#budget2011

[phaetonschariot]

The new Budget was all over the local Twittersphere and blogs yesterday but I didn't say anything about it because it's such a huge subject. One summary of part of it was that the government is trying to encourange privatised saving so it can cut down on government assistance

Comments

[patu_paiarehe]

The Kiwisaver thing makes me cringe, not because I actually use it, but because it's clear that it's actually the govt leading up to dramatically slashing the pension and using 'well you should have your Kiwisaver to fall back on!' as an excuse.

So yeah, general unhappy face. And the one change I really wanted to see (raising of taxes for the rich, since clearly we can't afford the last round to tax cuts) obviously didn't happen.

[phaetonschariot]

The Kiwisaver changes do on the level seem to hit higher incomes more, but seem doesn't always mean that it does, and the rest of the budget did not back up that trend in any way. (My dad, of course, thinks the rich are over-taxed. I wish I had the money - both start up and continuous inward flow - to move out again. I'm reluctantly coming to the conclusion that I simply don't like him as a person, which is pretty sad.)

I'm becoming more sure that when Red Cross work starts wrapping up, I would really like to continue working in this sort of job - something to do with social aid/assistance. I suppose at some point I might try to employ my google-fu and website links pages to look for the web presence of local groups so I can get an idea what the sector's like.

[patu_paiarehe]

Yeah, it sound slike you've really enjoyed that job. I guess it's one good thing that's come out of the earthquake.

Good luck with finding another job in that sector :)

And yeah, I mean, I don't *necessarily* have a huge problem with the cuts to Kiwisaver, and I can see the argument that they're making, but I just feel like it's going to lead to something really unpleasant and I'm not looking forward to that.

[phaetonschariot]

I am actually very scared about the direction the country is going in. I'm dreading the elections because I'm pretty sure National's going to win again.

[rumpelsnorcack]

I'm pretty much peeved about the whole budget. We just barely manage to not be stung by this but that's only because my husband still has his kiwisaver contribution at 4% and so he won't notice when it goes to 3% compulsory. I also saw somewhere this morning that they are planning to enrol everyone in it shortly so that you have to actively understand what's going on and opt out within a certain timeframe. I do know that unless it becomes actually compulsory I won't be getting into kiwisaver. You're locked in with no way out and I don't trust the returns we're going to get. I'll find my own way to save - and it will be damn sure something easier to get money out if I happen to be starving after yet more cuts by government. Screw waiting til 65 if you're below the breadline right now

[phaetonschariot]

I LIKE RANTS. This idea that private does better is strange. America has private healthcare. And look at it. Some things do need to be run by government - things that directly aid people's quality of life, such as education and health and the justice system. We should not have to worry that we're going to come up against a company's profit margin, because in a truly commerce-based marketplace, we will lose every time.

The whole insistence that the government has to cut spending in a recession infuriates me. The government is in the business of looking out for the interests of people. In a recession, people have less money. They are less able to look after themselves. Many of them become desperate. It makes far more sense to borrow during a recession and spend it on social services to prevent people from falling into the poverty trap where their living conditions make them constantly ill and weak and unable to fulfill their potential. That way those who aren't quite as bad will have enough extra money to spend, and the economy will

[rumpelsnorcack]

This idea that private does better is strange. America has private healthcare. And look at it
It's fairly typical right wing ideology. Thankfully as a country we have a mindset that we should, you know, not allow people to starve and die on the streets and we all have a responsibility to help them and so the right wingers can't push us too far in that direction. They're going to try pretty hard though. Watch the cuts next budget - that will be 3 years out from an election and it'll be brutal.

The whole insistence that the government has to cut spending in a recession infuriates me.Tell me about it! It's all completely insane 'oh, you're struggling? Oh well ... how's about we cut some jobs and make sure you can't pay your bills without getting another job?' There are no jobs! Unemployment is high and we're all told to educate ourselves (but we're cutting back the loan scheme and not allowing the older workforce to upskill) or get another job (while competing with all newly unemployed) and that if we need food banks and assistance

[phaetonschariot]

I'm just really, really hoping they go and do something that wakes people up and makes them realise what the fuck is happening, before it's too late. We already have three figures of people dying every year of an illness that most of the rest of the western world has wiped out but that's never going to be headline news. We're below average in deaths that could have been prevented by access to decent medicine (though dead centre for improvements in that number). It makes me think they'd have to do something unthinkably bad for enough people to actually care.