Posts by Craig Ranapia
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And I apolgise for letting Brian The Bish jack this thread any further, but why doesn't he go the whole hog and suggest we follow the example of our head of state? Since the Act of Settlement became British law in 1701, no person who did not "join in communion with the Church of England" -- or married a non-Anglican -- could occupy the throne.
Any old Christian denomination just won't do, Brian!
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I don't have any comment on the validity of that card, though I'd be curious to see how other people in similar positions (Polynesians in position of authority) comment on it.
Yes, and let's hear from some of the immigrants who came to this country to get as far away as possible from various 'cultural practices' that aren't legally tolerated here -- including endemic political and civil service corruption.
I think I get your point, but FFS let's be careful about playing the culture card. I don't recall the idea that belting the crap out of your children is a precious 'cultural practice' among Maori and PI folks getting much sympathy around here.
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Ben:
I'm sure that's the 'depends on what the definition of is is' argument various parties will try and run in the months ahead. But to risk getting all Pollyanna-ish here, I think MPs of all stripes and their staff take their ethical responsibilities to their constituents a wee bit more seriously. Being a little bit sleazy is like being a little bit pregnant. Just doesn't fly, or at least it shouldn't.
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Could the Taito Phillip Field thing just be over, sometime?
Hey, I'd be happy if Noel Ingram, QC would get a few very public apologies for the vocal and hideously unfair ballocking he got from all sides.
As for the rest of it, I await with interest to see what's going to come to light in the *cough* more rigorous and transparent environment of an open court.
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Anyhow, I like J.G. Ballard's comment on waking up one morning and finding (to his great surprise) that Empire of the Sun was a mainstream success -- and whats more middle of the road that making the Booker shortlist back when it meant spit, and having Spielberg 'make a film of it? As far as he was concerned, he hadn't changed at all from the days when he was routinely cursed as the techno-perv of 'New Wave' SF. It was the 'mainstream' that finally got on his wavelength. :)
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Nobody Important:
Well, as far as I can tell, Cullen's response is "well, there is no investment that is totally risk-free and anyone who tells you differently is a damn liar". Which is perfectly true -- just as there's a real distinction between saying an operation or a medication regime has very low risks and none at all - but we don't actually live in a totally unregulated investment market, and I don't think Cullen can just say 'poo poo, trust me.'
In the end, everyone should remember that nobody should be making any investment decisions without independent advice, based on a conservative and realistic assessment of your own long-term fiscal situation (and remember there's no such thing as a 'one size fits all' superannuation fund), and careful consideration of the assumptions that are being brought to the table by all parties.
I'll concede that the politics of Kiwisaver are brilliant, but I hope people are going to look a little deeper before making decisions they're going to have to live with long after I'm fedethe only beings who care about me are the bacteria and and creepy-crawlies chowing down on my corpse.
I'd also throw this out for discussion: Does anyone really think, intentionally or not, there's going to be the political expectation that if enough KiwiSaver accounts go boink that the Government - of whatever partisan tint - is going to bail them out? I just don't see any future Finance Minister fronting up to an election year Grey Power conference and saying "Well, you roll the dice and sometimes it comes up snake eyes. Stuff happens, move on."
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er ... in case it wasn't obvious: I was taking the piss with my justification for going noocular - it's the sort of reasoning one sees in the MSM
Well, Nobody,back in the day nobody was extracting the urine while penning furious editorials about how electricity period was an unspeakable menace to human health, the Model T Ford was a novelty that was never going to catch on, and the printing press? Well, it was just going to lead to the brain death of civilization and give the peasants silly ideas. I think you can fairly criticise the MSM for not exactly showing the highest standards of scientific or statistical literacy, but please let's not encourage media Luddites any more than we do already.
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Gee, someone's been hiding Winston First's poll numbers from the Great Leader, walking him through the script and making sure the podium is properly electrified in case he does lose his mind and diss the emergent market. Kudos, MFAT!
And I do love the whole 'Respect!' thing -- I guess Tom Cruise's turn as the Suzanne Paul of Misogyny in Magnolia wasn't well known to the MC. :)
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Yes. Whatever he'll be seen to have got wrong, I think Cullen will be remembered for having the nerve to address both our savings and retirement issues.
Russell:
With all due respect, you address envelopes and crowds. It would have been nice to have a little more intelligent discussion about this -- and kudos to Keith for his contribution -- but I think this is a little too important to be handing out gold stars for a good try, especially when Cullen's stock response to any concerns seem to be to wave his hankie and murmer 'poo poo'. Having said that, I'd really like Key and English to stop playing Cullen's spin game - of course they're not going to write and release their policy eighteen months from the election you fricking idgits, and Mike and Helen know why - and start leading that debate.
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How about ... love?
Hah! Just you wait until the angst-ridden teen flips you the "what do you know about anything?" eye-roll and flounces out of the room, then tell me everyone's in love with love. :)
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