NZF+ACT+National thus far...

[DrTiTus]

They have asked for a reduction in spending, not a reduction in services.

While services are not free, an increase in spending does not correlate with improved service, so naturally a decrease in spending does not imply a degraded service.

You are assuming that every dollar assigned is spent wisely. Newsflash: it's not.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Ab

I hate to sound like a godless communist, but I would wager that the wage bill of all those unnecessary public servants is a rounding error next to the revenue the state missed out on by not taxing capital gains on all those property sales.

Yeah, but those unnecessary public servants might inefficiently work to point this out. They might come up with clever "facts and figures" which might demonstrate how we're kneecapping ourselves by enriching landlords.

Which is completely unacceptable. Landlords need dignity.

No, we're better off cutting funding to for instance the Serious Fraud Office which returns $8 for every dollar spent. Those cheeky buggers that make it harder for a dishonest businessman to make bank.

[xor]

Originally Posted by Ab

I hate to sound like a godless communist, but I would wager that the wage bill of all those unnecessary public servants is a rounding error next to the revenue the state missed out on by not taxing capital gains on all those property sales.

Agreed. Here, in the workers paradise of Queensland property buyers are required to pay stamp duty on any house they purchase. It means our rates are super low compared with Auckland, and the services provided by the state is a lot more than Auckland.

There's also some CGT which enables the govt to take a pretty big chunk of taxable revenue as well.

[Lightspeed]

Looks like meat's back on the menu boys!

Government to roll back rules restricting pay-day lenders

[DrTiTus]

Looks like children are back on the menu boys

Clearly this terrible crime is a result of colonization, trauma, and the Treaty.

Because personal responsibility doesn't exist, it has been established.

[Ab]

The defendant targeted the girl, babysitting her and other children while other adults were distracted with movement planning meetings

See, colonisation made this happen

[Lightspeed]

Laying the groundwork for the next national tragedy:

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/...ting-fast-lane

[Lightspeed]

You have to wonder what's at stake for tobacco companies. How much money can they really make off New Zealanders?

Probably enough for some crazy underhanded shit.

[Ab]

https://twitter.com/nzherald/status/...948544/photo/1



Well, like… of course? Am I missing something?

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

You have to wonder what's at stake for tobacco companies. How much money can they really make off New Zealanders?

Fuck all with the tiny proportion of the country that is their target market:

Current smokers down from 18.4% in 2011/12 to 8.3% in 2022/23.

Youth smoking (15 to 17 year olds) down from 8.3% to 1.0%

Maori smoking rate down from 40.3% to 20.2%

[Lightspeed]

I haven't noticed businesses ignoring money that's a "tiny proportion".

What do you reckon the dollar values are in that drop in smoking?

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Ab

Well, like… of course? Am I missing something?

Populism.

[Ab]

Yeah but I suspect the pot-stirring is being done by the Herald here.

[Lightspeed]

Well that's a given. But the reason why it's this approach is not to do with the NZH specifically.

I think it's more about interests that seek to accumulate wealth scraping the bottom of the barrel of what will keep us voting against our own interests for the sake of further concentrating wealth.

It's an ever more difficult job keeping people educated enough we're able to work sophisticated jobs, while also conning us out of more and more of the value we're producing each day.

[fixed_truth]

Seymour's racism is bringing Maori together. Maybe he isn't a useless Maori after all.

[fixed_truth]

Reflecting on Waitangi Day. Admitting we have a problem is a start

https://youtu.be/plPIzLXj8bE?si=0DEwUQumrtPgFj34

[Lightspeed]

Andrew Judd is a legend. He discovered some uncomfortable truths and instead of getting defensive, instead of cooking up a narrative where the truths weren't true or weren't uncomfortable, he faced into them, allowed himself to be challenged and changed.

He'd probably still be mayor if he took the easy option.

[Lightspeed]

Cultural reports are for those who can afford them:

Govt to axe funding for pre-sentence cultural reports

Thank goodness we've got this government to bring some sanity back to our legal system.

[Cyberbob]

Govt to drop support for proposal to restrict bottom trawling in the South Pacific

Now they're just going down a list of anything Labour supported.

[Lightspeed]

I still miss NZ scallops.

