Ces't Moi has a good run down on the state of the blame game from a US perspective: http://lesbiencestmoi.blogspot.com/2006/04/on-oil-we-should-shoot-messenger.html
but most importantly raises the following point:
"profits for the oil companies are sure up in the 2006 first quarter but before you draw your sword, would you be surprised to find out that Yahoo first quarter earnings are more than double the oil company's earnings?"
From a New Zealand perspective would you be surprised to know that BP only makes double the NZRU's earnings?
That really does not show Oligopolistic profiteering to me from the oil companies over a fungible commodity.
Tags: oil, petrol, gas, nz, New Zealand, oligopoly, BP
[Update] I even forgot to mention that Ces't Moi is a typically left wing environmentalist blog - so in defending the oil companies is showing more sense than normal ;-)
Monday, May 01, 2006
Oil companies not necessarily the profiteers they are made out to be
Surprise, Surprise - making the pipe into the home bigger doesn't lead to faster access
Hattip: Computerworld
"High contention rates (or the number of customers sharing the available bandwidth) have been cited as the major reason for current discontent, since they cause peak-time congestion, with severely degraded performance."
I seem to recall saying before that increasing the pipe into the home wouldn't do anything until the backbone speeds were increased. And what incentive does Telecom have to increase the backbone speeds at the moment - none. With the "kiwishare" and calls for nationalization of the local loop acting as a huge disincentive towards any kind of infra structural investment I really don't see this changing any time soon.
And to repeat - forcing Telecom to release the local loop and/or give "faster, cheaper broadband" to the home is not going to make anyone's Internet access move any faster.
Tags: nz, New Zealand, Telecom, internet, broadband
Worriers lose but show why I watch them again ;-)
OK - so we got caned by the doggies on the final score line - but despite the Warriors playing atrociously for most of the game they still looked like they could pull it off for most of the time. Which makes for an exciting game. Which oddly enough in the New Zealand psyche is better than a won game.
Still while it was nice to have one doggie (finally) sent off for repeated infringements - it would be even nicer to see the bins keep coming when the infringing continues...
Meanwhile it appears my soccer team had a better result over the weekend beating top of the table Three Kings United 2 Inter with 4 goals to nil ;-) In a way it's kind of depressing to get a great result like that when you're not there though... Gets us to 3rd on the ladder (Auckland Mens Div 2, University-Mt Wellington 2 Warriors for anyone interested).
Tags: nz, New Zealand, soccer, warriors, NRL
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Timeout
So I'll see you all back on the 30th ;-)
Friday, April 21, 2006
It's an Oligopoly - but that's not the proof
I cannot believe the number of people and market commentators trying to use the argument that "oil companies have different cost structures and should be charging different prices; because they aren't there is price fixing involved."
Yes - there is probably price fixing in the petrol prices - but this is a completely nonsensical argument.
Petrol - as much as the oil companies try to differentiate - is still treated as a fungible product by the consumer. Which means we are not willing to pay more to get it from one supplier than another (BOCTAOE). So a company that charges more than its competitors will lose market share very quickly.
Funnily enough the Commerce Commission would be called if the other extreme happened. If one of the oil companies tried to use its "different cost structure" to actually charge less than what its competitors could then it would be charged with anti-competitive practices and get fined.
A flat pricing structure for a fungible product is normally taken as a sign of a functioning market. Why are people determined to try and use that as proof of Oligopolistic profits?
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, competition, oil, petrol, petrol prices
Sue Bradford proving that the Greens do not understand competition
I'm sure Nandor Tanczos must be pulling those dreadlocks out about now - after the hard work he put into trying to prove that they aren't just a socialist lefty party Sue Bradford goes out and shows that they do not understand enough about capitalism to be anything else.
hattip: TVNZ
She is trying to complain about the reduction in competition in the supermarket business because it has led to a decrease in prices. "sources indicate that prices have fallen on average between 14% and 18%". Sorry - I fail to see how this is a bad thing?
"Progresive/Woolworths is using its near monopoly power to force New Zealand suppliers and producers into lower and lower prices to them so that the market is the same as with Australia," says Greens List MP Sue Bradford." Again - I don't see that our producers needing to be efficient enough to compete with our neighbors is either undesirable or unrealistic. If we cannot compete with them importing to here and the extra costs involved - how are we ever going to compete to export to them? Further - I cannot see how she is ever going to get the Commerce Commission to agree this is against the interest of the consumer?
Of course I can see in her little red Socialist world it would be best if there was no competition, all the prices could be controlled and you could only buy what was made here....
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, greens, competition
Undercutting their own argument with misleading statistics
There is a hugely emotive piece in the Herald today which is trying to justify higher wages for cleaners etc on the basis of the difference between their wages and the effective hourly rate paid to professionals. Without wanting to get into any discussion about the validity of the argument, all of my sympathy disappears (again) when I saw the table presented below:
Hourly rates
$489.47 Top 44 CEOs
$206.37 Auckland City CEO David Rankin (library owner)
$91.35 Finance directors
$48.08+ Law partners
$21.29 Average wage
$10.95 Cissy Alone (librarycleaner)
$10.25 Legal minimum wage
For a start - who knows a CEO that only works 40 hours a week? Even the ones I know that only put in 50-60 hours a week in the office tend to take work home. Hard to take the library home to clean it there.
What would be wrong with calculating the above statistics on the basis of the number of hours that actually tend to get put in by salary employees? The argument would still exist - and at least then it might be valid.
I'm also disturbed as to where the $21.29 average wage figure comes from - I'm pretty sure last time I checked the average wage wasn't $42,000 per year. In fact I'm pretty sure the average employee income isn't that high....
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, minimum wage, misleading statistics, statistics
Support the principles of Anti-Bullying
01 0833 0077918 00
CUSTOMER CODE ANTI-BULLY
I fully support this fund to pay the fines of Daryl Michael Falcon, have paid my $50 contribution, and hope many others will do the same. Because this stands to send a very clear message back to our conceited judiciary and schooling system that we do not stand for bullying in our schools, and cannot stand for someone who does stand up to it to be dragged down in this manner.
Let me emphasize here that Mr Falcon:
contacted the school first and had no response,
contacted the parents of the bully first and had no response,
did NOT hit this child - he poked him with his finger (with no bruising) and yelled at him.
If any of the above 3 points were not true then I would not be supporting him - the reason for the support is he DID go through the appropriate channels (school), went a step further and went through unofficial channels (parents) and then only finally resorted to yelling at this kid - he did not assault him.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
For those who feel like they need a little more caffeine in their lives....
For more info: http://www.coca-colablak.com/us/index.jsp
Coca-Cola Blak - coffee and coke (read caffeine) in a bottle...
