by frog
Published in THE ISSUES by frog on Wed, September 28th, 2011
Tags: general debate
General debate, September 28, 2011
Published: September 28, 2011
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Please use 
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
gee frog..that is quite the pattern you are building up there..eh..?
closing off ‘tricky’-debates by starting a new gd thread..
..eh..?
..i mean..it’s only been four days..only 66 comments..
..why the haste/rush..?
(new readers of this thread are advised to go to the previous general debate..
..for the reasons for frogs’ ham-handed attempt at censorship..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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http://whoar.co.nz/2011/what-the-experts-on-the-law-commission-recommended-we-should-do-about-drugs-commentwhoar-key-and-goff-in-a-grand-coalition-of-ignorances/
“..A mandatory cautioning scheme for all personal possession and use offences that come to the attention of the police – removing minor drug offenders from the criminal justice system – and providing greater opportunities for those in need of treatment to access it.
A full scale review of the current drug classification system which is used to determine restrictiveness of controls and severity of penalties – addressing existing inconsistencies and focusing solely on assessing a drug’s risk of harm, including social harm.
Making separate funding available for the treatment of offenders through the justice sector to support courts when they impose rehabilitative sentences to address alcohol and drug dependence problems;
Consideration of a pilot drug court, allowing the government to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of deferring sentencing of some offenders until they had undergone court-imposed alcohol and/or drug treatment..”
(cont…)
(ed:..it would seem the leaders of both major political parties are in lockstep in their ignorances…
…they totally ignore the recommendations of the law commmission investigation they set up/was taxpayer-funded…
..and both of them..in their grand coalition of ignorance/political-cowardice..
..trot out the usual 1930′s-styling hysterical/bullshit big fucken lies about pot…
(gateway’/dangerous’/’young people’..etc etc..)
..everyone knows these are lies..especially key/goff..
..they are aware of the scientific/medical drug-danger rankings..
..where cannabis just dosen’t feature..
..and alcohol is rated as being more dangerous/socially-damaging than heroin…
..but these morons are claiming most new zealanders would rather teenagers risking killing themselves on alcohol..
..than have them use a drug it is impossible to o/d or die from…
..and in the process turn many of them into criminals..
..and also in the process..
..to continue pissing $100 million a year up against the wall..
..enforcing their illogical/irrational/demented prohibition…
..this is the fucken drug-madness..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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I’ve usually started a new General Debate thread every 3 or 4 days ever since someone (I seem to recall it may have been you) complained about a year ago that they didn’t appear frequently enough.
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actually frog..we are all waiting with bated breath for kevin hague to present/show us the examples of recent..(last couple of years)..green party advocacy for ending prohibition..
..that he referenced…
..(i hope he hasn’t forgotten…)
..and who’d have thought the $100 million that is pissed up against the wall each year on prohibition..
..would become an election issue…?
..and also fascinating how the emperors (key/goff) are standing naked with their retro/vintage prohibition-hysteria-peddling..
..with most others looking at them..thinking…you don’t really believe that shit..do you..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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frog..wtf happened with the 10.54…with multiple repeats of the same thing…
..it needs to be excised from the beginning of the second speechmarked para..
..to the end..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
[frog: Fixed for you Phil.]
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5694815/Big-potential-to-tap-green-technologies
“We don’t need no lignite mines, hey National, leave our land alone!” (sung to Pink Floyd’s “We Don’t Need No Education”)
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and key and goff also in lockstep with their fucken warmongering…
..warmongering in the hope of a ‘good trade deal’..with america..
..and continuing our long historical tradition of being lickspittles/mercenaries to whoever is ruling the world..
..i repeat…w.t.f are we doing there..?
…how many more deaths until ‘enough!’..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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Another Pointless Death
Today it was reported that another SAS soldier has died in Afghanistan. The man is the second New Zealand SAS soldier to be killed in combat, following the death of Corporal Doug Grant last month. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, New Zealand Lieutenant General, Rhys Jones is continuing the false pretense that the soldier killed was undertaking a mentoring role…
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The sigh is because I know some of the Lilypond’s occupants feel our advocacy should be more vigorous, so will respond telling me this. And as I know they will do this it might have been better not to comment at all! Sigh! Please forgive me for not engaging in a protracted debate about political strategy, but please accept that I believe full-on advocacy in the current Parliament would not have been the best way to advance the drug law reform cause.
