Category: imported_weekly
A Newman Weekly reader, Martin Visser, recently sent me a copy of a letter he had written to the Minister of Health on 28 November 2006 about the way his brother was being treated by the health system. In his letter he stated:
New Zealand is being conned over the so-called anti-smacking bill.
A new report by the Centre for Independent Studies, New Zealand’s Spending Binge by Phil Rennie, highlights the fact that core government spending is now almost $20 billion higher than it was in 2000. In spite of that, the social benefits being delivered “have shown negligible improvements”.
I've just returned from our local pet shop to buy a replacement mouse for my 12 year old. $4.95.
In two week’s time Parliament will again consider the Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill, a bill that seeks to remove section 59 of the Crimes Act.
Helen Clark might try to deny that an underclass is flourishing in New Zealand but the public knows better. According to a recent Colmar Brunton poll, more than eight in every 10 people surveyed believed there is an underclass problem. It is little wonder - the signs are everywhere.
The Prime Minister’s Statement to Parliament at the beginning of a new Parliamentary year is traditionally the time for the government to outline its priorities for the next twelve months. In her address, Helen Clark stated: “Meeting the challenges our country faces in the 21st century requires substance, not slogans”. (To read the full speech click here)
A new poll out this week shows that fewer than half of New Zealanders consider the Treaty of Waitangi to be of significance to them. The study by Research New Zealand found that of the 55% of the 500 people surveyed who thought the Treaty had no significance, 27% were Maori and 64% were New Zealand European.
Winston Churchill once said: The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
This week the Parole Board decided against the early release of Baily Kurariki, the 17-year-old who was sentenced to seven years in jail for his part in the killing of pizza delivery man Michael Choy in 2001. He was 12 years old at the time.