Tags: Coke, cocacola, caffeine
Pressing for a prosecution
Trawling through more information on the Daryl Michael Falcon case it turns out that not only did he complain to the school - but also took the incredibly brave step of talking to the bully's parents. Unfortunately while this shows his real concern in the matter (most people I know would NEVER approach another parent about their child's behavior) it is my supposition that it was this that led to his ultimate undoing.
What interest did the family of this piece of cr*p have to prove by obstructing a discharge without conviction? You can bet this was all a petulant thumbing of the nose by the bully's parents to say who is the bad parent now. Not only have they managed to escape their duties as parents to actually teach and discipline their own child; but now they have used the justice system to feel superior in the job that they are doing in breeding NZ's next generation of criminal / bully / thug.
I have no doubt who Generation X-Y's next golden wanker award should go to.
I would also be interested after all the publicity surrounding the victim in this - does anyone have the names and photos of the bully and parents? I think these people should be shown and given the full castigation of public opinion.
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, PC, bullying, justice, wanker
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Bullying
I cannot believe our PC judiciary has found that Daryl Michael Falcon should have to pay $500 for "yelling at him, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and poking him with a finger". hattip: NZ Herald
When I first heard about the fact the case had even been brought I thought he must have hit the kid, and thought fair enough. However it now transpires that not only did he do nothing of the sort, but that "the parents had complained earlier to the school about the bullying, but no action had been taken." So this wasn't even a case of having ignored the proper process - but the proper process having ignored them.
The judge in her summation tried to use the justification that "On the other hand, it doesn't solve the problem of bullying" - but at least this was one parent that cared enough to confront the problem. And I would be really interested in a follow up story that asks whether the bullying stopped?
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, PC, bullying, justice
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The Separation of Charity and State
While I am recommending reading for the day the following essay at Lindsay Mitchell's blog is fairly fascinating asking the question as to whether the dismantling of the welfare state would actually lead to the decrease in welfare received.
Very well written, although they miss the point that a lot of donating to the church is self-interested fear rather than true charity: http://lindsaymitchell.blogspot.com/2006/04/separation-of-charity-and-state.html
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, welfare, welfare state, politics
Greenpeace changes to support Nuclear power
Or at least Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace has: (hattip: Washington Post)
This is critical reading for all those people who still oppose nuclear power stations - and all those (like myself) who only tentatively support it. He systematically goes through virtually every complaint about Nuclear power and shows why it is patently false; or at least no longer true. The main points he makes for me are:
Myth: Nuclear waste will be dangerous for thousands of years. Within 40 years, used fuel has less than one-thousandth of the radioactivity it had when it was removed from the reactor. And it is incorrect to call it waste, because 95 percent of the potential energy is still contained in the used fuel after the first cycle. Now that the United States has removed the ban on recycling used fuel, it will be possible to use that energy and to greatly reduce the amount of waste that needs treatment and disposal. Last month, Japan joined France, Britain and Russia in the nuclear-fuel-recycling business. The United States will not be far behind.
Myth: Nuclear energy is expensive. In 2004, the average cost of producing nuclear energy in the United States was less than two cents per kilowatt-hour, comparable with coal and hydroelectric.
Myth: Nuclear plants are not safe. The multi-agency U.N. Chernobyl Forum reported last year that 56 deaths could be directly attributed to the accident, most of those from radiation or burns suffered while fighting the fire. Tragic as those deaths were, they pale in comparison to the more than 5,000 coal-mining deaths that occur worldwide every year.
Over the past 20 years, one of the simplest tools -- the machete -- has been used to kill more than a million people in Africa, far more than were killed in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings combined. What are car bombs made of? Diesel oil, fertilizer and cars. If we banned everything that can be used to kill people, we would never have harnessed fire.
Tags: greenpeace, nuclear power, NZ, New Zealand, nuclear
RMA madness again (so are we surprised?)
hattip: NZ Herald
In another piece of fine RMA madness the Environment Court has ruled against a Mussel Farm in the Kaipara Harbour partly because it would ruin the view for walkers. However the true madness is that it is not even because it would spoil the view for current walkers, it was because there is "potential for the scale of walking to increase".
Now unless this was a particularly odd mussel farm - personally the existence of some posts in the harbour doesn't really seem like that much of a detraction to the view to me. And something we desperately need to do in this country is exploit our advantage in the realms of mussels. If you go to Belgium you can find out how huge the world demand for mussels truly is - the scale of farming and automation involved is incredible. Once you order a pot of mussels and incredulously stare at the specimens that are called mussels (due to the different breed used) you will also get a feeling for why the fine restaurants of the world call for green lips. Correlate the two and you can see this is one potential export earner for us in which we need to invest heavily.
And yet we cannot because yet another investment is scuttled by a dubious call on visual impact in an area that has not yet even managed to establish itself. I could understand if this was a heavily used walking area that the conditions applied should be more stringent - but even then I would question the decision. More to the point if it was actually the future development of the area as a tramping destination why not at least allow the development to go ahead with a condition on its removal if the area can / does develop sufficiently in that direction? I bet that in 10 years time the walk will still be at a stage of "potential for the scale of walking to increase" while the commercial opportunity has been long since lost.
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, tramping, RMA, politics
As much as I hate socialism - at least ACC prevents this:
hattip: IdoNotes
Court: Coke should have warned of fizziness
Although the Court rejected the theory that the can was defective, it found that the company could be held liable for failing to warn consumers that "the beverage might exit the can at a high velocity upon opening." Expect to see a lot more language on your coke cans in the future.
"So have we finally hit the wall people? A grown ass woman does not know that a can of soda (carbonated water, syrup, some coloring and sweeteners of some kind) could possibly come shooting out. I am guessing she never drank soda in her life, never had seen one explode before and apparently beer doesn't fit in either. or champagne or any other beverage that uses any form of carbonation. She probably follows along the lines that flavored water is still water. No it is now a soft drink once you change it from water (to quote George Carlin).
Whew, so be prepared for more printing on the cans. And close your eyes when you open one apparently. She is stating that it burned her eyes some and gave her SLK and dry eyes. I am thinking very wet eyes personally that tingle :-)"
Tags: US, Coke, SLK, dry eye, law
What is the fuss really about?
While an $11m bill for landscaping new prisons on the face of it seems to be an extreme waste of tax payers funds - I would argue that the concept that the money is being spent on is required. It is necessary to teach criminals how to enjoy a walk in the serene outdoors, to appreciate sculptures and to find ways to release tension and anger other than through violence and theft. Simon Power is right that "these are meant to be places where inmates are reminded every day of why they are there", but only in so far as this is required for reflection to progress beyond what brought them there.