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imagine how deep and heartfelt our sighs are..
..after twelve long years…
..and funny you should mention that medical pot bill..eh..?..
given as that is a textbook case of bill death by neglect…
..and the throwing away of that opportunity..(for medical-pot..f.f.s..!)
..by metiria turei..and her failure to argue that case..at all..
..couldn’t have been a clearer indication of the dedication to that cause by the green party..eh..?
..and there is no private members bill..eh..?..
..and no plans for one..?..eh..?
..and as for green party advocacy being more ‘vigorous’..
..could it be more laid-back/moribund…?
..what does it tell us all when the most powerful/effective voice for pot-decriminalisation for years..
..has been don bloody brash…?
..you are trying to defend the indefensible there kevin..
..by trying to claim the green party have been ‘advocates’..
..and you certainly have no credit for the widest/most-rational discussion on this subject yet..
..and..um..!..any idea why you haven’t joined in yet..?
..into that discussion..?
..y’know..!..a perfect opportunity to ‘advocate’…eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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How energy intensive is turning silica into high purity silicon? Southland has access to cheap electricity and could generate more using wind or tidal resources, so I suspect it could be very competitive.
The silicon would be cheaper to transport than the raw silica too.
Trevor.
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I think you’re probably right there Kevin. I can also understand why people would question the Greens about their policy re marijuana decriminalization. There just doesn’t seem to be much movement by many within the political spectrum to understand that decriminalization is a good thing… not only in terms of reducing the harm caused, but also in reducing the huge cost to the taxpayer as Don Brash has pointed out.
I watched Back Benches tonight and even Hone Harawira was saying he’s not in favour of decriminalization. On a superficial level such arguments are valid, but they do not take into account that New Zealand has one of the highest rates of marijuana use in the world while the drug remains completely illegal, and that decriminalization in other countries has not lead to increased usage. The evidence shows that decriminalization coupled with education and rehabilitation is beneficial. Even as a non smoker I understand that New Zealand really should progress in this area.
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Kevin, your comments re the current Parliament would apply to most Green policy, why give up on just the one?
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maybe i shd more define my anger of the inaction on the med-pot bill..
i am not naieve enough to think the legislation may have passed..
..what ture/the greens passed on..was the ability to use that bill to argue that case in the popular forums..
..turei could have got on numerous telly/shows..and in many mags…
..where she could have argued the commonsense/humanitarian case for medical-pot…
..and thus advanced/’advocated’ for that cause/issue…
..that turei did absolutely nothing..
..and just so wasted that opportunity..
..is what defines her/the greens neglect of this issue..
..how could it not..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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The passing of the VSM bill is great news for those interested in freedom and social justice, as the bill in line with UN’s Declaration on Human Rights, which guarantees rights of association and non-association.
‘Free at last, free at last
Thank God almighty
We are free at last’
Yesterday is a day that will be seen on a par with emancipation and women’s suffrage, and those who opposed this bill will be looked on as the oppressors of freedom that they are.
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The public’s perception of our slightly dated policy on pot is clearly for legalisation. Although pot policy is stagnant, the reality over the years is moving slowly in the right direction. I agree Phil, that the pace of change is frustrating.
An analogy might be National selling the family jewels. They’ve always wanted to, but it’s not something they have been keen to promote/debate until now they have so much support (over 50%) so they can afford the controversy.
With pot, there is even disagreement within the Greens.
I watched Back benches too, and wasn’t too suprised at Hone’s stance. But why were no Greens on the show? Is that “political strategy” too?
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Steven Joyce… Failure!
You may not be aware that we even have a Minister of Communications. It wouldn’t help much if you happen to use networking programs either… as the minister doesn’t have any online presence…
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I’d be interested to hear what the current detractors of the Greens advocacy for decriminalizing marijuana have recently done to help the cause?
NZ Herald Complaint
What really pisses me off about all this is that the cops are continually speculating on things without much evidence and some of the evidence they do have was illegally obtained. The entire case is farcical!
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that’s a bit of a strawman-question there..jackal..
i do this: http://whoar.co.nz/?s=cannabis+marijuana
but i have a platform..whereas most don’t..
..and that is the point..the green party has the platforms..
..has the staff..
..has the resources..
..has the access to the mainstream media…
..and even more importantly..
..the votes given them are a deal/contract…
..and as far as those wanting an end to prohibition…
..and expecting their (voted in) representitives..
