New Zealand Conservative

Better late than never, they say. Although, I'm not sure who they are. Well, whatever, drop a line and say hello. I'm going to be rude and rush off to a coffee and dessert evening of some sort. Back soonish.

I get really annoyed when the word "gulag" is bandied about with gay abandon. Do any of the people using it really know what it means? My Dad as a child was in a gulag with his entire family for the sole reason that his family was an "enemy of communism". His family wasn't there because they were being punished for a crime, they were there because they were not likely to agree or submit to the new regime that had invaded their part of Poland. So when Tumeke use the word "gulag" to describe private prisons, I find myself annoyed because the word is being misused, and in the misuse, people may over time think that a gulag is a private prison where criminals are made to work - not a place of semi-starvation where political prisoners are being kept unjustly. When it comes down to it, a gulag is where the state imprisons people that do not agree with the state's ideology. It's not a private prison. Related Link: National Party Gulags ~ Tumeke S...

Readers may have noticed we have a prayer at the bottom of our site. I put it there on purpose, for, in the words of Saint Paul, we fight “not against flesh and blood but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness” . (Eph 6:12) I've been an author of a NZ blog since before the last election, and prior to that involved on the internet in several debate forums dating back ten years. I've realised that people's points of view cannot be changed with mere information or argument, because all points of view are based on some type of belief. I used to argue that the word believe has a lie in it, therefore to believe is to lie to oneself. Now I now that everyone has an internal truth-meter, but that not everyone wants to listen to it. So some will use belief to lie to themselves, while as others will use belief to keep their faith, connected to truth, alive. I spent a long time looking for the truth b...

The Wilson Quarterly surveys polls. Despite unanimous poll results predicting an Obama victory in the New Hampshire democratic Primary, pollsters still determined Hillary Clinton was going to emerge the ­winner. The New Hampshire debacle joined a list of major embarrassments that includes the disastrous Florida exit polling in the 2000 presidential election, which prompted several networks to project an Al Gore victory, and the national polls in the 1948 race, which led to perhaps the most famous headline in U.S. political history: “Dewey Defeats Truman.” After intense criticism for previous failures and equally intense efforts by pollsters to improve their techniques, this was not supposed to ­happen. New Hampshire gave new life to many nagging doubts about polling and criticisms of its role in American politics. Are polls really accurate? Can surveys of small groups of people give a true reading of what a m...

Here's a summary of the posts made over the last week , 19 Oct 2008 to 25 Oct 2008 at NZ conservative: The effects of divorce and a book review [Lucyna] Family First release a study with more reasons to show why supporting families needs to be an important component up for discussion in an election year. A book review shows that the damage to children of divorce is far reaching and more harmful than many care to admit. Another post by Lucyna that raises many comments, often by infuriated defenders of liberal values. Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity [Lucyna] Political activism in schools is not just limited to Greenies. Seems some teenagers are prepared to voice an opinion on the sanctity of life without saying a thing. The Obama Votive [Lucyna] Obama dressed as a saintly Pope, complete with halo and crucifix. Don't you think some Democrats are taking things just a little too far? He's not the Messiah, he's just a naughty Chicago Lawyer. Helen Keys John II [Zen...

Suicide seems to be the leading cause of violent and unnatural death in New Zealand, outpacing automobile crashes. And who knows, some of those crashes may have been by suicidal drivers? The tragedy of suicide being the leading cause of violent death is indicative of wider issues - that people are feeling more alone, unloved and isolated than ever before. The family as the basic unit is typically smaller and smaller, too often down to one parent, few siblings and relations living further apart. Make an effort this week and every week to reach out to the people you care about, and tell them. Does some-one you know need some attention? If you can't get to them, then try praying for them. What do you have to lose? More people took their own lives than died in road crashes in the past year, new coroners' figures show. In the year to the end of June, 511 suicides were reported to coroners - 1.4 self-inflicted deaths a day. KIWI WAY OF DEATH The number of violent and unnatural...

