General Debate 30 January 2009

January 30th, 2009 at 8:00 am by David Farrar
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85 Responses to “General Debate 30 January 2009”

  1. pdm (841) Says:

    Todays poll on the Herald Site asks:

    DO YOU THINK IT IS TRUE THAT AUCKLANDERS WORK HARDER.

    Come on people south of the Bombay Hills this may be the best chance we have ever had to deal to the JAFA’s. Get on that poll and vote – NO NO NO NO…………………..

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  2. Frank (320) Says:

    “The unemployment picture took on an even more ominous tone this week as new layoffs emphatically underscored a worsening global economy. Now, fear is rising that the losses represent a major restructuring in the business world and that some, if not most, of the jobs are gone forever

    Remember also that the number of unemployed globally will reach 59 Million.

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  3. dad4justice (7,339) Says:

    pdm – most dorklanders I know wouldn’t work in an iron lung.

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  4. bearhunter (859) Says:

    Unemploment will reach 59 million. What’s that – about 1 per cent? I’ve seen worse unemployment rates.

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  5. big bruv (11,202) Says:

    I am not a Jafa but I think that the Herald might be right on this one, I also have never understood why so many Kiwi’s from outside Auckland seem to hate the place.

    I quite like Auckland, perhaps the rest of NZ should grow up a bit.

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  6. MT_Tinman (2,228) Says:

    Big Bruv, after all these years you finally said something I agree with.

    As an aside, I don’t give a damn if Jafas work harder.

    I work to live.

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  7. dime (6,215) Says:

    So ummm Maori want to have a seperate justice system..

    can they have a seperate welfare system too? one they fund themselves…

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  8. side show bob (3,660) Says:

    Thanks D4J just wondered how far the pub is from the city. Now have to work on the wife to get a few days off.

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  9. wikiriwhis business (1,301) Says:

    am I right the Mac is around Belfast somewhere

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  10. Glutaemus Maximus (2,207) Says:

    Now the US is heading exactly the wrong way.

    Obama is new wine, and the same old dreary bottle.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/adrian_michaels/blog/2009/01/29/be_afraid_us_protectionist_stance_echoes_1930s_disaster

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  11. Chuck Bird (3,443) Says:

    Leighton Smith read the following story sent to him in a letter. The letter said this is what we could expect if we still had Helen. Leighton mentioned that he gay friends. Nonetheless he considered this an abomination. Does this statement/attitude make Leighton a homophobe?

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/4374149/Christian-couple-felt-forced-to-give-up-grandchildren-for-adoption.html

    Christian couple ‘felt forced’ to give up grandchildren for adoption
    A Christian couple who say they felt forced into giving up their grandchildren for adoption said they would never have done so if they had known they would be placed with a homosexual couple.

    By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent
    Last Updated: 12:49AM GMT 29 Jan 2009

    They wanted to bring up the five-year-old boy and his four-year-old sister in their own home but said they were forced to give them up by social workers who had concerns about the couple’s age and their health.

    They spent two years involved in court cases over the children, whose 26-year-old mother is a recovering heroin addict, and finally agreed to adoption when they were faced with mounting legal bills.

    The 59-year-old grandfather, who has seven children of his own, told the Daily Telegraph: “There is no way we’d have allowed the children to be adopted if we’d known they were going to a gay couple.

    “At our last meeting with social workers in October we were told the process of finding a couple was fairly advanced. I specifically said I didn’t want them to go to a gay or lesbian couple.

    “I told them we still wanted to care for them, but our main concern was that they went to a good home with a loving mother and father.”

    The couple only found out last week that two homosexual men would be adopting the children in the next few weeks, and said that when they objected they were warned they may never see them again.

    It is thought to be only the second time that a gay couple have been chosen to adopt children in Edinburgh.

    The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland said the decision was “devastating” and would have a serious impact on the welfare of the children.

    A spokesman added: “There is an overwhelming body of evidence showing that same-sex relationships are inherently unstable and reduce the life expectancy of those involved.

    “With this in mind, the social work department has deliberately ignored evidence which undermines their decision and opted for politically correct posturing.”

    The grandfather, a farmhand who comes from a religious family in the north-east of Scotland and cannot be named for legal reasons, denied being homophobic.

