Some more post cards

Thank you once again to the mysterious suppliers - I thought these both kind of made the point.

Comments

[Whaleoil]

The point they make Jordan is once again Labour is responding to policy initiatives from National. Your taudry government is now in reaction mode trying to counter everything the opposition does and says when they should be setting the agenda and letting the opposition try to counter.

Clearly your are too young to remember 1990 or 1999 but my, my, doesn't history repeat?

[Peter mck]

That's right Jordan - keep up the delusion for another 2 and a bit years - already 63% (at least) of the population don't believe you.

In the meantime every media commentator, journalist, and reporter will continue to condemn this government that everyone has had enough of.

You stupid socialists are backing yourselves into a corner - please keep it up, keep the door firmly slammed shut and keep up the lies and pretence that tax cuts are unaffordable. I am so looking forward to the country whipping you into a quivering mess in Sept 2008 (or earlier when everything collapses)

[toms]

I wonder why all the right wingers who were frothing at the mouth over Labour funding its pledge card from taxpayers money are not getting up on their hind legs and baying at Don Brash for funding this political stunt from - wait for it - the taxpayers pocket?

[Craig Ranapia]

I'm amazed that Jordan hasn't discovered evidence that those little girls are dirty rich white far-right wing foreigners (and probably Christian fundies to boot) attempting to covertly buy the next election for the Tory filth, one glass of lemonade at a time...

[Craig Ranapia]

TomS:

And what's your problem? It's always too amusing watching you play the virginal whore. I've long been of the opinion that the so-called Leader's Budget should be abolished, full stop - so I'm not the one trying to have it both ways.

[Graeme Edgeler]

toms - the porblem with the pledge cards wasn't so much that they were paid for by the taxpayer (although that wasn't a problem), more that they pushed Labour of the election campaign spending limits.

[Graeme Edgeler]

sorry - that should read "...(although that WAS a problem)"

[Mausie]

The real question about these young go-getters is why do they appear to have set up the business in the backyard? Surely savvy entrepreneurs would have seen that the real money is in exports, and set up by the roadside.

But your resident Nats are quite right Jordan, all these spoofs demonstrate is that National are on the front foot.

[Spam]

By publishing these pictures, including the parliamentary crest & national's logo - are you not therefore claiming that they have been approved by the national party and funded by the leader's fund?

Do you have National's approval to publish these, Jordan?

[Craig Ranapia]

Mausie:

I'm sure the poor little poppets are just awaiting planning permission to run a business in a residential zone, a permit for their signage, health certificates, and advice from OSH that the little table is ergonomically sound. :)

[Billy]

Isn't the sale of lemonade at a roadside stall something of an American tradition? Evil, unpatriotic children.

[Peter mck]

cullen says in a press release "He (Brash) would rather borrow to fund consumption today and send the bill to future generations."

Is Cullen really that stupiod or deliberitely dim or is a liar - (i suggest he is in fact all three)

. Capital expenditure is not consumption but rather investment in infrastructure. Cullen's attacks on everything Brash says or does demonstrates that he is running very scared. The biggest problem for him is that the country is now beginnning to understand. -

But the history teacher can keep right on spinning - no one believes him any more because he is not trustworthy - he is a liar, and soon he will be gone (after backing labout into a corner)

[Aj]

Cullen will be long remembered for his responsible stewardship of New Zealand's economy in his time as Minister. But some people never learn the lessons of putting future generations into debt. The chickens always come home to roost, and the electorate know that.
I just hope that all the gains we've made as a country don't get frittered away by irresponsible politicians who will do anything in their lust for power.

[PabloR]

Jordan, please keep putting these things up! It makes the fascists squirm in righteous anger which is a joy to behold.

[Mark]

People who want more freedom and less government are fascists? Yeah righto mate..

[tim barclay]

I like the bit about borrowing to pay GST. Many many self emlpoyed have to do that from time to time Cullen.

[mike]

Mark, Yeah right mate.

[Pamziewamzie]

I love 'em! Would be good if we could come up with something that wasn't reactionary though :)

[bobrien]

I think Cullen will be remembered, in a similar manner to Muldoon - he was the problem!

