Selfish beneficiary bludgers....

Most readers have heard the phrase "Broken Britain". It's tragic at what the state has done to dismantle what was supposedly a great country. Britain is melting down under the pressure of massive debt, rampant welfarism and out of control illegal immigration.

The welfare trap is something I deal with on a daily basis in my job in West London as I try to get people from welfare to work. 9 times out of 10 my clients will tell me it is too difficult to get a job that will be better than a life with benefits. These benefits include housing benefit and lone parent benefits - and young solo mothers also can find themselves receiving a free house - all bills paid for and Government top ups making it highly discouraging for them to find a job or provide a father for their children.

Today I read a terrible article about 3 women who chose to be single parents and are all caught in the benefit trap. They are a good example of what is wrong with generous state benefit system that rewards a broken family and encourages a lack of effort to want to work.

Far from becoming pregnant by mistake, ignorance or lack of education - or even being part of a relationship that subsequently breaks up - an alarming number of young woman are actively choosing single motherhood as a way of life.

Those that do so believe they have no need for a man in their life and that their children have no need for a father.
The choices they make mean that many of them are condemning themselves and their children to a lifetime of dependency on Britain's generous benefits system.
Research shows that children of single parents are more likely to do badly at school, suffer poor health and get into trouble and be unemployed as they grow up

Rather than provide a stable environment - these women are being extremely selfish and consigning their kids to a bleak future.

Kayleigh, who lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her two children, Sarah, now three, and 14-month-old Emma.
'However, I have always wanted a baby. I was broody from the age of 14,' she says.
'It might shock some people, but by the time I was 16, I wanted a baby of my own so much that I was prepared to be a single mum. Having a baby was more important to me then than having a relationship.'
Today, she lives in a two-bedroom council house. The state pays her rent. She receives £173 a week in income support, child tax benefit and child credit, plus £25 a week from her children's father.

Another drain on society. She tries to validate it a little 'I am going to need a good job to be able to afford the lifestyle I have now - but without relying on benefits.' However since she has never been in the job market she will have few choices for her first job and she is dreaming if she will get the good job she expects to get. The expectation in society that a good job will be handed to you is staggering, in my experience this seems to be normal. I can't count the amount of times I advise my clients to get out of their houses and WORK hard to get a good job - and so much of this falls on deaf ears.

It gets worse....
Charlie Murray from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire is raising her two-year-old twins alone after falling pregnant when she was 17...He contributes nothing financially - which is not a problem as she receives around £400 a week in benefits, made up of child benefit, housing benefit, family tax credit and disability living allowance because the twins, Mackenzie and Matthew, were born four months prematurely.
'I think my twins will be much better being brought up with me as a single mum. I am in no hurry to find a boyfriend,' she says.
'I don't think children necessarily need a father figure, and anyway they have my dad around. I am perfectly happy with my life - it's hard work looking after the twins, but I love it.'
Before she became pregnant, she was training to be a beauty therapist. But that may never have given her the lifestyle - or the home - that she now enjoys.
'This situation suits me fine,' she says. 'Some of my friends have babies, too, and they are single mums as well. I can't imagine how I could manage going out to work, too, with the twins being so premature and having to look after them as well as I do.'
It is hard, too, to see how she would earn more than the £400 a week she receives. And even if she did meet someone, he would have to be earning a hefty wage to compensate for the cut she would be forced to take in her benefits if they co-habited.
'Bringing them up on my own can be hard, but I only had to live at home for four months before the council offered me a lovely house,' she says.

Not only has the system trapped her, her attitude stinks. The taxpayers have every right to be furious about the "lifestyle" given to her. Her benefits give her a higher than average annual "income" and a free house.. and no prospects. I might go back to college and re-take my course, which I didn't finish as I got pregnant, but there is no rush. I have everything in life I need.' Err yes, taxpayers money is looking after her very well. The article explains further research on boys without fathers being more likely to look for a father figure in gangs... this short sighted selfishness by this girl could lead to disaster... all funded by you and me.

The final example is just as bad:

Joanna Lawson from Preston, Lancashire, admits that getting pregnant at 18 at a time when she was working in a low-paid telesales job helped her escape from arguments at home. Joanna lives in a three-bedroom house on a street where many are privately owned. Her rent, gas, electricity and water bills are paid by the council and she receives £107 a week to live on.
Despite the fact that her child is now an adult,(he is 17) Joanna says it wouldn't be worth her while working. The only jobs I could get would be shop work or cleaning and I'd be only about £10 a week better off. It just isn't worth it.
'I am tempted to go out again and have a one-night stand to get pregnant again. In fact, being a single mum all over again is something I am seriously considering as I would love another baby.'

