Open mike 15/12/2010

41 comments on “Open mike 15/12/2010 ”

• Comments are now closed

1. Pascal's bookie 1

   15 December 2010 at 7:04 am

   Person has perfect payment history on their mortgage. Reads about similar people being foreclosed on. Reads about how banks have lost mortgage notes and are getting robosigners to create new ones. Decides to proactively make sure that the bank they have been making payments to has the note, by asking then if they know where the note is.

   Result: Credit rating takes hit.

   http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/12/note-bac-credit-score/#comments
2. Logie97 2

   15 December 2010 at 7:14 am

   So Smile and Wave needs to seek legal advice regarding his government’s liabilities to Pike River. You’re all heart Johnny Boy. Don’t we love you.

   (I think the mask is beginning to slip…)
   • Kevin Welsh 2.1

     15 December 2010 at 7:30 am

     The photo-op has passed, back to business as usual.
   • jcuknz 2.2

     15 December 2010 at 7:56 am

     Of course some people are always going on about rorting the public purse … but when somebody decides to make sure no rort is going on they are criticized?
     When one knows what the legal situation is one can then decide if to make arrangements not covered by legal requirements. Any other action is foolish and S&W is not foolish.

     What is most important is that workers and workers families appear not to be getting what most people would expect is due to them [ annual and sick leave, cash in lieu, redundancy payments etc] with the pre-occupation on recovering the bodies and possibility of re-opening the mine.
   • mickysavage 2.3

     15 December 2010 at 8:50 am

     Absolutely freaking unbelievable. Of course Pike River’s owners should pay for it. But Key’s statement is so inhumane and shows him to be the shallow money obsessed money trader some of us have always considered him to be.

     If he had a heart he would have said that of course the Government would continue to work to retrieve the bodies but that it would be looking to Pike River’s owners for compensation.
3. ron 3

   15 December 2010 at 7:27 am

   Wong. Result.
4. jcuknz 4

   15 December 2010 at 7:40 am

   For those who didn’t want to wait while the huge OECD report of Education tests downloaded the table is available at http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/12/07/education/07education_graph.html?ref=education
   • Ianmac from the UAE 4.1

     15 December 2010 at 10:04 am

     Perhaps John Key would like to close the gap educationally, with USA?
     • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1

       15 December 2010 at 10:28 am

       That does seem to be what Jonkey and the NACTs want as they seem to have NZ chasing the USA into a third world position.
5. luva 5

   15 December 2010 at 9:16 am

   So what will 2011 bring following the $15b grenade thrown into the election mix yesterday.

   The election campaign must focus on this huge problem and how we as a nation will bring this under control. Neither party has yet given us much. I hope that this is what they will be focussing on over summer.

   The lolly scrambles of the past 3 elections will not be repeated. I can’t see how either Labour or National can promise any increased spending initiatives without substantial tax increases. And I can’t see substantial tax increases being an election winner

   It is going to be very interesting what they cook up over the next three months.
   • Lanthanide 5.1

     15 December 2010 at 9:54 am

     What if the tax increases were to those on 120k, 200k and a tax-free band brought in up to 10k? I can see that being a big winner…
     • luva 5.1.1

       15 December 2010 at 10:13 am

       I don’t see Labour having the balls to do this though. That is why I find this very interesting
     • prism 5.1.2

       15 December 2010 at 12:27 pm

       Lanthanide I have made the point before that a group paying no tax is likely to be despised and resented by taxpayers. Social policy studies have shown that universal systems are better accepted.. That is why we have universal old age pension (superannuation or GRI). If one is in the poor, low-income band it only increases the distaste and separation that many already feel about this group if they are excluded from paying tax other than gst. That doesn’t help the wellbeing and happiness of poorer people though it makes good sense on paper from a theoretician/accountant-minded viewpoint..

       There is a saying that you value what you pay for which I have noticed is generally true. Making a contribution either in tax or some service work to the community would overcome most of the resentment.
       • mcflock 5.1.2.1

         15 December 2010 at 12:36 pm

         well, NZ poor are so highly regarded at the moment that I think they’ll barely notice the hit in public opinion for having a $10k tax-free bracket (indeed, $10k still seems a bit miserly).

         But they will notice the increased spending power.
   • millsy 5.2

     15 December 2010 at 7:55 pm

     When I first heard about the deficit, I thought, here we go, slash, burn and sell. Ruth and Roger all over again.
6. prism 6

   15 December 2010 at 9:47 am

   Item on Radionz this a.m. on private prison company Serco getting contract for one in NZ. They haven’t a good prison record themselves and there is an expectation of reduction in everything to ensure profitability.

   I like the sweet touch that they have given their West Australia prison in calling it Acacia Prison. What will the NZ one be – Primrose Prison? Or they could honour our NZ flora and give themselves an indigenous wash by calling it Punga Prison, Kauri, Nikau, Harakeke or perhaps more grimly and conveying a warning of impenetrability, Supplejack Prison.
   • Lanthanide 6.1

     15 December 2010 at 9:55 am

     Collins was on the TV last night saying that from the 2nd year onwards they have a target for recidivism that needs to be met, or they don’t get paid (or get paid less?), and that it is the first such provision in the world.

