Random Politics

[Savage]

Originally Posted by adonis

If you actually want to discuss shit in the future you might want to throw that better-dead-than-red attitude out.

Woah, I didn't see this until now.

I'm not anti-Labour, or anti-left. I'm just anti-idiots. I've happily voted Labour in the past, and would do so again if the right people were in place within the party. I applaud the Labour ideals, just not the way they're going about realising those ideals right now. I loathe JK (not quite as much as some); I hate the way his head is seated firmly between the USA's thighs, and dislike his smug attitude at times (although I'll give him credit for donating his salary every year to charities). Having said that, IMO he is the lesser of two evils.

The reason I posted the way I did is because LS said something obscure, and I wanted to know what he meant. You're entirely correct that I should have worded it differently if I wanted a genuine response, but I don't expect anything resembling an actual response out of him, and the high school bully in me got the better of me. When he says something like "reduce the number of low income earners" without explaining the statement, I want to know how what he's talking about, because while it's a great idea, it's imbecilic to think that it is a fix for the problem for which he proposed it as a solution. I wanted to know how he would suggest implementing that fix in such a way that could possibly bear viable results within the short time frame in which the fix is needed.

Sure, raise the minimum wage, tax the rich, tax the corporations ... and then watch all those wealthy people and the JK's of NZ stick their money in a trust fund where it does even less good than it currently does. What then? Abolish the trust laws (if this hasn't already happened) so that the money can be taxed correctly, and then they send all their cash overseas. That would also slow or stop overseas investors or wealthy immigrants bringing their cash to NZ. Even if these things came to pass, it would still takes years for the significant amount of money to flow down to the people who would need it to afford a "normal" apartment on the fringe of a CBD. It's all well and good for LS to raise his flag, but in the real world, the govt has to actually have viable solutions to immediate issues. Again, LS's ideals are fine, nothing wrong with that. It's his wording, phrasing, and weird logic that makes him come across like he hasn't given it more than five minutes of thought, and is saying whatever he thinks will make him sound magnanimous and all-loving.

I'm well aware I'll never get an actual reply from his lordship, and I've given up on replying to him or any of his drivel. At the time I would have liked to know if you had any suggestions or ideas, or had read anything suggesting viable alternatives to providing the proposed cheaper housing, because I couldn't really think of anything that would help in the short term. The thread has moved on since then, so I don't expect a reply at this stage, but I wanted to reply since I don't know you and have never discussed anything with you before.

[Lightspeed]

There are actually people on this forum who manage to engage with me without being antagonistic. I don't respond seriously to posts that are antagonistic. Although I suppose this is an exception.

Referring to what you think my ideas are (which you admit you don't understand) as communism is definitely antagonistic, which I think is the point adonis was making.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

which you admit you don't understand

Not many people seem to understand a lot of your statements. This doesn't make you super smart like you seem to believe it does.

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

communism

hy·per·bo·le [hahy-pur-buh-lee] Show IPA
noun Rhetoric .
1.
obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2.
an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

[CCS]

Savage, lolspeed is drunk on his own hubris. May just want to wait a few years to see if he sobers up.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Savage

Not many people seem to understand a lot of your statements.

Many might not understand, but many do too. You're saying your misunderstanding gives you a free hand to act like a bully (your word)?

[StN]

I miss Duckstab.

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by Savage

(although I'll give him credit for donating his salary every year to charities)

Isn't this an urban myth? Doesn't he donate a vague "good part" or "reasonable portion"?

[Savage]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Isn't this an urban myth? Doesn't he donate a vague "good part" or "reasonable portion"?

I looked around for info about this a few months back, and yeah it turns out he does donate a large percentage of his PM salary (don't have any links any more, and I don't recall finding a specific figure, sorry). He's certainly not the only minister who does it though, a lot of them do. I'm glad none of them make a big fuss about it, but it would seem especially bad from JK if he did.

[Savage]

Went looking coz I got wondering again - looks like there is a bit of derision about it, as he apparently pledged to donate all of the annual PM salary to charity, and there were questions about why he was only donating a percentage once he took the position. There are other claims that he takes $1 as his salary, and then the rest goes to charity.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...ary-to-charity
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10562448
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/chariti...pay-rise-37919 (according to this, he was already donating as leader of the opposition before his PM appointment)

All the other links I found were to pages where this was raised as a topic, but no actual facts or evidence provided.

