Posts by Fen Tex

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  • Access: The Universal Basic Income and…,

    The next issue is how to create a simple system to assess need above what is provided by this theoretical UBI

    If you can do that do you not beg the question of why not do it for all welfare payments? And where then, if you can, is the need for a UBI?

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Access: The Universal Basic Income and…,

    Even with a small amount, people soon started to act communally, putting aside some of their UBI towards community facilities.

    This reminded me of the observation much social study is of very WEIRD people (in that many subjects of studies are students in universities and therefore are of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic people) and ought not be taken as indicative of the worlds population.

    Which is to remind us that behaviour in a particular group of people should not be extrapolated to the worlds population.

    If the numbers can work I think a UBI is a good idea (unless and until experience proves there is an effective moral hazard) but the question remains - do the numbers work? Hopefully more larger scaled tests will suggest the answer.

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Up Front: What Sorry Looks Like,

    I tend to agree with the father of his ex who said an apology, if truly contrite, would be made privately to the person offended against, not publicly in service of rehabilitating a career.

    I'm fairly confident Veitch is seeking to improve his marketability on the advice of PR people to get his history behind him by publicly setting it to rest.

    And as such I don't believe he means what he says or is truly contrite nor deserves forgiveness.

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Polity: Is being a tax haven worth it?,

    The solution is obvious - if a zero tax rate is the only problem. Do not 'tax' the money at all (meaning change the legislation such that it is not taxed rather than taxed at 0%), close the loophole yet allow perfectly legal and 'moral' trusts to persist.

    This is so obvious (presuming that's the only immoral use of the trusts) I cannot believe anyone could agitate against it with honest intent.

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Speaker: Data Love or: How I learnt to…,

    I absolutely agree with you on every point. Trump cannot win the Presidency, Clinton is a more robust politician who will advance the Democratic party and policies more than Sanders could.

    I expect Sanders would be a perfectly fine executive and there are plenty of positives in his having the role, but he couldn't deliver much more beyond performing the executives duties.

    This by the way is why the Republicans are going to confirm Obama's Supreme Court nominee - he'll pick someone who isn't on an extreme and they'll have to confirm them because Hillary isn't going to be doing them the favour of picking non-partisans for any of her nominees.

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Hard News: So what now?,

    There are probably more diverse restaurant options in the wee suburb I live in than there are in Chch total,

    Have you not been back since varsity Moz? There's plenty of diversity in food in Christchurch now (although I'd rather the Vietnamese place round the corner was still the Dutch bakers I loved).

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Hard News: Incoming: Summer,

    Trying to get my damnable golf handicap down. It has to be 15 to be Prime Minister, right?

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

  • Speaker: “Foreign forces”, hope and Hong…,

    As a minor, mostly irrelevant observation, doesn't this...

    Hongkongers are ethnically Chinese. Our nationality is also technically Chinese now, but we feel very strongly that our culture and customs are vastly different from that of the Chinese

    ...make a mistake about the meaning of ethnicity? One's cultures and customs is the subject encompassed by ethnicity.

    I mention it because I suspect the writer is encouraged by the often made conflation of Race (a socially assigned grouping by some of others based on trivial similarities in appearance) with ethnicity (a socially delineated grouping of people by shared customs, heritage and/or ideology, ritual or other accepted common interest).

    It bugs me that officialdom often asks on forms what ethnicity a person is but gives races as the answers they can select among. It is used as a euphemism to attempt to avoid opprobrium for daring to ask after race and corrupts the meaning of ethnicity to my annoyance.

    I suspect Nickkita Lau meant Hongkongers are NOT ethnically Chinese being now a distinctive culture melded from China and Britain's differing influences.

    Christchurch • Since Oct 2014 • 18 posts Report

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