intern

There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for your kids, and it is your prerogative to make those decisions as you see fit!

My take on this is that education is primarily a parent's responsibility and a partnership with teachers. I'm not too worried about fancy schools or decile ratings (that may change as the lads get older) but for now, in primary school, I'm very happy with the local school (Apanui) and don't even know what it's decile is. And my focus for their education is primarily the three Rs (reading, riting and rithmatic), with introductions to history, chemistry, geography and English literature which draw on and enhance the application of those three Rs. I know a number of young adults who have gone through the local high school and who are from good solid families, and who have grown into responsible, productive members of society holding down great jobs after graduating Uni. That, to me, is a good sign that you don't have to ship Sonny Jim off to boarding school in Palmy or the Naki for him to achieve great outcomes. But as I say, these are moving targets!

Didn't you see the pre-election debates between Bill English and Jacinda Ardern? Jacinda claimed she never lies and it's possible to be in politics without telling lies. That's such an obvious lie it's almost comical in its naivete. All of us lie, one way or another, and politicians by the very nature of their 'business' are compelled to lie here, there and everywhere. We've seen plenty of evidence of Cindy telling porkies...this one is likely another example...

He should have been fired when he flouted the very regulations he signed off on right at the start of lockdown. That was a precursor of the incompetence to come. But Jacinda doesn't know how to fire...and the appointment of Chippie just shows how shallow the Labour talent pool is. Chippie has WAY too much on his plate as it is; in addition to Education, he's Leader of the House, and Minister of State Services. That's 3 BEEG portfolios...and Health, in the present climate, has never been BEEEGER.

Chorus doesn't have any direct relationship with the customer, they serve the retailers - which is your ISP. That's why installs, even if pretty good, are still sometimes a nightmare, owing to the structure of the market.

I wonder where you might find 200 bucks ;-)

Yep. Put another way, wealth is what is left over after the living daylights was taxed on income.

Before talking 'taxes for the wealthy', it is crucial to examine what 'the wealthy' means. In the mind of the socialist, 'the wealthy' got that way by exploiting the poor or being a leech on society ('taking more than they should/being greedy'). But look a bit closer. For the vast majority of 'the wealthy' (in parenthesis because the definition is fluid...when I was in my early 20s, someone earning R2000 was rich), they got that way by adding value to society. The more value they add, the more people are willing to hand over their money. Think about, say, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. People aren't lining up willingly to give them cash out of exploitation, they are doing so because Billy or Jeffy make their lives easier or better through the products and services they provide. Willing buyer, willing seller, no coercion here. Seen this way, the wealthy aren't exploiting society, but instead are making society better through the goods and services provided, upon which indeed we all depend for our way of life. Kick the wealthy out like Idi Amin did with the Indians in Uganda, and what do you have? Redistribution of wealth to the less fortunate? Not really. You have shortages, inefficiency, high prices, privation. Targeting the productive members of society in the interests of 'fairness' (fair to whom?) and 'equality' aren't new ideas. But efforts to solve these 'problems' have depressingly consistent outcomes. That incorrigible racist Winston Churchill probably said it best: "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." And of course, as Margaret Thatcher famously said in Parliament years ago, socialists "Would rather that the poor were poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. ... ... Yes, he would rather have the poor poorer, provided that the rich were less rich."

Disastrous socialism which will encourage indolence and reduce productivity while driving 'the wealthy' away and providing ample work for tax accountants and trust lawyers. The Greens have always been hard socialists first and an environmental party a distant second. This was highly apparent in the Metiria Turei era (though Russel 'give me my flag back' Norman is at least a real environmentalist), and even more so in the Davidson/Shaw era. Oh, and for anyone who says 'yes I think it is a good idea to pay more tax, I am willing to do my part'? You are always welcome to pay the IRD more than it asks of you, so go ahead and lead by example, rather than legislating to force everyone to do what you won't do yourself without coercion.

And, of course, if you look beyond the well handled crises (well handled, it must be qualified, mostly from a PR point of view), the bigger picture isn't pretty. As Duncan Garner made clear yesterday: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/duncan-garner-jacinda-ardern-s-big-promises-have-failed-spectacularly.html We've seen the polls from Colmar Brunton yesterday, too. Labour still riding high but shed 9% to National. Muller has yet to really make a mark and is still VERY nervous in Question Time in Parliament. He is making the right sort of noises, though, so hopefully he will come good well before September (though I have my doubts). AWESOME to see that quisling Winston Peters and NZ First down to 2 percent and out of parliament, unless Shane Jones can win Northland (despite all the PGF bribery, this is highly unlikely - the onanist Jones has never won an electorate in his lengthy career. Onanist because he was infamously bust putting adult movies on his government credit card!) Similarly awesome seeing the spineless Greens losing support; them being out of Parliament will be a fine day indeed. Spineless? They have resisted putting cameras on fishing boats (National policy), beholden to NZ First, which is paid off by the fishing industry. They also went with NZ First and Labour in scuppering the Kermadecs sanctuary. And after protesting against the Chinese buying NZ water for export, went along with the sale of Otakiri Springs...to the Chinese (I have no problem with this, it's just that it shows the poor environmental record of the Greens). Best of all, ACT up to 3%. I think they could parlay that into 5% or more come 19 September. Gonna be a humdinger of an election, that's for sure. Very exciting!