    But he said he and his wife, who is 46, were “angry and disappointed” with Edinburgh city council. He added that his religion led him to believe it was wrong to lead a homosexual lifestyle.

    “We are worried about our granddaughter and how she will cope as she grows up without a mother to talk to,” he said. “We are also concerned that they could be bullied at school for having two gay fathers.

    “We are not prejudiced but I defy anyone to explain to us how this can be in their best interests.”

    The couple claimed they had been told that they may be allowed to see their grandchildren twice a year, but were warned they would have to drop their opposition to the adoption.

    The grandfather has angina while his wife suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, but both say their conditions are controlled and their health is stable.

    They began looking after the children at an early age because of their mother’s drug addiction, but the children have been with foster parents during the court cases, partly to keep them away from their mother.

    “We have been told that if we don’t drop our opposition we may not see them again because it would not be in their best interests,” said the grandmother.

    Four of the couple’s children still live at home, two at school and two in full-time work, and they said they were “angry and upset” about what had happened to their niece and nephew.

    But the council defended its decision saying that the grandparents had been fully involved in discussions.

    Cllr Marilyne MacLaren, convenor for children and families, added: “I have been assured that the professional view is that the adoptive couple will provide a safe, secure and loving environment for these children. Approving people as adopters and matching them with children is a very rigorous process.”

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  12. MyNameIsJack (2,415) Says:

    Interesting, Chuck,

    Elsewhere today DPF has a post headed “Where were her parents?” This article could have an almost identical header, couldn’t it? But I doubt it will generate much heat.

    Who are the parents of this drug addicted mother? This couple? Or are they the parents of the unknown and un-named father? Where is the father?

    But i bet the sympathy here will be with the grandparents because they’re “christians” not maori.

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  13. labrator (1,326) Says:

    An interesting read on the USA’s current financial postion. PhilBest, thought you’d like that sort of info if you hadn’t found it already.

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  14. LC (162) Says:

    Should we support companies that are outsourcing functions overseas when we want the jobs to remain in NZ?

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  15. dime (6,215) Says:

    sure why not. any overseas companies outsourcing to us?

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  16. LC (162) Says:

    If we remove personal income tax we can inject $10B into the economy. Sound like a good idea?

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  17. Banana Llama (1,105) Says:

    “sure why not. any overseas companies outsourcing to us”

    Yes.
    Quite a few outsource IT to “us” because we do it better and cheaper.

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  18. getstaffed (9,188) Says:

    LC – you should support companies that provide the mix of service, quality and price that works best for you. Which could well be different from me. And different from her. etc.

    IMO fighting a rear-guard action to protect ‘pet’ employment industries simply delays NZ waking up and realising that the world is a global village where we can’t compete on many things by dint our lack of scale or scope.

    What we need to do is to identify other as yet untapped niche, high-value opportunities to create value for offshore customers.

    The big question is how? The answer won’t be found focusing on “Buy NZ Made” style campaigns.

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  19. LC (162) Says:

    If National is unable to sort our economy out should we riot in the streets like the Icelanders and force a snap election?

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  20. Rex Widerstrom (4,965) Says:

    Chuck Bird:

    I assume what Leighton was targeting was the social engineering aspect of the social workers’ actions. There are other children in need of placement in a loving home, why pick two children whose grandparents, who were clearly very close to them, happened to be Catholic and uncomfortable with their being placed with a gay couple? It almost sounds like the social workers took offence at the grandfather’s objections and went out of their way to “teach him a lesson”.

    Also of concern is this passage:

    They spent two years involved in court cases over the children, whose 26-year-old mother is a recovering heroin addict, and finally agreed to adoption when they were faced with mounting legal bills.

    Two loving grandparents prepared to raise their grandchildren and someone was fighting them in court over it?! Who? The drug addicted mother? The State? Either way it should have been thrown out before the grandparents were bankrupted. The grandmother is 46, I assume the grandfather is around the same age – more than capable of raising children if they chose to do so.

    So yes, it appears it is an abomination and quite possibly a punitive bit of social engineering, but for reasons unrelated to homophobia.

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  21. LC (162) Says:

    Yes GS I agree, I just put the question out there as a general debate. But some smart marketeer will already be identifying the mood change in the public over losing jobs to foreigners and be promoting a sense of nationalism such as ‘Support TelstraClear – our call centres are in NZ not in the Philiipines” or “Bank with Kiwibank – unlike ANZ we haven’t outsorced to India”.