As more details emerge on the sordid life of Fritzl, we might have some inkling of the reasons, but they don't diminish his crimes, the need for justice, and the safety of the community. Putting this guy in a small cell for the rest of his life would be poetic justice. And he's confessed to more crimes. Will anything be done about those, I wonder? "I was born to rape," he is reported to have told the psychiatrist. "Bearing that in mind I controlled myself for quite a long time." He added: "I could have behaved a lot worse.." Fritzl locked up his daughter, Elisabeth (42), for 24 years in a purpose-built cellar and fathered seven children by her, of whom one died shortly after being born and three lived with him and his wife in his house upstairs. He said he had deliberately never looked his daughter in the face while he was raping her. Fritzl admitted that he often punished his "dungeon family" for rebellious behaviour by turning off the ...

For Cure fans, the definitive mix, although live is something else. Come closer and see.. Come closer and see See into the trees Find the girl While you can Come closer and see See into the dark Just follow your eyes Just follow your eyes I hear her voice Calling my name The sound is deep In the dark I hear her voice And start to run Into the trees Into the trees Into the trees Suddenly I stop But I know it's too late I'm lost in a forest All alone The girl was never there It's always the same I'm running towards nothing Again and again and again

This has been a fairly action packed week for me, with some major good news and some major not so good news. Working all night last night to meet a deadline paid off, and now I am tired and ready to cruise into the weekend. I have just deleted about four paragraphs of very aggressive prose. It was over the silliness of this gay person asking John Key who he would betray his wife for..just the kind of sensible question I expect from a gay lobbyist I suppose. Normally, I would just shrug and say nothing, because making something of it is more than the incident deserved. Unfortunately, a quick flick through the paper reminded me of the Nia case, and the world seemed so much darker, thus my testy reaction. There are just no words to describe the cruelty and inhuman actions that seems to be the case here with little Nia. Damn. Even after deleting those other paragraphs, this has still remained heavy. Maybe this is a Friday Night Unload this week? Feel free.

In recent years the range of such intervention has vastly expanded, to the point of creating a new type of State, the so-called "Welfare State" . This has happened in some countries in order to respond better to many needs and demands, by remedying forms of poverty and deprivation unworthy of the human person. However, excesses and abuses, especially in recent years, have provoked very harsh criticisms of the Welfare State, dubbed the "Social Assistance State". Malfunctions and defects in the Social Assistance State are the result of an inadequate understanding of the tasks proper to the State. Here again the principle of subsidiarity must be respected: a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good. By inter...

The Maori Party's new policy on enforced history lessons for migrants (and possibly later for all citizens) disturbs me. Co-leader Tariana Turia said yesterday it was important all New Zealand citizens shared an understanding of both New Zealand and Pacific culture before taking up residency in the country. She made the comments while unveiling her party's Treaty policy in Christchurch. A great deal of NZ culture is based on Western culture in general, a culture that is rooted in Catholicism, Greek thought and Roman law. Yet, I somehow doubt that Mrs Turia is thinking to that migrants need to understand this cultural link when referring to NZ and Pacific culture. But even if the history course was everything I particularly wanted it to be, I would strongly resist the idea of the Government being in charge of teaching it to migrants. The Government always has a vested interest in keeping itself in power, therefore anything it is in charge of teaching will reflect this aim. I...

In an opinion piece yesterday, Garth George opined that this election is about freedom. A vote for Key is a vote for freedom, he says. I kind of agree. People will vote for Key because he isn't Clark and National isn't Labour and Labour (with the Greens in the background) have proved that they will control our lives for us whether we like it or not. They will take far more money from us in tax than is just and give some back to those that are "deserving". People don't like all that, so will vote for against Labour - but, while it may appear to be a vote for freedom, it will really be a vote for hope. Hope that the new lot will reverse the injustices of the previous regime, hope that their vote will be a vote for freedom and not more of the same. Related Link: Garth George: A vote for Key is a vote for freedom ~ NZ Herald Hattip: Being Frank

It just strikes me today that we need a law change regarding MMP. It needs to be changed so that the party that gets the most votes during an election is the only party that is allowed to form a government. Isn't that only right? If the country has given one party more votes than any of the rest then that party HAS to be part of the government. The smaller parties may not like it - maybe there will be some clashes of ideology but isn't that the way it was supposed to work under MMP? That's what public voted for with MMP -- the ability to vote for a party that they liked (not necessarily one of the big parties) and that party would get in and help keep the big parties honest; not do deals with them.