So she would have been a little better off by doing some work but chose the easy trappings of a cushy lifestyle paid for by taxpayers. Shes set a bad example to her now adult child and doesn't seem to be at all embarrassed about it. However the idea that a child was used to improve HER lifestyle is very selfish - the theme of this post!

It is not hard to see the attraction of single motherhood for young teenage girls, or why, indeed, Britain, with its lucrative benefits system, has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.

Not only that but these overly generous benefits are drawing people from all corners of the world to the UK to add to the taxpayers misery. What is staggering is that this has been allowed to happen. Unless this is fixed up quickly and society starts to look at its priorities we are headed for a massive downfall.

Full story here.

The TRUTH behind the Compulsory Student Union Movement

The anti VSM movement, led by NZUSA and other left wing organisations have a new snazzy webpage up - ready to arm their supporters with misinformation about VSM.

NZUSA is funded by all University students in New Zealand, and yet they are also voluntary. Membership to NZUSA is voluntary to student unions. I read that most students voted for a centre right government in 2008 which would mean that students are funding organisations that they don't support. It would be like everybody being forced to join the AA, Greenpeace or a political party. NZUSA stands up for left wing policies - and advocated for students to vote for the Alliance the same here they were wiped out of Parliament - spending thousands of dollars of students money in the process.

Student's money is being spent on the website and publicity against VSM again this year. When you look at their webpage there is surprisingly no contact information or any clue to who is running/funding this website. Is there truth to the rumour that NZUSA have paid top dollar to a PR company? Is there any truth that NZUSA have allocated thousands of dollars to fighting a nationwide campaign to discredit VSM and its supporters?

Students at University traditionally are seekers of truth; which makes the assertions on their website downright embarrassing and misleading. Will the lies that NZUSA have put on their site be believed by students? Let's have a go at correcting them :)

VSM a nightmare for Maori Students

Why? Membership of ALL Maori Student Associations is already voluntary.

VSM will not just decimate the 'student experience' for many Māori, it will have massive negative impact on Māori community as a whole Why? Freedom of choice will not bring about the destruction of Maoridom. Why use scare tactics like this?

Te Mana Ākonga, the National Māori Tertiary Students Association (TMA) - are staunch advocates for barrier free education for all. They advocate policies that have made - and will continue to make - more accessible to Māori. Māori Roopu also work to promote tertiary education for young Māori

VSM would silence these voices and stop that work.

TMA support policies for free education. At last count there is only one party in Parliament who supports that policy, the Green Party. Politics aside, it is a little hypocritical for a voluntary union to say voluntary unionism will kill the voice of all Maori. The long list of "services" Roopu provides doesn't say anything. Maori students will not lose their representation under VSM. What makes this more suspicious is that there are no figures of how many students are members of these associations, just sweeping generalisations.

The mythbusting page is even worse.

MYTH #1: I'm forced to be a member of a students' association.
FACT: The current system does not force students to join students' associations in order to study. If you do not wish to be a member, you can opt out and your money will not go to the students' association.
The Opt Out clause is called conscientious objection and it involves many procedures for a student to go through, before they are allowed to be considered to be allowed to "opt out". Opting out is the new buzz word for student association and it's deliberately misleading as if you do manage to opt out, you DON'T get your money back. What is the point? What NZUSA don't tell you are the numbers of students who successfully "opt out". Why bother? The MAWSA Student president admitted last year that associations don't advertise the opt out option to students, which is a legal requirement under the education act. This is deliberate. Myth number 1? Zero.

MYTH #2: Roger Douglas' Bill is about giving students a choice.
FACT: If 10% of students sign a petition calling for a referendum on VSM, a binding referendum will be held and students can vote to implement VSM on their campus. This legislation takes away that right to choose.

Can NZUSA at least be upfront about the processes involved in putting together a referendum, getting it validated by an anti VSM student union (within an academic year) and then voted upon on a level playing field? VUWSA last year showed the kinds of pressure a student union can put against student power. VUWSAs response to this and subsequent tricks to get around its own constitution shows that students have to be extremely well organised and have plenty of time in order to bring about basic democracy and freedom. Most students don't have this time as studying and exams take precedent!

