Last Updated: Oct 22nd, 2010 - 15:35:08 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 21 April 2006 Thought for the Day It seems that governments continually intrude in our lives causing all sorts of unexpected problems. They then offer (how can we refuse?) to solve these problems by spending more of our money and always seem to make the problem worse. Notice how the current administration continually talks about how much more they are spending on "our" problems as if just spending it was the answer. Where do they talk in clear and simple terms about how they have solved one of these many problems? The most we get are some carefully selected statistics which obscure the increasing shambles. Just think; Health, NCEA and Education, Corrections, Crime, CYFS, to name the most obvious ones. The stories this week will give you some more food for thought. Apr 20, 2006, 10:38 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 21 April 2006 Plan to Manage Water Resources Now here we have a message from our employees in parliament. They have decided, in their command and control wisdom, that we are having a water shortage and that the only way to solve this problem is for politicians to set up various committees and manage water in New Zealand. This is a guarantee of much worse water shortages to come. You read it here first. When governments leap in to action to solve a problem they invariably make it worse. Read what they have to say and watch them make a real water shortage: "Government ministers this week announced a significant strategy to protect and improve New Zealand's freshwater resources. Forestry Minister Jim Anderton and Environment Minister David Benson-Pope revealed Cabinet had approved a staged package of actions to improve the sustainable management of rivers, lakes and ground water. The Sustainable Water Programme of Action will develop, for the first time, a strategic and nationally consistent approach to managing valuable freshwater resources. The ministers said there was a need to ensure efficient freshwater use; and to protect it from contamination from bugs, sediment, nutrients, stormwater and subdivision run-off. Central government will take a greater role in freshwater management including setting national priorities and direction, while working closely with parties with a significant interest. Actions agreed include the establishment of a leadership group within three months; and creation of policy on how to manage freshwater and protect nationally outstanding rivers, lakes and streams, including the drafting of a National Policy Statement and National Environmental Standards. Jim Anderton said the programme is about water management, not water ownership and that water will remain in public ownership. The government wants to ensure New Zealanders have fair and equal access to water and to ensure that economic growth occurs in a sustainable way, with the environment protected. The Cabinet Paper and more information is available at www.mfe.govt.nz or www.maf.govt.nz." Convinced? Apr 13, 2006, 15:17 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 21 April 2006 The French Employment Fiasco Why are the French students and others rioting in the streets? As usual it is because the government has decided to control a normal human relationship - in the interests of the people, of course - and in the usual way has made the situation very much worse. We can go the French way and make a small problem into a major crippling force in the economy or we can do the opposite and have no problem at all. The Lange Labour government and the later National governments solved this problem in 1984 and gave us the dynamic economy of the 1990s. The Clark Labour government has decided to reverse this process and impose more government controls onto the labour market - thus making it more difficult for businesses to hire workers because of the additional costs involved. This is slowing down the economy and will result in fewer jobs just when we will be needing as many jobs as possible. The only thing is - will our job measuring statistics tell us anything useful - or will they continue to fudge the truth? Lew Rockwell discusses the French riots. Apr 12, 2006, 17:54 Newsletters : 2006 Newsletters : 21 April 2006 Nordic Stars The Nordic Model remains as ever an extreme version of the cradle-to-grave state most Western European nations already have. But the Nordics are a model in a different sense than understood in Brussels. Much of their economic success in recent years stems from the introduction of free-market reforms, not the welfare protections these countries are famous for. New Zealand had no income tax in 1890 and by 1900 we were the second wealthiest country (per capita) in the world. This state of the nation persisted until 1950 when we were the third most wealthy country. But then the "welfare state" kicked in and we began our long decline. More government control and taxes to pay for it became the norm and people thought that this was the answer and that the government could give us cradle to grave security. The evidence is that governments cannot do this. Secure property rights and freedom for the individual will provide the dynamic economy that is the only answer to security in a modern world. Our governments must follow a strategy of enhancing economic growth rather than following the old socialist "Nanny State" command and control ideology. Each piece of legislation and regulation should be examined by Treasury to get a rating as improving or reducing economic growth. Any that reduce our well-being should be aborted. The funny thing is what I have described as happening in New Zealand has happened elsewhere. Read the article and think! Apr 10, 2006, 12:42