Truly the real problem is that we do not separate the reasons that a someone is sent to prison - and so in our own minds we cannot resolve the punishment and rehabilitation doctrines that are required. Until this separation is performed we will continue to have outcries like this over technically required spending, and we will continue to have the injustice that the punishment portion of a criminals sentence is performed in better conditions than many New Zealand households enjoy.
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, law and order
[Update]
Hattip: Scoop
Simon Power has the answer to how to reduce the landscaping bill right in front of him and yet doesn't propose it: get the prisoners to do the landscaping! Sure it will take a whole lot longer with spades and shovels - but I'm pretty sure the physical exertion will do them good, and is a whole lot better for their rehabilitation than sitting in a cell all day. And more to the point as the Ombudsmen has pointed out: "prisoners who have spent all day (possibly for years) lying in bed are not going to be released and say, "I'm now going to go to work".
And someone who doesn't work when reintegrated with the community is far more likely to recommit.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
I wonder how much easier the decision was made by the minimum wage rise?
Recently I blogged about the "silver lining in the minimum wage cloud" - that it may finally encourage New Zealand to invest in automation and some real productivity. It appears that we might have the first large companies heeding this movement: Stuff Union disappointed at Fonterra decision.
"A total of 400 jobs would go but 100 staff would be rehired.The work will be transferred to one remaining Eltham plant where automation was being introduced."
The only question in my mind remains whether this would be such an easy decision, or whether the Unions counter proposals would have had more merit if not for the meddling in the labour market? I presume a lot of people will see this as a negative - I'm sorry but I cannot see this as being other than positive for New Zealand - especially when you compound:
"While 400 jobs were affected at the existing factories, the new equipment would require new skills so the company expected to employ more than 100 people at the new facility."
For New Zealand's future I'll take 100 skilled jobs over 400 unskilled any day. How else are we to move to a high wage economy?
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, minimum wage
My god - the RMA worked!
Hattip: Stuff
"Government ministers said today they weighed up the economic benefits of mining $400 million worth of coal and the risk to a population of rare native snails before deciding the snails must move."
What makes this even more surprising is that Chris Carter actually allowed this to go ahead. Then again I suppose it was only the extinction of a species in the balance as opposed to some Maori going for afternoon Pipi's...
"Under the mitigation package, Solid Energy would pay for:
The relocation by hand of up to 250 snails from the proposed mining site;
The establishment of an expanded new habitat for the snails that was as close to the old habitat as could be reasonably achieved;
The protection of this area with intensive predator control and a predator-proof fence;
The protection of an expanded proportion of the existing snail habitat that would not be mined, and intensive predator control across this area;
The development of a captive management programme for the snails;
The conducting of a wider survey of the surrounding environment to locate other possible areas of habitat for Powelliphanta Augustus."
Got to say - this looks like a fairly comprehensive package that makes sure these snails should survive - I'm all for the decision. However the problem is still that "Solid Energy said recently that it had already lost about $7m in cancelled orders due to mining hold-ups pending the snail decision."
We have got to find a way to make this process faster. Its just like the Marina - if the refusal had taken 6 months from start to finish no one would be quite so p*ssed off about it; it was the wasted years in the process that makes it so galling.
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, RMA
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Looks like David Parker was right
Hattip: TVNZ (wrt: Housing New Zealand gagging order and cover up)
I mean if Auditors cannot find millions of dollars worth of fraud without someone drawing them circles and highlighting paragraphs - then what IS the point in hiring them? A bit like having the crown law office really - the impression of propriety in process?
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, Liarbour
Maori children miss out on new Government assistance
Hattip: NZ Herald
Ms Wynd said: "the future workforce will be predominantly brown, and we need to take steps to ensure adequate investment in them now."
Ms Wynd seems to miss the point that these statistics are showing that the benefit queue will continue to be predominately brown - unless something drastic is done to reverse that trend. Getting these families into work and removing incentives for creating large dependent families are needed - not increasing the handouts.
Already in this country we have 5th generation dependents - where are these people going to learn a work ethic (even a bad one) when there is no one in their family, and increasingly their extended family in whom to look to?
Enforcing parental responsibility would be a start - 232,000 children in homes without incomes is far too many, regardless of race or religion.
Tags: New Zealand, NZ, politics, welfare
Maori party leader doesn't believe in capitalism
Hattip: Lindsay Mitchell
“Water is a basic human right under international human rights law (United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)” said Mrs Turia.
At first Tariana's statement seems perfectly reasonable - until you realise that food and shelter are also defined as basic human rights. The allocation of these on a free market basis works; so why can it not work for other "basic human rights"? (Although personally I would tend to define it as a need rather than a right anyway...) At worst the Government can always act as a market facilitator to ensure that there is a supply of fresh water at reasonable cost / supply etc - but at least it would make the provision explicit. Besides - it's not like I get my water for free now anyway?
I have to admit to being an Ignorantselfishertarian on this matter, but at a skim the proposals from Rodney would seem to be reasonable?
Hattip: Scoop
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, water, Maori party, ACT, right, Ignorantselfishertarian
Monday, April 10, 2006
Lets be honest shall we?
Hattip: Stuff
"It is a bleak place, it is a place where there is not much hope, a lot of unemployment," he said. The area was so depressed that people "wanted to get off their faces".
The primary reason people in places like Porirua, Otara, Otahuhu etc "get off their faces" is because they are bored - not because they are depressed. The underlying cause - endemic unemployment - may be the same, but it changes the strategy for tackling quite considerably. Attributing it to depression is a way of disowning the problem - it is so much harder to tackle a nebulous mental condition and certainly the person cannot help themselves out of it. Whereas boredom allows the person to claim the issue and claim responsibility for helping themselves out of their own rut.
It is too common in too many societies to remove responsibility from people for their actions - and the consequence of this is the removal of "hope".
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, welfare
Weekend Sport
OK - can't comment on the Warriors yet - I know we are down 20-0 at the half time break but won't know the fulltime until tonight... However it was interesting to see Russel Smith as the first NRL referee to nearly get Steven Price to lose his rag!
Been a long time since I've played a full 90 minutes of soccer - and I am feeling it today (can barely use my right leg...)
2-all draw with all four goals scored in the first half - then a war of attrition in the second. Good fun though ;-)
Tags: soccer, league
Friday, April 07, 2006
In the interests of suppression orders:
Inspired by Not PC, in execution and reasons:
http://pc.blogspot.com/2006/04/top-ten-searches-sigh.html
http://pc.blogspot.com/2006/04/suppressing-information-challenge-to.html
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/archives/013700.html
suppressed information in rickards rape trial
nz rape trial rickards
nz louise nicholas rape
clint rickards suppressed evidence
louise nicholas rape trial nz
suppression order new zealand
pamphlet blog posted
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, free speech, law
I hope they remembered to monitor the Labour party
Friends of al Qaeda in NZ, warns SIS
"What the SIS has monitored:
* People trying to raise funds for terrorist organisations."
