mates, if he has any, as part of a coalition of the right (and the righteous.)
You are probably right kg. But I'm trying to be optimistic. Eventually, National are going to have to release some policy, and then we can decide if we call them "Dolly", as clones of Labour, or "Polly" as in typical dead parrot politician or "Folly" as in your typical 14th Century (BC) Greenie or "Jolly" as in jolly good, maybe things will turn out OK after all.
ReplyDeleteEverybody is rushing to national Adolf because we are terrified that clark will get enough to stop Key. As much as I desire a govt 3 miles to the right of Roger Douglas with a hangover our best chance of ending the dykocracy is for everybody to pile in on the nats. Oh and good evening everybody
ReplyDeleteAdolf, that is a very scary thought. I voted ACT last election. Now that must scare a few conservatives out there!
ReplyDeleteI really hoped they could make the 5% and have a few more politicians to be able to introduce some new ideas for popular debate. The political ideas floating around NZ are so weighted to the left that the range of topics is usually deciding if Stalin was kinder than Mao, and Trotsky was never given a decent chance, and how feminism and gay rights have been ignored by the Socialist movement.
Meanwhile, on the centre right stage, ACT's most vicious and unrelenting foes appear to be the Libertarianz, which isn't particularly helpful.
I'm still undecided on how I might vote this time around. Conservatives don't have a lot of choice, except for the odd Christian based groups, which are unfortunately, quite often odd. They need to fill the ranks of the left and right (such as their leanings dictate) and do good in either camp.
And the single issue groups are too one dimensional to appeal, and would not be able to make significant impact. I'm not Maori, and whilst I can empathize with and support their need to preserve their culture and heritage (Europeans need to take note and learn their lessons and apply them in due course) I'm not going to cast my lot in that direction.
Does NZ Conservative need to form a political party?
Evening all from West Auckland. Hope all is well with everybody and that nobody has been too overwhelmed by the history teacher's latest thesis.
ReplyDeleteG
Evening Barnsley. You've once again, in just a few words, given me the best reason I can think of for voting National.
ReplyDeleteIt's looking likely. Pity I live in a Labour dominated electorate. I will be a grain of rice in a field of wheat husks.
Amen BB and good evening all. We must eradicate the "dykocracy" . Once the first objective has been achieved we can start to repair the horrific damage the pc sisterhood has inflicted on a shell shocked society.
ReplyDeleteMaybe underwhelmed is more apt Grant. For the last nine years, he's been handing out homework.
ReplyDeleteTime for him to be appraised and ranked. What's NCEA for "could do better"?
Oh I'll be voting Act - no surprises there I s'pose. Nice to see you did in '05 Zen. They all count when there's only 1.56% of us! :)
ReplyDeleteI cannot vote against a dykocracy; I have to vote for something hence voting for Act. Anyhow, I've nevre voted National and couldn't do so now.
It was a very worthy 1.56% Gooner, given that Epsom voters came through for ACT and Rodney.
ReplyDeleteI gave ACT my party vote and electoral vote back then. It was a case of voting to have that vote counted, as insignificant as it was, rather than vote National for "strategic" reasons" and National assume they had my unqualified support.
I hope ACT can regain their 5% standing - I think it would be good for NZ Politics to have a wider representation across the spectrum (not that ACT are that extreme, but I suppose for people that see the Greens as "centrist" they might seem that way :-)
Gooner, I feel the same way about voting for the Nats. However we have little choice.
ReplyDeleteif you compare the Leaders it has to be Key.
On the one hand we have a self made person, phenomenally successfull beyond the dreams of most kiwis. A person who has sacrificed an enormous amount to return home with a vvision to give back and help his country.
On the other side we have a professional politician. Somebody who has never earned dollar one in the private sector. Whose entire raison detre is staying in politics.
Somebody who has led through a period of phenomal global growth and has allowed the money to be shat away on policies designed to help that person keep their job.