[Golden Teapot]

Originally Posted by Savage

Went looking coz I got wondering again - looks like there is a bit of derision about it, as he apparently pledged to donate all of the annual PM salary to charity

I had a momentary glance at the first article you provided. In that article it's the newspaper claiming "all" in a sensational title for an article that says something completely different.

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by Savage

I looked around for info about this a few months back, and yeah it turns out he does donate a large percentage of his PM salary

Well Key doesn't elaborate on "good part" or "reasonable portion" so we don't know if it is a large percentage (what's a large percentage )

But yeah, good on the Mps who do donate and I guess fortunately for Key it came to be widely held that he donates all his salary to charity.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Well Key doesn't elaborate on "good part" or "reasonable portion" so we don't know if it is a large percentage (what's a large percentage )

But yeah, good on the Mps who do donate and I guess fortunately for Key it came to be widely held that he donates all his salary to charity.

Yeah I can't find the articles that left me with the impression he donated a "large part". I recall coming away from the article/s thinking he donated around 70 to 80%, but as I can't find those any more, I'm not sticking to that :P

[fixed_truth]

Pre-election 2014 thread closed?

[Lightspeed]

If only someone had the power to create an "Election 2014" thread. WINSTON, WE NEED YOU!

[Ab]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Pre-election 2014 thread closed?

erk

[Savage]

WTF @ proposed Budget released for Aussie ...

Personally I'm fine with the high earner levy, but the health care stuff sounds completely backwards (especially in the context of the AU govt having just dumped how-many-million on aircraft for the Air Force).

[pxpx]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11254857

So if you buy a property (in this case, a horse) and sell it at a loss, or at break-even, you don't need to declare it?

Seems legit.

(edit, guess it really depends on the actual dates of ownership, but still)

[Savage]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ref=NZH_FBpage

[Ab]

wtf

[Savage]

Apparently it was manure, not just mud, lol. That'd ruin your day.

[BoyWonder]

I can imagine lots of people feel anti enough to want to throw manure at him, but for something that he said 17 years ago? Time to take your medication and move on...

[fixed_truth]

^
Yeah the guy has a history of it. But lol all the same.

[Savage]

Martial Law declared in Thailand

[Lightspeed]

It's that time of the year already? Probably a good idea when your government isn't listening to its high court.

[Cyberbob]

NZ First MP discovers the internet and colloquial sayings.

[Nothing]

Green party actually crowd sourcing internet rights legislation:
http://www.internetrightsbill.org.nz/

If you ask me, using internet to crowd source the legislative process should've happened years ago. If we did more of this we might not need so many politicians, and our politics might not be so much of a personality cult cluster fuck.

[pxpx]

yea but we'd probably also end up with no flouride in the water, vaccinations banned and mandatory home births for all.

[fixed_truth]

Isn't crowd sourcing about being able to access brilliant and innovative ideas rather than some kind of binding public referendum?

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by pxpx

yea but we'd probably also end up with no flouride in the water, vaccinations banned and mandatory home births for all.

[Nothing]

Originally Posted by pxpx

yea but we'd probably also end up with no flouride in the water, vaccinations banned and mandatory home births for all.

This does not follow. There is no reason why crowd sourcing public input cannot be tempered by critical thinking processes and scientific scrutiny. This objection is the worst brand of ignorant weaksauce.

[BoyWonder]

Yes what we need is endless non-binding public referendums.

[Nothing]

No! What we need is vile personality cult politics!

[pxpx]

Originally Posted by Nothing

This objection is the worst brand of ignorant weaksauce.

[DrTiTus]

I hate you and the opinion you hold.

[Nothing]

I hate the idea of a society which would, to some extent, encourage (and maybe even require) me to be an informed participant in its law making process!

[DrTiTus]

Ignorance is a human right!

[Nothing]

I don't want to live on this planet any more.

[chubby]

welcome to NZGames.

[Ab]

So David Cunliffe moved No Confidence in the government following the budget.

The Greens and NZ First voted against this motion, because they... Support the government? Are fucking incompetent?

welcome to NZParliament.

[adonis]

"Labour bad for small business"

Oh wait no, the other thing.

http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/05/30...-democraciess/