Oh - that's right, the Labour party didn't raise funds for Hamas - they just gave them!
Then again my favourite quote from the article came from Green MP Keith Locke"
"It seems to be more of a job justification exercise."
Like the Green MP's staff paid for by funding for ministerial services?
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, Liarbour, Greens
And why are you surprised Sue?
hattip: NZHerald
OK - the way I read this is that companies that were effectively already paying more than the minimum wage to their employees have limited the Government forced "pay rise" to only being the minimum wage. IE the Government has managed to create more people on the minimum wage than there was before - and they're upset about it? My real bewilderment is about what did Sue expect? The completely inflationary effect of every employee getting a $0.75 per hour pay rise regardless of their current pay level?
Hey - I lose out next year when everybody gets 4 weeks minimum holiday too - somehow I don't think that the Greens / Labour are going to come in to get me a fifth week?
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, Greens, Minimum Wage
Why can't we let Darwinism take its course?
"A man was struck by several vehicles - including an ambulance - when he ran from police and tried to cross the Southern Motorway last night." Source.
While the irony is almost amusing, we now have to ask why as tax-payers we have to fund this dimwits recovery and care to recover from his critical condition.
A condition that is entirely his own fault and incurred while both in breach of the law, and endangering the lives of all the people on the motorway.
Even more to the point why should those people in the public health system through no explicit fault of their own now have to wait on his care as he uses some of our most stretched and expensive resources to save his life? This is even worse than the stretch on our under-funded police force trying to save those that decide to cross in front of trains.
Tags: New Zealand, Darwinism, NZ
I'm glad the Prime Minister doesn't drive herself!
I'm pretty sure that I do not EVER want Helen Clark driving on the same road I am:
Not only do we now know she can't tell when being driven at over 140 kph (average speed - not peak)
[hey - my wife starts "noticing" at 115...]
But she also can fail to notice an accident that:
dislodges the cars bumper
dislodges the headlight
causes $3000 worth of damage to the other car.
Will someone please revoke her license?
Still it explains how she also fails to notice the train wreck of a Government she is leading...
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, Liarbour
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Embrace Nuclear Power to protect the ecosystem
"When top predators such as wolves and eagles return to a damaged habitat, it is a sure sign that the ecosystem is once again healthy and vibrant.
For several years, ecologists have reported many sightings of rare species within the Chernobyl exclusion zone which are hardly ever seen in other parts of Europe"
Source
See - the best way to protect your environment is to completely screw it up first! Chernobyl looks set to be the best wildlife reserve in Europe - mainly because no one is going to be contesting its 'park' status or looking for building rights any time soon...
Earthrace and peak oil theorists
Source
Reading about Earthrace and their upcoming around the world race challenge actually just made me wonder whether all the peak oil theorists out there are actually hoping for it to succeed or fail? Because if this yacht successfully circumnavigates the globe in one of the toughest races around it will prove the maturity of bio-diesel engines and production - and its ability to stand in the wings in the event of a peak oil scenario unfolding. Worse - if it trims the 10 days off the record that everybody is currently predicting then the non-peak oil theorists will have even more ammunition to claim that a natural progression through technology is going to occur long before oil production wanes.
So are the "peakists" going to be happy for the "salvation" of the planet from their hypothetical - or deriding of the challenge to their prophecy?
Tags: New Zealand, NZ, peak oil, earthrace
Sweeping review of immigration laws unveiled - and refugees
Source - I have always viewed refugees to this country with at least a degree of skepticism. This is nothing to do with whether they have come from a worse place and / or whether there are valid reasons for becoming a refugee.
What creates my skepticism is that in many cases these people have had to go through a vast amount of effort, time and money to "escape" here. New Zealand is not exactly the easiest place to get to accidentally - frequently really even by those who are deliberately coming here - so it shows a fair amount of deliberation on the refugees part to end up in New Zealand as opposed to (for example) Australia. Most genuine refugees are just going to end up in the nearest and not necessarily most convenient place that is not the country from which they were fleeing. Using the example of the Iraqi refugees most of these are even still in the same country - just not the same part of it. Once safety (which is the most frequent reason given) is obtained the person is then an immigrant to move from the point of safety. And should be subject to the same procedures and checks as any other immigrant. Worldwide there seems to be far too many people trying to use the refugee loophole in immigration to force their way into their desired country of residence. This is not what that clause is about.
Tags: politics, immigration, refugee, NZ, New Zealand
And I suppose this doesn't count as misleading the house
"Two weeks ago, Dr Cullen told the House the Crown car the Prime Minister was travelling in received no front-end damage in the accident.
Yesterday, he said Ministerial Services had told him the car's front bumper was dislodged and scratched, a headlight surround was dislodged and the bonnet dented."
Source
Actually I would not think it was a big deal at all except that it just continues to prove the trend of lies and contempt this Government has for law and parliamentary process. Labor
Tags: NZ, New Zealand, politics, Liarbour
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Parental Responsibility
Unfortunately we currently have a situation where many children are subjected to conditions of "poverty" (although I object somewhat to the definition as versus 3rd world poverty) simply because their parents do not take responsibility for their own actions.
I fully support a welfare system that supports the needy; however I also embrace many of the ideals of a liberal Government and its emphasis on personal responsibility. It is unfair to impinge on the rights of a child to a reasonable upbringing because of the lack of responsibility shown by their parents. To this end I propose combining the two for any welfare regarding children (read DPB, Working For Families, etc). Where someone gets welfare for the purposes of sustaining a child this is an admittance to a breach of their responsibilities in ensuring that they can provide before creating life (which in my view is a very serious offence). The assistance should be granted (for the child's sake - it is unfair to punish them for their parents mistake), along with compulsory counseling to the parent(s) including sex education.
On the application for assistance due to a second child further assistance is rendered, counseling given, and a final warning issued. On 3rd application assistance is rendered, counseling given, and Tubal ligation / vasectomy performed. The procedure may be reversed once the person / people are able to support themselves and are no longer dependent on welfare.
This would help to impress on people the very key responsibilities that are related to their right of procreation. Unlike the right to drive this probably is not something that should be licensed before the right is given - mainly just due to the orwellian implications of that type of scheme - but neither do I believe that someone who has patently abused that right, without heed for the responsibilities inherent, should keep it.
Note this is not restricting people to 3 children - neither is it even restricting beneficiaries to 3 children; it is restricting people to 3 children dependent on the state. So someone can be supporting 2 children themselves - but get assistance for their 3rd when they make the mistake.