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  22. LC (162) Says:

    Should we introduce a Capital Gains tax to save the small mum and pop investors who have purchased rental property for their retirement – or will we let them flap in the wind as they loose 50% of their investment with no comeback?

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  23. LC (162) Says:

    When seconds count the Police are minutes away. Is it time to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms to protect them, their family, and their proterty?

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  24. Banana Llama (1,105) Says:

    “Should we introduce a Capital Gains tax to save the small mum and pop investors who have purchased rental property for their retirement – or will we let them flap in the wind as they loose 50% of their investment with no comeback”

    They are going to get owned once they retire and attempt to sell the houses with the rest of the boomers, so why waste money on a lost cause.

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  25. dime (6,215) Says:

    anyone else dream of living in a gated community?

    why dont we have these? id buy in!

    no trash neighbourhood sounds good to me :)

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  26. Brian Smaller (3,835) Says:

    Read this

    White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code
    By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
    New York Times
    January 28, 2009

    WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

    “He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

    That from the man who had the global warmenistas and sundry lefties getting their panties wet when he said

    “We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.

    “That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen”

    More change you can believe in. Do as I say, not as I do.

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  27. bearhunter (859) Says:

    I was just catching up with the news from home when I came across the following passage; it would appear that the greens are pretty much identical whether they’re here in NZ or on the other side of the world in Ireland:

    “Of course the Green Party, and that utter cunt John Gormley, are wrapped up in this, claiming that it would also be a good thing for the environment if it were to happen. I cannot even begin to explain to you how much I detest the Green Party and their insistence on foisting these taxes and charges on us in the name of their little crusade. They’re zealots, liars and any sense of principle they had went right out the window the minute they got into bed with Fianna Fail.

    “They are the born again Christians of politics, bleating on and on and on with their bullshit agenda. I hope, and I mean this quite sincerely, that they’re as good as wiped out at the local elections and in the next general election. Then Gormley, Boyle, de Burca and the rest of the irrelevant cunts can spend their time wearing sandals and cycling around wondering where it all went wrong. And I will point and laugh at them.”

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  28. gingercrush (153) Says:

    Has anyone had to deal with corrections and to be precise. Visitor approval. What a lousy group of inefficient bastards. Can they not learn to answer their phones. And what is the point in leaving a message if they don’t even get back to you.

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  29. Portia (204) Says:

    What do responsible Wall St bankers do with trillions of dollars of taxpayer bail-out funds? Why, pay themselves $US18 billion worth of bonuses of course.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123326820233830623.html
    http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/bonuses-for-bad-performance/?hp

    Hell, these are troubled times – we may not have a job next year and how else do you expect us to keep up with the Joneses?

    Sadly for Citibank executives, management has decided not to buy a $50m corporate jet, after last-minute pressure from Pres Obama and his team.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/business/30obama.html?hp

    Miserly old buggers. But, hey, I guess if we don’t have a job next year we wouldn’t get to ride in it anyway.

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  30. dad4justice (7,339) Says:

    “Has anyone had to deal with corrections”

    Yes I have gingercrush, every Saturday I visit Christchurch Prison. No problems with front line staff but corrections management are pull thru jerks.

    To the negative karma queens that voted this mornings dorkland comment down , haha I was born there , you know where to put your thumbs.

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  31. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    # labrator (457) Vote: Add rating1 Subtract rating 0 Says:
    January 30th, 2009 at 11:54 am

    “An interesting read on the USA’s current financial postion. PhilBest, thought you’d like that sort of info if you hadn’t found it already.”

    Thanks, Labrator, I hope everybody else is following that link, too. Actually, I think the poster called “Blue Devil” or something like that, posted it yesterday.

    What strikes me, is the similarity of many of the graphs, with the same position in NZ; only we are more in denial about it.

    Take a look at THIS Reserve Bank of NZ graph on house values:

    http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/keygraphs/Fig4.html

    Then take a look at this graph on house values in the USA, by different areas, and you decide WHICH ones NZ looks most like:

    http://www.newgeography.com/content/00500-case-shiller-index-housing-price-correction-continues

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  32. Rex Widerstrom (4,965) Says:

    dime says:

    anyone else dream of living in a gated community?

    why dont we have these? id buy in!

