“Creeping communism” a success

Written By: - Date published: 3:07 pm, July 20th, 2009 - 6 comments
Categories: families - Tags: , , , ,

Missed this from a couple of days ago:

For the first time in 25 years, the incomes of those in lower brackets grew more quickly than those on higher incomes, the Household Income Survey by the Social Development Ministry found.

It credits Working for Families with the turnaround and says it also helped avert a sharp rise in child poverty. Without it, child poverty rates would have risen to as high as 30 per cent on some measures.

Fantastic stuff. Hell, if that’s what John Key calls “creeping communism” then let’s have us some more of it.

Of course, the study warns this may be “as good as it gets” as the recession throws an increasing number of breadwinners into unemployment.

All the more reason, you’d have thought, for this do-nothing government to get off its backside and start actually doing something to keep people in employment.

6 comments on ““Creeping communism” a success ”

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  1. Ron 1
    20 July 2009 at 3:46 pm

    Always interesting how NACT still hasn’t got everyone on the same page.
    “Creeping Communism” from jonkey and
    “Working for Families made a big difference” and
    ” …with that big incentive, it made a big difference to them going to work.”
    from his Minister of Soc Dev..
    She even said “In fairness to the Labour Govt.” which seems at odds with the “It’s all the last government’s fault” line that her colleagues have been spouting lately.

  2. stormspiral 2
    20 July 2009 at 3:58 pm

    None of it helped the kids in really poor families. Remember, beneficiaries were not included, and the more a person earns the higher the ‘tax credit’. Equitable? I don’t think so.

    Again it’s the mathematics of balance. To be valid, those stats should include those of the poorest people, and include the costs of the casualities among them. Organic
    .
    Linear doesn’t work. Sounds good, but isn’t true.

  3. Bright Red 3
    20 July 2009 at 4:17 pm

    Oh noes! Creeping communism is enriching our poorest families – help!

    How can we put down this communist revolution?

    • Ag 3.1
      20 July 2009 at 6:27 pm

      If they keep going as they are, they’ll end up having to confront real communism.

  4. So Bored 4
    20 July 2009 at 4:57 pm

    Love to see the maths..try this. Rich bracket incomes hit recessionary times, no commissions / lower returns on investments etc so little growth on big numbers (say -1%) . Poor bracket, CPI adjustments to income from benefits / minimum wage (say 1%) End result, poor closing gap at astounding percentage rate, possible equality in a thousand years.

    • stormspiral 4.1
      20 July 2009 at 5:25 pm

      Right on, SB. Even the dumbest economist should be able to catch the invalidity No need even for wild cards, just some data collection and raw comparisons.

      ‘Love to see the maths.’

      Simple arithmetic. D’ya mind if I stick to calculus? My computer’s configured for it. The younger ones can pick up the signals and crunch the numbers. I’m too old even to be a baby boomer. The advantage lies in being able to spot gaps and inconsistencies. Let the sagacity of youth pick up on them. If they don’t I’ll be dead by then anyway. LOL

      .