MELBOURNE, Australia, October 21, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A prominent Melbourne doctor has written that, contrary to popular belief, most organ donations take place before the donor is actually dead. He argues that the vague criterion of "brain death" has blinded potential donors to the fact that their organs are often harvested while they are still alive. Do people really want to know this? Somehow, I think not. Related Link: Melbourne Doctor: Most Donors Still Alive when Organs are Removed ~ LifeSite News

It's struck me that the liberal left just love to play the hypocrite card. The H. word (hypocrisy) is often seen worse than the crime itself. For example, one can declare that they believe it wrong to torture small furry animals, and when caught out those on the left gleefully shout "hypocrite" as if they've scored a major point, and those on the right get their priorities right and start off with "you bastard for torturing those small furry animals." We've seen Helen trying to make a mountain out of the molehill that John Key didn't have a heart felt political opinion on the Springbok tour back in 1981. "Can we trust him?" she thunders. Of course, she was a rabid political nutjob back then, and by implication she urges us to believe she hasn't changed. And now the TV advertising starts, where Labour (who aren't going to campaign dirty) have initiated a series of dirty advertisements where they manage to get John Key saying some...

Where does the insanity around Obama end? Hattip: American Papist

Silent Day

Family First has released new research that shows the devastating financial effects that divorce has on a country. Family breakdown and decreasing marriage rates is costing New Zealand taxpayers at least $1 billion a year, according to new research. Prepared by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), the research was commissioned by Family First NZ. "The study shows that the decline of marriage, New Zealand's high teenage fertility rate, and our rate of solo parenthood is not just a moral or social concern but should also be a concern of government and policymakers,'' said Family First NZ national director Bob McCoskrie. "The report states that even a small reduction in family breakdown and increases in marriage rates could provide significant savings for taxpayers.'' The article seems to focus on mainly the financial effects of divorce/family breakdown on the country, which unfortunately is the only way to get people's attention as to ...

Here's a summary of the posts made over the last week , 12 Oct 2008 to 18 Oct 2008 at NZ conservative: Your Librarian is out to get you [Greg] This post was long overdue, and it is a *fine* post indeed. It was about time some fearless blogger spoke up about the failings of various library services. Luckily, we can avoid fines by employing an Elf to do all the hard work for us. Greens Overpopulating the earth [ZenTiger] The Greens decided it was time to release a population policy. There are too many people on their planet. Apparently, no-one has a right to create life. This explains their stance on GE too I guess. Based on current polling, do you think trimming 7% of the population would make them happy? Buried Bodies [ZenTiger] Just a wee father and son and dead bodies joke. Friday Night Free For All [ZenTiger] It's the regular chat about anything thread. I had a big week, and whilst I muse about delegation skills, Helen's on the radio dissin' John Key. Is...

Well, probably not the noble librarian per se , rather it's their puppeteer City Council. Have you ever suspected the local metropolitan library doesn't have your best interests at heart when they send overdue notice emails only after the item has accrued 7 days of fines? Naturally, a warning email 3 days in advance so you can return the item would be impossible! Okay, this is obviously a petty peeve but I find it galling as an out-of-town user that otherwise tech-savvy institutions ingenuously play dumb in this area. To fight back against the buttoned down tyranny of passive-aggressive revenue gathering I direct you to the website LibraryElf . Register and load your cards onto the site and it will give you due-date warnings, hold notifications and other simple features that apparently are beyond our local libraries. This is particularly useful if you subscribe to several libraries, for example city and university, and have children in the household. Check out LibraryElf .

