New Zealand Politics, the Ardern years

[Samson]

Ardern plumbs new depths by blaming people who go to work on pain of eviction by draconian property managers.
She is an appalling human being.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Samson

Ardern plumbs new depths by blaming people who go to work on pain of eviction by draconian property managers.
She is an appalling human being.

Well, she has to turn attention away from the shocking cock-ups of the Farcebook advice and the 9 days of missing legislation. And whether she knew about the FB breakdown might be in question, but as leader of Cabinet she sure as hell knew about the legal vacuum.

Given those pieces of information, the family did nothing wrong, and certainly did not break the law.

Her hypocrisy is reaching Putinesque levels.

[The Atheist]

When even the Governor of the Reserve Bank issues a warning, and so does one of the major banks: https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/05/1008782

[Samson]

Taking a brief diversion to enthrall in this noble woman being home woman

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-...EJX5UCZBABWRU/

As for Covid-19, she said she was looking forward to seeing the first people vaccinated and admits that her maternal instinct shapes how she does her job.

"I feel like it's my job to look after people," she says.

Tell that to the people she is trashing for effect, including those who have to pay rent to survive to those she has decreed are the new grand coalition plebiscite.

[The Atheist]

When free health care is only free as long as you don't need expensive treatment - NZ's appalling record of under-funding health and medicine goes back decades and is a national disgrace.

People are dying because their drugs are too expensive, despite them being funded in UK & Australia.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/hea...f-kiwis-health

[The Atheist]

And Cinderella PWNs herself yet again on housing:

Nov 2020 - "It [housing] just cannot keep increasing at the rate that it is."

All of four months later - house prices have increased by an average of $74,000.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124...p-skyrocketing

[The Atheist]

The human cost of the housing crisis, as well as the financial cost of $1M a day: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...ds-of-families

Motel owners, however, are laughing, charging premium rates for lousy accommodation.

[Samson]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

The human cost of the housing crisis, as well as the financial cost of $1M a day: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...ds-of-families

Motel owners, however, are laughing, charging premium rates for lousy accommodation.

They sure are.
This is an insufferable disgrace in a perfectly temperate climate abounding with fresh water trees and gently rolling to flat land.
I despise this indolent opportunistic woman.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Samson

They sure are.
This is an insufferable disgrace in a perfectly temperate climate abounding with fresh water trees and gently rolling to flat land.
I despise this indolent opportunistic woman.

Here's some more human faces of the Ardern Blight:

Family moves into house bus after being forced to change address 10 times in 11 years. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...-dog-and-a-cat

Agreeing to cook in the garage to not lose a tenancy. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...ng-into-rental

And just for the LULZ - a one-bedroom house for 3/4 of a million bucks. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...sing-advocates

[psionl0]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Here's some more human faces of the Ardern Blight:

Family moves into house bus after being forced to change address 10 times in 11 years. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...-dog-and-a-cat

Agreeing to cook in the garage to not lose a tenancy. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...ng-into-rental

And just for the LULZ - a one-bedroom house for 3/4 of a million bucks. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/h...sing-advocates

The housing crisis is not unique to NZ. My state is undergoing similar problems.

Part of the problem is that during covid-19, the government made rent increases and evictions virtually impossible. This couldn't last forever and now a lot of people look like being homeless as market forces take hold again.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by psionl0

The housing crisis is not unique to NZ.

No, it's happening in lots of places.

The problem in NZ is entirely at the door of a Labour government who promised to fix it, and which has instead sat by and watched residential property increase in value by 75% in their short four years in power.

[psionl0]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

The problem in NZ is entirely at the door of a Labour government who promised to fix it, and which has instead sat by and watched residential property increase in value by 75% in their short four years in power.

Politicians also promise to fix unemployment, cut taxes AND create massive new spending initiatives while balancing the budget.

The reality is that falling housing prices cost more votes than rising ones do.

