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

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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

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

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

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. 

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