I want a PM I admire as an individual. Somebody who can stand up and say "I have done the hard yards and won, come with me and I will help you do the same".
I want to be inspired.
Clark is an individual who is beneath my contempt.
A succubus, a user and game player.
Zen, from Memory labour got less than 10,000 votes more than the nats at the last lolly scramble.
ReplyDeleteI did read the number at trollasic park but it is not to hand.
Now if those Act party votes had gone to the nats they would probably have won the popular vote and ended with more mp's than clarkula.
That is why we must all two tick the nats this time. If they do not get at least 50% we are doomed.
Hi Zen, I'd be very suprised if the No Child Educated Anyhow philosophy has a term for "can do better". We're all winners through participation don't you know?
ReplyDeleteFor the record have Party voted ACT since their arrival and can see no reason to cease.
Funny event of the day... Came home to find a flyer from chris carter on the doorstep. We were recently, and arbitrarily, relocated to his electorate from John Key's, and chris had popped round to see us and welcome us in. I am truly saddened that I was out working, a concept I'm not too sure he's familiar with, when he called as I would have loved to have had fellowship with him. It mightn't have been as cordial as he may be used to but I would have enjoyed it enough for both of us.
I do hope he calls again.
G
I didn't realise it was that close BB. I'll be paying a bit more attention this election.
ReplyDeleteThe trick for National is to gather up those other votes: the 50 or so that will go to the Libz, and see if they can grab a few percent from Winston's core demographic.
Maybe if they could run an MP up in Tauranga with the name Winston. Winston Smith perhaps? I can just see the voters now:
"Winston Smith, that name sounds familiar. Oh yes, I voted for him back in '84"
tick.
and National are in.
Some policy ideas that seemed to work well with Labour, with a little National flavour:
1. Interest free loans to student pensioners.
2. The Gold Card gives great discounts on Big Macs, Skateboard Repairs, holidays in Brisbane and 50% off Council Rates.
3. Waiting lists cutoffs will be extended from 6 months to 12 months, putting the elderly back on the queue.
4. Seven years imprisonment to any one parking in handicapped car park spaces.
5. Working For Families income boost to grandparents, who get an extra $3 per week for each grandchild.
I don't do subtle, Adolf--I'm with Francis Porretto over at Eternity Road who suggests a boycott of the elections, as a way of sending a message that national (the Republican Party in his case) no longer represents a principled alternative to the socialists.
ReplyDeleteWaiting to see what Key does if the Nats win is no better than a faint hope that we won't be screwed over by the blue team worse than we are by the red.
The more the Nats move towards the so-called middle ground the less I trust 'em because that move signals very flexible principles indeed.
"tick the box and hope for the best"?
Not me.
Good Morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFor me, its party vote ACT, electorate vote National.
And I will be joining Adolf in pounding the streets of Epsom.
I too want to see National swing to the right and as the mess of Cullenomics deepends,people WILL see a need for change.
But Key keeping quiet seems to be working, for now.
We all seem to want the same thing.
What does divide us however, is finding the best way to achieve it.
I checked the Elelections website and there were 45,000 votes of 2% in it.
ReplyDeleteLiarbour 41.1
National 39.1%
ACT scored 34,000 votes, if memory serves me right.
Kg if you wanted to add to your CV the credentials 'totally useless prick' then boycotting the election would be a pretty good way to do it.
ReplyDeleteIf you say so, Adolf. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest though, that your CV as a Nats supporter ought to include "experience in exercising blind faith in a pack of mendacious weasels who appear to stand for nothing".
I'm sure Key's support of the anti-smacking bill and the climate change scam would look pretty good there too.
If you were to apply for a job with the Ministry For Social Development, that is...
To vote for National is to legitimise a party which has shown no interest in overturning the rotten RMA (which they created in the first place) and no interest in returning to Kiwis an effective right to self-defence and putting an end to the Waitangi gravy train.
ReplyDeleteI'd sooner see Labour in power for the next three years, which would at least hammer home to Kiwis the evils of socialism.