[Samson]

Originally Posted by psionl0

Politicians also promise to fix unemployment, cut taxes AND create massive new spending initiatives while balancing the budget.

The reality is that falling housing prices cost more votes than rising ones do.

How despicable.
Not your fault, the observation explains Ardern.

[psionl0]

Originally Posted by Samson

How despicable.
Not your fault, the observation explains Ardern.

Random words do not a post make.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by psionl0

Politicians also promise to fix unemployment, cut taxes AND create massive new spending initiatives while balancing the budget.

Cinderella didn't make any of those promises.

What she did do was this, in 2015:

In 2015, Ardern tweeted: "John Key just told the gallery he doesn't think Auckland houses are over valued. THEY'RE EARNING MORE THAN PEOPLE!!! For the love of.."

At that time, housing was increasing at $70k/pa. Now, it's $120k/pa.

And the dumb bitch sits and says she's concerned about it, while doing nothing.

It's the hypocrisy that pisses me off. If she wants to play Conservative-lite, fine, but don't promise the opposite.

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

And the dumb bitch sits and says she's concerned about it, while doing nothing.

And when she does act, no doubt you will call her a 'dumb bitch' for that too.

Risk of 'abrupt stop' in housing market, economist says

Quote:

New Government policies intended to shift the balance of the property market more in favour of first-home buyers risk bringing it to a “more abrupt stop” than intended, a leading economist says.

A range of new measures were announced on Tuesday, including $3.8 billion for infrastructure, an extension of the bright-line test that means some investors pay tax on their gains when they sell properties, and the removal of interest deductibility.

ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner said that was a “massive” for the Government, because it was risking upsetting a large voting base.

The fact it was retrospective would mean large numbers of people would experience an increase in their tax bills. “That’s brave … that could change the maths. It’s a pretty significant levelling of the playing field.”

She said it would probably mean more money went into other investments, which could boost financial markets...

"...the risk is that they overachieve and the economy is still pretty vulnerable. A New Zealand economy with house prices going backwards looks and feels pretty different. But to be honest the prices have got so out of whack with incomes that house prices falls had been starting to look inevitable. Better to fall from a roof than a plane.”

Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online

Quote:

hostility toward women arises within the maintenance of a patriarchal culture and its accompanying attitudes of sexism, misogyny, and objectification of women (e.g., Jeffreys 2005). Scholars note further that hostility emanates from women’s oppression within larger societal structures of power that place men in the dominant position and women in the role of the subordinate.

The classic feminine personality stereotype involves two major components: one associated with warmth and being nice and the other with a lack of competence (e.g., passive, emotional, illogical) (Ellemers 2018). This overarching idealized femininity comprises traits typically believed to be the opposite of those associated with masculinity... Calling a woman a “bitch” in an aggressive message, for example, implies that she is not conforming to the expectations that she should be “sugar and spice and all things nice.”...

people disseminating such hostile messages are likely to be motivated by the goal of improving their social esteem and recognition among their group of supporters or a wider societal audience.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

And when she does act, no doubt you will call her a 'dumb bitch' for that too.

No, in fact, given today's moves, the description is very very unfair.

I should have called her a disgusting, treasonous moron.

She's removed interest as a taxable expense from residential investments. As you'd expect, the head of REINZ was onto it straight away:

Quote:

“Many landlords are likely to increase their rent in the coming years as they look to offset the costs, thereby making rentals even more unaffordable than they are currently and making it even harder for renters to save a deposit for their own property,” said Real Estate Institute acting chief executive Wendy Alexander.

I don't even think "treasonous moron" is adequate to describe someone who places the bill for the insane plan in the pockets of tenants.

I'll get back when I think of an appropriate pejorative.

[The Atheist]

And it's not just housing in crisis in NZ - this is exactly why we absolutely had to keep Covid out; our hospitals can barely cope in summertime, let alone winter. Covid would have crushed the system in a matter of days.