Tags: New Zealand, NZ, politics, welfare, DPB
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
OK - late I know;
Congratulations to the Warriors on leaving negative points territory! Especially by beating top of the table to do it, and more importantly wiping the smile off Andrew John's face - good work to the television crew showing him throughout :-)
OK - I know in theory I should have posted this yesterday but I work for a living so can't afford Sky - so I have to tape the delayed broadcast on Prime, avoid the papers and news for a day and then watch when I get home... (Sunday games at least).
When Statistics Go Bad
I saw these statistics being used recently over at DPF's blog (by a commenter - not David) as a rebuttal that Australia's effective tax rates are lower than ours.
Evolution of the tax burden, 2000-2005
Single persons without children at 100% of average earnings
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/50/41/36371703.pdf
Which at first impression the table appears to show:
Australia 28.3%
New Zealand 20.5%
Yay - New Zealanders rejoice; apparently our tax burden is not as bad as we feel it is... Until we read the third line of the heading which actually explains what we are looking at;
Income tax plus employee and employer contributions less cash benefits as a % of labour costs
So in actual fact the taxation burden on an EMPLOYEE shown by these figures is overstated by the rate of both compulsory superannuation (0% NZ, 9% Australia) AND contributions by employer or employee to employer run superannuation schemes. So even without assessing the final part of the distortion Australia already has a lower taxation burden than us.
Monday, April 03, 2006
AMP shows the Government is wasting our money in housing
"The paper found no link between Government housing policies and affordability." Full Article
IE: If there is no positive correlation between the money the Government spends trying to make housing more affordable and actual affordability; then the money has been wasted. I agree with Howard Morley:
"Howard Morley, president of the Real Estate Institute, told Radio New Zealand the paper's finding did not come as a surprise." [sic]
Tags: politics, housing, NZ, New Zealand
"Perceived" media bias
"An overwhelming majority still believe Helen Clark has performed well, although down slightly from 66 per cent to 61 per cent, compared with those who think she has performed poorly, up slightly from 19 per cent to 23 per cent. Thirty-four per cent thought Dr Brash had performed well, down from 38 per cent, compared with 45 per cent who thought he had performed poorly - up 3 per cent."
Interesting that for HC a 5% drop in explicit approval and a 4% rise in explicit disapproval are both slight [sic] moves.
Brash's commensurate moves of 4% and 3% respectively are not given the same diminutive - perhaps its not just the police with some kind of political bias...
Tags: NZ, politics, MSM, media
First Results
First soccer game of the season in the weekend - good result on the field won 4-2 - but not exactly the amount of game time I would have liked... Lost our striker to concussion (not good when you are 2-nil down and he thinks its still nil all ;-> ) in the first half so hope that's fixed for next week!
Tags: soccer
Socialist Greed
Listening to talkback radio this morning as my alarm clock attempted to coerce me out of bed - I couldn't help but notice the type of PC greed that this Socialist Government is instilling in our country.
The topic of discussion was Rodney Hide's bill to cap the local rate rises (with which I agree). The strange thing was how almost every caller agreed with the bill - and then managed to finish with "especially for" <me>. Where <me> equals elderly / poor / beneficiary / etc - but always a group to which the caller belonged. Of course the whole point of the bill is to make the increases in the costs of these services fair - and not pander to the cross-subsidisation of the socialist thinking - and yet people could not see the irony in their own statement of: the rates shouldn't be increased for me because I'm hard done by, if it doesn't get increased for others then I suppose that's good too.
Of course the fact that the only opposition raised was that this would prevent proper investment in infrastructure also shows the intellectually bereft opposition. This bill doesn't stop that at all - it just means that either the local body will need to look to public / private partnerships to achieve it, or it will need to specifically ask its employers (the ratepayers) for permission for a specific increase. I see this as a good thing - especially as the scope of local body decisions are actually still within the realm of what most people can comprehend. To steal Scott Adam's analogy - people can generally decide between whether a turkey or a bald eagle is a good mascot; deciding the macro-economic impact of interest rate differentials is a little more specialist...
Tags: NZ, politics, tax
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Voting Rights
I firmly believe that everybody should have the right to vote (with the qualification that I agree in the current "age discrimination") - however this is quite different to the statement that everybody SHOULD vote.
Last election we had millions of our dollars poured down the collective drain in an effort to persuade everybody to vote regardless of whether they had any idea whatsoever about what they were voting for.
Now while the concept of merit based voting would initially seem to hold some kind of solution - along the lines of intelligence testing etc - I am actually against this for a number of reasons. However primary amongst these is that I would actually prefer the future direction of our country to be decided by: a group of illiterate fools who had nevertheless found out about the issues that concern them, made value judgments on these and come to a conclusion about what party(s) best serviced them and decided to vote; than a group of super-geniuses that just turn up to a pollsters booth with the intention of voting for who they pseudo-randomly decide is best.
This is regardless of the fact that the latter would probably actually result in a better overall result for the country.
Next election what I would like to see is an equal number of ads to the "little orange man" pointing out that while voting technically is as easy as ticking a box, the responsibility that attaches to that right is to make an informed decision. Which means more than just listening to party political broadcasts, more than just voting on polls, and far more than just voting for who you did last time.
That group of voters [sic] who do not know why they are voting for someone, having come to a conclusion that they best fit their values - this is the group I would disenfranchise (for that election). One of the prime ironies in democracy is that a country gets the Government that it deserves. And for that I weep for you NZ.
Tags: politics, voting, emancipation, New Zealand, NZ
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Microchipping Dogs
With the new regulations going into force I felt the need to have my rant about where I stand on the issue.
Personally I think the mandatory chipping of all dogs is a pointless and bureaucratic attempt to attack the wrong problem in a completely ineffective manner. The stated purpose of the micro-chipping / registration is to reduce the incidence of dog attacks, particularly against young children. However how does the identification of dog and owner by registered vets / dog control officers help to reduce this problem? To allude to the oft used quote - this can be no better than an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff. And I would further question how frequently there is a dog in "custody" after an attack that cannot be identified or tracked to the owner. Certainly this has not been the case in ANY of the high profile dog attacks that have led to the new regulations being brought into action.
To re-iterate an earlier point that might have been missed - only people using a microchip reader can even try to see whether the dog is even chipped - let alone find out the details. At least with the collar registration there is a visual indication of whether a dog is registered or not. And microchipping is in fact no better than standard registration at identifying the CURRENT CONTROLLER of the dog - if a dog is sold / stolen / etc then there are no guarantees that the registration details will be updated to reflect this. So the only thing we have actually done is prove beyond a doubt what dog this is, whereas registration tags can be swapped between dogs. But I would again stress that this "advantage" does not actually help to identify a dog in the case of an attack unless the dog is apprehended. At which stage the point is moot.