    But dime… Marx had it right in your case (Groucho, not Karl). Surely you wouldn’t want to live in any community whose standards were so low as to accept you?! :-O :-P :-D

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  33. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    # LC (82) Vote: Add rating 0 Subtract rating1 Says:
    January 30th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    “If National is unable to sort our economy out should we riot in the streets like the Icelanders and force a snap election?”

    If the Heleban was still in power, that would be entirely appropriate; but the poor old Nats had nothing to do with the mess NZ is now in after 9 years of Heleban and Mikhail Kullensky.

    But I do not expect the Nats to do much better, seeing they tied 1 and a half hands behind their own backs, in terms of policy options, assuring the sheeple of NZ that they were truly just Labour Lite; for the sheer expediency of winning an election right at the worst time. I always said that was a mistake.

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  34. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    bearhunter – if the passages of narrow-minded bigots excite you that much, perhaps you should avoid the temptation to revel in them, and instead, think for yourself :-)

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  35. CraigM (676) Says:

    “To the negative karma queens that voted this mornings dorkland comment down , haha I was born there , you know where to put your thumbs.”

    That explains the numbers then. By leaving Auckland for other parts, you inceased the GDP of both regions :-)

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  36. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    # LC (82) Vote: Add rating 0 Subtract rating 0 Says:
    January 30th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    “Should we introduce a Capital Gains tax to save the small mum and pop investors who have purchased rental property for their retirement – or will we let them flap in the wind as they loose 50% of their investment with no comeback?”

    How would a Capital Gains Tax “save” those investors?

    Investors should be aiming to live on the rental income, not on speculative-bubble-driven appreciation of the assett value. People who were gambling on the latter just deserve to be wiped out now; caveat emptor, learn your lesson, don’t do it again, stupid.

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  37. dad4justice (7,339) Says:

    greenflee ;this word “bigot ” you seem to use every second sentence? Is a “bigot ” like a dragonfly thingy that lurks in a fetid swamp infested with hordes of nasty greenfly thingys?

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  38. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    dad – yes

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  39. dad4justice (7,339) Says:

    Do bigots vote greenfly or destruction of pests?

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  40. bearhunter (859) Says:

    Greenfly, don’t worry the author isn’t a bigot. He hates everyone.

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  41. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    bearhunter – my mistake. I’m greatly relieved to hear that he’s so inclusive.
    dad – your divericated comment has me flustered! WTF do you mean?

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  42. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    # grumpyoldhori (572) Vote: Add rating3 Subtract rating 0 Says:(On yesterday’s general debate thread)
    January 29th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

    “PhilBest, one small problem with the $180,000 homes in Auckland.
    Can you imagine the utter screams of rage from those who paid $180,000 for their bit of Auckland dirt who have just seen their homes half in value ?

    Maybe there are just too many vested interests for the amount of land needed to be made available.
    Or will young new home buyers be smart enough to get together and get the land needed released ?”

    EXACTLY, GOH.

    Kiwis have been incredibly docile over this issue. The USA, or some significant parts of it, has had a housing price bubble because of a combination of restricted land supply and easy credit. But NZ has had an even worse housing price bubble, with interest rates twice as high as what the Yanks regarded as “low”. Our first home buyers were putting up with outgoings of 70% or more of their income, just to service their mortgage; in the USA, this was regarded as an extreme, “subprime” borrowing position; but in NZ it was like the NORM.

    I have said it before several times; the younger generation needs to stop grovelling to their bank managers when they want to buy a house, and club together and storm parliament and the local regional council instead. Ironically, many of the same younger people have not only not made the connection between “Green” land conservation policies and the cost of their own accomodation, they are active supporters of the land conservation policies, and expect further government interference on their behalf regarding their living costs, rather than a reduction in the government interference that is inflating those living costs.

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  43. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    By David Uren in “The Australian”

    “WORLD trade collapsed by nearly 45 per cent in annual terms in the final three months of last year, according to new International Monetary Fund figures that expose the staggering depth of the global financial crisis.

    And the IMF has predicted dealing with the economic storm will force governments to drive their budgets deep into deficit, indicating that Australia could expect a $35 billion deterioration in its budget bottom line.

    The bleak assessment, released early this morning, declares the global economy is in the grip of a “pernicious feedback loop” triggered by the collapse of credit and stock markets and warns there will be no recovery until governments take forceful action to restore confidence in financial markets.