NZUSA also forget the terrible history of where anti VSM supporters took WSU back to compulsory membership. Kiwiblog writes: In 2000 the University, headed by former British Labour MP Bryan Gould, scheduled a further referendum upon receiving a petition late in the year. They scheduled it for a short three day period at the beginning of study week for exams. And they only gave students one days notice of the vote. Their own staff advised against this, and said there should be two weeks notice. Turnout fell from 30% to around 10% This was after THREE elections at WSU where VSM won convincingly against CSM. I remember debating the then NZUSA President Karen Skinner on the Kim Hill show in 1999...and Karen was dead angry about WSU having the cheek to be voluntary. I also remember being absolutely out of my depth in that interview - not my proudest moment! :) Myth number 2... rubbish.

MYTH #3: "But I never use any of your services..."
FACT: Some people take a lot of the services students' associations provide for granted....... Then there's the policy wins your students' association and NZUSA have fought for: a cap on fee rises and interest free student loans that everyone benefits from. If you still think you don't get anything out of your students' association, why don't you take a look at exactly what they do and try to use some of their services? You might even have some fun.

Why should every student fund a radio station, a newspaper, subsidised alcohol/food, exec travel... in order to get a degree? They say NZUSA fight for fee increases and yet these unelected NZUSA presidents don't say a word when almost ALL student unions put UP student levies every year. Hypocrisy? NZUSA have a history of supporting Labour and despising National Governments, many of Labours MPs have been ex NZUSA or student association employees. When you look at that policies NZUSA are advocating, compared to the fact that students come from different political backgrounds, how can NZUSA claim to represent all students on a political level? Myth 3 - destroyed.

MYTH #4: "Students' associations are all corrupt"
FACT: Proponents of VSM have tried to play up instances of fraud to undermine students' associations and the services they provide. The reality is that students' associations are some of the most transparent and democratic organisations in the country and where fraud has occurred, it has been stopped. The possibility of fraud exists in every organisation, from the world's biggest banks down to your humble students' association and this Bill won't change that.

Wrong. The pro VSM movement have highlighted many cases where student associations have acted illegally wasting hundreds of thousands of compulsorily acquired money from students. As for an association being democratic, this bizarre claim means nothing when we mention the above WSU and VUWSA examples - coupled with the associations use of student media to threaten and embarrass pro VSM supporters. You can't compare being a forced member of a student union to being a customer of a bank! Mugabe would be very proud of NZUSA! Myth 4? Stupid.

finally - MYTH #5: I'll save money under VSM
FACT: You pay either way. Most institutions under the Bill will raise their own fees to cover the missing services but you won't control what those services are, how much you have to pay or where it goes. You'll pay more for less too: students' associations rely on a lot of good will, volunteer labour and pay below market rates for staff.....

If you don't use a service at all how will it cost you more? NZUSA put too much emphasis on who delivers a product rather than the quality. Putting all that aside, again it has to be asked - why should students fund cafe food and student media in order to get a degree? What is the cost for freedom of association? Myth 5? Done for.

NZUSA are highlighting the supposed "failure" of Australian student unions after the Government introduced VSU in 2005. What they again forget is that student unions in Australia were hardcore left wing organisations that alienated themselves from the masses who felt left out and ignored. Student Unions accumulated "assets" paid for by students without running them responsibly - of course when a guaranteed income of millions is taken away and students are allowed to choose if they think the services are worth it or not, the free market kicks in. Associations that were running poor unsustainable businesses were going to fail, just like any other business. NZUSA however is anti free market, anti capitalist and anti freedom of choice - and are more than happy for students to fund failing businesses.

If your student association was so confident that they were offering these amazing services that students could simply not do without, why are they so scared and spending thousands of dollars to stop students ticking a box when they enrol at University?

The website mentions the following items that will be threatened under VSM:

Welfare & Advocacy
This is the big one you'll hear from student politicians. What has been ignored is that at every institution, there are avenues already where you can bring up grievances. Why would a university shut out students welfare under VSM? This is scare tactics at its very worst. Furthermore don't buy into the spin that students MUST run these services for it to be effective - anybody can run these services.

Representation
Is this referring to associations representing students to support free education and progressive taxation? Or NZUSA supporting the Alliance party (pdf). How can an unelected body at NZUSA, with an obvious left wing bias claim to "represent" tens of thousands of students? Especially when at the last election most students supported a National led coaltion. How can an association that gets less than a 10% turnout at elections claim to represent all students?