..to advocate for those policies when/wherever possible..?
..it just hasn’t happened..
..eh..?
..it’s as simple as that..
..the green party has not lived up to its’ side of the deal..
..and in fact there is overwhelming evidence of their total abdication of those/their responsibilities…
..their breaking of that deal..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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Fair enough phil u. I think you’re somewhat misdirecting at the Greens out of frustration for something they cannot currently change though. They’re clearly still working towards decriminalization. I very much doubt that there’s an agreement with the current government to not advocate for decriminalizing marijuana in exchange for other policy advancements?
Asshole of the Week Award – Keith Abbott
I sometimes wonder if the Police give a damn at all about what the public thinks… They stumble along from one PR disaster to another showing very little thought for the consequences of their actions…
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http://whoar.co.nz/2011/four-americans-get-cannabis-from-us-government/
“..One of the recipients is Elvy Musikka, the chatty Oregon woman.
A vocal marijuana advocate, Musikka relies on the pot to keep her glaucoma under control.
She entered the program in 1988 – and said that her experience with marijuana is proof that it works as a medicine.
They “won’t acknowledge the fact that I do not have even one aspirin in this house,” she said, leaning back on her couch, glass bong cradled in her hand.
“I have no pain.”
Marijuana is getting a look from states around the US considering calls to repeal decades-old marijuana prohibition laws.
There are 16 states that have medical marijuana programs.
In the three West Coast states, advocates are readying tax-and-sell or other legalization programs.
Marijuana was legal for much of US history and was recognised as a medicine in 1850.
Opposition to it began to gather and, by 1936, 48 states had passed laws regulating pot – fearing it could lead to addiction.
Anti-marijuana literature and films, like the infamous “Reefer Madness,” helped fan those fears.
Eventually, pot was classified among the most harmful of drugs – meaning it had no usefulness and a high potential for addiction.
In 1976, a federal judge ruled that the US Food and Drug Administration must provide Robert Randall of Washington, DC with marijuana because of his glaucoma –
- no other drug could effectively combat his condition.
Randall became the nation’s first legal pot smoker since the drug’s prohibition.
Eventually, the government created its program as part of a compromise over Randall’s care in 1978 -
- long before a single state passed a medical marijuana law.
What followed were a series of petitions from people like Musikka to join the program.
President George HW Bush’s administration, getting tough on crime and drugs – stopped accepting new patients in 1992.
Many of the patients who had qualified had Aids -
- and they were dying…”
(cont..)
but people in new zealand cannot get medical-marijuana…
..and must just suffer..
..and swallow/buy the vile-concoctions the drug companies/doctors push..
..that to me is the nadir of this whole mess..
..that now/this very minute..there are many new zealanders suffering pain they needn’t…
..what more motivation-to-advocate do you need…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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“..I very much doubt that there’s an agreement with the current government to not advocate for decriminalizing marijuana in exchange for other policy advancements?..”
no..i have never thought that..
..the neglect is entirely voluntary..
..not a hint of compulsion..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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Your post @ 1:17 PM phil u clearly highlights one of the hardest obstacles to overcome… drug companies don’t want marijuana to be decriminalized because this would ensure many people suffering from pain would have an easily accessible alternative to their damaging “medicines”. National is in the pocket of America, which is predominated by very powerful drug companies.
Marijuana will probably not be decriminalized until National is no longer in power.
DOC was Bribed
A few days ago the Otago Daily Times reported that the Department of Conservation will receive $100,000 from gold-miner Oceana Gold in return for taking a neutral stance on an application to expand the East Otago gold mine. This is a blatant bribe as DOC had already made its position known…
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frog..are the downticks on the 12.17 for you or for me…?
..the numbers have doubled since yr response…
..i’m confused..and so are they..i think..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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Phil/Frog; the use of downticks is largely the weapon of Trolls here – since it has been mentioned how well they support Green Politics with their Bigotry, an erstwhile retreat to this tactic has been evident (at least to my eye)
As ever, I disagree with this system on this site – many of the more useful sites have an uptick only facility – this draws one much more readily to the constructive posts……when oh when will you catch on Dear Frog?
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http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/26/saving-the-rich-losing-the-economy/
Just in case nobody noticed it, the economy is still tanking and the officials in charge are still entirely clueless…. and that is no less true here as there.