    “Downside risks continue to dominate, as the scale and scope of the current financial crisis have taken the global economy into uncharted waters,” the report says.

    Falling share and property prices are forcing businesses and households to cut their spending, while new credit has been choked.

    “Global output and trade plummeted in the final months of 2008,” it says.

    The advanced countries are expected to produce 2 per cent less this year than last year, with world trade volumes to drop by 2.8 per cent.

    “Despite wide-ranging policy actions, financial strains remain acute, pulling down the real economy,” the IMF report says….”

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  44. WebWrat (516) Says:

    “At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,

    ‘If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.’

    In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

    If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

    1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash…….. Twice a day.

    2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

    3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

    4. Occasionally, executing a manoeuvre such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

    5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive – but would run on only five percent of the roads.

    6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single ‘This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation’ warning light.

    7. The airbag system would ask ‘Are you sure?’ before deploying.

    8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

    9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again be because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

    10. You’d have to press the ‘Start’ button to turn the engine off.”

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  45. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    Beaut video of Fred Thompson discussing, with heavy irony, the economic situation in the USA…..

    http://blip.tv/file/1528079

    What a pity he didn’t become President……..

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  46. wikiriwhis business (1,301) Says:

    “The airbag system would ask ‘Are you sure?’ before deploying. ”

    hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

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  47. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    # LC (82) 0 3 Says:
    January 30th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    “If National is unable to sort our economy out should we riot in the streets like the Icelanders and force a snap election?”

    Further to what I said above about this, if what some of the Von Mises economists are saying is true, rioting on the streets is eventually going to come in a big way, when the paper money system finally collapses like in Germany in the 1930′s. Then as I was saying yesterday, we are going to regret BIG TIME, the kind of Marxist hate and envy concerning well off people that we have been pumping our younger generations full of; the worst kind of politicians will succeed in appealing to the worst kind of ignorance, the ignorance that thinks it knows who to blame. Think of that young student ranting away on video about “rich kids” and “injustice”, before going out and committing the Virginia Tech Massacre, only multiply that by a few million.

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  48. getstaffed (9,188) Says:

    I see Obama is giving Wall St a verbal bollocking. Turns out that Wall St execs received $US18b in bonuses last year while they had their hand out for public bailouts. No I’m kinda right wing economically – but that situation is just theft from the taxpayer. Plain and simple. Make ‘em pay their bonuses back.

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  49. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    Ryan Sproull; I think you would find this quote apropos to what we were discussing a couple of days ago:

    “No one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interests of everyone hang on the result.”

    -Ludwig von Mises

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  50. wikiriwhis business (1,301) Says:

    getstaffed,,

    I think they’ve become to acclimatised to the Bush years.

    They just found out theres a new sherrriff in town.

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  51. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    AHHHHH.

    From National’s Housing Minister, Phil Heatley:

    “Bringing better balance to the housing market”

    “Housing Minister Phil Heatley says big steps are being taken to help the many thousands of Kiwis who can’t afford new homes, including changes to the Resource Management Act and Building Act.

    The Minister was responding to the findings of the 2009 Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey showing New Zealand has the second most unaffordable housing, behind Australia, across 265 markets in six countries.

    He said he was very conscious of the plight of existing home owners and investors who have seen the value of their properties diminish in recent months, citing lower interest rates and impending tax cuts as factors that would soften the blow.

    “National understands there’ll be property cycles but the recent cycle has been so extreme as to suggest there are fundamental problems with how the market is operating, notably around the supply of land.”

    He pointed out that it was National, when in opposition, which pushed for last year’s inquiry into housing affordability. Now that National was in Government it was going to address the issue, he said.

    “This research proves that many first home buyers are excluded from entering the property market by a number of factors, including restrictive zoning and consent laws, which not only make life difficult for ordinary Kiwis but are major factors in New Zealand’s poor productivity and economic growth levels.

    “I’m pleased to say the Government will be introducing initiatives aimed at improving housing affordability.”