Associations tend to argue that this can be explained by showing election turnouts in Government elections overseas. Not once do they see the stupidity in comparing a student union with a democratic and all powerful government. The closest and more accurate comparison would be to compare this to forced membership of the AA or a local bowling club.

Recreation and leisure and Entertainment and Social
I'll put these together as they are very similar points to debate. NZUSA and their member associations are saying that without forced membership, clubs, sports and events will disappear. This is obviously ignoring the fact that sports clubs and entertainment venues already operate outside a university already. People talk about clubs disappearing, but this is bizarre. Labour Youth survive without compulsory membership (and are thankful for grants from associations as well). As for every student subsidising clubs and sporting activities for the few, it doesn't seem fair. Why should a student fund the recreational choices that another student has made?

Pubs, clubs and all sorts of organisations that are active in the community always have events that students have enjoyed for years. Just because the union isn't compulsory doesn't mean students won't know how to have full social lives to accompany their studying. If students don't drink and party, why should they subsidise the activities of those who do?

So why are NZUSA and member unions against VSM?

Because they have the MOST to lose. It's self interest.

The people commenting on the anti VSM Facebook group come from a very similar background - and before you say that pro VSM people are the same, you forget - we are trying to let all students CHOOSE whether or not to join while the left are telling you that you MUST join and give them your money.

Oliver Woods - Co-Leader of RAM (residents action movement) left wing political party: Major lols at the ACT on Campus INTERNET WARRIORS descending upon this page. Your ironic messages invoking lofty concepts like FREEDOM & LIBERTY are comedy gold, particularly considering you want to restrict my freedom to have a good quality education provided by the State and services provided by student unions. Keep ...it up guys - the more posts you make, the more people will hate your struggling proto-fascist party and its crusade to fuck over young Kiwis

Potaua Biasiny-Tule - activist and anti capitalist.: VSM kills student culture on campus > seen it happen at Waikato Uni. Roger Douglas is a nob as well - everyone knows that.

Jill Biddington - employed by the ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions): This has resulted in worse services and facilities for everyone when it was introduced in Australia - such a dumb idea. Not the best idea to import. Yuk Roger Douglas!

Rachel Boyack-Mayer - NON elected "President" of SANITI (Student Association of Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology Incorporated) and member of Grassroots Labour. She is appointed not elected. SANITI (ironically named) was compulsory until 2002. Not too sure of how that came about so I will reserve judgement for now: John Key assured New Zealanders that Roger Douglas would have limited involvement in policy making, and backed this up by refusing him membership of the Cabinet” says Boyack. “John Key and the National party should have the courage to ignore Roger Douglas, and instead, look at the evidence in favour of student associations” says Boyack. (Scoop)

And not forgetting the shady well funded people behind the website...little do we know about how much students are funding it for and who is pulling the strings.

If you made it this far and have anything to add either for or against then please feel free to add it in the comments below. Unlike the Anti VSM page, I will not delete comments I disagree with, I have worked with many others for VSM since 1996 and love to debate the issue fairly.

One final thought: If Labour and their buddies are so against voluntary membership, who did Labour make the Law Society voluntary in 2007? Why did Labour NOT reintroduce compulsory trade union membership?

See: Save Our Services - the lies and ill deeds, paid for by the students of NZ.

Join "Free Me" the pro VSM page on Facebook. Supported not just by right wingers, but students from all over the spectrum. Not only do we not censor comments on our page, but we invite good debate.

MAWSA President admits validity to VSM Movement

You tube footage of the VUWSA attempts to shut down a general meeting when pro VSM attendees outnumbered their friends. And their attempt to hold a secret meeting to overturn the results here.

Jenna's blog post on what actually occurred when VUWSA tried to silence the students.

The full story on WSU going compulsory behind students backs.

Heather Roy on association abuses (Kiwiblog)

Goodbye my best mate

At 7.23pm tonight I received a phone call I had been dreading, according to the vets there is now nothing more they can do for my best mate.

For a while he was responding well to massive doses of steroids, he seemed to be getting better and was pain free until two days ago when one of our other dogs happened to bump into him, almost immediately he was back to being in excruciating pain.

So back the vets he went, yesterday we booked him in for a MRI scan and a spinal tap, both results came back clear as a bell, this confused the vet no end as he was almost certain that the MRI would show a trauma of the spinal cord in his neck or that the spinal tap would indicate a cancer or infection of the spinal cord.

