Sorry to interrupt this Liberal fan club, but Winston is more likely to remember how John Key has treated him in the last two elections. I think there's a very good chance he'll play National off against Labour, but end up in a Labour coalition.
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We may not 100% agree on which policies are silly, but I do like your approach to voting. It is about picking the policies you believe in (or the ones you want to avoid) and voting accordingly.
Noticed something interesting on the hoardings today, I see them for the national candidate, and also for the labour candidate - but all the green hoardings are just for the party vote. Guess they are telling their voters to pick the Labour candidate.
National hits back at Labour's two-step minimum wage increase policy.
Several facts are missing from this article. Mainly, the idea that increasing the minimum wage costs a certain amount of jobs, that is flawed if the increase is small enough to be absorbed, as increased money flow will also create jobs in some areas. Where did Simon's figures come from? They were fabricated. It is true that employers will have to forego some of their own profits to ensure that a minimum wage gets closer to being able to support a young family on a single wage, like it used to decades ago. Businesses that were not making a profit at lower wages simply have to smarten up, morph, or close. A small wage increase should never be a tipping point for a sound business.Quote:
Bridges critical of Labour’s wage proposals
With an election due in September the parties are starting to chuck big political rocks, and Labour Minister Simon Bridges has aimed one fairly at Labour’s head.
He said Labour’s intention to increase the minimum wage to two-thirds of the average wage would hurt business, cost jobs and reduce growth.
“Labour’s policy to immediately increase the minimum wage to $16.25 would cost at least 6,000 jobs, and a wage of $18 would cost around 16,500. If you want to make people unemployed this is a good way to go about it,” he said.
“Setting the minimum wage represents a careful balance between protecting low-paid workers and ensuring jobs are not lost. You cannot legislate your way to higher wages with the stroke of a pen.
“If it’s not based on increased productivity, simply paying people higher wages is a cost that gets passed on to New Zealanders as higher taxes, reduced competitiveness, inflation and fewer jobs.
“Labour’s promise to scrap National’s successful 90-day trial legislation would also cost thousands of jobs. Research showed that a third of employers who used the trial period would not have hired a new employee without it. And an overwhelming majority of employers have kept staff on after the trial period ended.”
He said that as for Labour’s promise to pay all core public service workers at least the Living Wage: why should core government employees — who only represent about 2% of the workforce — earn more than a private sector employee doing a similar job?
“Labour’s promise to implement industry standard agreements is a return to the 1970s and is a cynical payback to the Unions for their support.
“It would require all regional employers to pay the same pay rates as one in downtown Auckland. That would cause real damage to regional economies.”
The Key Government, he said, was achieving strong job growth by operating flexible labour market policies that encourage employers to take on new workers.
ACT's policies sound like bull**** to me but this might interest people who think NZ taxes the wealthy/job creators/Trickle downers too hard.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opin...g-fairly-taxed
Interesting to note that GST is described as a regressive tax in this article can't remember who was arguing with me that is wasn't but nice to know other people think they were talking through a hole in their arse as well. I actually have no problem with GST as it is, maybe lower the rate but definitely not higher.
Capital Gains tax should include the family home and I wouldn't bring it in until after the next financial market crash or interest rate peak. John Key might be a nice guy but I would recommend voting for the party with the policies to make NZ a better place for everyone rather than just the top earners and wealthy foreigners.
You simply cannot have 'an amount of jobs'. Your public school education is showing there eZ. Have a look around your house. You will notice that very very few of the products you own and use existed in the fifties and sixties or earlier. Not many families even owned a car. Many services you use were not available. Of course it is easier to survive on one wage when there is little to buy; and if you think businesses simply should forego some of their profits, you have little understanding of how many small businesses operate. There are plenty of them where the proprietor earns less than the minimum wage now.
FP
Regarding Bill Rowling. Son of a horticulturist. Labour MP who represented a RURAL electorate for his entire career. Master Degree in Economics( thesis Horticulure marketing), Fullbright Scholar to USA, Taught economics at University of Canterbury. Served in NZ Army,(Captain) went to Malaya during the civil war.
Not a bad bad CV dont you think. But of course he was Labour, so you dislike him. However if he was National, well that would be a different matter.
Have you ever completed any Military service for your country FP?