It's a good thing I don't eat seafood anymore, cause there's going to be a lot more to miss it seems.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Cyberbob

Govt to drop support for proposal to restrict bottom trawling in the South Pacific

Now they're just going down a list of anything Labour supported.

Yeah, nah, not a fan. See this is what happens when NZ FUCKING FIRST gets in to government. Jesus christ, will voters never learn.

[Cyberbob]

Govt to drop Auckland fuel tax.

Guess we'll fund our repairs and infrastructure projects through rates then.

[blynk]

Crazy how the government can make Wayne Brown seem reasonable.

And S Brown seems to be talking the shit.
"There is no shortfall, because the projects haven't been committed to. But we are committed to the final section of the Eastern Corridor".

And also spouts on about how only 10m was used on these projects and the other 300m was spent on cycle ways and pedestrian crossings.
That's a load of number fudging bollocks.

[Cyberbob]

But also, where the fuck is the pushback from the opposition? Greens and Labour have been pretty damn quiet in the media while the three headed dragon stays in the spotlight.

[Lightspeed]

I wonder if it's a situation of giving them enough rope to hang themselves.

[Lightspeed]

KiwiRail in talks to cancel contracts for new Interislander ferries

KiwiRail has begun discussion to cancel its contract for an overseas firm to build it two new ferries.

Late last, year the government declined a request for additional funding for the project to buy two new ferries and upgrade two ports because of cost overruns.

KiwiRail says it cannot proceed without the government funding.

I'm sure a line-by-line analysis will provide all the infrastructure we need.

[Lightspeed]

'State of the nation is fragile', Christopher Luxon says

"The country is weak and vulnerable, a perfect opportunity to loot the vault" crowed Luxon off the back of his promise of $3 billion more wealth for landlords.

[Ab]

Where is that quote from?

[Lightspeed]

Judith Collins' face:

[Lightspeed]

Government committed to coalition transport projects despite report showing they could cost double

It estimated that 17 projects that National campaigned on could cost between $30.9 billion and $46.6 billion, according to the Herald, which would be up to $24 billion more than what National forecasted for the same projects.

These include the Cambridge to Piarere road, East-West Link, Second Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve Upgrade, as well as three public transport projects.

Yet we're canning the Cook Strait ferries.

It's almost like it's not so much spending public money that's problematic, it just needs to go to the right people?

[Ab]

Luxon doesn't seem to grasp that he is a politician.

PM Christopher Luxon claims $52k top-up to rent his own apartment

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have ignored his own orders to the public service to find savings up to 7.5 per cent from their budgets, quietly claiming an 11 per cent top up to his own $471,000 salary in the form of a $52,000 optional allowance.

The allowance is meant to pay for Luxon to find accommodation in Wellington. However, few prime ministers have claimed it - Luxon is the first in at least 34 years.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politi...CMFMEXZ5XKPEU/

[Cyberbob]

An apartment he owns mortgage free, I might add.

[Ab]

Nope, he still doesn't realise he's in politics

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is “entitled” to claim a $52,000 optional allowance to live in the Wellington apartment he owns

Right now his comms team are updating their resumes.

[Ab]

https://twitter.com/nzlabour/status/1763391458458169509

totally self-inflicted

[Lightspeed]

Grifter is grifting, what a surprise.

This will blow over, the government will continue to loot the vault and when challenged the response will be "we campaigned for this".

[xor]

little fat piggies

[Caesar]

Hey, leave the guy alone, he's only worth an estimated 21mill...:P
Our second richest National PM behind jonkey.

[blynk]

Well, he changed his mind. Apparantly "he decided" to do it, and I am sure it had nothing to do with some PR company that he has working for him

But it must really GTG of people like him, where he wants to get every penny he can, for him to come out and have to back track.

[Lightspeed]

KiwiRail reports big hit to bottom line after cancellation of Interislander project

KiwiRail has reported a large hit to its bottom line after the cancellation of the Interislander ferry and terminal project.

Its net deficit for the six months ended December was $407 million, largely thanks to $442m in costs relating to the project.

[Lightspeed]

Brownlee bars student journalists from parliament press gallery

The government never promised transparency, so we've got nothing to complain about.