The very fact the Greens have a population policy is repugnant in itself. I'll get around to blogging about this in due course. For the moment, a comment from a Frog Blog thread shows where this is heading: Just a thought. Do we as humans have a “right to breed”? Who gives us this right? Just a thought. Who do they think have the right to take it away? Another anti-life, anti-family ideology based on an empty moral framework that leads right back to Marxists and the ravings of Sanger, Hitler and others. By the way, it looks like Mugabe is trying to grow a Mo. Having thrown this photo in with this Population Control post, I may as well go completely Godwin and end on the question: Hitler, Now Available in Green? Related Link: Too many Frogs According to the Frogs Related Link: MandM More Reasons Not To Vote Green

A joke for the morning: An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. Dear Bubba: I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. Love, Dad A few days later, he received a letter from his son. Dear Dad: For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES. Love, Bubba At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local Police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day, the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Dad: Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. It's the best I could do unde...

What a week! Culminating in a massive work deadline that I meet with minutes to spare. Thanks to a bit of help. Or was I helping them? I tend to shoulder a fairly big chunk of the anvil, and I did improve on my delegation skills ever so slightly. I take that as a good thing. Indeed, I could judge myself harshly for what I failed to do, but instead, being Friday and having the work done one way or another, I'm calling it "damn good". So, how was your week? Do you relegate and delegate? Been snowed under or managing on cruise control? Looks like Helen is busy. A lot of big talk and even more finger pointing. I said to a colleague that that kind of slagging off on the future Prime Minister, Mr Key was down right disrespectful, and no way for an ex-Prime Minister to talk. To my surprise he agreed. "I'm voting National he declared". And that was a big thing. Oh Helen, you should listen to John. He said "One day instant karma's gonna getcha...

I found this piece of rubbish under my windscreen wiper today at the train station, obviously left by Labour litterers (clik on image to see bigger sizes). They are trying to make out that National voted against all the good things in life that Labour has given us. Now, why would National do that, do you suppose? The simple answer (to my mind, anyway) is that they had something better in mind - rather than acting as Nanny State, they would probably have given us more of our hard-earned money back instead and let us spend it on what we liked.

Miranda Devine revisits the gastric unease caused by Sarah Palin. Her SMH column is worth a quick scan. Devine identifies two sources of particular rancour towards Palin; firstly, adolescent green-eyed jealousy and secondly, an offence against the sacrament of abortion. In attempting to understand the hatred pitched at Palin from many Australians, Devine notes that 75% of Labour party women in Australian parliaments are members of Emily's List . The US website of the group states, "EMILY's List members are dedicated to building a progressive America by electing pro-choice Democratic women to office" and goes on to say, "When women are involved in the political process, our democracy is truly representative. " But only the right kind of woman, only if they are pro-choice and Democrats, or in the case of Australian members pro-choice and Labor. The common cause is pro-choice. Sarah Palin is neither Democrat nor pro-choice so even though she is a woman electe...

Scrubone has built an index to various Labour Government scandals and misdemeanors by scanning Kiwiblog. A very good idea, and a quick glance down the list indicates it was well worth the effort. I'm guessing about 100 links in the next 24 hours, starting now: Related Link: Offensive Content - The Kiwiblog Files 2003-2004

A few thoughts bubbling around after the leaders debate, the last most chilling: How logical is it to say we need tried and tested Labour to manage the current world-wide financial crisis, when the books were done prior to the meltdown to reveal 10 years of deficits and doubling of unemployment? That’s bad financial management. In a period of world-wide good times, we slipped on the OECD rankings. Also, Clarke's stab at Key being too new for the job compared to Helen, and her cabinet of long time career politicians…and then to complain that Key’s cabinet would be filled with ... long time career politicians. Ooh err. Mostly though, did anyone notice that Helen Clark wants to introduce “testing” and evaluation of children prior to starting school to see if they are emotionally adjusted or not? And she had the gall to complain about John Key wanting to test for literacy. I can see a new level of Cindy Kiro’s master plan of profiling every child according to the anti-family leftist “a...

