Last Updated: Mar 25th, 2013 - 16:46:15 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 16 June 2006 Thought for the Day Shale oil is economical at $50 per barrel and we have reserves of about 1.6 trillion barrels around the world. Why don't we stop worrying about oil peaking and let our politicians concentrate on getting steady economic growth of 4% or 5% per year. That would do us all some good. May 2, 2006, 06:39 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 16 June 2006 The Budget and the Manawatu Economy As Dr Cullen points out: "What we are witnessing is the end of an extended period of golden weather. We are seeing a slowing rate of economic growth . . ." Three years ago we were very concerned that our (then) very good growth rate would not continue due to the welter of government legislation and regulation. So we formed Parties for Growth - Now called Foundation for Economic Growth - to attempt to explain that government actions have economic reactions. Our predictions were for lower growth rates. And so it has come to pass. Remember the good old days when the government ran everything and when it was election year we had a big spend-up (normal vote buying behaviour) and afterwards money was tightened up and businesses had to cope with less largess from the government. The politicians called this the "business cycle". Actually it was the "political cycle"; Caused by politicians for political reasons. Since 1993 we have had much better and more consistent economic growth than at any time since 1950. It has taken six years of Labour to stop this amazing growth. What is the future? Unfortunately, more of the same. This speech to people in Manawatu talks about how much money will be spent but never anything about what has been achieved. We are still "Transforming the NZ economy" and are "creating a successful knowledge-economy" with "world-class infrastructure". I shudder to think how the economy will look when Dr. Cullen has finished transforming it. But these are my words - read what Dr. Cullen has to say. Jun 11, 2006, 14:55 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 16 June 2006 How the Welfare State Corrupted Sweden So we aspire to be a welfare state like Sweden. With Welfare for Families stalking the nation we are well on the way. Sweden seems to be further down the welfare track than Aotearoa but we are chasing them hard. More tax for those who work, more rights to the people, less effort all round! A strong economy can support a welfare state but the trouble is, as soon as you have the welfare state dishing out rewards with no demand for effort the economy goes down the tubes. Helen and Michael are discovering this for themselves right now. Do they understand that their legislation and their regulations have been working away in the background slowing down the economy? Perhaps they do, because they have given the job of sorting out the regulations to Lianne Dalziel. Will she be in time? Does super-woman understand what is happening? While we wait for the next thrilling episode in "The Death of the Welfare State" read this story about Sweden. This is our socialist role model! Jun 7, 2006, 18:16