     Probably the devil is in the detail, but it sounds like the best of a bad situation.
     • Colonial Viper 6.1.1

       15 December 2010 at 10:01 am

       And so the Serco bean counters are quietly figuring out if its worth while employing counsellors and using single bunking or whether its more worthwhile just taking a bit of a hit on the recidivism clause.

       Great welcome to prison capitalism.
     • joe90 6.1.2

       15 December 2010 at 1:14 pm

       Collins:.

       I’m confident that the company will bring the high standards of professionalism, safety, rehabilitation and security expected by the Government to Mt Eden/ACRP.”

       With just 32 sentenced prisoners who help run the prison I’d love to know how you address the recidivism or rehabilitate the other 400 or so who are being held on remand awaiting trial.
   • millsy 6.2

     15 December 2010 at 8:09 pm

     Private Prisons – a very 19th century concept. The trade in human flesh for profit – the slave trade revisited.
7. Zaphod Beeblebrox 7

   15 December 2010 at 10:18 am

   Looks like English has in mind a fire sale of Housing NZ. Bet speculator Key is waiting for an uptick in the housing market. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4458582/Key-denies-softening-up-voters-for-asset-sales
   • millsy 7.1

     15 December 2010 at 8:11 pm

     You gotta conpensate the rental property owners for the LAQC rule tightening somehow I guess. Giving them a free pass to whack up rents, in time for the tax payer funded rugby games is one.
8. john 8

   15 December 2010 at 10:29 am

   The Last Depression caused by Peak Oil,we are at the End of Growth re: Deffeyes

   Peak Oil

   “Make that 2005; then we’re talking about the same planet. The implied IEA message is that the peak happened several years ago and the world didn’t come to an end. Wayminnit!!!! We are in the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression and we don’t know whether we can ever restore our earlier prosperity. My interpretation is that the 2008 crude oil price, $147 per barrel, shattered the global economy. The “invisible hand” of economics became the invisible fist, pounding down the world economic growth to match the limitations of crude oil production.”

   Kenneth Deffeyes
   http://www.princeton.edu/hubbert/current-events.html
9. Draco T Bastard 9

   15 December 2010 at 10:33 am

   Something wrong with the NZ Onscreen thumbnails? I’m not getting the pics.
   • Draco T Bastard 9.1

     15 December 2010 at 12:30 pm

     Fixed, seems to have been a cache problem in Chrome.
10. Draco T Bastard 10

    15 December 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Sprawling housing not really cheaper

    This is largely because Auckland is growing so quickly – and it’s going to get worse! Another 600,000 people are predicted to move into Auckland over the next 20 years.

    Unfortunately, it seems the government has brought into the myth that the best way to increase housing affordability in Auckland is to encourage greenfields development on the fringes of our cities.
    …..
    It found that if Auckland was allowed to grow outwards rapidly at a low density it would cost $10 billion more to provide just transport infrastructure (let alone water, energy etc), than if it grew in a more compact fashion.

    The practical, cheaper and far more efficient plan for Auckland is to build upwards and to get rid of the roads and replace them with rail.
    • Armchair Critic 10.1

      15 December 2010 at 1:22 pm

      The practical, cheaper and far more efficient plan for Auckland is to build upwards and to get rid of the roads and replace them with rail.
      Where the roads are not too steep and the curves are not too sharp.
      If you seriously believe this then the first step could be to include provisions in the new spatial plan the requirement for corridors with geometries suitable for trains and connections for those corridors to the existing rail network or its proposed extensions.
    • Herodotus 10.2

      15 December 2010 at 5:12 pm

      To provide water, power ,gas, roading, waste water, etc this is paid for by the developer, and “gifted” to council without a single physical $ being paid for all these.
      Aucklands growth was mapped out back in 99. As the ARC growth strategy
      http://www.arc.govt.nz/plans/regional-strategies/regional-growth-strategy.cfm
      Perhaps why in Jafaland things are so expensive is the 10+ years it takes to have a plan change implemented. That is 10 years that land has to be purchased, bank costs covered, hearings, and planners who believe that all developments are on flat land, stuff the topograhy, land stabilisation(geoteck), foundation costs and council fees for most within Jafa you are taking $35+k.
      Sorry to disagree DTB yet Auck should grow along transport lines say the railway, similar to Wellington with satilite towns along the way.
    • Herodotus 10.3

