Posts by Steve Barnes
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Ben, I think the truth lies somewhere between those points. Although trucks may have some "Big Knob" appeal the desire goes much deeper and further back in personal development. One of the main reasons those on the right do not like trains is that they never attained their childhood dream of becoming a train driver so they resent those that did. The need to be in control extends to the love of cars, the need to take your penis substitute out on the street and thrash it about with gay abandon is about proving what a big boy they are, it is much more about shaking off the restrictions of nappies than anything sexual.
A bit like a dog marking it's territory I guess. -
Ever since Steven Joyce came into view I have wondered about his Truck fetish. On the one hand he may just be very fond of trucks, maybe he had Tonka toys as a kid and never grew up but I doubt that is the real reason. There can't be many votes in trucking but I suppose there is money and if National plays their game no doubt Big Trucking will line the coffers of the "I'm all right Jack, fuck you" Party.
But what about the real numbers? If the new limits on truck size are taken into account then the largest trucks will be able to carry around 20% more than the biggest trucks do now. However, that will only be a small percentage of all trucks on the road so it will come nowhere near the 75% increase in freight over the next 25 years, alluded to by Joyce himself. That extra bulk capacity is much better served by Rail over the long haul and delivered locally by smaller trucks.
So, who is to benefit by Mr Joyce's mega trucks, it certainly will not be the majority of the population, so who is it?. -
I love driving in Auckland, it's so fast and easy. But Aucklanders tend to get really pissed off when I tell them that.
I still enjoy driving in London. The traffic is far denser but as everybody is driving defensively you can nip in and out of traffic with ease, people just share that space so effectively. In Auckland people tend to drive as if their "right of way" is all that matters, the sound of a car horn is taken as a threat or insult and the use of brakes for anything other than stopping at your destination is regarded as "some c%*t pulling out in front of me so I must kill him/her"
We need good public transport in Auckland just to keep these morons off the road.Wouldn't a 1400m gap between stations imply a 700m radius
No, 700 meters would just be the halfway point, you could catch a train rather than walk between stations. ;-)
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We could have had electric trains in time for the world cup had the government not stepped in in March last year to cancel the regional fuel tax.
However even Steven Joyce is not averse to the City Loop, albeit at a cost of $800 Million to Auckland ratepayers. -
The other point is that NIWA are public servants. We pay for their work.
Hmmm... yeah.... How's the tax cut going then?... nice is it? Get to keep more of your "Hard Earned Money" eh?... cos that's the important thing eh?.
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The one good thing about British cars is they are so easy to work on. This fact is handy because it is something you will find yourself doing every weekend.
Japanese cars, on the other hand, are like working on a space shuttle with added spaghetti and chips. However, this is not a disadvantage as by the time they break down you have forgotten how to use your opposable thumbs. -
Just let me know when y'all get tired of the argument ...
An argument?... On the internet... Heaven forbid...
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I have to say that these days it seems that the main reason for setting up a Trust is that the people they represent cannot be trusted.
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From our "In a Nutshell" Department.
If you are working class you have to earn your living. If you are upper class you have a right to a living, the working class will earn your living for you.As a child I had class, apparently. One time my Mother told me I couldn't have a new bike because we couldn't afford one "Why Not?" I demanded "Because we don't have enough money" she admitted, sheepishly.
"Well go to the bank and get some" I told her. The lower classes have so little imagination and resourcefulness.. -
Them wot works for an hourly wage are working class, and them wot works for a salary are middle class.
There is a certain truth in that. If you expect to get paid just for being there and every hour that you are there, you are being paid for your time/labour where as if you are paid by the year, as it were, you are there in a capacity that exceeds your personal input, the whole being greater than the sum, and as such you are worth your salt.
With the suit and tie you have an indication of what sort of work you are expected to do, you don't see many ditch diggers in suits.
Interesting point. Plumbers were, for many years, expected to arrive for work in a suit and tie and wear overalls to protect their clothing, This may seem to destroy my point but when you consider how old the craft of plumbing is you can understand how they can charge as much as, if not more than, an equally old profession.