class war
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There Is An Alternative
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, May 16th, 2011 - 66 comments
The run up to the budget has all been about cuts. How many? How deep? Like lemmings we’re accepting National’s framing, and marching even faster to our economic doom. But, there is an alternative. Instead of slashing spending, we can raise government income. Here’s how.
Krugman: The unwisdom of elites
Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, May 15th, 2011 - 19 comments
Paul Krugman on the real reasons for the economic carnage. Not social spending policies, but the daft economic policies of the right-wing “policy elites”. Our focus should not be on slashing spending, but on National’s stupid, unaffordable tax cuts.
TV3 on the cost of living
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, May 14th, 2011 - 43 comments
Over the coming week Campbell Live will be highlighting the rising cost of living, falling wages, life on the pension, and so on. In short, exactly the sort of stuff which should be front and centre of any budget, and any election campaign.
The Dear John Letter
Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, May 13th, 2011 - 36 comments
This letter is getting more media attention than it deserves, because its basically Brash regurgitating his 2025 task force stuff. Key and the Nats have, quite rightly, ignored it once, and they’ll ignore it this time too.
The Kiwisaver “employer contribution” scam
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, May 12th, 2011 - 23 comments
The media is claiming Kiwisaver cuts will be offset by increased worker and employer contributions.
But because of a loophole in the scheme National created in 2009, employers can simply take their “contribution” out of their workers’ wages.
No wonder business lobby groups are unconcerned by the move.
Taking from Kiwisavers & giving to the rich
Written By: - Date published: 6:32 am, May 10th, 2011 - 81 comments
John Key has confirmed he intends to slash Kiwisaver to the bone by cutting the up to $1040 a year government contribution you get as a member. Of course, this is the savings budget according to National’s spin. They’re going to ‘encourage’ savings by taking that money from Kiwisaver and giving it to rich individual savers. It’s just more class war.
Beyond the welfare stereotypes
Written By: - Date published: 6:58 am, May 9th, 2011 - 124 comments
An Australian report sets out some common myths about beneficiaries, and the facts that disprove them. I have no doubt that a similar pattern of unjustified myths would be found here. Starting with our PM.
All quiet at the Commerce Commission
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 5th, 2011 - 23 comments
Since Paula Redstock was pushed out of the Commerce Commission with a lot of the other brilliant staff, there has not been one cartel or monopoly abuse case prosecuted by the Commerce Commission. This is the very same Commission that was previously saving us millions of dollars each year and paying for itself with its court settlements.
Rights and privilege
Written By: - Date published: 8:53 pm, May 4th, 2011 - 218 comments
Righto. I’ve just watched the debate between Harawira and Brash on Close Up and about five minutes fifty into the second part Brash had the gall to challenge Harawira on whether he believed everyone should have the same rights.
Money and happiness
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, May 1st, 2011 - 35 comments
How do we improve a society’s happiness most effectively? By lifting the poor out of poverty. By increasing wealth where we get more happiness bang for our income buck, and reducing the disparity between rich and poor. So why are we currently moving in the opposite direction?
Education and wealth
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, April 22nd, 2011 - 69 comments
Turns out the teachers have been right all along. Family wealth is the overwhelming predictor of educational outcome. That means there are no quick fixes. The best way to improve educational outcomes is to improve the incomes of the poor.
“Politics of envy”
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 pm, April 20th, 2011 - 77 comments
National Party blogger David Farrar is whining about the “politics of envy”.
He seems to think we shouldn’t be mean to Key because he’s rich and making us poor.
Cry me a river.
Can’t help won’t help
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 20th, 2011 - 108 comments
John Key says that the government can’t help Kiwis who are struggling with rapidly rising costs. Rubbish. There’s plenty that they could be doing. If they wanted to…
The class politics of Lotto
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, April 18th, 2011 - 129 comments
Bright Red asks why people buy Lotto when, for the vast majority, gambling means losing money in the long-run. Because gambling gives a taste, a tiny chance of a life-changing win. It’s no coincidence that Lotto and casinos were legalised during the neoliberal revolution, which took away the route to decent wealth through work for most.
How to tell you have a Tory govt
Written By: - Date published: 5:01 pm, April 16th, 2011 - 7 comments
Brian Fallow is one of the Heralds more understated columnists. Brian and I probably vote differently, but I find his articles usually worth the read. But there is understatement, and then there is deliberate obfuscation. His column today starts out workmanlike enough, repeating the PM’s case how average wages/salaries have increased in real terms around […]
Armstrong on Nats’ elitist agenda
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, April 16th, 2011 - 7 comments
National has pillaged the poor to benefit the rich. That can be seen in the tax cuts, the GST hike, the subsidies for climate polluters, even the cuts to public transport to fund holiday highways. But sometimes it’s the smaller stories that best expose the underlying theme of a government, as John Armstrong shows in his piece today.