[Aj]

Cullens big 'sin' is that he is making decisions around the common good rather than the the vested interests of some in business and a wealthy few. He has targetted assistance where it is most needed - business tax breaks, student loan interest relief, and working families. Without keeping Labour's WWF package a sole income family on the average wage, supporting kids, might have got $10-15 weekly tax break, a single person on $100,000 would have had about $100 per week.
The snowballing effect of interest on student loans was predicted to leave many, esp. women, with a growing debt problem through their lives.
His decision to continue to grow the super fund & to invest in infrastructure, without huge debt, will prove to be far-sighted.
He will need to address bracket creep, but large tax cuts are unlikely and not needed. We are already one of the lowest taxed oecd countries. The problem we have is slow wage growth - not taxes. Investment being made now, $2b business tax cuts, all will encourage increased productivity which is the only way to real wage growth.

[Spam]

@Aj:

Is the WWF program designed to make sure that solo income families can afford sky to watch Summer-Slam & wrestlemania? I believe its been renamed WWE, now ;)

Oh - and BTW - I wish people wouldn't continue with the myth that interest on student loans criples people. They can pay it off if they actually want to (eg. I paid of $16,000 in a few years whilst only earning $23,000). And considering that the student loan fiasco has already cost something like 2 billion in increased provision for bad debts, thats a recognition that interest-free loans will make people LESS likely to pay them off, and student debt will increase.

[Aj]

Well done Spam on your committment to paying back that debt, but if you are not working for any reason then its hard to pay back a debt, let alone a growing debt.
It certainly won't cripple those on high incomes.

[Spam]

Instead of having zero interest for everyone, why not have zero interest for people earning below a certain threshold?

(actually - wasn't it like that anyway?)

[mausie]

No Spam, Labour made it interest free while still enrolled in full time study in 2000. Maybe you're thinking of not have repayments compulsorily deducted through IRD when earning below $14000? Interest was charged, nevertheless.

[Spam]

Hmmm.... I graduated in 1995, and certainly had it paid-off by around '98. I was sure I had interest write-offs whilst I was still studying.

Anyway - interest-free whilst you're studying or earning below the threshold is more fair than interest-free forever. Or even better, a reduced (nominal) interest rate of around 3-4% would be better than no interest.

[noone]

This seems to have slipped under the radar somewhat:
Lack of tax cuts a sensible move, says S&P
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10385378

It was in the Herald online, but couldn't find it anywhere in Wed or Thurs paper (though there was a nice big colourful section on National's postcard). Bias, anyone?

[PabloR]

With regard to interest on Student loans:

In 1991 when Lockwood sold the student loans scheme we were told the following lies:

If you don't earn enough money to cover the interest, that interest would be written off, in other words, your loan couldn't get bigger if you weren't working
If you go overseas for a long(ish) period, you wouldn't be required to make payments as you wouldn't be earning money in NZ

In addition National promised to abolish the student fees introduced by Labour in 1990 (my fees went from $150 in 89 to $1050 in 90), which was also a lie. National introduced a scheme that made fees higher for students.

You wonder why I don't trust those cunts to make life better?

[PabloR]

Mark.

"People who want more freedom and less government are fascists? Yeah righto mate.."

They want more freedom for the rich and less government to enable the rich to exploit the poor so that makes them fascists.

Fascism is/was about entrenching the rights of elites in society, which is why it is conservatism taken to its ugly extreme (and therefore the polar opposite of socialism/communism which is suggests that revolution is the only way to remove those elites).

[Spam]

Re lies - Helen told us that only 5% would be paying the top tax rate. Do you trust her?

[PabloR]

I may be foolish to trust her, but I can claim two mitigating factors:

1. In 1999 I thought $60k was a reasonable salary, and the higher tax rate didn't affect me then
2. I didn't live in NZ at the time, so raising the tax rate didn't affect me anyway(although I was soon to discover my student loan would fuck me around no end)
3. Actually, wasn't it Cullen who claimed it would affect only 5% of taxpayers?
4. Tax rates weren't a motivating factor when I voted in 99 (or any other election either). Actually, it was an issue in the UK where we were horrendously overtaxed, but no party bothered debating tax cuts, it was all about services. If Labour keeps on the services tack, they may defuse that particular issue.

Well, I have fiscal dragged that up to four factors.

Yes, I still trust her, no I don't trust the Nats. Yes there are mediocrities in both parties, you pays your money and takes your choice.

[Sam Vilain]

Crap it looks like the whole right wing echo chamber is here. Vacuous posts, guys.

[tim barclay]

None more vacuous than yours Sam.

[libertyscott]

So are you betraying principles you would otherwise hold to support Labour's use of the law on sedition to shut down political debate too Jordan? Can't you criticise the Labour Party to risk your own potential political career?

