Category: imported_guest
People are not stupid. If they are losing trust in our political institutions ~ and they are ~ it is not because of the evil machinations of the current government ~ which might actually do something to stop the rot, although probably not enough ~ and it is not because of some sinister right wing plot. People are losing trust in our institutions because those institutions no longer deserve our trust.
It has taken centuries for humanity to struggle and claw its way out of a swamp of ignorance and superstition to gain an understanding of the world, of the universe in which we live, and to use that understanding to create better lives for all. Yet, there are those who act as if they wish humanity to reverse course and return to a world of ignorance and superstition. I cannot comprehend how any rational person could honestly desire that to occur.
This country needs to respect and celebrate all cultures. We need to maintain our wonderful democracy and not slide down the path to a country dominated by the interests of a single racial or ethnic group. Our vote to disestablish the Māori ward was about preserving all that is good about our freedom for all to participate in a well-functioning democracy.
The right thing to do would be to shut the door on customary title. The entire marine and coastal area should be returned to Crown ownership and managed for the benefit of all New Zealanders. That is the simple and correct solution. Unfortunately, the coalition government, and National in particular, appears to lack the testicular fortitude to do that.
We hear lots of claims that inaction in emissions comes with a massive financial bill from the Paris Agreement. Nonsense: the Agreement does not have penalties. Given its futility, New Zealand should either opt out of the Agreement or, like many other countries, ignore it. Given that Article 2(b) says that we should not do anything that threatens food production, why are so many people complaining about removing agricultural emissions from the ETS?
The intractable problems about this Judicial favouring of one group in our society above all others are plain to see: Nobody knows what the content of Tikanga is until some learned elder comes to the court with an explanation.
We live in a divided, racist, apartheid state which has had its unity, democracy and sovereignty ripped away, with the final step under preparation – of two separate race-based parliaments passing different laws, with the dominant ‘indigenous’ authority following the ancient, Stone Age culture of tikanga that once brought nation-wide tribal warfare and cannibalism.
We seek boldness from the Coalition and industry to tackle the huge injustice of condemning farmers for being polluters when the latest science is clear: ruminants are not a problem. Saving millionths of a degree by decimating our most successful industry is as ludicrous as cutting off your hand to spite your elbow. Could we return to sanity, please?
Currently there are seven Maori electorates in Parliament. Six are held by persons claiming Maori ethnicity and who belong to the “Maori Party.” Notwithstanding widespread calls for the abolition of the Maori seats no member of the coalition has shown any inclination to table legislation to that effect.
From 2011 through 2023, failure to index the income tax thresholds pulled about a million wage and salary earners from the bottom 10.5% tax bracket into the 17.5% range and another eight hundred thousand from the 17.5% range into the 30% tax bracket.
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