It's no surprise people are turning up to emergency departments when after-hours GP clinics don't exist, a situation that can be laid at this government's door.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/hea...taff-burnt-out

[Samson]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

No, in fact, given today's moves, the description is very very unfair.

I should have called her a disgusting, treasonous moron.

She's removed interest as a taxable expense from residential investments. As you'd expect, the head of REINZ was onto it straight away:



I don't even think "treasonous moron" is adequate to describe someone who places the bill for the insane plan in the pockets of tenants.

I'll get back when I think of an appropriate pejorative.

Not sure it is so unfair though. There is no deduction for owner occupiers. The investor bought for capital gain, 100% of investors have achieved this, and can sell if they wish right now.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Samson

Not sure it is so unfair though.

Unfair to tenants. Rents will increase.
__________________________

And god help us, leader-in-waiting of the National Party is an evangelical, which places him firmly in the "complete moron" category.

Bring back Bill English!

[Samson]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Unfair to tenants. Rents will increase.
__________________________

And god help us, leader-in-waiting of the National Party is an evangelical, which places him firmly in the "complete moron" category.

Bring back Bill English!

Simon Bridges was a catholic crown prosecutor but otherwise a good bloke.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Samson

Simon Bridges was a catholic crown prosecutor but otherwise a good bloke.

Bill English & Jim Bolger are Catholics as well. They seems to be a lot less toxic than evangelicals when it comes to politics.

Compare two christian crown prosecutors turned political party leaders:

Bridges - Catholic, and as you say, a good guy.
Graham Capill - Evangelical jailed for child rape.

[The Atheist]

Jesus H Christ.

When my parents moved here in 1961, they came to NZ because it was the true land of milk and honey, where there was no class distinction and where nobody went hungry. It was still true long after that, and we had an unemployment rate of 250 in 1975. Just 250 people in the entire country.

Now look at what we've become: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/edu...-without-lunch

Quote:

Quite often parents would say [children] can’t come because they’ve got no food or siblings are sharing a packet of noodles.

[The Atheist]

Pure gold.

"Maori are heavily over-represented in unemployment."

"Let's throw some money at the problem - how does $50M sound?"

"Great, let's go!"

9 months later...

4 jobs created.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...far-since-june

[Samson]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Pure gold.

"Maori are heavily over-represented in unemployment."

"Let's throw some money at the problem - how does $50M sound?"

"Great, let's go!"

9 months later...

4 jobs created.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...far-since-june

Money is cheap.
Prisons remain expensive.

However I can solve the inequity by infiltrating all maori community with phonetic processes that guarantee the kids can read before the catastrophe of school destroys their futures.

Eta
Oh and it aint bleeding godforsaken te bloody maori that is reversing New Zealand.

[The Atheist]

Astute talk from a Samoan tech CEO with a foot in both camps: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124...ys-tech-leader

[PhantomWolf]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Jesus H Christ.

When my parents moved here in 1961, they came to NZ because it was the true land of milk and honey, where there was no class distinction and where nobody went hungry. It was still true long after that, and we had an unemployment rate of 250 in 1975. Just 250 people in the entire country.

Now look at what we've become: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/edu...-without-lunch

You mean back in the socialist days when taxes were at a top rate of 90%, and utilities such as power, mail, and telephone were owned, controlled, and subsidized by the Government, as were farmers for products sold locally. Where unemployment figures were hidden in Government Jobs with the Railways and Ministry of Works. When Doctor visits were free for everyone, and so was Education. When unions ruled the workplace commanding higher wages and lower profits for businesses, and where generations of families worked in the plethora of freezing works and dairy companies that littered the landscape?

Also, the same days where women couldn't have bank loans unless their husband or father was on the loan, and where you couldn't buy a new car unless you had overseas funds.