If anyone can raise a single reason why micro-chipping helps the safety of the community I may change my mind - but I don't see it happening. And please don't bang away about stricter enforcement - that does not rely on chipping, it relies on stricter enforcement....
Tags: law, New Zealand, dog
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Silver lining in the minimum wage cloud
Tags: Politics, New Zealand, Minimum Wage
Monday, March 27, 2006
Too true to be left alone
Telecom to offer 'superfast' internet
Tags: New Zealand, Technology
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Maybe Google isn't as technical as we think ;-)
Hmmm - going to have to post the photo later - apparently not ALL of blogger is fixed yet...
[Edit] Here we go!
Helen Clark acting fraudulently again?
Burt does a very quick summarization here: http://burtnz.blogspot.com/2006/03/investigate-magazine-doonegate.html
With the original investigate article here: http://www.investigatemagazine.com/archives/2006/03/investigate_nov_2.html
However if this is all true (or remotely true) then it would seem that former Police Commissioner Peter Doone would have a pretty good case against the PM for slander / defamation? And it is my understanding that this could be taken down a civil law route so that the whole prima facie but not in the public interest could be avoided. I'm pretty sure that if Doone raised an interest in taking up the case there are a number of people who would help him fund it (my hand is up). If not though I might have to conclude that Ian Wishart is connecting some dots that aren't really there?
However it would also explain what Helen's vitriole against Investigate recently - she is trying to discredit the magazine before this can get some legs maybe?
Anderton's real reason exposed
full story
So now we see the real reason kiwibank needed a futher $20m of our money injected.
Of course we can now see Labour's way forward to their Socialist 'utopia'. Gouge the private citizens of their hard earned money - then use it to buy all the companies on the stock exchange until everything is state owned again...
(So far we have an airline, a bank, a loans company... )
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Swapping pests for natives
Given that we have about a 20m by 10m plot at our place that we want to plant out with natives this works out quite well.
We just turned up with a bag of weeds, most of which we had no idea what they were so kind of looking for some help in identifying them. Turns out we had 5 of the top 10 noxious weeds in there, as well as 2 plants they weren't even able to identify and have taken away for further analysis :-)
The part of the programme I actually like is that they are providing pretty good information on native plants that can be used to similar effect to many pest plants like Jasmine. So rather than just saying you should get rid of that (like the Agapanthus) they are actually providing decent alternatives to get the same result.
Abolish the youth rate!
I cannot believe the alleged "police brutality" from the students hinges on the number of police officers that were used to remove a couple of the protestors. The news showed quite clearly how 4/5 officers removing a person is far more peaceful than 1 - because with 4 you can quite effectively carry a struggling person away whereas with 1 you would probably hurt them quite badly in the process!
But then again these are the same people who believe that pay rates are solely based on the number of hours worked... (and have nothing to do with retention rates and progression possibilities?)
GDC in receivership
GDC may claim this is because of shifts in the market and competition - but really it is just due to the fact they were lousy at what they did. I do not know a single company / person that had used them that had good things to say about them; and every company I know that had used them did not anymore...
If only we actually had the choice to move away from those other dogs in our lives:
public health and public schools...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Why this scalp so quickly?
...but there appears to be agreement that unless police begin prosecutions today, it will be too late.
But police say they are waiting for advice from Crown Law – and Crown Law says its report is a week away.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3606330a6160,00.html
I would have paid more attention to this at the time if I hadn't been ignorant of the fact that one of the top officials is a Govt MP...
[edit]National says public confidence in the police and Crown Law will be corroded if Labour gets off on a technicality after using taxpayer funds to promote its pledge card during the 2005 election campaign.
I quite like this quote in the context as well :-)[/edit]
Prima facie
Prima facie is a Latin expression meaning "at first sight," used in common law jurisdictions to denote evidence that is sufficient, if not rebutted, to prove a particular proposition or fact. In most legal proceedings, one of the parties has the burden of production, which requires that party to present prima facie evidence of all facts essential to its case. (See also burden of proof.) If that party fails to present prima facie evidence on any required element of its case, its claim may be dismissed without any response by the opposing party. A prima facie case may be insufficient to enable a party to prevail, however, if the opposing party subsequently introduces contradictory evidence or asserts an affirmative defense.
For example, in a criminal prosecution, the Government has the burden of presenting prima facie evidence of each element of the crime charged. In a murder case, this would include evidence that the defendant's act caused the victim's death, and evidence that the defendant acted with malice aforethought. If the prosecution were to fail to introduce such evidence, then its case would fail on grounds of "failure to make out a prima facie case," even without rebuttal by the defendant.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Incentives
But I think her last point needs repeating:
It's quite obvious that the current scheme, combined with the benefit system, produces the worst of incentives. These will be exacerbated when people don't have to pay any interest.
This is my problem with the whole interest free bribe from Labour. The fact that for what is probably the first major debt of many young peoples lives, we are making it so that economically they SHOULD borrow as much as possible and pay it off as slowly as possible, hardly seems like a good lesson in a country with a negative savings history.
Personally I don't actually have a big issue with the Government subsidising student loans - but if they are going to it has to be in the lines of a payment top up etc which actually incentivise good repayment habits.
A better situation from my perspective would actually be for the Government to stop handling the student loans at all, but act as a guarantor for student loans taken out from a bank. The banks would fall over themselves to get the business and with the Govt as guarantor should be able to give rates around or better than the current mortgage rates. Would save the tax payers a whole lot of money and bureaucracy too....
Friday, March 17, 2006
Ignorance is no defence
All those apologists that seem to think that Labour should not be prosecuted over the theft of our $400K because the "rules were not clear" should try that excuse on their next tax return.
Law, civil or criminal, does not allow ignorance as a defence - and neither does it allow "the rules are not clear". In the case of electoral spending there is actually someone the parties can ask FOR CLARIFICATION WITHOUT CHARGE if needed. The normal person has this to a VERY LIMITED degree in terms of the IRD, where you can get a statement from them regarding tax treatment that can then be used as a defence.
My point is; everybody else has to get legal advice (often at great personal cost) if they believe a point of law is unclear. Some even have to go to court to get case law in place to make a point clear.
Let the lessons of George Orwell's Animal Farm stand - once some people are more equal than others only chaos will result.
Damn it!
(Full blog)
What I find particularly despicable is that is Labour itself that has managed to point this out. In other words what I have blogged about before in terms of their knowing exactly what risk / return they were aiming for is probably right. They knew the potential reward, and that they could stall long enough to make the risk and punishment nil.
This starts to make me think that revolutionary France may have had the right idea - pity the lamp posts are taller now...
