Daily review 12/07/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:51 pm, July 12th, 2019 - 34 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

 

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

34 comments on “Daily review 12/07/2019 ”

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  1. roblogic 1
    12 July 2019 at 6:14 pm

    mail Hi lprent / sysadmin person, I can't submit comments from an iPad, for some reason the cursor never goes into the comment box. Workaround is to tap the "emoji" button and insert an emoji, then I can type a comment.

    Cheers, nga mihi

    • bwaghorn 1.1
      12 July 2019 at 6:28 pm

      I still have that problem at times from Samsung x4 . Hitting reply repeatedly sometimes works or touch screen in just the right way occasionally gets it firing.

    • nom 1.2
      12 July 2019 at 9:15 pm

      On my iPhone tapping near the top of the white text area will enable cursor focus.

  2. The Chairman 2
    12 July 2019 at 6:16 pm

    Two university students looking for something to do for the day stumbled upon an egg throwing competition. On a whim, they entered and before they knew it they won, then finished second in the national finals later that day.

    Next minute, they were representing NZ in the world champs in England as the winners of the final were unable to travel over. Lo and behold, they won the World Egg Throwing Championship.

    Go the Yolk Ferns!

  3. Ad 3
    12 July 2019 at 6:33 pm

    Great to see R.Kelly arrested on sex charges.

    Hopefully the deep vile misogyny of US rap gets its unmasking at trial.

    • Morrissey 3.1
      12 July 2019 at 8:48 pm

      Yes, those terrible rappers need to be censured. But surely there are worse characters who need to be unmasked and put on trial before them. Like politicians, for a start…

      https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/who-is-more-violent-and-despicable.html

      • Ad 3.1.1
        13 July 2019 at 7:45 am

        US rap has contributed to rape culture and this culture needs dismantling in front of judges.

        • One Two 3.1.1.1
          13 July 2019 at 8:57 am

          Entire industry exists because there is an endless supply of human beings comfortable to compromise themselves for a chance at fame and coin…

          Actors, actresses and various performers…

          Rap is not the problem.

        • marty mars 3.1.1.2
          13 July 2019 at 9:32 am

          easy fruit for a christian but no awareness of that religion's contribution to hate and rape culture – same as it ever was

          • greywarshark 3.1.1.2.1
            13 July 2019 at 10:41 am

            We have a case of a woman being raped and badly injured in other parts of her body by someone who went to A&E or emergency services, and waited for 2 hours. wandered off and found his way into her house and raped her. She went to DHB for admittance of fault and compensation for which they have dragged their heels. Her case is that they failed to respond to this guy, and in so doing enabled him to carry out the violent attack. She is overcome by her feelings of damage, fear of invasion and lack of respect for the person which is paramount in a free, civilised, law-abiding society, hurt that the DHB won't admit responsibility, and is declining the belated assistance she has been offered as appropriate in the eyes of the DHB, and having a psychotic episode herself just about.

            It's very sad. I thought our DHB was better than that. I guess it is an example of the bad state that all our mental health services are in, bit by bit society is falling apart as people rub up against the reality of hard times that exist behind the fog of positive, shining financial statistics that tell a false story of a house of cards that is an economists' dream.

            Neo lib economists and our Treasury and all the acolytes of the RW are externalities to reality, and one day may suffer some reality that they haven't got a handy model to explain away.

            I watched Prof. Richard Wolff on youtube as one of the commenters recommended him, and he is definitely a thinking economist and must be treasured, listened to, questioned, understood, and has the ability to lead us out of the ‘valley of death’, which is where we are headed if we don’t find a better pathway. Nothing we do is going to make everything right, there are too many looming problems, but we can improve things and find principled and likeable people we can trust and work alongside them doing out bit; doing good stuff while we are being.

            This is his prognostications on likely extreme poverty in the USA. Find others he has put up on youtube if you think it will be too depressing!

            https://www.democracyatwork.info/ Also.

        • Morrissey 3.1.1.3
          13 July 2019 at 10:28 am

          So do other musical genres. You going to ban rock and jazz as well?

  4. A 4
    12 July 2019 at 6:44 pm

    TIP: If you are trying to figure out what you may be eligible for from Work and Income check out this easy to use website http://forgood.co.nz/

    Notice that MSD did not provide this. Figures.

    Good on you if you had a hand in this.

  5. ScottGN 5
    12 July 2019 at 7:32 pm

    I can submit a comment but I can’t reply to any comments with my iPad. Cursor just won’t show in the box?

  6. gsays 6
    12 July 2019 at 7:37 pm

    Carrying on the cricket tragic theme this is a lovely view of the men's cricket captain: https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/cricket-world-cup/114169417/cricket-world-cup-2019-its-kane-williamsons-year-to-shine

  9. The Chairman 9
    12 July 2019 at 10:10 pm

    The high cost of housing is hurting many. It's having a big impact on poverty and the ability of workplaces to secure workers such as teachers and schools.

    Therefore, is it wise for the Government to add more costs onto local Government resulting ratepayers paying more? With the flow on effect seeing more cost put on to tenants.

    Rates are not the most progressive from of taxation, whereas income tax is, thus funding should come from that.

    A number of local councils (Kapiti being one with a number of citizens on a fixed income) are becoming concerned about ratepayers ability to continue to pay more.

    • McFlock 9.1
      12 July 2019 at 10:19 pm

      1: rent costs are not passed on to tenants. Rents are set by supply vs demand.

      2: "therefore" is usually followed by a conclusion in the form of a statement, not a soggy question.

      3: which costs are you concern-trolling about now?