Pragmatism and the limits of patience
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, April 13th, 2011 - 20 comments
Bill English managed to cause quite a fuss this week with his claim that New Zealand had a “competitive advantage” due to factors like our low wage economy. Another of the factors that English cited was how “pragmatic” the public are as the Nats ram through their economic changes…
John Key: let me eat cake
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 8th, 2011 - 68 comments
Labour’s candidate for Wairarapa, Michael Bott, on this out of touch government: “John Key smiles and waves for the cameras in Christchurch then jumps on a plane to Cape Kidnappers to spend the equivalent of a pensioner’s yearly income on one-off novelty dining with his wife – you can’t get more different than that.”
They just waste it on booze & smokes
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, April 6th, 2011 - 246 comments
John Key says the thousands of Kiwi families turning to foodbanks to get by are made ‘poor choices’. Among the ‘poor choices’ that poor people allegedly make according to righties is spending all their money on alcohol and cigarettes, rather than on food. As with most ‘truths’ that underpin rightwing prejudice, the facts don’t back this up.
Whatever happened to “we’re all in this together”?
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, April 5th, 2011 - 63 comments
Displaced Christchurch residents are being told they need to pay at least $190 a week to stay in emergency campervan housing.
Meanwhile picking up the tab for wealthy SFC investors just got another third of a billion more expensive.
A class massacre
Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, April 3rd, 2011 - 61 comments
The number of New Zealanders desperate for food is increasing.
But the government’s priority is to look after its wealthy mates.
What a joke.
The New American Dream
Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, April 2nd, 2011 - 14 comments
Truthout is one of my favourite sources of political commentary in America. Here’s editor William Rivers Pitt on “The New American Dream”…
Key’s kiss of death for Chch workers
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, March 29th, 2011 - 60 comments
The $6.8 million package for businesses offered last week by the government was an insult: business mentors and export junkets – just what people who aren’t allowed to access their businesses need. Now, Key and Bennett have announced they are slashing wage support and and the job loss payment. It will hammer the Christchurch economy.
Hartevelt swipes Nats’ elitism
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, March 20th, 2011 - 32 comments
The SST’s John Hartevelt is shocked by National’s decision to pay out millions for Christchurch rugby business while ordinary people live in shattered homes and lose their jobs with meager support. He asks whether the Nats have lost their moral-political bearings. In fact, this is a perfect example of National’s elitist philosophy.
Shine my shoes, f*ckface
Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, March 16th, 2011 - 100 comments
Bill Maher takes a swipe at the ‘Undercover Boss’ and ‘Secret Millionaire’. “TV used to give Americans the reverse fantasy: what if you, normal person, were a millionaire. Now it says, oh who are you kidding? You’re lucky to hold your job frying chicken parts. But what if you were briefly introduced to a millionaire? You could touch his garments.”
Looting by another name
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, March 11th, 2011 - 126 comments
Mayor Bob Parker has described landlords hiking rents in Christchurch as “looting by another name”. I think the majority of us would feel as Parker does — it seems simply wrong to exploit people for profit in a time of tragedy. But look around. It’s just unregulated capitalism in action. There’s an awful lot of it about.
Some free advice for National
Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, March 9th, 2011 - 20 comments
Hey National – stop lying and inventing dodgy stats to try and prove that we’re all better off. The tax cut received by most people was derisory, and the cost of living is shooting up fast. Even the Kiwiblog heartland isn’t buying the lies. If you can’t convince them, you can’t convince anyone…
Bashing benes no solution to joblessness
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, February 22nd, 2011 - 26 comments
National’s grand plan for the economy in the age of peak, peak food, and climate change: give tax cuts to the rich and take from the poor. It’s classic Nat class war. They want to force 100,000 people off the benefit in the ludicrously long time-frame of 10 years. But they won’t be creating any jobs so other workers will be displaced and wages will be forced down.
Protest @ WINZ today!
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, February 22nd, 2011 - 89 comments
Aucklanders – the fight back against the worst recommendations in the Rebstock report starts now. Join us – Auckland Against Poverty – in a picket, 2pm today outside Work & Income, Sel Peacock Dr, Henderson.
In our land of plenty
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 pm, February 21st, 2011 - 55 comments
Look past the tattered remains of Brand Key and the Nats have not changed in the past 20 years. They still don’t have a clue how to create a wealthier New Zealand but they know how to hurt people. As in the 1990s, they are falling back on bashing people who are jobless through no fault of their own. This clip from ‘In a Land of Plenty’ deserves to be watched again.
Key out of touch on food & poverty
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, February 20th, 2011 - 67 comments
Hunger and malnutrition are stalking New Zealand families. Hundreds of thousands are just one shock – whether an illness, or a large bill – from not being able to afford basic food. This is not good enough in our land of plenty. Multi-millionaire John Key doesn’t empathise. To him poverty is a moral failing but he’s seriously out of touch.
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