Posts by BenWilson

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  • Hard News: A thing that rarely ends well,

    Alternatively, you could say that waged employees will be incentivised to do more hours because more of the money paid is "theirs".

    I've never bought this argument. No matter what tax rate you are on, if you do more hours, you get more money, which is yours. Most people actually seem to be incentivized to longer hours by not having enough money, in my experience, and tax cuts will do the opposite. Tax cuts may be the right answer, but to a different question.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: A thing that rarely ends well,

    Russell, everything in Auckland is swanky.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: A thing that rarely ends well,

    The high ground was in being completely transparent about what they did have.

    I don't think so. That is a high ground, sure, but it's not the big one, IMHO. I think a large proportion of people are much less concerned with how the money came to the party than the simple fact that they have it to spend.

    In fact, I'd say the dividing line of concern is roughly aligned with the whole left-right boundary. The left is generally more concerned that existing structural inequities are 'unfair'. I'd make a complete stab in the dark in suggesting that the right are more concerned about the strict legality of the process. That could be because the law is almost always on their side, or maybe that's just what 'rightists' are like.

    We won't really know until the end of the year just how much effect the EFA is going to have in leveling the playing field. If it is substantially leveled, then all those people in the middle, who are concerned about both factors (the process by which the money was obtained AND the actual amounts of money each side gets) will start to rate the process as a much higher factor. So Labour better stop relying on residual belief in the other factor. Because the process factor is playing into National's hands totally at the moment.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: A thing that rarely ends well,

    I guess Labour are hoist by their own petard for making campaign financing such a big issue. Where National tended to get more private $ to play with, that is being traded for political mileage over all and any breaches/irregularities around financing.

    Interesting reversal. In the past Labour could always nebulously claim a high ground of having less money to play with. Now that high ground is gone. It will be interesting to see whether any actual leveling of campaign financing outweighs the loss of that particular high ground.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Recreations,

    Goodness, I don't know which is more offensive: To make a badly timed plane crash joke, or to not know why it might be offensive.

    I read "Too Soon" as "Too soon to call", meaning we need another epoch of Wellington weather data before we can be sure they're not just caught in a geologically insignificant winter subclimate, which could end any day. I get No Prize for working that out.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Recreations,

    I've been grabbed. But I don't find it romantic, what flashes through my mind is "if we have a crash she'll rip my arm off". But when I was into horror movies it might have been a different matter.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Recreations,

    I can't grab, got my eyes closed and hands firmly on the armrests.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Recreations,

    It's hard to compare flying and driving on numbers of deaths. We spend a hell of a lot more time driving.

    The horror, the horror? I believe the dime store psychology on horror is that it is a release for sexual frustration, which is why it's so popular amongst teens.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Recreations,

    As for landing in Wellington, just enjoy it! If it's going to crash, it's going to crash, and there's nothing you can do about it as a passenger

    Except for not buying a ticket! But I rate the drive down there as about 100 times more dangerous.

    so just enjoy the adreneline rush and realise that it's probably turning on the ladies around you in the same way that horror movies do. That's official Wellingtonista advice.

    Is it the actual horror, or just the excuse to grab the nearest guy which is the big turn on?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Recreations,

    Evan, you assume correctly. I'm sure it's perfectly safe really, but approaches to Rongotai always feel like you're bombing a field of moguls.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

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