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The sleepover pay has been almost sorted lets deal with the next employment travesty!
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/aged-care-workers-undervalued.html
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http://whoar.co.nz/2011/marijuana-in-movies-the-supercut-video/
“…The world’s oldest stoner isn’t the only person out there who likes to relax with something mellower than a cigarette.
In fact, a lot of pop culture icons have famously lit up over the years — particularly in movies.
Pleated Jeans has compiled this outstanding supercut of the most famous movie moments involving marijuana -
- to celebrate the spirit of the stuff.
So hey, if you’re stressed out this afternoon give the video below a watch.
You’ll be riding chillwaves in no time…”
(cont…)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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that’s a good/worthy link there..bj..
..(ahem..!..can i just note that i had it up at whoar…
..way back on the 28th..?..
..some 60-70 stories ago…?)
..just saying..!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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(bradbury@tumeke has done a tidy summary of why we shouldn’t be in afghanistan…
..finishing with a poem by james k. baxter…)
The Gunner’s Lament
A Maori gunner lay dying
In a paddyfield north of Saigon,
And he said to his pakeha cobber,
“I reckon I’ve had it, man!
‘And if I could fly like a bird
To my old granny’s whare
A truck and a winch would never drag
Me back to the Army.
‘A coat and a cap and a well-paid job
Looked better than shovelling metal,
And they told me that Te Rauparaha
Would have fought in the Vietnam battle.
‘On my last leave the town swung round
Like a bucket full of eels.
The girls liked the uniform
And I liked the girls.
‘Like a bullock to the abattoirs
In the name of liberty
They flew me with a hangover
Across the Tasman Sea,
‘And what I found in Vietnam
Was mud and blood and fire,
With the Yanks and the Reds taking turns
At murdering the poor.
‘And I saw the reason for it
In a Viet Cong’s blazing eyes -
We fought for the crops of kumara
And they are fighting for the rice.
‘So go tell my sweetheart
To get another boy
Who’ll cuddle her and marry her
And laugh when the bugles blow,
‘And tell my youngest brother
He can have my shotgun
To fire at the ducks on the big lagoon,
But not to aim it at a man,
‘And tell my granny to wear black
And carry a willow leaf,
Because the kid she kept from the cold
Has eaten a dead man’s loaf.
‘And go and tell Keith Holyoake
Sitting in Wellington,
However long he scrubs his hands
He’ll never get them clean.’
James K Baxter..1965…
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/the-blood-on-john-keys-hands-that-he-will-never-be-able-to-wash-off/
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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My levels of frustration and despair reached new Heights over the last 24 hours!
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/students-and-soldiers-suffer-through.html
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“…While today’s Phil Goff claims to be against decriminalising cannabis -
- the Young Labour Phil Goff in 1976 slated the drug laws as outdated and discredited…”
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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keeping in mind those 70+% decrim-polls of late..
..is anyone whispering in goffs’ ear…
..that promising to set up a serious look at decriminalising could well swing it for him..?
..y’know..!..something credible..with bucket-loads of quotes serious/evidence in support of that case..?
oh..!..hang on..!…
..someone already has..eh..?
..that law commission thingy..eh..?
..has anyone tried breaking that down into sound-bites for goff…?
..that law commission thingy..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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someone needs to ask goff how he got from there to here..
..wha’-happened…?
..as with so many things/issues..
..i think it is a matter of political-courage…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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United States is a Joke
There’s no doubt that climate change is one of the biggest issues we’ve ever faced, and that the planet is warming, mostly due to human activity.
Despite unequivocal evidence that we’re responsible, those most able to make changes to reduce emissions are failing to act. Some openly deny that climate change exists while others have a vested interest in allowing polluting industries to continue their destructive practices…
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http://whoar.co.nz/2011/single-magic-mushroom-can-change-personality-for-the-better/
“…Forty-five years after Timothy Leary, the apostle of drug-induced mysticism, urged his hippie followers to “turn on, tune in and drop out” researchers have found that magic mushrooms do change a user’s personality –
- for the better.
The fungi have long been known for their psychedelic effects – but far from damaging the brain -
- the hallucinogenic drug they contain enhances feelings and aesthetic sensibilities, scientists say.
The study, at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine in Baltimore, found that a single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms -
- was enough to cause positive effects for up to a year.