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Government Advertising
Here we have news that the Liarbour Government has decided to kill 962 ECU's for the purpose of telling us about the Maori roll...
how_many_maori_does_it_take_to_make_a_seat
I'll bet those starving kids are real happy we are educated enough to decide if we vote Maori or not.
Smokey's scaremongering
“If Dr Mapp's bill goes through, employees will be sacked at will during the first three months on the job. Even worse, once sacked, they become liable for a stand down of up to 13 weeks [sic] from Work and Income once they register back in the benefit system. People will be scared to start jobs and scared to change them."
Direct from WINZ:
"Anytime you take on full-time work your benefit stops - but you may still be able to get help with things like accommodation or childcare costs. If your job is for less than 26 weeks we may be able to start your payments again straight away when your job ends. "
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/get-financial-assistance/main-benefit/unemployment-benefit.html#unemployment-benefit
Certainly in my counting system 90 days is less than 26 weeks - how about yours?
A hammer to smash a nut?
"Nat's bill is attack on the vulnerable;" [sic]
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0603/S00235.htmThe reality of this, is that it is really a backlash against the employment tribunals which mean that the existing practice of putting probationary periods in contracts does not work. Too frequently: "Where a probationary period has been negotiated, it can be taken into account when looking at whether a dismissal is justified or not." [sic] this results in the dismissal being ruled unfair unless there has actually had to be disciplinary action taken during the probationary period. (As opposed to after this at which point even major discplinary breaches like theft can result in fines to the employer unless handled properly...)
Is this really about the vulnerable? I would say the point is it shouldn't be - certainly where I see these clauses actually used the most is in highly skilled positions where someone doesn't have a good grasp of whether a new employee will fit culturally or whether they actually have the skills for the job. The latter is rarely an issue in an unskilled position...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
I hate to think what dodgy coding causes this!
Hattip: http://anshuljain.wordpress.com/2006/03/12/try-thisie-bug/
Dont worry, it wont crash your system. Its just too funny. BTW, M$ patched it in IE 7 Beta.
1. Go to your desktop and create a new folder and call it “Notepad”
2. Open any webpage in IE.
3. Right Click and select View Source
Enjoy.
My favourite place on earth
Pity it's on the other side of the planet from me :-( Here's hoping for dramatic improvements in long haul travel over the next few years...
Any guesses? And love to know your favourites!
How hard is it to present statistics in context?
"Statistics New Zealand reported in June that the average annual gross income for a household was $65,520 a year.
After-tax incomes of $70,000 and $80,000 among those living in state houses were "not uncommon," Mr Heatley said."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3603795a11,00.html
Having a strong statistical background (and in fact earning some of my income through exploiting how people don't understand statistics) things like this really p*ss me off. Can't the papers do a story without changing the interpretation through deliberatly misleading statistics?
The above really should read:
"Statistics New Zealand reported in June that the average annual net income for a household was $48697 a year.
After-tax incomes of $70,000 and $80,000 among those living in state houses were "not uncommon," Mr Heatley said."
Gosh - makes slightly different reading eh?
What about the victims distress?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10372709
However what I will say is that distress to the family of the perpetrator should NOT be a deciding factor in this. At all. Period. Why? Because any distress that they may feel has to be balanced and negated by the distress and stress felt by the VICTIM and their family! (Sorry - I'm forgetting the key point that the perpetrator is ALWAYS the victim in this country...)
I have to say though it would be interesting to know in the context what his other conviction was, because either the "two minor driving infringements" weren't that minor, or there is something else not being told about:
Under the Immigration Act, the Immigration Minister may deport any holder of a residence permit who has been convicted of two offences committed within five years of being granted a permit, where each offence may result in one year in prison.
Whangamata Marina
More amusingly I heard the comments of the Maori party saying the Whangamata marina society should be compensated for their loss. Interesting that this seems to be so far embedded in their culture now that they see every set back to someone as being deserving of a monetary handout?
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
State Housing (cont...)
The family earning over $100 K a year and still being subsidised by being in a state house:
The first thing I have to ask is would we (or should we) still care if they were paying (true) market rental? I would say not - then the argument can only resolve again to whether the Government should be a landlord; which I say they should in a low income market if there is an insufficient supply of low income housing for the good of the country.
In terms of the last statement - the next important question to mull over is:
Would we see a shortage of 11,000 homes (as currently) if state housing was supplied on a market rental basis, at a level only designed around liquidity (which I would postulate as being less than the current supply of state housing)?
Beneficiaries profit, taxpayers lose.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0603/S00190.htm
And yet we still can not index the tax thresholds to inflation? Most people who know anything about finance or economics would see that as the same argument - maybe they dont have quite the same logic in history?
Monday, March 13, 2006
My favourite painting
(Click the pic for a higher resolution rendition.)I'll be impressed if someone recognises it.
Hint: Saw it at the Prado in Madrid and loved it since.
My goodness - tax decreases can lead to tax take increases
The racing industry has gained a reduction in gaming duty and a easier tax regime, Racing Minister Winston Peters announced today.
But one indicated it was hoped that growth in the industry would mean an increase in the tax take, making the moves cost neutral.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
State housing
http://lindsaymitchell.blogspot.com/2006/03/ripping-off-system.html
I think the main difference I have there is that I see the role of the Government as being a market facilitator; not dissimilar in many respects to the market makers on the NASDAQ. This means that I see that state housing is a good thing within their role - however they should not be providing it at a discount to the market rates. They are there to provide liquidity to that level of the housing market - however only in so far as it still pays for itself, they are not there to undercut the market or use other tax payers funds to subsidise tenancy.
http://www.rodneyhide.com/index.php/weblog/comments/state_house_on_72000_a_year/
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3600103a11,00.html
Friday, March 10, 2006
A slightly more serious gripe
Would people PLEASE stop referring to Johnny Cash singing Hurt as if it was an original?
Trust me this is a cover (albeit a deeply felt cover) of a NIN (AKA Nine Inch Nails, trent Reznor) song from 1994, album The Downward Spiral.
Don't have anything against people liking the new version - but at least give credit for the authorship where it is due.
Jokes and Urban Legends
Below I've included the joke that sent off my unjustified rant ;-). Trust me QANTAS don't use IFF so this is not real... (but still funny)
Here are some actual maintenance complaints/problems, generally known as squawks, recently submitted by QANTAS Pilots to maintenance engineers. After attending to the squawks, maintenance crews are required to log the details of the action taken to solve the pilots' squawks.
Problem - Left inside main tyre almost needs replacement.
Solution - Almost replaced left inside main tyre.
Problem - Test flight OK, except autoland very rough.
Solution - Autoland not installed on this aircraft.
