ACTing all surprised about it

• Anthony R0bins
• 9 years ago
• Categories: act, housing, human rights
• Tags: choices, consequences, David Seymour

It’s like ACT’s David Seymour is seeing the world for the first time:

Home ownership now for privileged few – ACT

For the first time in New Zealand’s history, home ownership has become the privilege of the wealthy, says ACT leader David Seymour. Seymour said house prices in Auckland, and to a lesser extent other parts of the country, had risen so high, so fast that owning one was increasingly a function of the wealth of a young person’s parents. “For the first time we have a situation in New Zealand where property ownership is heritable,” Seymour said.

He pointed to the way his circle of friends had made it into their own homes. “I look at most of my friends, lawyers, doctors or engineers. All of them went to Auckland Grammar, or St Cuthberts. All of them have done it with parental help.” With house prices rising up to a reported $1000 a day “houses in Auckland are earning more than people”, he said.

…

Seymour admitted that for young people to be able to save that amount New Zealand needs affordable housing. Buying a house can mean so much debt that saving for retirement looks a forlorn hope, he said.

“There are a lot of people of my age group saying you want us to pay twice as much for our houses, you want us to save twice the money to retire, and I have to pay off my student loan,” Seymour said.

Well duh. This is all a direct and predicable consequence of the policies that you are propping up, David. Entrenching privilege is what your government is all about. Hiding behind the bullshit of “personal responsibility” and “equality of opportunity” while the playing field is massively slanted towards the rich, like you and your friends. Oh – that and the refusal to consider alternatives such as a capital gains tax which would help.

You right-wingers own this mess. There’s no point in acting all surprised about it now.