“Psilocybin can facilitate experiences that change how people perceive themselves and their environment,” said Roland Griffiths, a study author and professor of psychiatry and behavioural science at Johns Hopkins.
“That’s unprecedented.”
Users who had a “mystical experience” while taking the drug showed increases in a personality trait dubbed “openness”, one of the five major traits used in psychology to describe human personality.
Openness is associated with imagination, artistic appreciation, feelings, abstract ideas and general broad-mindedness.
None of the other four traits – extroversion, neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness – was altered….”
(cont..)
(way back in the day..when i used to mushie/’e’..
..i used to say that the experience was like doing a house-clean on the petty neuroses you have built over a lifetime..
..you suddenly recognise them for what they are…
..and are able to bundle them up..and throw them away..
..(therapists giving mdma to patients/clients wd concur with that..
..descriptions have been voiced of achieving years of therapy..
..in one fell swoop..’major breakthroughs’..etc..)
..and tho’ not having had one for decades…
..whenever i see someone who is obviously always really uptight..or sad..
..i feel like giving them a hug..and an ‘e’…
..’cos i know how much good it could do for them…
..(they don’t call it ‘the hug-drug’ for nothing…)
..i wd note that i used high-quality ‘e’..
..and actually stopped taking it when that market-quality dropped..
..(yet another reason for sane drug laws…an ability to have market-products tested for impurities etc..
..this would force producers to only make high-quality/pure…
..and end people being poisoned by vile blackmarket-concoctions..
..marketed as ‘e’..
..and often anything but..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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i actually think that all those standing for political office should have to ‘e’..
..as it would help them feel empathy for those they re meant to serve..
..and a decent enough dose should let them see their personal-desires-for-power..
..as the shallow/facile emotion it is..
..they should be there..to ‘do good’ for all…
..and a compulsory-’e’ cd/wd help with that…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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Aw come on phil u… you know the Natz have had their hearts surgically removed so they’re incapable of feeling empathy. No amount of E is going to fix that.
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But think of all the calories burnt, Gerry might not need that stomach-band?
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i have this (somewhat disturbing) image of wayne mapp and murray mccully..
…all lurved up….and huggy…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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Well now I HAVE heard it all
Bill English telling people to pay off their Debts and Save more.
And who is the Central disfiguring factotum in this equation Bill?
Impoverishment from this Government that makes Roger Douglas and Rob Muldoon look positively benign.
One has to Earn a downgraded financial rating Bill – and you and Jon have done it!
Congratulations
Would you consider stepping down for the good of the Nation?
My Dog makes better judgements on a day to day basis.
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Suz; Gerry doesn’t wear a cummerbund does he?
First time I heard the word I thought it an offer to mutually disrobe etc.
C’mon Gerry, front up!
let it all hang out – I love ya
You’d make a better PM, Minister of Finance than the current sly boys.
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So New Zealand’s excessive debt is nothing to do with housing and consumer credit then…?
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..(ahem..!..can i just note that i had it up at whoar…
Yes you can Phil… I am far too busy at present and I am missing stuff.
Good on you.
BJ
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http://whoar.co.nz/2011/ecstasy-trial-planned-to-test-benefits-for-trauma-victims/
“…Doctors are planning the first clinical trial of ecstasy in the UK -
- to see whether the drug can be beneficial to the traumatised survivors of child abuse, rape and war.
Ecstasy and other illegal drugs such as LSD and magic mushrooms are potentially useful in treating people with serious psychological disturbance – who cannot begin to face up to their distress – some psychiatrists and therapists believe.
But because of public fear and tabloid anger about illegal drugs – scientists say they find it almost impossible to explore their potential.
Professor David Nutt, the psychopharmacologist who used to head the government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs until he fell out with the Labour home secretary and was sacked, said: -
- “I feel quite strongly that many drugs with therapeutic potential have been denied to patients and researchers because of the drugs regulation.
The drugs have been made illegal in a vain attempt to stop kids using them -
- but people haven’t thought about the negative consequences.”
Nutt and the Taunton-based psychiatrist Dr Ben Sessa are two of the British scientists who hope to repeat an experiment on patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) undertaken in the US -
- which, although small, was successful – and has caused some in the scientific community to think what was until recently unthinkable.
It involved 20 people who had been in therapy and on pills for an average of 19 years.
Twelve were given MDMA – or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, the chemical compound found – often adulterated – in ecstasy tablets.