    Along with reforms of the Resource Management Act and the Building Act, which will reduce impediments and excessive costs imposed on councils and the building industry, the Government will be:

    * ensuring local councils plan for a forward supply of suitable land zoned for new housing
    * making it easier to redevelop existing and unused land within city and town limits
    * ensuring supporting roading and other infrastructure is provided in a more cost effective and timely manner to facilitate the growth and development of our towns and cities
    * delivering sustainable resourcing for the non Government housing sector including boosting funding for the Housing Innovation Fund
    * working with councils to remove planning restrictions to the development of housing on communal land and multiple-owned Maori lands. Alongside the Housing Innovation Fund we will explore ways to give banks the confidence to back such projects
    * offering alternative shared ownership and financing arrangements for homeowners including the new Gateway Housing Initiative
    * increasing trades-training opportunities so there are more skilled people to build and develop new houses
    * establishing an Options and Advice Service provided by Housing New Zealand Corporation. This service would assist households to match their housing needs with appropriate housing solutions, both homeownership and rental…….”

    Do read the whole thing:

    http://beehive.govt.nz/release/bringing+better+balance+housing+market

    FULL MARKS……….

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  52. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    Greens support new hydro scheme in Buller – Scoop headline
    Support! SUPPORT !!! Holy Mother of God!!

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  53. grumpyoldhori (2,345) Says:

    PhilBest, one thing politicians understand is votes, if the young looking forward to their first home were smart they would,
    Band together forming a first home buyers union.
    Lean on Rodders by pointing out the number of votes that they could give to ACT.
    I believe it is a waste of time going to local councils, most of them have done sod all about getting the land needed rezoned.
    No, it needs the baseball bat approach from Wellington, and since Rodders is the minister he is the one that the young need to lean on.

    People who are sitting on sections for sale at $200,000, too bad,it is a supply and demand situation, so if the price drops due to the artificial shortage disappearing, that is just too bloody bad.
    Me a socialist, I can be a right nasty right winger at times :-)

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  54. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    DIME, do take note of that release from Phil Heatley I posted just above…….

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  55. big bruv (11,202) Says:

    To: The Hon John Key.

    Dear John

    It’s Friday, its fucking hot and I have had enough for the week, while I sit here sweltering I have been mulling over a few things that are pissing me off at the moment.

    The first one is the case of the low life 14 year old up north, John I have had a guts full of working like a slave so her parents can keep producing vermin such as her, for the last nine years I have been lied to, over taxed and told that the good days are coming yet the good days seemed to have past so many Kiwi’s by.
    We elected you to make changes, we did not fucking elect you to be Labour lite, do something about these scum John or we will do something about you.

    The next point is the pacific, frankly John I do not want you pissing around with these stupid little islands, tell them that NZ has to look after its own people for the foreseeable future and that all aid is going to cease immediately, and please, get your arse back here and stop these meaningless jaunts to these island dumps.

    The last point is your sell out to the racist apartheid party, its all well and good to kiss a bit of arse at Ratana and I am sure that you will get a great reception at Waitangi but for fuck sake John its time you told Maori a few hard home truths.
    It is time you told them that the continuing Maori crime wave is not acceptable, it is time you told them that the rest of us have had enough and that you are going to start hitting them were it hurts by removing benefits.
    You should also tell them that we have had enough of them killing their kids in record numbers and while you are at it you can also tell them that the excuse of colonisation is nothing more than bullshit.

    Frankly John since you took over I have been underwhelmed, yes its great that you are not Clark but from what I can see you may as well be, we seem to have the same polices and the same stupid socialist thinking only this time it is delivered by a nice smiling man.

    As I said before, sort your shit out John or we the voters will do it for you.

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  56. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    I love it, Grumpy Old Hori; that’s why I told Redbaiter what I did about you the other day…..

    But it looks like the Nats are actually going to try and do something about it; we’ll see if they can hack the flak from all the vested interests, people sitting on $200,000 sections for sale, people who’ve taken out fatter mortgages against the increase in the value of their homes and blown it on a world cruise, and of course the “we’ll be paving over paradise”!!! Green nutters…..

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  57. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    Big Bruv, that is blunt. I describe Maori as “the canaries in the coal mine of social engineering”; we need to awaken them to the fact that they are actually the first and worst victims of the secular leftist assault on our traditional values, for whatever reason; and we all need to wake up to the fact that this same rot will be spreading among all races albeit at a slower pace. The UK has had similar problems in increasing numbers among its slum-dwelling white trash as well as coloured immigrants. Maori and other racial minorities actually suffer the disadvantage that this same leftist assault targets them specifically, with ideas and politics of grievance and entitlement. Look at what the multiculturalist, relativist rot has done to Aborigines in Australia. It’s not about “imperialism”, its about humanity, dammit!