The next course of action was to have a CAT scan which he has had this afternoon at the hospital, sadly this has shown up what the problem is, it seems he has massive spinal trauma in his spine where it connects to the base of the brain, the prognosis is that this trauma is inoperable.

The Vet has told me that given the extent of the injury and its close location to the brain there is nothing more they can do for him and that to keep him going any longer would be cruel, tonight he is being sedated with massive doses of morphine and at 10.00am tomorrow I am going to go in and be with him when they put him to sleep for good.

I have experienced more than my fair share of pain in this life, I have had more than my fair share of family death and illness, yet nothing has ever made me feel so helpless and hopeless.

The thing about my mate is that he was a bit special, he is a born leader and helped numerous dogs with social problems (all caused by humans), there is many a dog in our area who owes his life to my mate.

Mrs Bruv and I often take in dogs who are on their last chance, we rehabilitate them and manage to re home them once they have been with us for a while, 70% of the work was done by my best mate as having a natural pack leader who was calm and assertive was the secret to be able to rehabilitate all these other dogs.

So those of you who care please raise a glass or two tonight to my best mate Tuffy (named after the cricket player), he was the best mate any bloke could ever hope for and one who always gave unconditional love and affection, go well my old mate and may you rest in peace big fella.

UPDATE. 27/02/10

At 10.45am this morning my mate lost his battle, when they bought him into the room the poor old bugger hardly knew where he was such was the level of morphine they had pumped into him, despite this, it was obvious that he was still in excruciating pain.

I lay on the floor with him and he managed to give me one last lick as he slowly slipped away.

He is pain free now, his suffering is over.

But god how we miss him.

Get rid of the bloody thing.

I see that TVNZ's half yearly profit has halved and that predictions are that the full years trading figures will show a loss.

As a share holder in this company I find this level of performance unacceptable, Rick Ellis must make cut backs now, slash some salaries, pension some of the old buggers off and cut your cloth accordingly.

It irks me that we have a state broadcaster, it annoys me even more that I have to fund apartheid TV (but that is another story) but I will not accept that any more of my tax dollars are going to be funnelled into the propaganda arm of this government.

Better still, sell the bloody thing, put it on the market and use the money to pay down debt.

VSM battle restarts...

I have joined a few VSM groups (pro and anti) on Facebook as it's good to debate the issues and correct the misinformation that occurs an awful lot on the anti VSM side.

Interesting trends from all of this is that anti VSMers are too scared to debate the issues on a pro site, they'd rather stick to their group. The anti VSM group regularly censors comments from pro VSM members as they cannot answer the questions posed to them. If one pro VSM person makes a comment, the group are quite happy to attack them.
The sheer cowardice and group mentality of this is typical of the anti VSM movement, throughout the years these people will not act alone to discuss this logically but will be happy to mount nasty attacks of what usually consists of fibs.

I got banned off a VSM group earlier this year after I questioned them for censoring my comments after I fact checked them.

Why do these people oppose freedom of association so much? Why do they deliberately confuse the issue by telling students that the sky will fall under VSM?

This group has already censored some comments.... I encourage you all to join and keep sending a positive message about freedom of association.

Bugger the bombs

Scenario 1.

New Zealand cricket schedule a tour to Sri Lanka, there is a threat of terrorist activity, 90% of the players selected for the tour are centrally contracted so any refusal to tour a 'dangerous' country will not mean any loss of income.

Likely Outcome.

A large majority of the players decide not to go, they cite "player safety and family concerns" for refusing to make the trip, the players union release a statement that fully supports the decision of those who turned down the chance to play for NZ, the statement include the lines "it is not about the money" and "while it is hard to turn down the chance to represent your country"

Scenario 2.

The IPL T20 mega buck tournament scheduled to start in March, players can make a fortune for six weeks work.
There is a credible threat of terrorism, the NZ players make noises about being concerned but ultimately Mr Modi tells the players that the IPL is going ahead as planned.


Likely Outcome.

Every single one of the NZ players decide to make the trip saying that they are confident that suitable security measures are in place.
The difference in these scenarios?.........no play, no pay.

Remember this next time you hear one of these over paid and under performing wankers tell you that playing for NZ is "everything".

Join Now.

Those of you who do not think it is your job to fund a left wing radio station are urged to join the "Don't save Radio New Zealand" facebook group.

(click on the link)

Consistency please

It comes as no surprise that another government minister has been caught spending our money on things that he should be bloody well paying for himself.