The rest had placebo pills but were later also given the chance to take MDMA.
Each one had a therapy session – lying back in a reclining chair in a pleasant flower-decorated room in South Carolina – wearing an eyemask.
Sometimes they listened to music on headphones and sometimes they talked to the therapist -
- all the while thinking about the events that had caused such profound distress that they had been unable to revisit it in past psychotherapy sessions.
The response rate was a remarkable 83% – 10 out of the 12 showed significant improvement two months after the second of two MDMA therapy sessions.
That compared with 25% of those on the placebo.
There were no serious side-effects – and no long-term problems.
“I expected it was going to be effective,” said Michael Mithoefer, the psychiatrist who ran the US study and carried out the psychotherapy with his wife, Ann.
“I suppose we wouldn’t have done it otherwise.
But I didn’t necessarily expect we’d find such statistical significance in that number [of people].
That was the icing on the cake.”…”
(cont…)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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duncan garner on the nation has earned his salary by holding the housing minister to account…
..and the inhumane policies he/this govt is enacting…
..as they continue to kick the crap out of/do nothing for the poorest/weakest…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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i mean..do these fucken morons really think that social-explosion/dystopia is not the destination from the policies/political-beliefs they are/have enacted on new zealand..
..to turn us from the shining global example of a country that cared for all..
..to one of the most unequal countries in the world…
..this is the heritage of roger douglas and both national and labour administrations..
..to me..that is still the biggest stain on clarks’ hem..
..how she/her government just turned their backs on those most in need..
..for nine long years..
..and how that ignoring/growing of the underclass by clark/labour administration has also enabled the current thieves to be even worse..
..oh..!..btw..
..john key is our herbert hoover…
..as everything disintergrates…just smiling and waving..
..and just steadily making everything worse..
..but how these clowns can think that this won’t just all eventually explode…
..just demonstrates how short-sighted/blinkered by ideology they are..
..phil(whoar.co.nz)
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dbuckley; Surely, but these are Factors the Government can influence profoundly…..raising GST to cut Consumerism shows they may know money but for mine, don’t understand Marketing Principles.
Our Australian owned Banks loan money at their whim – if they are running us ragged, it is surely They the Government must address, by way of Legislation if necessary.
I was more referring to the Media shenanigans where this Government last year announced we were ‘cash rich’ and wouldn’t be affected by Economic troubles overseas.
Then there is the giant GST blunder, which Tax cuts in no way assuage unless you’re in the $75k plus earning range…..it has impoverished the formerly middle classes.
Then comes the announcement that there is a 15 billion dollar ‘hole’ in the Budget – I’m sure if I lost that amount of Public Money I would be out of a job at the very least.
I can remember the days when Muldoon was credited as being an ‘expert’ money man, because he headed up the IMF.
In my view – he did a fiscal wrecking job on his own country – was so bitter at being Voted out he left $1 only in the Reserve Bank – for mine the National government, in particular has something of a track record when it comes to losing money.
Having run my own Company for several years – I sense a certain fiscal disorder in our Parliamentary House.
regards
mark
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Phil U – love ‘Gunners Lament’ by Baxter. Wonder if Sam Hunt still includes it in his Shows?
I was surprised to learn Baxter was only 46 when he died – certainly my friends at Oxford held him in uniquely high regard as a Bard.
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I find myself agreeing both with Mark and Phil today.
On the subject of loans: I have proposed a loan tax levied on loans, the amount o tax deopending on what category the loan is for. In shop instant interst free finance deals would attract particularly large percentages
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@Dbuckley.
A loan tax is a good alternative to the self defeating reserve banks ACT’s playing with interest rates.
The present use of interest rates to try and reduce inflation punishes businesses and householders with existing debt, gives an inflationary push itself and windfall profits to banks and speculators in the NZ dollar.
Those already holding loans cannot readily restructure their affairs to pay back debt immediately. The interest rises simply increases their costs. For exporting business the resulting rise in currency value, and their cost of capital, makes them uncompetitive.
Raising or lowering a tax on new loans is a much more targeted and effective way to help keep inflation within reason.
It should be noted though. Inflation is also a natural and necessary response to the exponential rise in the supply of money. It is a natural offset to compounding interest, and the concentration of money in the hands of a few.
Money supply cannot, infinitely, increase exponentially in value in a world where the underlying real resources are finite.
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