Nat/act/nzf 2023

[Daytr]

And therein lies the problem. State funding is not the solution.

Please do provide your wisdom on what is the solution?

[blackcap]

Please do provide your wisdom on what is the solution?

Just more state funding solves no problems. Look at all the money that has been poured into Africa to no avail.

State funding is ok, if there is accountability and time limits. There need to be incentives to get off state funding.

Just throwing money at a problem does not fix it. I thought that was well evident.

[Daytr]

Just more state funding solves no problems. Look at all the money that has been poured into Africa to no avail.

State funding is ok, if there is accountability and time limits. There need to be incentives to get off state funding.

Just throwing money at a problem does not fix it. I thought that was well evident.

So no other solution offered.
Where did I suggest just throw money at it or have no accountability?
Nobody wants that.

[Bjauck]

Just more state funding solves no problems. Look at all the money that has been poured into Africa to no avail.

State funding is ok, if there is accountability and time limits. There need to be incentives to get off state funding.

Just throwing money at a problem does not fix it. I thought that was well evident.

Sure some of the difficult decisions are involved with ensuring the economic and fiscal systems work for the majority of families by providing affordable accommodation (that does not rely on government subsidies) and by directing investment to providing well paid employment that enables the vast majority of families to live comfortably in warm family sized homes.

Government benefits would then again become the safety net for periods of some people’s lives.

Does NZ have the stomach for those changes?

[blackcap]

Sure some of the difficult decisions are involved with ensuring the economic and fiscal systems work for the majority of families by providing affordable accommodation (that does not rely on government subsidies) and by directing investment to providing well paid employment that enables the vast majority of families to live comfortably in warm family sized homes.

Government benefits would then again become the safety net for periods of some people’s lives.

Does NZ have the stomach for those changes?

To your first point, totally agree, there needs to be a mindshift from investing in houses, to investing in actual producing assets.

Do we have the stomach? Obviously not by what has transpired the last 20 years.

[Getty]

Getty, all bluster and no solutions.
Please by all means offer a solution that will prevent kids going hungry.
I'm all ears.

The State funds many things, including children's dentistry, subsidizes prescription drugs, pays the pension, subsidizes child care.
Anyone could argue that these should all be responsibility of the individual.
Ahhh but hungry kids doesn't cut it and in this case the victims, the kids aren't responsible.

Take off your eye patch and re read my post.

This school lunch debacle needs nipping in the bud.

Introduce unemployment benefits and what do you get?
More unemployment .

Introduce food banks, what do you get?
More demand.

Perhaps you get the picture.

As Alf Filiapina says about drive by shootings, we can't let this get to the stage where the community accepts it

Why should the good mums and dads who look after their families be penalised by those that don't care, and know the supposed do gooders will go into bat for them?

[mistaTea]

Take off your eye patch and re read my post.

This school lunch debacle needs nipping in the bud.

Introduce unemployment benefits and what do you get?
More unemployment .

Introduce food banks, what do you get?
More demand.

Perhaps you get the picture.

As Alf Filiapina says about drive by shootings, we can't let this get to the stage where the community accepts it

Why should the good mums and dads who look after their families be penalised by those that don't care, and know the supposed do gooders will go into bat for them?

Very good observations.

As I said in an earlier message... if we want to change the model so that we ramp up income tax etc like we see in Scandinavia... and then the State becomes responsible for more facets of our lives (including feeding the kids at school) then this should be put in a Manifesto ahead of an election so we can vote on it.

There is a good argument to follow the Scandinavian model.

There is a good argument not to also, in that can we really trust successive NZ governments to spend the additioal revenue wisely?

Regardess of ones views, it should be out in the open.

Not the other way... which is to do it by stealth. Gradually add more 'freebies' here and there. Always with the heart in the right place of course. It does increase State dependency, and inevitably leads to higher taxes over time. But rather than be the frog in the pot of water with the temperature gradually increasing... I would appreciate it if those parties would be upfront about how they want to take much more of our pay etc to increase overall felicity like we see in Scandinavia.

Bjauc makes some good points about how we already fund all sorts of things for kids (directly and indirectly) and that it is interesting that for many the idea of free lunches is the thing that is the step too far.

Fascinating topic, and I am enjoying considering all of the points raised. Everyone has made really valuable contributions, all coming at it from different angles.

[Daytr]

Take off your eye patch and re read my post.

This school lunch debacle needs nipping in the bud.

Introduce unemployment benefits and what do you get?
More unemployment .

Introduce food banks, what do you get?
More demand.

Perhaps you get the picture.

As Alf Filiapina says about drive by shootings, we can't let this get to the stage where the community accepts it

Why should the good mums and dads who look after their families be penalised by those that don't care, and know the supposed do gooders will go into bat for them?

As I thought, no solutions.
Kids go hungry.

[Daytr]

Stuff have just announced the closure of many local publications.
As I have mentioned on many occasions this was inevitable, the death of local reporting.

This follows the closure of many other regional publications in recent years.

Great work Winston Peters you are getting your wish.

[mistaTea]

Great work Winston Peters you are getting your wish.

How is it Winston's fault?