Had this been a Labour minister rorting the tax payer via their ministerial credit cards many of us on the right would be screaming "corruption" and demanding their resignation, I fail to see why it should be any different simply because the blue team are in power, Neville Key should have fired Heatley's arse as soon as he found out, Heatley would be no big loss for the National Socialists anyway and it would have shown Key to be one who does not tolerate this sort of public troughing.

Make no mistake, Heatley did this because he thought he could get away with it, there is no other reason, one only has to look at the way he grovelled at his carefully managed press conference/statement, his are the actions of a man who has been caught, not the actions of a man who made a "mistake", Heatley is only sorry that he has been found out.

Anybody who earns at least 130K a year has no need to use the "company" credit card for personal use, you do not pull out a credit card and use it without knowing which card it is and who is actually going to be paying for the good or services you are about to purchase.

National party people and right wing supporters should be up in arms at the lack of consequence for this disgusting abuse of tax payer funds, if it was good enough for us to expect Labour to live to these high standards then the least we can do is judge our own by the same.

World may not be warming, say scientists

Surely with a headline like this I expect every bloody tax penny I have spent on this bullshit crusade to be refunded to me immediately.

I have paid enormous amounts of Government prescribed taxes for the climate and if scientists are throwing their hands up in the air and saying it was all a joke, then I am not laughing.

Much of the doubt now lays on the accuracy of the weather stations and their location/proximity to buildings, objects that can help give higher temperature results. It's a good article which you can read here.

With the world slowly realising (just like Y2K) that the end of the world isn't nigh, will this mean that the Greens will have to fabricate another anti capitalist scare tactic to encourage people to fight against big business? Could this mean the end of the Red Party?

Sell Radio NZ

Why are people joining Facebook groups and getting their limp wrists all in a flap over the plans to make Radio NZ more viable as an ongoing Govt run operation? So what if the Government want to reign in spending, anybody working in a private station would know that RNZ staff enjoy a better lifestyle than others.

Why should taxpayers be funding a radio station in the first place. We have bloody heaps of them, all catering for different tastes and audiences. Radio NZ has its own market - and unashamedly caters for them. Non listeners of RNZ surely should not be asked to pay for it - and so it must go and as soon as possible.

38 million of funding for a Radio Station? Good grief... end the madness and cut this loose now. Set an example John Key!

Story here.

Western Values?

Been a long time between posts - but it's good to be back. Been quite flat out with work and giving out careers advice to my clients due to the mad unemployment around these parts. I must admit ever since arriving in the UK over 6 years ago I got a big wake up call to the amount of poverty, bad political mistakes and lack of responsibility that was here. This post is a little about why I think the West is absolutely doomed to failure unless we do something about it.

The problem is Government and people losing responsibility of their own lives.

New Zealand is not as bad as the UK or the US, but we must do all we can to avoid the types of social destruction we have there. The answer is not more social engineering and taxes - it's LESS. Politicians who think they can protect lives by wrapping people in social bubblewrap should be discouraged away from Parliament.

The UK has huge pockets of poverty in its local and immigrant communities. Most will never find work and many who try to find work are unable to keep it as they will lose their benefits. Time and time again I will see people who don't want to give up their housing benefits, their job seekers benefits etc as they are better off with them. Kids grow up knowing nothing but lack of choices due to fiscal restraints and no positive leadership. Politicians have encouraged nonstop unchecked immigration that has left families in a worse situation here than if they were back home. The culture here encourages teenage girls to have children as they will have a council flat and benefits waiting for them - and more money if no father is around. Don't get me wrong - I am a supporter of immigration and politicians who base their beliefs against it are dangerous and narrow-minded.

If we look back through generations where social cohesion was stronger - we see lower rates of crime, unemployment and poverty. I'm not saying it was zero, but if a community had a problem - they dealt with it directly rather than wait for Government to "fix" it. Look at how Asian countries revere the family unit. These countries are light years ahead of New Zealand in wealth and prosperity and it has very little to do with a 38% tax rate.

The problems lie in NO responsibility for our own lives. We expect legislation to protect ourselves and others. Health and Education choices are the hands of our politicians, unions and the very wealthy. Left wingers say they care about the poor and yet consign more and more citizens away from the luxury of choice with every breath they take.
Too many laws on what we cannot do are hypocritical while we are still able to smoke and drink - either admit that we are free, responsible citizens or ban everything outright.