The Free Market is great blah blah blah. I agree in general. But does that make it right? Intensive Chicken farming says the free market has its weaknesses. An interesting program on TV right now explains the cruel and sad life of the simple chicken. If I want to eat chicken or eggs, then free range is the way to go. In discussions of morality, ethics and how we treat our fellow man, it all comes down to how we live our lives and how much we care about how others live theirs. I guess we could include chickens in that too. I'm not arguing the life of the chicken is as valuable as a human, and I'm not arguing that we should not eat chicken. I'm suggesting the well formed person cares about cruelty. The gift to man is free will. We have choices to make, and we make good choices and bad choices. Our duty is to learn how to rise above our base and imperfect nature and truly be human. Doesn't that sound quietly stirring? Well, as Hugh discovered, if your chook is...

I score the Leaders debate to John Key. Helen Clark was good enough that Labour voters would not be swayed, but some of the centre voters might also give the edge to John Key. Now to sit back and wait for the leftist commentary.

The ugly side of politics: Michele Malkin gathers together some of the hate filled diatribe directed against Sarah Palin and John McCain. The MSM no doubt are thrashing to death anything the Obama camp can dig up. It's all very ugly. Related Link: Michelle Malkin and Obamamedia Offensive

Ms R. Clarke, (age 23) and two others (who pleaded guilty) made multiple sex videos with two girls aged 14 at the time. Her line of defence was that she thought they were 17 years old. Yet examples of her "lines" in the movie were: "your breasts feel like a 10-year-old's" and "I feel like a child molester". If she thought they were 17, the movie script was still trying to portray the idea that they were much much younger. Is that a responsible film to make? Said the judge of the 'I thought they were 17 excuse': "I'm of the view that it does not, as a matter of law, provide a defence" Problem is, others have tried, and another court ruled it was a valid defence. In a case in NSW, an adult offender sexually assaulted a sleeping girl and claimed he thought she was 16, not 15 (lesser crime perhaps?) However, whilst the judge agreed it was a valid defence strategy, he didn't find the assailant's belief credible. Small me...

Here's my roundup of some of the election billboards on display. My suggestions for National: And my comments on a couple from the Greens: In an electoral first, the Greens have nominated planet earth as a Green Party Candidate, 3rd on the list and running in Parnell. The Greens argue that the planet earth brings unique attributes to the role of MP, and are very pleased to have such a high profile candidate. Planet Earth is known to many from such films as "An inconvenient truth" where she played the victim in an abusive relationship. Others remember a more vengeful Earth in the classics "Earthquake", "Volcano" and "Dante's Peak", and many will not forget the stirring biography "Planet Earth". Party Leaders Russel Norman and Jeanette Fitzsimons registered Earth (first name Gaia) within hours of the deadline, surprising most analysts. Presuming identification checks on place of birth, age over 21 and something with the mo...

For our occasional visitors, here's a summary of the last week of posts on NZ Conservative: Electioneering and Other Matters [ZenTiger] Black Adder foreshadows the elections. Are we talking Democrats or Labour? You decide. Friday Night Free for All [ZenTiger] A few thoughts on National's tax package and Labour's failure to comment on the impact the financial crisis has on their own tax package. And then delve into the comments with a glass of wine and some chicken drumsticks. Recipe provided. Labour Double Dipping [ZenTiger] When other parties are restricted to as little as $64 per day for electioneering, why does Labour get a few million extra? It's all paid by Parliamentary Service, who got the money from us. It's double-dipping as only socialists know how. DR Congo rebels capture strategic bases [ZenTiger] Violence in the barely Democratic Republic of Congo escalates as rebels take plenty of guns and ammunition from an army base camp. Not looking goo...

Woo hoo! It's Friday. Here's a 3 minute brain dump of the current tax argument: Dr Michael Cullen today criticised John Key for announcing a reduction in KiwiSaver contribution amounts before the election. "What an idiot - Labour promise not to announce any policy reversals until after they are elected. That's the kind of mature and experienced management you can expect from this government." Meanwhile, the Greens expressed alarm that new water regulations would ban a decent shower. "Our tax policy is based on taxing the bads. Plans to put water meters on every home to rake in millions of dollars from residential water usage may come to little if people start saving water. Although the thought of so many people being denied a decent shower by exercising the power of the state really gets me excited" said Jeanette Fitzsimons, remaining divided on the benefits of the scheme. The Jim Anderton Party launched a tax policy to fund dental treatment. Fina...