You mean the pre-Rodger Douglas days, before selfishness and shareholders became the mainstays of our culture. Before Ruth Richardson and the rise of Capitalism resulted in the big sell-off of Government assets to the likes of Micheal Fay and Bob Jones. Before Max Bradford assured us that utility prices would only be lowered by selling off the Power Companies, the Telecommunications, the Railways, and the National Airline. That we could have better medical services by converting all our District Health Boards, and the Hospitals they didn't close, into profit-driven CHEs. That if we de-regulated our markets and let in competition that everything would be better by October. That if we removed our subsidies and tariffs, then so would everyone else in the world, and we'd lead the way to competing on a fair global playing field. The days before how jobs were going to become fairer for all because Employment Contracts would put the power of negotiation in the hands of individuals and not Unions. You mean those days?

[lionking]

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

You mean back in the socialist days when taxes were at a top rate of 90%, and utilities such as power, mail, and telephone were owned, controlled, and subsidized by the Government, as were farmers for products sold locally. Where unemployment figures were hidden in Government Jobs with the Railways and Ministry of Works. When Doctor visits were free for everyone, and so was Education. When unions ruled the workplace commanding higher wages and lower profits for businesses, and where generations of families worked in the plethora of freezing works and dairy companies that littered the landscape?

Also, the same days where women couldn't have bank loans unless their husband or father was on the loan, and where you couldn't buy a new car unless you had overseas funds.

You mean the pre-Rodger Douglas days, before selfishness and shareholders became the mainstays of our culture. Before Ruth Richardson and the rise of Capitalism resulted in the big sell-off of Government assets to the likes of Micheal Fay and Bob Jones. Before Max Bradford assured us that utility prices would only be lowered by selling off the Power Companies, the Telecommunications, the Railways, and the National Airline. That we could have better medical services by converting all our District Health Boards, and the Hospitals they didn't close, into profit-driven CHEs. That if we de-regulated our markets and let in competition that everything would be better by October. That if we removed our subsidies and tariffs, then so would everyone else in the world, and we'd lead the way to competing on a fair global playing field. The days before how jobs were going to become fairer for all because Employment Contracts would put the power of negotiation in the hands of individuals and not Unions. You mean those days?

You are really pining for the days of 90% marginal taxes and public service inefficiency and indolence? Really?

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

You mean back in the socialist days when taxes were at a top rate of 90%,

You're either mistaken or lying - tax rates in the 1970s were a maximum of 66%, which isn't that much different from now, where the top tax rate is 33%, GST 15% and additional taxes on petrol that amount to a decent chunk of money. Also, perks weren't taxed, whereas they now are, at 39%, I think.

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

...and utilities such as power, mail, and telephone were owned, controlled, and subsidized by the Government, as were farmers for products sold locally.

$0-04 for a pint of milk.

I'm struggling to think of why that situation was worse than what we have now.

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

Where unemployment figures were hidden in Government Jobs with the Railways and Ministry of Works.

My old man was in the Forest Service in the '70s, and it's true - there was a bunch of Maori workmen who were well past the age of physicality of logging, so the forest created a work gang so they could have easy tasks. One of the blokes was universally known as "Speedy" because whatever job you wanted done, this man could take three times as long as you'd believe possible.

Again, I struggle to see how today's an improvement, where those guys will be on the dole smoking dope all day. When they worked, their kids saw them go to work every day and earn a fair day's pay. All their kids got jobs, so it seemed to work from where I saw it.

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

When Doctor visits were free for everyone, and so was Education. When unions ruled the workplace commanding higher wages and lower profits for businesses, and where generations of families worked in the plethora of freezing works and dairy companies that littered the landscape?

The other side of that is that the government could afford to do all these things, and NZ had the highest standard of living in the world - we were flush with cash until the oil crises. And Muldoon.

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

Also, the same days where women couldn't have bank loans unless their husband or father was on the loan,..

Utter nonsense. I worked in banking in the 1970s, and that is false.

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

...and where you couldn't buy a new car unless you had overseas funds.

As I sit in a neighbourhood where the average number of cars per house is 4, I again struggle to see that as a bad thing.

