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6:00 am, August 12th, 2023 - 42 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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A clever manager has done the unthinkable in our public service: actually measured operational competence!
Folks will wonder whether the chronically-challenged staffers providing welfare use the dartboard method or the dice method for allocating funds to the needy. Although the official sampling has the govt converging on the 50:50 random chance statistical standard, they aren't quite there yet – there's still a 7% bias toward competence.
That will be a residual effect of early 20th century imperial qc – in which people actually got replaced when they screwed up. Born losers infesting govt departments became a more popular governance method after that.
Staff naturally prefer to blame systems rather than themselves, and fortunately MSD just happen to have ten different systems to blame, of varying degrees of antiquity. Staffers must endeavour to jump through all ten hoops in the right sequence to get operational results, I presume. Good news, however:
So in 2033 everyone will get paid the right amount. Whew, what a relief!!
Dennis Why 10 systems? How did that come about? Why also were some retained when they were "past their use by date?" That information would have been useful, without it we are making asses out of you and me. I assume. The Governments work with IRD has made a huge difference, but it is easier to throw stones imo.
Why 10 systems? How did that come about?
Only someone involved in the management during both Nat/Lab govts could give an informed answer. Even then, it would likely only be partially true – few people ever acquire a systems overview of situations.
I agree that a fair view from bystanders requires acknowledging both the merits and the demerits of supervision by National & Labour govts. Each can obtain plausible deniability of any moral responsibility for the 10 systems by pointing to departmental protocol & managerial delegation etc.
Someone with a career in public service behind them would likely have a relevant experiential basis upon which to comment. The old colonial doctrine of responsible govt upon which our democracy was founded seems a sham nowadays, when ministers from both sides keep slip-sliding away from taking responsibility for whatever governance shambles happens to hit the headlines on any day. However, to be fair, the system of democracy allows them to do that: the buck never actually stops anywhere most of the time. It's like a quantum system, shimmering…
What gibberish. To attribute the fact that 43% of beneficiaries don't get paid the right amount to something called "incompetence" is surely odd for a big cheese who waxes verbosely about complex systems.
Whose incompetence? The frontline workers who navigate round messy, error-prone systems and make mistakes? The managers who allowed the systems to get that complex in the first place? The other managers who denied the previous managers the funds to improve those systems? The officials who set departmental budgets at a level that required invidious prioritisation of initiatives that nobbled those two previous sets of managers? The campaign managers and politicians who determined that government deficits must not exceed 30% of GDP? The timid fools who made the social safety net complicated through arcane, stupid and inefficient 'targeting' rather than staying with sound principles of universality and progressive taxation that are efficient and just? The voters who got persuaded by all this nonsense in the first place?
Competence is a personal matter and it can be learnt – degeneracy of entire systems is something else.
Well explained AB, what I suspected was the case. Built on a faulty premise, politically chosen, led to faulty systems and outcomes. Mostly because they were about the money not the people.
Competence is a personal matter and it can be learnt – degeneracy of entire systems is something else.
Too binary – any manager employed as a typical Nat/Lab placeholder can be relied on to administer the status quo rather than improve creaking dysfunctional systems.
From a resilience perspective, we need systems fit for purpose, where fit means the darwinian adaptive sense of the word. Competent administrators see that and do it.
So whereas you're right about the personal dimension of competence, the social dimension of it requires a communal grasp of how it works. Accountability is the relevant concept. Unless participants see how it works in practice, they cannot maintain it as operational procedure. Know how, can do.
Ethos is what has to kick in to get a governance system evolving toward resilience. Seems to be the missing factor in the operation of the relevant govt departments. We can make both National & Labour responsible for the lack & the performance failure it has produced. Their historical aversion to holding people accountable has driven the degenerate trend – but spending constraints in any year would also be a factor.
The timid fools who made the social safety net complicated through arcane, stupid and inefficient 'targeting' rather than staying with sound principles of universality and progressive taxation that are efficient and just?
This.
Isms are on the march yet again:
Traditionalists everywhere will be delighted by the appearance of Noah's Ark in contemporary politics and foreign relations. However, another Texas/Mexico war will thrill them much more. Michener did two classic historical novels (Texas and Mexico) that illuminated both sides comprehensively, I read em both last year – fascinating history brought to life.