      • The Chairman 9.1.1
        12 July 2019 at 10:37 pm

        1:When supply is low and demand high (as it currently is and will be for some time) you can be sure all costs are generally passed on to tenants.

        2:The conclusion followed (next line down) the question and the question wasn't "soggy"

        3:The cost from the accumulation of new responsibilities continually being placed on local Government by central Government.

        https://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiry-content/3819?stage=3

        • McFlock 9.1.1.1
          13 July 2019 at 1:54 am

          1: because when supply is low landlords decide to not extract as much as possible from their tenants out of charity? How lovely of them. Never seen that in Dunedin, though.

          2: The conclusion, such as it might have been, was (as you say) lines down from your "therefore". Between the two was a question. Yoda syntax, at best you have.

          3: Oh, one of four cost pressures identified in the draft report. Funny how you focused on that aspect of it. Especially as things like drinking water standards should be being met by councils already.

          Councils are usually the authors of their own misfortune, just as they love to claim credit for their successes.

          • The Chairman 9.1.1.1.1
            13 July 2019 at 2:42 am

            Landlords decide to not extract as much as possible from their tenants due to their reliability. Landlords don't like to lose good reliable tenants, but when faced with extra costs, they will only wear so much before those cost will be passed on. And the current market settings (low supply & high demand) gives scope for this.

            The aspect I focused on is a direct result of central Government. Drinking water standards are being met by local Government and by and large rather well. Although, there is room for improvement, which is what the Government want and which is going to add costs. And combined with the other costs councils face, they risk becoming unsustainable under the current rates regime.

            This is why the Government really needs to consider funding councils via the more progressive income tax system. Coming up with new ways to extract money from ratepayers (targeted rates etc…) isn't going to deal with the non progressiveness of their taxing. Surely this Government doesn't want to be responsible for rate refugees, or maybe they do? Cause this is where they seem to be heading.

            • roblogic 9.1.1.1.1.1
              13 July 2019 at 2:47 am

              Maybe instead of "passing costs on" (ie. abusing their power) landlords should be regulated and fined and have their substandard rentals forfeited to Housing NZ. The aim should be to provide decent accommodation for all Kiwis not endless profit streams to the landlord class

              • The Chairman …
                13 July 2019 at 3:39 am

                Why not just avoid putting more costs on ratepayers (which includes landlords) to begin with and just utilise the more progressive income tax system thereby people will be more able to afford what they are required to pay.

                Why should a tenant that maybe more well off than a landlord not contribute fairly. Do you oppose the notion of progressive taxes? Do you think the poor should pay more?

                As for substandard homes, as of July 1 it's only Housing NZ that is allowed to rent out substandard homes. They have an extension to comply. So much for the state leading by example. But I guess Labour thought oh well it's only the poor that live in Housing NZ homes so they can wait.

                • Sam …
                  13 July 2019 at 6:33 pm

                  In 3 years Singapaore can build 50,000 HDB flats. In 3 years this government will struggle to filfull 10,000 of the promised 100,000 kiwi build challenge. Making sure the next generation of New Zealanders have an opportunity to build there own nest eggs for retirement is not a lofty goal. It is the purpose of any government to care for its people from the cradle to the grave. Every one from state house tenants to middle class should have a government subsidised pathway into retirement. That is the least that can be done.

                • Sacha …
                  14 July 2019 at 12:22 am

                  a tenant that maybe more well off than a landlord

                  Perhaps if you only consider income and not wealth. How about progressively taxing wealth?

                  • The Chairman …
                    14 July 2019 at 1:15 am

                    Wealth is usually accumulated through income that has already been taxed, apart for most income derived via capital gain. I have no problem taxing that when it is realised.

            • McFlock 9.1.1.1.1.2
              13 July 2019 at 6:07 pm

              "by and large"

              lol

              So some of them choose to not meet decent standards, and those are the ones who will face additional costs due to their own mismanagement.

              And the aspect you focused on was one of four cost pressures facing local authorities, but the only on that can go back to central government. So it looks like your concern isn't for the poverty of local government, but just another excuse to throw wet bogroll at the government.

              • The Chairman …
                13 July 2019 at 9:28 pm

                Indeed by and large.

                I'll let Guyon run you through the stats:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsct5AoOPkc

                It's generally the smaller ones (that don't have a large rate base) that are more under financial pressure.

                The aspect I focused on is the cost pressures as a direct result of central Government, but I also highlighted that it was the combination of costs making it unsustainable under the rates regime.

                The taxation requires to be more progressive to be sustainable, thus to avoid negative impacts on the poor. Alternative non progressive tax solutions are not the answer.

                And again, this concern (ratepayers ability to pay) is shared by a number of Mayors as I highlighted above.

                • McFlock …
                  13 July 2019 at 9:48 pm

                  So if water quality isn't too much of a problem to meet, it's not too much of a cost pressure because the local body already meets the standards.

                  The mayors of the towns not meeting those standards should need a bloody good reason to get central govt assistance to do what they should already be doing. Not just because it's an election year and they don't want to be the one to tell ratepayers the council hasn't done its job properly since the changes of 1989.

                  Therefore the councils that can't afford to deliver clean water to their residents should be taken over by govt-appointed managers. I bet the, "by and large", they suddenly find the money for clean water if that were on the table.

  11. marty mars 11
    13 July 2019 at 10:06 pm

    I wish I could be there when pence turns up at his pearly gates and no one answers the doorbell…

    Traveling in Texas on Friday, Pence painted a far rosier picture of conditions in the detention centers than lawyers and several Democratic lawmakers have done, criticizing Democrats’ accounts as “harsh rhetoric”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/12/pence-migrant-facility-visit-us-mexico

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