      15 December 2010 at 7:18 pm

      Belated thought- The govt that allows for over 240k immigration can also solve the issues. As if….. DTB the pollys caused the problems yet they never supply the solutions. Also what does Jafa gain from this increased pop. We are not short of manpower (There are no factories), there is not a large industrial zone, no silca valley. It is a way of giving NZ continual GDP growth- import it. Also a cynic would say that it gives the govt a greater % of votes, as immigrants feel indebted to the govt for allowing them into the country.
      http://www.arc.govt.nz/economy/aucklands-growth/aucklands-growth_home.cfm
      http://www.cityscopeconsultants.com/uploads/75122/files/Auckland_s_Population_-_Paper_to_Royal_Commssion_on_Auckland_Governance.pdf
      • Ianmac from the UAE 10.3.1

        15 December 2010 at 7:57 pm

        I have often wondered why we must have a positive population growth. And what is the magic figure when we decide “Enough?”
        (Probable timing of such a decision? Too late.)
        • Herodotus 10.3.1.1

          15 December 2010 at 9:13 pm

          Being lazy and cannot be bothered locating the link. the Greens were the only party that did have a population policy.
          Being bigger is not always beneficial. I am sure that with a 4.5m pop NZ can and should progress. ther eis less pressure for infrastructure growth at a rate we cannot cope with. One aspect that was and will be again holding us back is power generation and transmissioon of it. In 07 or there abouts NZ was operating at a 92-93% of capacity. Like Bursary/UN Scholarship of yester year 100% is not attainable and around 95% is max. As Jafaland has experienced (Chch and other smaller cities growth rate of 1% allows for planned infrasturcture to marry up with growth) you shart chasing your tail, and can only fire fight, never getting ahead we progressively go backwards at a ever increasing rate. And it costs more, we get bad decisions and poor town planning.
          Ian try bringing this topic up and al you get is racists and association with Winny (still the best dressed man in town) perhaps Winny will start in Botany inMar !!!! ;-0 now there is a thought 😉
11. randal 11

    15 December 2010 at 1:35 pm

    I missed Kathryn ryan yesterday on 9-noon when she had to cut john hayes off the air because he wouldnt stop reading his statement instead of submitting to questioning.
    that is what an interview is, right?
    anyway.
    the wairarapa is always THE swing electorate and it looks like hayes is down the tubes and National is gone if they keep this sort of nonsense up.
12. NickS 12

    15 December 2010 at 2:04 pm

    And once more Brownlee shows that he should have never left teaching woodwork for politics:
    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/call-fast-track-west-coast-mining-projects-3973739

    Making the mine site open-cast has been proposed by Kokshoorn.

    Brownlee said while the idea is 100% feasible, it would be a very big consideration and the government would need to know an awful lot more about it.

    He is not ruling the idea out, because there is a big resource in the area, but it would not be something the government would consider in the next 12 months.

    It’s not 100% feasible because not only is there a mountain of over burden on top of the coal seam Pike River was mining, but it’s a fucking National Park containing old-growth beech and mixed podocrap angiosperm forest. On top of that, breaking up that overburden leads to a flux of metal ions into local streams, destroying local freshwater ecosystems, and will alter the local climate by making a fucking giant hole in the Paparoa Mountain range, and then there’s the issue of what to do with all the overburden and economic costs of disposing of it.
    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      15 December 2010 at 2:25 pm

      Nick S, I don’t see the supposed feasibility problem you are referring to.

      😛
13. gobsmacked 13

    15 December 2010 at 2:11 pm

    On Twitter, TV3 political reporter Patrick Gower has just revealed that John Key has given him his Christmas bribe – sorry, gift. It’s the wine from the vineyard the PM doesn’t know anything about. Key has previously said that the wine was intended as a gift “to people who had helped me”.

    So, questions to the Press Gallery

    1) Which reporters accept this bri- gift?

    2) Which reporters disclose this to the public? Or, who doesn’t – and why not?

    3) Why do you thnk the Prime Minister wants to give you these gifts?
    • Carol 13.1

      15 December 2010 at 2:16 pm

      Oh. JK has been handing out his wine again?… did he taste some along the way? He seems drunk at the helm again today in Question Time. Is he auditioning for a Xmas pantomime?
14. Deadly_NZ 14

    15 December 2010 at 2:53 pm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4460150/No-tolerance-for-speeding-over-Christmas

    It seems the police will be out to reduce our road toll again Yeah right

    Another round of desperate fund rising for the government…
    • Lanthanide 14.1

      15 December 2010 at 4:09 pm

      If you don’t want to pay a speeding ticket, here’s an idea: don’t speed.
    • jcuknz 14.2

      15 December 2010 at 4:45 pm

      Do the crime, pay the fine .. you idiot!
      and somebody was calling me that for simply not believing what he was writing not doing something like speeding when there is a blitz on. Jeez! Some people.
    • Herodotus 14.3

      15 December 2010 at 5:00 pm

      Well we have over $15b to recoup. Good to see that there is some immediate action that this govt is taking to reduce our debt. They could always raise taxes, but that is not fair. 🙂

Links to post

1. The Standard: posted on 14 December 2010 at 5:08 pm

• Comments are now closed

• Log in
• Donate
• Contribute post

• Articles RSS