There are no incentives to succeed in life anymore. Minimum wages, a ban on comparing school tables, unions opposing further examinations at school, high taxes... all are designed to eliminate high achieving and individualism. Labour and the Greens will fight to the death against people becoming wealthy, successful and free from Government handcuffs. Why do you think Labour introduced Working for Families? Suddenly families who had never had Govt assistance were beneficiaries - and bribed with their own money - Labour were laughing all the way to the bank and this will deliver a new generation of voters for them, especially if National eliminates WFF.

Why bother trying? Why bother working hard when your schools are chosen by the state, your healthcare is restricted by Government funding and whenever you earn more than an average person you get hammered by high taxes?

Left wingers are squarely to blame. Them, politicians and unions who think they are the answer. I honestly believe we have crossed the point of no return and we must take drastic measures to bring wealth and success back to our lives.

Which brings me to my prescription for the West if we are to move forward.

1) Lower taxes. Simple. As flat as possible. Zero tax for low income earners. Corporate taxes to be lowered to bring in real investment to NZ.

2) Excellence to be encouraged at schools - parental choice to overule any union objections. Teachers must remember that parents and students have the power. School choice... zoning to be scrapped and good schools encouraged to open up in bad areas.

3) Universal choice for private or public health. No citizen to pay twice for health. If a citizen wants to go private they should have every incentive to do so.

4) Help and mentoring to be available. This is the single biggest investment we can do to help society. This help will include careers advice, removing barriers to work, budgeting. If we can help rebuild a family unit and push it away from crime and choice then it will pay massive dividends. Breaking welfare dependency is a worthwhile battle that has to be taken head on.

5) Government to sell "assets". Why should core Government income go for investing into, purchasing, day to day running and propping up businesses like airlines, banks, trains, post offices etc when people are desperate to have more money in their pockets. Selling assets will give John Key NO EXCUSE to not give us all considerable tax cuts.

6) Fiscal restraint to be an example led from the top downwards. Politicians will be bulk funded, perks to be finished with when you are voted out and the number of MPs and support staff to be slashed. You can't preach thrift and hardwork when you are deep in the trough of other peoples money. Politicians should be bloody grateful to taxpayers.

7) Savings in any form should be encouraged and rewarded - as should be any activity that provides wealth through generations.

Why is it that countries that emerged from the devastation of the Cold War under Soviet rule now taking the lead in flat taxes? Why is it that supposedly poorer SE Asian countries are economic powerhouses that allows citizens first class healthcare and education while enjoying some of the lowest taxes in the world? What gives?

Why are we content with the status quo under a National Government who seems hell-bent on continuing the failures of the past? What goes on in the head of an average National voter? They want change but are afraid of the changes actually working... and that is the difference between an ACT voter and a Nat voter.

The rot has been festering away for decades now and unless this gets addressed then we are in for a bumpy ride and our descendents will point the finger at our do nothing generation. The Government needs to realise that they are the problem and not the solution and the sooner they realise this, then the quicker we will grow up and realise our potential. If we dither then we are allowing Labour politicians to pick up where they left off and plunge more of us into nanny statism and economic/social poverty.

Ha ha ha ha

Normally I refuse to take any interest in rugby until the cricket season is over but the sheep shaggers being beaten by the Reds is something that I cannot let pass without comment.

This just proves that Blackadder is as bad a coach as he was a player.

Another Green idiot

The only good thing that can be said of Gareth Hughes is that he will help ensure that this is the last Parliament that the Greens will be a part of.

At least you could say that the late Rod Donald and the recently retired native bush burner Jeanette Fitzsimons were people that Kiwis could identify with, sure, they were both the very worst type of sickly white liberal but they came across and no more offensive that your dotty elderly aunt.

It does annoy me greatly that I have to pay this idiot Hughes $131,000 a year but when you take into account the number of votes he is going to lose and factor in the other idiot Delahunty then it might turn out to be money well spent.

I hope Hughes (and Delahunty) enjoy their generous salary packages, one thing is sure, when they are both kicked out of the house after the next election neither of them will EVER earn anything approaching that amount of money again in their working life.

I'm tired

This thread over at Kiwiblog (click on the link) got me thinking, I read most of the posts and have come to the conclusion that I am bloody tired of all the politically correct bullshit the left have forced upon us over the last thirty years or so.

While the thread in question is about Homosexual and Lesbian adoption it reminded me of all the other things I am constantly being told that I "must" accept in today's world and how bloody tired I am of hearing them.