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  58. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    THIS is a very fine evisceration of what that multiculturalist, relativist rot has done for Aborigines in Australia:

    “Wadeye: Failed State as Cultural Triumph”, by Patrick MacCauley

    http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2008/12/wadeye-failed-state-as-cultural-triumph

    It is long, but well written, and a “must read”. The author is writing of his experiences as a teacher in the Aboriginal Community of “Wadeye”, in the Northern Territory. Read it, and weep for what the Left is doing to vulnerable humanity today.

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  59. Banana Llama (1,105) Says:

    Don’t worry about the youf we can look after ourselves Grumpy, why do you think Labour had the Knowledge wave brain fart, youf leaving in record numbers and no one left to pick up the tab for the future.

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  60. PhilBest (5,060) Says:

    # greenfly (195) Vote: Add rating 0 Subtract rating 1 Says:
    January 30th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    “Greens support new hydro scheme in Buller – Scoop headline
    Support! SUPPORT !!! Holy Mother of God!!”

    Perhaps they’re starting to listen to some of the valid criticism that has been made of their irrational stances in the past? What about an open-minded re-look at the Nuke issue now, too? One would have thought that AGW could have been invented by the Nuke industry……..

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  61. getstaffed (9,188) Says:

    Hydro scheme? You sure that’s not hydroponics. All sortsa stuff can be grown down there in the deep south.. with the right technology :)

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  62. reid (13,564) Says:

    I see Obama is giving Wall St a verbal bollocking. Turns out that Wall St execs received $US18b in bonuses last year while they had their hand out for public bailouts.

    Yes getstaffed and the other interesting aspect is there have been stories stating that the banks have refused to explain where the bailout money went to.

    I’m not sure that’s true but if it is, (a) isn’t that arrogant and (b) WTF were the politicians doing when the let them get away with this? It’s taxpayer’s money.

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  63. TimG_Oz (829) Says:

    bigbruv. How hot is it for you? Here in Melbourne it’s now 43.3. In the f-ing shade.

    You sound softer than the All Blacks in the 2003 WC semi final. and that day was only 34

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  64. Banana Llama (1,105) Says:

    I just saw on the news that the french are going all out now, got a 2 second blip of the biggest riot ever in French history, Iceland, Greece … yeah things are looking up Mr Bollard lmao.

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  65. grumpyoldhori (2,345) Says:

    Banana Llama, You are in favor of a young couple not being able to start a family because of a artificial shortage caused by bloody councils ?
    Christ lad it is bloody madness that a young couple in Auckland need both incomes coming in to pay a mortgage caused by the non stroke of a pen rezoning land

    The norm in NZ has been three times income for a starter home, this crap of a 180k house going for 450k is caused only by the utter greed of a few.
    Besides I do not want my mob coming home too spoil my comfortable retirement .

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  66. grumpyoldhori (2,345) Says:

    But, but, bankers are right wingers, should they not be entitled to bonuses for losing hundreds of billions of dollars.
    None of you centre or left wing wimps would have the ability to lose billions of dollars, that takes a rare talent found only in conservative types.
    So what is a few billion paid out in bonuses ? :-)

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  67. Chuck Bird (3,443) Says:

    Big Bruv, Good letter did you send him a hard copy and sign your name?

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  68. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    PhilBest said; “One would have thought that AGW could have been invented by the Nuke industry……..”
    This is an argument for nuclear power????

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  69. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    PhilBest – and further to your comments re. turning more land over to housing… ever heard of ribbon development? and have you any ideaa how farmers feel about good land being lost to housing for ‘useless townies’? Phil H better be ready to answer to the Feds over his proclamations.

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  70. mattyroo (831) Says:

    PhilBest – Good luck trying to have a rational debate with a greenie on nuclear power! Don’t go wasting your breath mate.

    It would be nice if these luddites would actually understand nuclear energy, rather than protesting for protests sake.

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  71. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    save your breath Phil – this irrational Luddite doesn’t understand nuclear power! I’m only protesting for protest’s sake.