Using invasion theory is an archaic move by the Republican southerners, which works on the traditional basis that an invasion is an attack. When invaders are peaceful and not carrying weapons one might hazard a guess that the theory may seem implausible. One must, however, allow for the possibility that popular hallucinations will prevail over reality. The extent they usually do is indicated by the dollar value of the global advertising industry: ( Google) US$ 615.2 billion in 2022.
The cowboys are getting restless, boots entering shit-kicker mode:
George nailed it decades ago.
https://youtu.be/CTvAs-Us7gA
So it goes.
'…Flags and yellow ribbons are symbols. I leave symbols for the symbol-minded'.
Brilliant.
I have had Mexico sitting on the shelf for years unread.You've inspired me.
A posting to to Counterpunch suggests (in the USA) taxing share buybacks. This would seem like a good idea. It would probably not raise much revenue, but it would be easy to collect and share buybacks are something of a dodgy manipulation anyway.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/08/11/the-cheapest-tax-ever-taxing-share-buybacks/
I was just "doing my own research" (ha!) and looking at electric vehicles on Trade me.
There are so many at affordable prices now than even a few months ago, let alone a few years. Who else remembers the idiotic naysayers that tried to tell us rebates and encouragement wouldn't work? You don't even need to be a genius to see for yourself how wrong they were, and continue to be.
The batteries are shot, unable to hold a charge. Have a mate who drives a Prius, often runs flat as he enters his gate. Used to do two return commutes now not quite one.
Cheaper to buy a new car than battery.
Electric cars weren't designed to save the planet, they were created to save the car industry.
The stupidity of making the battery part of the car rather than a interchangeable item at a service station beggers belief, IMHO
The automotive industry has long practiced planned obsolescence. It's pretty commonplace everywhere really, the profit motive incentivises it.
Absolutely Arkie.
Electric cars market value relates to battery health, not age or mileage.
The rebates were a poor mechanism, for a badly envisioned outcome.
All true; even so, all they were ever going to be is slightly better than petrol, and that still stands.
Kicking the can slightly further, yes, but even if microscopically, still better.
I have family members with hybrids. Seems to be the way to go – despite quite a long daily commute they now only use about $20-00 worth of petrol each per month.
A musical heads-up:
At nat-rad 101.4 fm..@ noon..
..sees a program celebrating the 50yr arc of hip-hop..
Correction:
Hip-hop@1pm..
You were right first time as well.
An interview with DLT before the 11am. The grandfather of Aotearoa hip hop covered off Upper Hutt Posse, the difference in attitude in Aucks and Wellies, his influences, 3 or 4 songs etc.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300948597/election-2023-why-chris-hipkins-has-been-so-chipper
Labours big tax announcement coming tomorrow!!
If it's the dog policy of gst of segments of food they've lost the plot.
All food I could accept.
Hoping for a game changer, though,
Currently we live in hope.
After another bad week for Labour (see following links below) they will be hoping this isn't another fizzer leaving them looking further out of touch.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/08/david-seymour-savages-ministry-for-pacific-peoples-after-40k-farewell-revealed.html
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/08/parliament-s-new-te-k-hui-m-uri-marker-cost-500-000.html
At the heart of any discussion about surrogacy, is the need to answer this question:
Is the commodification of babies justifiable?
Interpol have just released information about an investigation into trafficking in Greece:
https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/zeci-de-tinere-din-europa-printre-care-si-romance-zfabrici-de-mame-surogat-in-creta-capul-gruparii-un-medic-cunoscut.html?mibextid=Zxz2cZ
(Google Translate required)
Women's reproductive capacities being the sole reason for their reduction to manufacturing units.
Further details here (also requires Google Translate):
https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/retea-de-trafic-de-bebelusi-in-creta-cu-ramificatii-in-romania-zeci-de-tinere-fortate-sa-faca-copii-pretul-unui-nou-nascut.html
Surrogacy is voluntary, whether with or without payment. This is something else – part of the trafficking orbit.
https://greekreporter.com/2023/08/10/baby-trafficking-ring-crete-greece-arrested-police/
I repeat, at the heart of any discussion about surrogacy, is the need to answer this question:
Is the commodification of babies justifiable?