From the Family Party Website: Labour's double-dipping democracy stinks Family Party leader Richard Lewis says tax-funded campaign booklets being distributed by Labour MP's to voters makes a farce of New Zealand's election system. Labour is exploiting a loophole by sending out taxpayer-funded material adorned with its MPs' smiling faces that doesn't have to be declared as election spending. Its information touches on policy successes of the Labour-led Government, such as the SuperGold Card. As the booklet is not deemed an advert by the Chief Electoral Office, the costs do not count against the $20,000 limit set down by the Electoral Finance Act for each candidate. "Based on a November 8 Election, the Electoral Finance Act has forced Family Party candidates to work within a measly budget of $64 per day. Labour candidates on the other hand, are putting out flash 50-page brochures without a single cent costing against their electorate campaigns. What makes it even...

The UN have 17,000 troops floating around the DRC. The DRC Army has troops. They both agree that the camp of Rumangabo is strategically important. Yet they seem incapable of protecting it. What other strategically important assets will fall to the rebels? A billion dollars spent in the Congo by a dysfunctional UN. Time to tender for a new product. Forces loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda have taken a major army base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN peacekeepers have confirmed. The UN peacekeeping force Monuc said rebels seized weapons and supplies after overrunning the strategically important camp of Rumangabo overnight. Related Link: Plus ça change... Note: Photo is a Congo village, not Rumangabo Camp

Sarah Palin related to Princess Diana and Franklin Delanor Roosevelt? How big will her fan club grow to? There are no limits now. If the republicans don't win the election, maybe they'll have to create a monarchy. Queen Sarah? A leftist blog is already explaining all the reasons Sarah is not like Teddy Roosevelt. Well, that's all interesting, but Teddy was a different American president. Is this why they are called wingnuts? Sarah Palin no Teddy Princess "FDR" Palin All this, straight from a Chicago newspaper. It's gotta be a Democrat plot!

The Times has released its global university rankings for 2008. The Australian reports here . So, in the week many people at Ag Research discover they will lose their jobs, R&D tax credits seem unlikely, when we discover that "prefu" is an acronym meaning "hospital pass to the next government", the Dow falls another 7% (on Thursday alone) and the BlackCaps lose to Bangladesh would it be too much to ask for an uptick at the end of the week? Perhaps all that aggressive spending and expansion of government services over the last nine year will be recognised by our Universities steadily rising in the global standing? That'd be nice wouldn't it? Our top university, Auckland, is ranked 65 by the Times , down from 50th in 2007. Next is Otago at 124, down from 114, and Canterbury has remained steady rising from 188th to 186th place. The citation and student components of the total score really drag NZ down, for example ANU's citation score is 74 to Aucklan...

Hah! Any hint that a decent shower might be threatened and suddenly people are twigging to the creeping dangers of bureaucracy. Suddenly, people are thinking - hang on, every time I look, some-one behind a desk somewhere is spending their time working out what other aspect of my life needs to be micro-managed. And it's a busy job. You need to hire policy analysts, create a new department, look at the law changes, keep the public busy making submissions on the matter, work out where to dump the submissions, run an advertising campaign, look at enforcing the new law, get industry to comply via lots of new regulations, run some damage control, get a university to study the benefits, get a different study if the results aren't so good. Go overseas and see how they did it in Sweden/Cuba/Austria, grow the department further, attend the world consortium of policy analysts for micromanaging new idea X, pay for some celebrity to say how many seals/forests/snails, and then start the ...

NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark on the tax package by National: They over-promised, they've under-delivered -- and funded it by wrecking peoples' savings accounts and wrecking our chances of building a smart economy." Let me translate Clark for you: They over-promised, We said we were managing the economy so well, for so long, we actually fooled them. they've under-delivered It appears they had a look at the books after all, and had to pare things back. That's not our fault is it? -- and funded it by wrecking peoples' savings accounts We force people to save for their own good. They are only half forcing them to save, and the rest is optional. Bastards. and wrecking our chances of building a smart economy." After 9 years in power watching it all go down the toilet, we now announce chance it ever was with Labour. Oops, I mean they are wrecking 9 years of careful, err, preparation for this very moment. I told Cullen we should have put a billion into PowerBall ...

