Posts by giovanni tiso
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English signals asset sales.
But not this term, right? Because I'm pretty sure they pledged not to break more than eight campaign promises in the first term.
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(and oh noes! I spelt your name wrong earlier! sorry!)
No worries!
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Do you have any more details Sue? Like where to take the books to and when and stuff?
Look out for collection bins in community centres and the such. Full list of locations here.
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City Mission or something, you reckon?
They had to do an extra unscheduled collection just last week. So you know they need it.
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Now I just need to figure out what charity or charities I would do the most good giving my tax cut money to. Seriously.
Walk to your nearest soup kitchen. They seriously need your cash.
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If as a society decide we want and need better health care then increasing taxation to achieve that is the right and proper thing to do.
To be fair, though: Rob might respond that cutting taxes is the way to increase tax receipts, and Treasury projects that this will happen in three years' time. I have my doubts, I'd also point out that it's been tried before, but hey, it's impossible to be sure in advance. The thing that angers me is that the ground for the cuts was prepared by cutting a lot of jobs and services - many through attrition, therefore by stealth - for a supposed gain we might see in a few years' time, when the economy might have recovered all on its own anyhow, and this simple fact - and the material difference it has made in people's lives - is simply omitted from the discussion. And so Rob can go on National Radio and give his view from the right - to which he's more than entitled - and who sits on the other chair? Fran Freaking O'Sullivan. That is simply inexcusable.
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For me, lower taxes is not the end objective, but creating a society that respects and provides for those less well off is what we should be aiming for.
I dispute that it's just the less well off who benefit. Suppose you found that your child was autistic: even if you're on a pretty good income, having to pay out of your pocket for all the services she isn't receiving is going to peg your income down a notch or two. Hey, didn't we all hustle for Russell because he could use the cash? And you could say the Rae-Browns are probably not amongst the least well off.
It's about social insurance, spreading the risk and the benefit. It's not charity.
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I didn't put it that way, PJ did
But you laughed!
Look, I'm not trying to pick fights, just expressing dismay. And it's been a very long week of dealing with the aforementioned public services, so the disconnect between the commentary and reality seems particularly strident.
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The services to my daughter are charity, yes. Oh, how I laugh when you and PJ put it that way!
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There you go.