Originally Posted by PhantomWolf

You mean the pre-Rodger Douglas days, before selfishness and shareholders became the mainstays of our culture. Before Ruth Richardson and the rise of Capitalism resulted in the big sell-off of Government assets to the likes of Micheal Fay and Bob Jones. Before Max Bradford assured us that utility prices would only be lowered by selling off the Power Companies, the Telecommunications, the Railways, and the National Airline. That we could have better medical services by converting all our District Health Boards, and the Hospitals they didn't close, into profit-driven CHEs. That if we de-regulated our markets and let in competition that everything would be better by October. That if we removed our subsidies and tariffs, then so would everyone else in the world, and we'd lead the way to competing on a fair global playing field. The days before how jobs were going to become fairer for all because Employment Contracts would put the power of negotiation in the hands of individuals and not Unions. You mean those days?

Pretty fair summary.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by lionking

You are really pining for the days of 90% marginal taxes and public service inefficiency and indolence? Really?

As noted, the 90% is made up, but as regards the government waste, I look at the balance of the gov't spending money creating unnecessary jobs, or the gov't spending money on the dole, while also creating long-term societal damage with generational welfare beneficiaries.

Why do you think it's preferable to pay the dole than create jobs? Regardless of how inefficient the system was on a per person productivity basis, it's better to have culture of people working than not.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

As noted, the 90% is made up, but as regards the government waste, I look at the balance of the gov't spending money creating unnecessary jobs, or the gov't spending money on the dole, while also creating long-term societal damage with generational welfare beneficiaries.

Why do you think it's preferable to pay the dole than create jobs? Regardless of how inefficient the system was on a per person productivity basis, it's better to have culture of people working than not.

I worked in the public service for a long time, but importantly during the time when many services were privatised. The dole was still there, and is still there, but competition entered the equation and countless thousands of Australian public servants were forced to compete or fail. Many failed, but those who replaced them provided better services.

An anecdote, but many anecdotes create history. In my late 30s I joined the Commonwealth Employment Service at a mid level. I was surrounded by people who did little to find people jobs. One manager boasted of refusing to ever talk to or meet with someone looking for work. He held down a job. Was his job worth the public’s dollar?

Now we have a privatised system, which while imperfect, demands people work to find others jobs and get paid for performance. Only a fool would want to turn the clock back.

[The Atheist]

Time for some humour - in amongst the story about NZ about to have a serious GP shortage, is the very old news that Maori and Pasifika people are under-represented in GPs, with this gem:

Quote:

Chair of Te Akoranga a Māori, the College’s Māori GP group, Dr Rachel Mackie, said these low numbers come from the “long-standing disadvantage and injustice” that New Zealand society and systems have placed on Māori.

Yeah, right.

The fact is that Maori and Pasifika people are treated with positive discrimination, and have been for decades, in the health system.

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Yeah, right.

The fact is that Maori and Pasifika people are treated with positive discrimination, and have been for decades, in the health system.

In the US we would call that Affirmative Action, but it doesn't mean the effects of 'long-standing disadvantage and injustice' aren't still causing under-representation.

A Survey of New Zealand Medical Students in 2001 found the following:-

Quote:

The ethnic composition of the class, Maori (6.8%), Pacific Islander (4.3%), NZ European (50.9%), Asian (31.4%), differed significantly from the general New Zealand population. Maori and Pacific Island students, and students from a rural background were significantly under-represented.

The overall proportion of Maori and Pacific Islanders in the sample (9.7%) is much lower than that in the general population (20.3%)... New Zealand Europeans are also under-represented when compared with the general population (50.9% compared with 72.7%). Students from Asia and the subcontinent are represented in the medical classes (31.4% of all students, 27.4% of all New Zealand-government-subsidised students) in proportions many times their prevalence in the New Zealand population (3.4%).

