Paula Bennett in a letter to Tariana Turia: “Because of that sort of addiction it can be really tough on them and you see, certainly, financial hardship being increased and I think also with that sort of stress you can look at domestic violence,”. I don’t think that sentence would pass the national standard.
I was neutral in the debate on lowering the drinking age back in 1999. There were arguments on both sides. But ten years later it is clear that the experiment has failed. There have been several recent calls to raise the drinking age and take other effective action to restrict the damage that alcohol causes in NZ. Come on Key – show some leadership.
I’m supportive of the government’s move to end smoking in prisons. I think the real winners will actually be the two thirds of prisoners who smoke. They will be forced to break their addiction. I don’t think there’s any serious justification for concerns that banning smokes could lead to more trouble in jails or that the prospect of not getting any ciggies will be enough to deter crime.
Tony Ryall, like Anne Tolley, is facing a big fight over wages. The health budget is chock-full of cuts as it is and Ryall says there simply isn’t any money to give doctors pay rises as they and other workers face nearly 6% inflation next year. The government can find billions for tax cuts for the rich but not to pay doctors and teachers. Priorities.
According to a new report: “New Zealand is a great place for children if their parents have a good income, live in a warm dry house and are well educated.” However if you’re not born into a privileged household, then death and disease “is worse than that of all but two [developed] countries, Mexico and Turkey.”
We already know that National’s big economic plan this budget is a tax swap from working Kiwis to the rich that will not affect growth but will increase inequality. There’s some money for science and Kiwirail, which is good but only partially reverses the cuts that National imposed last year. The two big items in the budget that the Nats have control over (assuming no cuts to benefits or super) are education and health. The increases in these two sectors are the things to watch.
I’m not against rising the excise on tobacco but everyone knows that if this government was serious about reducing the harm from tobacco this isn’t the best way to go about it. The best thing to do would be to ban tobacco displays. Upping the excise takes more money out of the pockets of the poor but it has only a minor effect on reducing smoking.
Comment from an international expert reported in The Herald today reminded me that National Standards aren’t the only ideologically driven folly that Tolley is forcing down the throats of schools. She’s also doing her bit to contribute to a major health problem…
How dumb was John Carter to use his speech at the Grey Power National Conference to have a cry because Grey Power’s participating in an inquiry into aged care by Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives? You don’t try to bully Grey Power with its 100,000 members. The grey voters will be leaving National in droves.
It has taken nearly a year and cost President Obama a lot of his popularity, thanks to the spineless behaviour of many House […]
Fran O’Sullivan is a pro-business liberal or libertarian, David Garrett is a knuckle brain conservative. But actually, they’re not so far apart. It seems both believe in freedom for the rich and control over the poor. Incredibly O’Sullivan goes into bat for Garrett over his sterilisation comments.
No chance some gang f#ckwits would be deterred by longer sentences.
What happened to that plan of Key’s to end whaling?
How do we get a high wage economy when National opposes each and every wage rise?
I don’t recall the date or anything, but I remember the exact moment I decided to get politically active. Rob Muldoon was called […]
Rahui Katene is worried that people who can’t afford stomach staplings here (which supposedly cures diabetes, although the evidence is mixed) are getting […]
Tariana Turia got her stomach stapled to tackle her diabetes and it seems to have worked. She wants more people to get the […]
This is how Health Minister Tony Ryall announced the Government would be appealing the court decision to try to get out of paying people for […]
Last year, Tony Ryall announced health reforms (ironically, an additional layer of beaurcracy) that he claimed would save $700 million over five years, about […]
Yesterday John Key indicated that he might be willing to dismantle PHARMAC if it gets us a better free trade deal with the […]
Under new laws proposed by John Key we’re going to need a prescription to get any cold medicine with pseudoephedrine in it. Anyone […]
I’m a vegetarian and today, October 1st, is the worldwide day to celebrate the benefits of not eating meat and the healthy contribution […]
The health care debate going on in America is a very serious debate, and who wins it has important implications for what kind […]
I have a lot of respect for Hone Harawira. The voting for a Tory government thing has lessened it but his hatred for the […]
Very good piece by Anthony Hubbard in the Sunday Star Times: The Maori Party is pressuring the government to take tough new anti-smoking […]
I know this free condoms idea is just a remit, not Labour Party policy, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that the […]
The last video I posted had Democratic Congressman Barney Frank taking the fight to a woman in the audience of a townhall meeting […]
Last week, Tony Ryall used his time in the big chair for, surprise, surprise, a little preening. He decided to take credit for […]
I don’t know if you’ve been following the healthcare debate in the States. Obama’s trying to bring in a plan that gets their […]
Tony Ryall had his chance in the big chair yesterday, sitting in for the Prime Minister in Question Time. A chance for self-promotion, […]
Call me old fashioned if you will, but I like the idea that reforms of government activity should be concieved and implemented by […]
I just don’t see why medicating an entire population to prevent a handful of spina bifida cases, which will only work if women […]
One of the most fundamental rights at work is the right to come home at the end of the day healthy and safe. […]
New Zealanders are now the third fattest nation in the world according to a report covered in today’s Christchurch Press. New Zealand faces […]
What a horrifying sight today’s Q+A interview with Minister of Food Safety Kate Wilkinson made. It was a shameful performance from a media point […]
Former journalist John Armstrong runs National’s line on health today: The Cabinet’s loosening of rules on district health boards farming out non-urgent surgical […]
Yesterday in Question Time, Bill English sent a message loud and clear to teachers, police, doctors, nurses, and all other public servants (‘frontline’ […]
The government has changed the rules so that DHBs can make standing contracts for private hospitals to perform public elective surgeries. If DHBs […]
