Open mike 30/04/2010

17 comments on “Open mike 30/04/2010 ”

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1. vto 1

   30 April 2010 at 8:08 am

   Should rea the editorial of The Press this morning.

   Says that the poor should not smoke and that, by implication, it is the preserve of the rich. You fullas would love it.

   Reminded me why I have such little time for editorials.
   • Tigger 1.1

     30 April 2010 at 10:03 am

     Had to check it out. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/editorials/3641437/Editorial-Time-to-quit “Poor people should not be smoking and this tax increase will reinforce that message.”

     If we’re using those sorts of economics as a basis then the poor should also not have children. Nor should they drink. And actually, they shouldn’t really be alive since they’re clearly draining the system. Creepy stuff.
     • Jim Nald 1.1.1

       30 April 2010 at 10:06 am

       When a Govt led by the Right does it, it isn’t Nanny State or politically correct ?

       Has this country’s voters got a psychiatric problem?
   • ianmac 1.2

     30 April 2010 at 10:40 am

     Although, as a Superannuant, if I smoked a packet a day that’s about $109 pw or $218 per fort or nearly half of my income. Or as someone said most of the smokers have died off by the time they get to Super! To be fair I don’t know how anyone on a low income can choose to smoke?
     • uke 1.2.1

       30 April 2010 at 11:41 am

       “as someone said most of the smokers have died off by the time they get to Super!’

       As poor people, smokers or not, tend to die younger than rich people, this is another good reason for their lower tax rate.
2. mach1 2

   30 April 2010 at 9:05 am

   Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black

   Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition.

   Imagine that a rap artist were to say, in reference to a white president: “He’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on my machine gun.’ Because that’s what rocker Ted Nugent said recently about President Obama.
   • Tigger 2.1

     30 April 2010 at 9:58 am

     Superb piece, thanks for the link mach1.
   • ianmac 2.2

     30 April 2010 at 10:35 am

     Yes mach 1. It is OK if I do it but wrong if you do it. Like a father saying do as I say, not as…. Wonder if there is a connection in NZ?
3. Pascal's bookie 3

   30 April 2010 at 12:15 pm

   Mark Ames

   “Whoever is responsible for bursting this latest bubble by exposing all the fraud—and tanking all the markets—will not only be out of power for at least a generation, but they’ll all have to get radical reconstructive surgery on their faces and seek political asylum somewhere remote. No one wants to be that guy, and that’s why it’s not going to happen.’
   • Draco T Bastard 3.1

     30 April 2010 at 2:00 pm

     Capitalism is a ponzi scheme. Anyone who can understand logic can see that. And, yeah, expose all the fraud and you will have a lot of angry people running around and some of them will have guns. But, as he also says:

     That may be true, but all bubbles do eventually burst, all Ponzi schemes do collapse for good at some point. The only question is when. For those of us not on the verge of retiring, the sooner we have this day of reckoning and get it over with, the better.

     It’s all going to collapse anyway. No amount of money can make up for lack of real resources.
4. Pete 4

   30 April 2010 at 2:14 pm

   Check this ‘piece’ by Roger Kerr from today’s Dom Post opinion section. You can see where he’s going with the title of the article “Dependency on Welfare is Blighting too many NZers Lives”

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/opinion/3641983/Dependency-on-welfare-is-blighting-too-many-NZers-lives

   Fantastical revisionist history posed as fact. God, Roger and his ‘Roundtable’ buddies are so tranparent. I abhor the way they tout reducing the rights and rewards of low-end workers as of being greater benefit to all. Grr, Grr and triple Grr!!!

   Captcha ‘hate’ – sho ’nuff.
5. Evidence-Based Practice 5

   30 April 2010 at 2:19 pm

   Pete – his colleagues have been appointed to the Welfare Working Party
   • Pete 5.1

     30 April 2010 at 2:58 pm

     But Bennett’s response in the House yesterday is that all ‘interests’ will be captured during the Working Party’s review process… At least that’s what I would say if I was naive, or a sycophant.

     The cronyism we’re seeing is astounding, and the liberal use of opinion dressed-up as fact from supposedly ‘idependent’ people of (I think) dubious reputation chills me.

     Where are the chants of ‘corruption’ from the right, like we had during all three terms of the Labour-led governments – I genuinely wonder whether any of them think this sort of thing is A.O.K – hence the silence – or are genuinely concerned (regardless of the benefits, direct or fringe) that this sort of cronyism delivers.
6. NickS 6

   30 April 2010 at 2:26 pm

   Cuts hit help for gamblers

   All Hail the Forward Thinking National Party!
7. Armchair Critic 7

   30 April 2010 at 8:20 pm

   And while the Paula Bennett/TV3 fiasco goes wild, Georgina te Heu Heu quietly the Ministry of Justice are to be given the power to share information with credit rating agencies under changes to the Summary Proceedings Act.
   Does anyone have any concerns about this? I mean, what could possibly go wrong? I think it has much more potential to affect all of us than Paula Bennett.
   • uke 7.1

     1 May 2010 at 8:00 am

     “To authorise the routine release of the amount of overdue penalties by the Ministry of Justice to credit reporting agencies” AND “the routine release of credit applicant information to the Ministry of Justice by credit reporting agencies to assist with fines enforcement.”

     Sounds like an all around data-sharing picnic.

     “Citizen control” as private-public partnership.
     • Armchair Critic 7.1.1

       1 May 2010 at 10:15 pm

       Oh yeah, brilliant plan, why have the government control your life when you can have the government and big business do it? Thanks National.

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