I'm tired of being told that homosexual and lesbian couples are 'normal'.
I'm tired of being told that I must accept homosexual and lesbian couples have a 'right' to adopt.
I'm tired of being told that I must use gender neutral language.
I'm tired of being told that I must accept that Maori are going to need special assistance.
I'm tired of being told that our kids need protecting from the real world while they are at school.
I'm tired of being told that a bloke is not a real man unless he blubs like a bloody baby at least once a week.
I'm tired of being told that 'prostitution' is just another job.
I'm tired of being told that I have to give the Greens a voice in Parliament when the bastards cannot win a constituency seat.
I'm tired of being told that I must provide a safety net for every lazy arsed loser who cannot be bothered working for a living.
I'm tired of being told that I must make "cultural allowances" for people who come to live in my bloody country.
I'm tired of being told that is not acceptable to call a fat chick a 'fat chick', she is NOT curvy, she is FAT.
I'm tired of hearing that we must wreck our economy to save the planet when our emissions are 0.02% of the worlds output.
I'm tired of being told that I must listen to Maori racist's accusing me of raping the land.
I'm tired of hearing my ancestors blamed for the never ending list of Maori failure.
I'm tired of being told that I have to support other peoples families through the theft that is working for families.
I'm tired of being told that my flag must be changed.
I'm tired of being told that my heritage is not important and that we MUST become a republic.
I'm tired of being told that we are not a first world nation because we do not have 365 days shopping, if you want a coffee on Easter Sunday then fucking well make it yourself.
I'm tired of seeing our schools turn out moron after moron with no accountability on behalf of the teachers.
I'm tired of hearing Kiwi's turn to their government (fellow tax payer) for a hand out when they get in the shit.
I'm tired of having our sportspeople described as role models, they are fucking athletes, nothing more or less.
I'm tired of paying for other peoples rug rats to go to day care when we have thousands of unemployed people in NZ, if you want kids then fucking well pay for them yourself or adjust your lifestyle accordingly and have one of you stay at home and look after the little bastards.

But most of all...... I am fucking well tired of hearing the term "batters" used to describe batsmen in the great game of cricket.
Yes I know that females also play the game (and bloody atrociously as it happens) but that does not mean you PC wankers can bastardise a term that has been perfectly acceptable for over one hundred and thirty years.

Bruges

Just got back from almost a week in Bruges where I was able to enjoy plenty of fine beers and discovering some bloody great hidden drinking holes. Will report back in the weekend but what a great trip!

Field of Dreams 2010

Today I met a mad man, he is mad in the best possible sense of the word.

Some of you may have seen the piece on TVNZ news last week about a chap called Bruce Wallis, Bruce is a self confessed softball and baseball nut, he has watched the Kevin Costner film “Field of dreams” at least two dozen times.

Anyway, as mad people are want to do from time to time Bruce decided to build his own softball diamond in the middle of a corn field, just as Kevin Costner did in the 1989 film movie.

The result is stunning, and unlike in the Costner film the local people and business all rallied around to help Mr Wallis when they found out about it, seed was donated for the grass, the maze seed was donated, a local timber company built a grandstand and helped erect a safety net behind the catcher and I believe that another local company has donated the use of portaloos.

What makes this place all the more magic is that come the end of March it is gone and gone for good, Bruce Wallis does not want to keep it going for ever and to be honest, once the maze is finished it will not have the same atmosphere.

Even though I am not a softball fan the place is pure magic, as you approach it you have no idea there is a beautifully manicured softball field behind the three meter tall maze, access is through the maze by way of a narrow track, we all traipsed in with our chilly bins and deck chairs, the BBQ was fired up and the beer and wine flowed.

Anybody who has the chance to go and see this place or play a game there should take the chance to do so, as I have said, it is a magical experience and one that I will not forget in a hurry.

Waitangi Day

Has anybody else noticed that the National Socialist party are spending a lot of time and our money (by way of TVNZ) trying to convince us that Waitangi day is something to be treasured by all of us?

The day signifies nothing to the vast majority of Kiwis other than a day off work, it is NOT our national day and never will be.

It also grates on me that our elected representatives bow and scrape to a bunch of openly racist thugs and losers every year, all Waitangi day does is provide a platform for low life like John Harawira and the rest of his apartheid supporting fools.

The gutless National Socialist should either do away with the day or change the name to New Zealand day and let the rest of us (those who beleive in one rule for all) celebrate what being Kiwi means to us.

Glory, glory....

Bye, bye Arse fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDUqeh5qXhI