By: Larry Williams | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 6:08 PM

On Welfare

The welfare reforms have been met with hysteria by opponents.

Some like those at the Auckland Poverty Action Group have just been arrested after entering the Ministry of Social Development’s Auckland office and chaining themselves to equipment. Losers - the lot of them.

They dredge up all sorts of excuses but essentially they believe in two things: 1) beneficiaries don't have any obligations to the taxpayer, and 2) welfare is an entitlement that should be paid on demand and continued unabated for as long as they want.

It’s warped thinking and its completely out of touch with middle New Zealand.

Labour MP Jacinda Ardern churns out the usual buzz words like: "It's time the minister faced the big issues: job creation, skills and training, genuine efforts to assist people from wellness to work, and access to childcare".

Labour's next election promise must then to be unwind the changes. Let’s see how they get on.

 

On The Dollar

There is much debate on lowering the dollar.

There is a school of thought that changing the monetary policy setting will move the dollar downwards thus assisting our export industry. Most of this talk comes from opposition politicians like David Parker and Winston Peters.

Many economists however say that it’s not an easy thing to do and there are significant risks associated with tinkering around with the dollar. NZ is so small that we don't have the clout to make much of an impact - if any.

It is possible to change loan to value ratios which the banks lend at which would mean interest rates could come down, and therefore make NZ a less attractive place for foreigners to put their money. It’s possible. What impact that would actually make is another matter. It would certainly make it harder for first time home owners to borrow. A lower dollar would also cost Kiwis more to live.

The Government is having none of it. Today they signed a new policy target agreement with the incoming Governor.

 

On Water

A hui today on the water to discuss the 'shares plus' idea which the Government finds totally unacceptable.

The 'shares plus' concept is totally nuts and is clearly a no-goer.

There is increasing pressure for the Government to overcome all this madness and vest all natural resources in a new Crown entity on behalf of all the people of NZ.

That means - water, wind, sun, geothermal steam, airwaves, aquifers, all minerals, iron sands, magma, rare earth deposits, coal, lignite, methane, uranium - the lot.

It is crucial as Fran O'Sullivan put it in the Herald that the natural resources are vested in this new entity so the Government can go about its commercial business in the interests of all New Zealand.

This makes sense because water is just the start so it’s time to put a stake in the ground before the likes of Tuku Morgan get too excited.

 

On Muslims

The protests around the world by radical young Muslims are not against a trashy YouTube video. They are more of a chance to vent hatred towards the West and in particular the US.

They are most certainly not representative of moderate Muslims who have condemned the attacks. It’s a shame they have to get caught up in all of this.

You watch the protests, the outright vandalism occurring in the likes of Pakistan, and you wonder why the US gives them aid.

Now we have Iran renewing its fatwa on Salman Rushdie, raising the reward for killing him by $500k.

These radical Islamists are truly deranged.

As for the likes of the lunatic fringe protesting in Sydney - they should be bundled onto a plane and sent back from where they came from.

Photo: NZ Herald