[GeniusNZ]

> Lack of tax cuts a sensible move, says S&P

The counter to this is that agencies like S&P will always be happy with your country saving more money - you convert their A loans into A plus loans.
Having said that...

> Capital expenditure is not consumption but rather investment in infrastructure.

Depends on how you do it. If the government, lets say, invests in a park you can call it capital expenditure but it will never be an "investment" in the financial terms. Some government investment gives a good ROI (in which case it is worthwhile borrowing or taxing to get the money to do it) some gives hardly any ROI (in which case you shouldn't borrow to do it. Governments might do these things anyway because the public demands it (like how you might buy an trendy toy because your kids want it - but it would be moronic to borrow money against that toy as an asset).

PabloR,

> Fascism is/was about entrenching the rights of elites in society

Im afraid I cant resist that bait...
Wasn't it about putting the elite in gas chambers and using their hair to make socks?

That and being subserviant to the state and that which was dear to "the state".

[tim barclay]

Depends whose credit rating you are talking about. The average credit rating of private modest individuals would have declined under the Labor Government because of the speculative boom in housing, the excessive credit card debt many private individuals have and the high taxes which are being gathered at the expense of individual wealth creation.

[Aj]

Tim, I'm sure you know this, but an individuals credit rating is soley their own responsibility. No-one holds a gun to a person head and tells them to borrow more for bigger houses, flashier cars, and plasma TV's. Isn't it the Right that hammer the mantra of personal responsibility?
To blame Labour for this is a stunning leap of logic.

Speaking of logix, I fear his summary of your contributions on blogs http://jtc.blogs.com/just_left/2006/06/hot_to_trott.html#comment-18328316 is right on the mark, this last post just reinforces this.

[Aj]

"S&P credit analyst Kyran Curry told NZPA from Australia that many countries were in the same boat, and that the current trends were unsustainable.

"The general feeling is they need to do probably a little bit more like what New Zealand is doing, and that is cut back on their spending and being a bit more fiscally restrained to respond to the cost pressures that will come."

Mr Curry said the call for New Zealand to make tax cuts like Australia had were "very shortsighted".

"New Zealand doesn't have coal to sell to China, like Australia does. Australia is benefiting at the moment from a lot of commodities...It's debatable whether (the tax cuts) are sustainable."

He agreed New Zealand has a high current account deficit like Australia, but New Zealand needed to maintain a strong fiscal discipline or credit agencies would downgrade them and borrowing would be more expensive.

"It'll make the investment environment a lot more difficult to operate in."

S&P welcomed the Government's decision to channel some of its surpluses into long-term superannuation funds, and also the move to put more public money into roading and other infrastructure.

With a weak dollar and gloomy export forecasts, the Government was walking a tight line between stimulating the economy and saving for a rainy day, Mr Curry said.

"Most forecasts are expecting the New Zealand economy to slow significantly...If anything we would regard the New Zealand budget as being fairly responsible."

[tim barclay]

My point was too subtle for you. The point I am making is we have a rich greedy government at the expense of poor modest individual taxpayers. You go on about individuals have responsibility for their own credit rating, they do, but many many people have had their credit rating down down the dunny becuase they struggle to pay overtaxation to finance a greedy wasteful Government. Cullen reminds me of those arrogant french kings.

[Aj]

You are still trying to lay blame at the governments feet, something that is a personal responsibility. We all have to play by the rules set at the time, thats part of living in a civil society. Even if we don't like those rules.
I may not like the speed limit at 100kph. If I get caught execeeding it, should I blame the government? the people who have died while speeding, thus encouraging the police to enforce that law mercilessly? perhaps I should blame the police for enforcing a law I don't like?
In your eyes, blame anyone except yourself.

The point you are trying to make is astounding, when you reach your nirvana of a taxless society what are you going to blame?

[Mark]

PabloR, fascism refers to authoritarian political movements. Now, look at Labour and look at National. Which one fits that description more than the other?
I realise that it is now just pejorative term used by leftists to anyone to the right of centre and, as such, is meaningless.

[Oliver]

Mark, I suspect you're of the sort who call Labour 'socialists' with a straight face, like many of the reactionary right wingers who lurk around the blogosphere. I smell the sweet tang of hypocrisy.

[PabloR]

Thanks Oliver, you sum it up exactly. I could claim to use the word fascists ironically, but I suspect I am only being half ironic.