Don't even get me started on Health Minister Dr. David Clark. Please note: he has a PhD in Theology, not a MD. Doesn't appear he learned much about honesty, integrity and ethics while studying theology, though.

Those who follow politics know Jacinda achieved absolutely nothing in Opposition. The single Bill she tabled wasn't even a Bill - it was an idea for a Bill and therefore didn't even pass first reading. Great at announcements. Not great at doing the mahi (ha ha look how PC NZ I am) or carrying the can when it inevitably goes pear shaped. Notice how she's vanished from the Jacy and Ashy show now the news is adverse.

PS told you that would work here

Send me your bank details on PM. Not quite sure when I will collect, but I will take that off your hands thanks

Oh my gaaawd. Ours are useless, but yours are a whole new level of special. Sterkte.

All the best. Things are not looking good right now, though, as the incompetent government is taking drastic actions to cover their litany of failures at even the simplest of tasks which were supposed to restore us to some sort of normalcy. At the current rate - with around 2400 returning New Zealanders released without testing, and with the winter solstice just been, it's highly likely we'll have another covid outbreak; with the precedent of 'lockdown being necessary' (remember, around 22 grannies succumbed, most already in 'Heaven's Waiting Room' - which is what we used to call Amberfield in Howick when I was at school there) to prevent widespread death and destruction, the government has snookered itself into taking the same action again should that eventuate. It's a *** situation. A very *** situation.

Everything is expensive in Zim because of an even more fundamental economic principle, that of supply and demand. The cost of doing business there is radically different to, say, South Africa or New Zealand or anywhere else. While I am not entirely familiar with the Zim situation, I doubt there is much credit, I doubt there is much confidence that a customer (if you can find one in the first place) can pay, and I know getting goods in and out is far from fast or easy, unless, apparently, those goods are cigarettes. There is also massive corruption which drives up the cost and risk of any exchange of goods or services. Currencies today are backed by governments which in turn are backed by national productivity (and stability), which is more valuable than gold. Also, any currency is only valuable so long as (enough) people trust its value, and so long as the government appropriately controls the supply. Zim has some form here, as we all know. BTW politics and economics are intricately interwoven and have an intimate impact on every aspect of our lives/society. You don't have one without the other (see 'Political economy' - the study of production and trade and their relations with law, custom and government; and with the distribution of national income and wealth. More worthless views from a self proclaimed knowledgeable gimp more often described as opinionated.

I love Allen's approach: 'I'll just give it a go...' and then he whips out some genius level mechanical engineering with a bloody hacksaw and a 1926 file!

This goes to the very heart of why a managed 'command and control' economy is always - always, always and always, without exception - an unmitigated disaster. You cannot have bureaucrats deciding what is and what is not an 'essential service'. All jobs are essential, or they would not exist. When you create these command and control situations, you also prepare fertile ground for corruption, because sometimes all it takes for a bureaucrat to determine than your case is a special one, is the right sort of encouragement to see things the 'right' way. Best wishes Steven, your situation is highly unfortunate and regrettable, I do hope it works out for you sooner rather than later.

...and governments have never given anything that wasn't first taken from someone else who earned it...

Sounds like it may have been Shamubeel Eaqub. The payments to date have been quite well targeted, I think, in that they have gone to employers with the express purpose of paying directly on to employees who are out of work. The increases for those on the benefit, are a bit harder to understand. But targeting is one thing. When the government is finished giving, it has to start taking...and hard, at that, given the massive debt blowout we're staring down now.

To this bit: As lets be honest, why does production costs have to be different from country to country if the value of human labour is now the same everywhere? Surely that will bring every country into the same play ground and cause all nations to automatically upgrade the lifestyle of their citizens? I mean why the hell should I have to work 20x more to be able to visit the UK? I understand their salaries are lower, but how nice would it be if we were all on the same playing field. Supply and demand and differing labour laws are your culprits here. And laws tend to be extensions, albeit crude ones, of culture and society. To the bold bit, fairness is an interpretation, not an objective reality.

Missed this one Rad. UBI a shockingly bad idea. One global currency, also shockingly bad idea. While these things are complicated, the essence of it is that money is not the same thing as wealth; it is a token and nothing more. Money is only worth something when it is backed by productivity (when people are given 'free money', productivity is the first traitor up against the wall). Different nations have different economies and different productivity (and also, different money supply - see for eg Zim and Venezuela). Different currency is a good thing, as it reflects this to a degree. Massive oversimplifications, but there you are. As always, I absolutely highly recommend reading Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. Explains a lot of how the world really works.

Sounds almost like a Webinar. Or Zoom conf call...

Oh, get a shed already you two. Speaking of sheds, anyone seen Allen Millyard on YouTube? Dude creates amazing motorcycles and engines out of old parts. For EG built a Kawasaki Super Six by sawing up a few 900 barrels, crankcases and heads, then rebuilding the crank and camshafts, welding up the barrels, cases and heads, and...ja, old dudes in sheds, amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhrLg6mZQIo&t=4s (Patches...enjoy the lost productivity on this one mate!)