Problem - No. 2 propeller seeping prop fluid.
Solution - No. 2 propeller seepage normal. Nos. 1, 3 and 4 propellers lack normal seepage.
Problem - Something loose in cockpit.
Solution - Something tightened in cockpit.
Problem - Dead bugs on windshield.
Solution - Live bugs on backorder.
Problem - Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-fpm descent.
Solution - Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
Problem - Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
Solution - Evidence removed.
Problem - DME volume unbelievably loud.
Solution - Volume set to more believable level.
Problem - Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
Solution - That's what they are there for!
Problem - IFF inoperative.
Solution - IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
Problem - Suspected crack in windscreen.
Solution - Suspect you're right.
Problem - Number 3 engine missing.
Solution - Engine found on right wing after brief search.
Problem - Aircraft handles funny.
Solution - Aircraft warned to "Straighten up, Fly Right, and Be Serious."
Problem - Target radar hums.
Solution - Reprogrammed target radar with words.
Problem - Mouse in cockpit.
Solution - Cat installed.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Seperate the causes of prison
Personally this is easily alleviated through the change of the prison system to do both explicity, but seperately:
First have the criminal serve out their sentance (entire sentance - but slightly different argument there) in an establishment designed for the punishment / deterrant purposes. So something like the establishments now, but without the sky tv etc...
Then they can be moved to reformation centers / home detention etc which they remain in UNTIL REFORMED. IE until there is a good degree of certainty that they can be reintegrated with society with a low possibility of recidivsm. This could take a long time and resources but I believe most people would agree that this step is worth it. It also means a murder from a crime of passion may only spend a couple of weeks in this phase, while a repeat burglar could still be there after 10/15 years. That is expected, the criminal does not earn the RIGHT to rejoin society until they can show they are prepared to take on the RESPONSIBILTIES that are entailed.
This just reinforces my long held view on the purposes of prisons:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0603/S00126.htm
Thanks to Murray for this one!
Just for terrorists
Hattip: http://www.rodneyhide.com/index.php/weblog/comments/how_sweet/
On the earlier ECU scale that would be 102,740 ECU's just killed. But in this case I'd be willing to say the actual body count would be alot higher...
oops - OK so its 103 ECU's because its $500,000 , not $500m as I originally read it :{
However it actually doesnt change the point.
ECU's of Government waste and mismangement
From now on I'm going to comment on the conspicuous wastes of our Government in terms of the ECU's it costs, where an ECU is an Ethiopian Child Unit. Im going a step further to make this at least somewhat fair that an ECU is the number of childrens lives that could be saved in PERPETUITY by investing the money at 7.5% net, and using the infamous $1 day quote ;-)
My first gripe - one I've had for a while. How can the NZ Government justify wasting 224 lives (sorry - ECU's) to keep one family in a state house around Paratai drive?
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Bank profits and household savings
Personally I have one policy I like that would strike at the heart of all three of these. Make all mortgages tax deductable.
The current high level of property price growth is fueled at least partially through the diseconomies of capital costs, in which there is a 39% difference in the interest rates paid by different parties.
Changing this really is a situation that would only be to the detriment of the lawyers and acountants that are required to create the tax deductable structures around investment; and the greatest benefits would be reaped by the poorest sectors of the productive economy, where the greatest competition between buyers and investors is fueled.
The only point on this about which I am somewhat ambivalent is whether this should then always make the capital gain on the house taxable - I have a feeling that this should be so, but could easily be persuaded either way on that one...
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Not Guilty != Innocent
1) 250 people escaping conviction does not equal 250 innocent people. There is a big difference between being found innocent and there being insufficient evidence to convict.
2) The rise from 230 people to 500 people with life sentances is meaningless without knowing the crossover in those two sets.
Tree Felling
First with regards to the penalty - my belief is that it did not go far enough. Given that the covenant existed when the property was bought, the line should have been taken that this was a condition of the contract that the property was bought with. By cutting down the tree he has breached the contract and forfeited any right to the property. Sod the fine, take away the dirt completely and that would make pretty sure it would not happen again.
Should the covenant actually have existed - no. Effectively under the current regulations the Auckland City Council confiscates part of your land for the "crime" of allowing a tree to grow taller than 8 meters. This is fundamentally unjust, and in future is probably going to mean that people:
1) plant less natives
2) never allow a tree to grow tall enough to reach protected status.
What should really happen? I believe that our large and historic trees are worthy of protection and are not exactly a replaceable commodity, so the need to apply for resource consent before destroying a large tree can stay. But the response to the consent either needs to be a yes (go ahead) or an offer to buy the tree (and whatever land is required to support it - with the required easement). IE the consent process is just used to give the opportunity for an offer to be made - not a perfect capitalist system, but a compromise I would be happy with. And I'm pretty sure most people would gladly sell their tree for EG $10,000? This can be funded either through specific fund raising for that tree - or more likely funded from the parks / nature budget.
In Brisbane there is a seperate charge as part of the rates that is dedicated to buying back land and putting in greenbelts. Personally I think this is a great idea - and the concept can easily be spread to buying back specific trees.
Monday, March 06, 2006
The connection Labour doesnt want you to make
I would suggest that as:
"Telecom's recently announced broadband prices are amongst the lowest in the OECD"
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10371211
Then the lack of affordability must be down to the low wage economy - Labours problem, not Telecoms...
I told you so
In the first months of Labours first term they cancelled two contracts, with the defence contract cancelled "because they could without penalty". At the time I raised that this was incredibly dangerous precendent, not least because all contracts can.
OK - this is the bit I actually don't like explaining, because it is probably better that most people do not know or understand it. Breach of contract is a civil not crimial matter. Civil law does not allow for punitive damages - only restoration. This means all the damages clauses in contracts are unenforceable, and whether there is one or not a person / organisation can only ever get back what they have provably lost as a result of the breach.
In other words people being bound to contracts is actually more about convention than law. And the Labour party in its first few weeks declared two things explicitly and loudly through these acts:
1) They have no regard for convention;
2) They will gladly choose to break the law where the perceived benefit is greater than the potential penalty.
I warned at the time both through print and radio - and was generally derided at the time. However look again at the two things declared above and apply this to:
Bus stop advertising
"Paintergate"
$450,000 pledge card spending
"Corngate"
etc (feel free to list the rest yourselves)
I told you so.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
What do they say about getting what you wished for....
But as I alluded to yesterday - was still more enjoyable to watch a close game than us winning by a huge margin!
Only complaint is - if you are going to stop people bringing in plastic bottles bigger than a litre, this needs to be advertised heavily at the time the tickets are sold! Im pretty sure the resultant lack of water within the ground is likely to cause greater problems than having larger plastic bottles around...