...there are documented shortages of practitioners of Maori and Pacific Island ethnicity to work with these communities, practitioners working in areas of low socioeconomic status, and practitioners in rural areas. The shortage of practitioners working with Maori and Pacific Island patients and those of low socioeconomic status is of particular concern as these populations have been documented to have poorer health than other New Zealanders. These areas of shortage are expected to be a continuing problem in New Zealand...

Of those surveyed, 18.7% (258/1377) reported attending a private secondary school for the bulk of their secondary schooling compared with 2.7% of the general population.... Half the students (51.0%) surveyed reported both their parents had tertiary qualifications, and an additional 24.9% reported that either their mother or father had a tertiary qualification. In comparison, the 2001 Census shows 12% of New Zealanders aged 35–60 have a tertiary qualification.... Less than one fifth (19.3%) of respondents estimated their parents’/caregivers’ income as less than $30 000 per annum, whilst 27.2% (357/1314) estimated it as exceeding $100 000 per annum.

Conclusions

Medical students are more likely to be socioeconomically advantaged and from an urban community, and less likely to be of Maori or Pacific Island descent, than the general population...

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

In the US we would call that Affirmative Action, but it doesn't mean the effects of 'long-standing disadvantage and injustice' aren't still causing under-representation.

The idea that Maori have been disadvantaged and are victims of injustice is mostly bollocks.

Since before I went to school in the 1960s & '70s, Maori have had far more opportunity than Pakeha (whitey) given to them on a plate, just for being Maori.

Pasifika people, hell yeah, and it irks the living **** out of me that those two completely disparate groups get lumped together. Sa-sas don't got no billions thrown at them and their Iwi.

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

You're either mistaken or lying - tax rates in the 1970s were a maximum of 66%

A fair enough mistake. Though the top marginal tax rate had dropped to 66% by 1961 (the year your parents moved to the 'true land of milk and honey'), at its peak in 1945 it was 90%. But of course that wasn't the only tax. Many imported items attracted massive duties (if it was permissible to import them at all), and non-essential consumer goods had very high sales taxes.

Quote:

As I sit in a neighbourhood where the average number of cars per house is 4, I again struggle to see that as a bad thing.

Great anecdote, bro!

It meant that used cars cost more than they did new, so they were held onto and kept going longer - but it had little impact on car ownership. In 1967 the number of cars owned per 1000 people in New Zealand was 293, slightly higher than Canada at 283 and Australia at 274. In 2011 the figures were New Zealand 708, Canada 662, Australia 731.

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

The idea that Maori have been disadvantaged and are victims of injustice is mostly bollocks.

Since before I went to school in the 1960s & '70s, Maori have had far more opportunity than Pakeha (whitey) given to them on a plate, just for being Maori.

It's the same story everywhere - European colonists invade new world country, infect the locals with their deadly diseases, introduce them to drugs and religion that wastes their bodies and minds, take the land for themselves and kill any natives that get uppity about it.

Then 150 years later they point to the struggling survivors trapped at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder and accuse them of being lazy dimwits who have had far more opportunity than whitey given to them on a plate, just for managing to avoid genocide.

But hey, you already got misogyny down pat. Why not add racism to your resume?

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

It's the same story everywhere...

NZ is not USA, South America, or Australia, and treatment of Maori has been uniquely favourable.

You're just showing your ignorance of NZ history, but it's no big deal - you just continue to believe whatever narrative suits you, as you have the entire way through the thread.

[The Atheist]

Hard in the heels of the GP & hospital crises comes the news that mental healthcare is in terrible shape as well: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...lected-in-2017

[Samson]

The Green Party see it as racist and populist to suspend flights from India.
he preflight testing is rigorous only allowing an average of 10 covid infected Indians to arrive each day.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Samson

The Green Party see it as racist and populist to suspend flights from India.
he preflight testing is rigorous only allowing an average of 10 covid infected Indians to arrive each day.

The Green Party are outright morons and hypocrites.

It's about the only positive thing I could say about Cinderella's government that they didn't have to go into coalition with the Greenmunists.