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  72. Patrick Starr (3,673) Says:

    Hey Greenfly – there you go- 198 comments from you and at last you’re being honest. It’s the first step in turning your back on the hippies- It was only a matter of time – it had to happen
    Well done!

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  73. grumpyoldhori (2,345) Says:

    greenfly, the next bugger who says a bloody word suggesting that we get more return from using land for farming rather than for housing will get my big bloody mitts reaching through their monitor to throttle the sod.

    Bloody hell, if farming is so bloody good why the hell do countries like Finland and Singapore have a higher standard of living than us ?
    Know what the return on growing wool is, it’s about $2 a kilo at the moment.
    The average bloody farm has a rate of return on capital of less than 10%, would you put a million bucks in for a gross return that low ?

    As for nuclear power we should have a hard bloody look at those new peable reactors, plant one on the North Shore :-)

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  74. getstaffed (9,188) Says:

    I’m with grumpy. Small scale Pebble bed reactors for NZ.

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  75. wikiriwhis business (1,301) Says:

    grumpyoldhori,,

    Dairy milking is certainly now Fonterra fatalism.

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  76. Banana Llama (1,105) Says:

    Grumpy, no i am not in favour of the Auckland house prices but we are kind of out numbered, so what choice do we have but to leave for greener pastures untill politicians get that subtle but most definite message.

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  77. reid (13,564) Says:

    Yeah well farming is all we have, we’re bloody good at it, food is always valuable and until we open up the Great South Basin (biggest oil & gas field in the Southern Hemisphere), we might as well stick with it.

    I also agree with pebble-bed reactors. Worth exploring, even if only to really piss off the anti-nuke hysterical brigade. Currently around 88.7% of the population, I understand. (Making that up for effect)

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  78. getstaffed (9,188) Says:

    From Stuff:

    Lawyer David Bates said his client had a “very troubled past” and had difficulty coping with life.

    She had been in jail before for similar offending and was in no position to pay fines, he said.

    “She relies on a benefit and each time she goes to prison it causes havoc for her, trying to rearrange her living conditions when she gets out.”

    Poor soul. ‘Each time’! In and out of prision causing havoc with her benefit and flat. Perhaps she might try staying out of prison instead.

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  79. Glutaemus Maximus (2,207) Says:

    Dubai, and other Emirates now buying farming land in Cambodia and neighbouring districts.

    Hell this world is changing very fast.

    NZ is all the better for having the Agric skills.

    Neville Shute, ‘On the Beach’

    Where would you prefer to be if the balloon went up?

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  80. greenfly (1,059) Says:

    Glutaemus Maximus – and who do you suppose is buying ours? Hope you’ve got a big vege garden in!

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  81. Glutaemus Maximus (2,207) Says:

    The Chinese were buying a lot of farms, but seem to have gone off the idea recently.

    Anyway, anything they buy has no strategic importance.

    Unfortunately my crop, and truck farming skills are minimal.

    Not bad at shooting tho’!
    ;-)

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  82. Patrick Starr (3,673) Says:

    From the herald;

    “The Auckland policewoman who was severely beaten by a naked teenager this week graduated from police college three months ago with one of the top prizes.
    The officer received 50 to 60 blows to her face after being pinned down by a 16-year-old”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10554459

    If that was the top prize I’ll bet she’s damn pleased she didn’t come second

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  83. dad4justice (7,339) Says:

    Patrick ,most graduates from cop college are straight from University (latte queens), hence my friend a 25 year veteran said ” I am leaving as the wimps coming into the force couldn’t defend themselves let alone help their mates.”

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  84. Patrick Starr (3,673) Says:

    Dad – I was actually having a poke at the Herald for the way the story reads – but I agree with your friend. They’re recruiting cops with the sole ability to write speeding tickets – how big do you have to be to do that?

    after all, the problems only occurred when the moon was full – 9 long years of ignoring crime to collect revenue

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  85. wikiriwhis business (1,301) Says:

    “Poor soul. ‘Each time’! In and out of prision causing havoc with her benefit and flat. Perhaps she might try staying out of prison instead.”

    On the surface of this I know what you mean. But I feel she’s being incarcerated for lil crappy things that mean a several months at a time. If she could manage to get herself together I think she would come right. Unfortunately, it’s probably all drug related which almost dashes her hopes instantly. druggies never fulfill their potential. I won’t be dissuaded from that.

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