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To be honest, I'm not overly thrilled with National's tax policy. There's several reasons but I'll save them for when the fuss has died down and we can have a productive conversation. However, what ever my thoughts are on the weaknesses of the tax package, it's still an improvement on Labour's. What's more, Labour's criticisms are mostly hollow, given this is mainly a slight tweaking of their base policy around the edges. Perhaps even more fiscally prudent given the current need to give tax payers some room to breath in this climate. Even more than this, I am much less impressed with the reaction of the main stream media, who have so far, largely repeated Labour's talking points not realizing how vapid they are, provided no credible analysis and some of the complaints were not even factual, especially around KiwiSaver. That's a reasonable area to focus the debate over, but if they could stick to facts, rather than all this sabre rattling it m...

As a frequent flyer, I tend to keep an eye on aircraft news. Probably not a healthy activity, although it has led me to keeping my seat belt on whilst flying. That reduces the danger, although you can still be hit by other passengers! Such was the case with a Qantas flight on Tuesday this week, when the plane made a sudden drop in altitude (about 2000 feet) following a glitch and probably hitting some air pocket. Reports are 40 people in hospital, and 15 in serious condition. "It was horrendous, absolutely gruesome, terrible, the worst experience of my life," passenger Jim Ford, of Perth, told reporters. This isn't the first time Qantas have had problems, with a few minor heat attack events in the last year or so. Let's hope this is the last of them for a while at least. And the belt up message applies to planes as well as cars. Related Link: Qantas Safety Record Falls Sydney Morning Herald: War Zone in rows 10 through 30

It seems Obama doesn't walk the talk on equal pay for women, whereas McCain puts his money where Obama's mouth is. I guess nominating a female Vice President ( Sarah Palin for those that haven't heard ) would also up the stats even further. I wonder how Hillary would have done if she had been the Democrat of choice? When Alaska governor Sarah Palin was named the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Obama told voters in Toledo, Ohio, on August 31 that “she’s opposed — like John McCain is — to equal pay for equal work. That doesn’t make much sense to me.” Obama’s commitment to federally mandated pay equity stretches from the Rockies to Wall Street and beyond. And yet it seems to have eluded his United States Senate office. Compensation figures for his legislative staff reveal that Obama pays women just 83 cents for every dollar his men make. Obama’s criticism notwithstanding, McCain’s payment patterns are the stuff of feminist dreams..women in John McCain’s office make $1...

It is often considered by liberal Catholics that war and capital punishment are far more evil than abortion, or if not more evil at least equivalent. However, that is not so, and for that reason Catholics in the US should not be voting for Obama. Not long before he was elected pope (overwhelmingly), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sent a public rebuke to the U.S. bishops. He reminded them that the question of abortion must be judged in a far different category from war and capital punishment. War is a question of practical wisdom, he observed, about which prudent Catholics may form opposing practical judgments. Same with capital punishment, which for centuries was rated by the church as just and sometimes necessary. By contrast abortion, Ratzinger wrote, is “intrinsically evil” and “always and everywhere” to be opposed. Many Catholics on the left wing of the Democratic party have never accepted this rebuke. The most some of them will concede is that abortion is a “profound moral question.” ...

And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it. et lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebræ eam non comprehenderunt. John 1 :5 The other day I sent a friend an article on Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Priest who had given his life in Auschwitz in exchange for the life of another. I wanted to show how just one person can through his life and his death transform the lives of all around him. In the actual article I had been looking for, a woman recounted how his sacrifice had lit up the whole camp, like a ray of light had come down from Heaven and changed everything. Not quite exactly what she said, but close enough and it had stayed with me, that St Kolbe's sacrifice had transformational power. Even just reading about it reminded me that everything is worth it if we save just one person, which is how we are meant to look at the Sacrifice on the Cross. Unfortunately I couldn't find the particular article I wanted, so I had to send a different one. Though it ...