The question hides the motive behind connecting a story about trafficking to surrogacy (with the consent of all the parties).
For those unaware of the historic and current parliamentary issue – a backgrounder.
https://bills.parliament.nz/v/Bill/9f5b2996-24dc-471d-8461-7b23cb804bee?Tab=history
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132189673/government-fast-tracks-changes-to-outdated-surrogacy-laws
https://www.act.org.nz/act-will-support-surrogacy-laws-by-passing-the-ballot
https://www.lawcom.govt.nz/media-release/review-surrogacy-%E2%80%93-law-commission-report-published
It's baby supply to those who want to adopt children.
The same language is used by those who claim prostitution and pornography is the commodification of women and want prohibition. When it is well known that legal operation provides better safety and opportunity for legal rights for women.
"It's baby supply to those who want to adopt children."
That it is… otherwise known as commodification of babies.
Thanks for posting Molly.
I am particularly aware of the mother infant bond immediately after birth. A baby can apparently determine its biological mother by smell.
Its shocking and cruel for these young girls who are trafficed and forced into this position.
Surely these people know the circumstances of the babies conception and gestation or have some inkling? If so they are unfit to be parents.
It brings to mind the adoption agencies of the mid-20th century – both religious and otherwise, where children of unmarried mothers were taken at birth.
It was recommended that the mother never be allowed to touch the baby – otherwise she might be unwilling to give it up for adoption.
Most of the adoptive parents had no idea of the circumstances (believed that the mother was giving up the baby for a 'better life' for the child). I suspect some level of 'it's more comfortable to believe this' – but they never met the mother – and had no way of knowing for sure.
The adoption agencies, however, knew exactly what they were doing….
It began long before the middle of the century. The Salvation Army Bethany maternity homes for unwed mothers before and after birth.
Auckland: 1897-2011, Christchurch: 1897-1982, Wellington: 1900-1972, Dunedin: 1903-1974, Napier: 1914-1978, Gisborne: 1920-1974
They came to an end with the pill, abortion and DPB.
Before the adoption agencies there were foster home placements.
Francis was the first Pope to say it was OK for those adopted out to find out about it all.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sallies-would-welcome-adoption-inquiry-to-bring-healing/F3WBS3S3ZTXF7OTPGZIQMS65BI/
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/pro/national-is-going-all-nanny-state-on-us
QFT
”Rather than addressing the real concerns of schools, after six years in opposition the National Party is offering mandated teaching hours, mandated testing, mandated reporting and mandated bans on cell phones ”
More brick in the wall headmaster than nanny
I like the description of the author, and his qualifications to comment
" He has created and researched theatre in prisons, psychiatric institutions, and disaster zones which he says has prepared him for his work in schools."
I know some parents of current school pupils who tell me that the schools are run like prisons, the approach taken by the teachers is nuts and the standard the children reach is a disaster zone. Makes him sound quite appropriate to comment.
From the House Select Subcommittee On the Weaponization of the Federal Gov
This little clip concerns Dr Fauci …dude mustve been going for some kinda record !!lol
"did not recall " 174 times and 212 times " i dont remember " !!
Five months on and little has happened.
Jimmy 'Gym' Jordan does have other things to worry about, though……
On Monday, June 26 , 2023, SCOTUS ruled that the lawsuit brought against Ohio State University by hundreds of athletes who claim sexual abuse by trainer Richard Strauss can go forward. Part of the lawsuit directly implicates Jordan, as it states that he not only turned a blind eye to this abuse, but also states that Jordan obstructed justice by tampering with witnesses. Jim Jordan’s days in Congress are numbered. It is just a matter of time, as the trial against Ohio State moves forward.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/2/2178864/-Gym-Jordan-is-about-to-face-the-music
Our mandatory self-isolation requirement could well be dumped soon, too.
/
Dr Helen Salisbury
@HelenRSalisbury
Forwarded from a friend – a reminder that Covid is still out there and you'll need to look after yourself because nobody else is
https://twitter.com/HelenRSalisbury/status/1689900914797072385