LilMtnCbn
02-07-2005, 06:31 AM
http://www.varsity.co.nz/features/articles.asp?id=4332
Rant Pants: Some Kind Of Wanker
written by fishmeal on 7 Feb 2005
It's been a week of frustration for the National party. Orewa II should have
given Brash and his buddies a foothold from which to launch their election
campaign. It was a strong speech, regardless of one's political allegiances,
but it failed to stroke up enough rumpus to spike the polls. In fact the
NBR-Phillips poll released on Friday showed a two point percentage loss to
National, putting them at 43%, ten points behind Labour. And that poll was
conducted before Katherine Rich was shunted from her Welfare position. The Rich
dismissal seemed to happen so fast that everyone was left scratching their
heads. Surely disagreements with new party policy should have been ironed out
before announcing it to the world? With the media salivating over a Welfare
spokesperson who apparently didn't fully support her leader's policy I guess
Brash had no option to give her the flick. If he'd left her there Labour would
have had a second Christmas, heaping steaming distain on Brash and his
dissenting Welfare spokesperson. Still, the Nats are screwed anyway. Judith
Collins, the new Welfare spokesperson, could only muster a weak "at least
Labour's not getting media play " defence in the Weekend Herald. Her colleagues
were in crisis control as well, chanting in unison versions of the phrase "it's
a minor shuffle" last week.
My good friend Hadyn Green, the mastermind behind the blog Grabthar's Hammer,
sent through his thoughtful insights on my little rant the week before last:
"Work for the dole schemes don't work. That isn't a Ministry of Social
Development line, it is a fact. They distort labour markets, with unemployment
this low the numbers of people who are unemployed are most likely the
un-employable. Or the numbers are transitionary, i.e "between jobs". The
current system is designed so that you can not have 0% unemployment. To
disadvantage beneficiaries in this current job climate is akin to randomly
selecting people and then punishing them for being randomly selected.
There are already companies that have work schemes with Work & Income. The
companies (like Trimax) go to W&I as their first port-of-call to recruit new
workers. For this, W&I pays them a subsidy. A work-for-the-dole scheme does the
same thing but takes the goodwill of companies out of it. Those on the
borderline will be bumped in and out of work while companies realise that
beneficiaries are cheaper. Think of yourself. If on the dole you might be
forced to do street sweeping. How does that improve your job prospects?
(Needless to say the work will not be anything but basic physical labour). And
finally Shipley tried it and it didn't work.
Brash should never have mentioned adoption, so he deserved the back-lash from
that. I mean come on! No matter how you mention it, telling women that giving
away their babies should be considered as an option will not get you votes
except from the crazy Christian right. From a social point of view, you would
prefer the child to be raised in a stable home, so you need policies to help
that rather than just say: "give your baby to the rich". Grrrrr."
Hadyn, I love it when you get angry. Your nostrils flare in a most delightful
way.
Caught the Metallica documentary, Some Kind Of Monster, on the weekend and was
able to reach some conclusions. Firstly: James Hetfield is a prick. Anyone who
minces off to Russia to shoot bears for fun and then moans how he wished he
could have been at his son's first birthday is a conceited moron. Secondly:
Lars Ulrich is also a bunghole of cosmic magnitude. How can he wank on about
how his decision to sell his art collection is based on his wish to "clear
house" and how money isn't a priority, and then get deliriously drunk while his
collection sells for five million dollars? Thirdly: Kirk Hammett wears hair
plugs. How the mighty have fallen into their fat-cat vomit.
To finish: a bout of elated high fives must go to the New England Patriots, who
beat out the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Superbowl XXXIX. It was indeed a
blessing that Paul McCartney broke with half-time show tradition and kept his
man-breasts well hidden.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
Rant Pants: Some Kind Of Wanker
written by fishmeal on 7 Feb 2005
It's been a week of frustration for the National party. Orewa II should have
given Brash and his buddies a foothold from which to launch their election
campaign. It was a strong speech, regardless of one's political allegiances,
but it failed to stroke up enough rumpus to spike the polls. In fact the
NBR-Phillips poll released on Friday showed a two point percentage loss to
National, putting them at 43%, ten points behind Labour. And that poll was
conducted before Katherine Rich was shunted from her Welfare position. The Rich
dismissal seemed to happen so fast that everyone was left scratching their
heads. Surely disagreements with new party policy should have been ironed out
before announcing it to the world? With the media salivating over a Welfare
spokesperson who apparently didn't fully support her leader's policy I guess
Brash had no option to give her the flick. If he'd left her there Labour would
have had a second Christmas, heaping steaming distain on Brash and his
dissenting Welfare spokesperson. Still, the Nats are screwed anyway. Judith
Collins, the new Welfare spokesperson, could only muster a weak "at least
Labour's not getting media play " defence in the Weekend Herald. Her colleagues
were in crisis control as well, chanting in unison versions of the phrase "it's
a minor shuffle" last week.
My good friend Hadyn Green, the mastermind behind the blog Grabthar's Hammer,
sent through his thoughtful insights on my little rant the week before last:
"Work for the dole schemes don't work. That isn't a Ministry of Social
Development line, it is a fact. They distort labour markets, with unemployment
this low the numbers of people who are unemployed are most likely the
un-employable. Or the numbers are transitionary, i.e "between jobs". The
current system is designed so that you can not have 0% unemployment. To
disadvantage beneficiaries in this current job climate is akin to randomly
selecting people and then punishing them for being randomly selected.
There are already companies that have work schemes with Work & Income. The
companies (like Trimax) go to W&I as their first port-of-call to recruit new
workers. For this, W&I pays them a subsidy. A work-for-the-dole scheme does the
same thing but takes the goodwill of companies out of it. Those on the
borderline will be bumped in and out of work while companies realise that
beneficiaries are cheaper. Think of yourself. If on the dole you might be
forced to do street sweeping. How does that improve your job prospects?
(Needless to say the work will not be anything but basic physical labour). And
finally Shipley tried it and it didn't work.
Brash should never have mentioned adoption, so he deserved the back-lash from
that. I mean come on! No matter how you mention it, telling women that giving
away their babies should be considered as an option will not get you votes
except from the crazy Christian right. From a social point of view, you would
prefer the child to be raised in a stable home, so you need policies to help
that rather than just say: "give your baby to the rich". Grrrrr."
Hadyn, I love it when you get angry. Your nostrils flare in a most delightful
way.
Caught the Metallica documentary, Some Kind Of Monster, on the weekend and was
able to reach some conclusions. Firstly: James Hetfield is a prick. Anyone who
minces off to Russia to shoot bears for fun and then moans how he wished he
could have been at his son's first birthday is a conceited moron. Secondly:
Lars Ulrich is also a bunghole of cosmic magnitude. How can he wank on about
how his decision to sell his art collection is based on his wish to "clear
house" and how money isn't a priority, and then get deliriously drunk while his
collection sells for five million dollars? Thirdly: Kirk Hammett wears hair
plugs. How the mighty have fallen into their fat-cat vomit.
To finish: a bout of elated high fives must go to the New England Patriots, who
beat out the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Superbowl XXXIX. It was indeed a
blessing that Paul McCartney broke with half-time show tradition and kept his
man-breasts well hidden.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
