Friday 1 February 2008

Shortage, thy name is socialism

Water's running short, electricity's on the blink, hospitals are crumbling, schools aren't working, and -- as school students head back next week --- roads are once again getting gridlocked.  Can you see the common factor in all of the above listed shortages?  (For those too dim to turn the lights on, the government 'owns' them all.)

Meanwhile those who endorse government ownership of the means of production continue to denounce the rampant consumerism, overflowing shelves and abundant prosperity produced by the engines of capitalism, however much the forces of capitalism remain shackled by their lacklustre heroes.

S'funny, isn't it.  'Privatisation' is too horrifying a word for the Blue Team to even contemplate, yet failure is the leading result of the unfortunately leading alternative.

It's a funny old world.  It's like prosperity and abundance are bad things.

The only abundance that rampant government meddling ever seems to produce is rising interest rates consequent on government's grip on banking, exploding house prices consequent on the grip of government planners over house building, exploding compliance costs for every business consequent on rapidly rising regulations and impositions, and steadily rising  youth crime consequent on several generations of failed government programmes (one in particular),  ... yet the only unshackling from government proposed by any of the mainstream political parties is, when the tax burden upon us is at another historic high, very timid, almost derisory cuts in the amount governments plan to steal from us.

Meanwhile, you lot just sit back and vote for more of the same, and nod sagely as you say "that's all one can really do, you know."  You make me sick.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps you'd be a lot less frustrated is you realise that

1. People do not want smaller govt - they want more efficient govt.

2. Nobody actually cares about really cutting government spending. What taxpayers want is for government spending to be cut on those programmes that are of no benefit to themselves.

That's the reality of the matter. JK knows it, which is one of the reasons he is doing so well.

Anonymous said...

Peter - I'm gobsmacked by the link to UnityAotearoa - I never knew there was such a hardline socialist unit in NZ. What a bunch of sad losers. Cheers, Elliot.

Matt Burgess said...

What taxpayers want is for government spending to be cut on those programmes that are of no benefit to themselves.

That isn't true at all. Voters do not vote in their self interest. They vote their values, very often in spite of their interests. Any given taxpayer probably uses only a tiny fraction of government services, but that doesn't mean they vote for less government.

See "The Myth of the Rational Voter"

Matt Burgess said...

Meanwhile, you lot just sit back and vote for more of the same, and nod sagely as you say "that's all one can really do, you know." You make me sick.

That is exactly how I feel. Hearing Key announce his loan repayment incentive, which just adds more bureaucracy to what is already an enormous load of it, and knowing that is what wins votes in NZ made me realise I am surrounded by people who think that kind of open bribery using other people's money is not only acceptable but desirable.

I am genuinely sad to live in this country some days and that was one of them.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I wish our government were more like Dubai. They actualy GIVE money to their citizens.

Anonymous said...

Ah...PC ever the consummate political animal. "You make me sick" (because you don't vote for my party of choice), that will get em!

Your just as dishonest as the rest, if the libertarians had any real nads they would change the name of the party to the 'objectivist party' as that is what it actually is, when Perigo had Darnton on the radio they never went near any of the more 'out there' libertarian policies, just more snappy catch phases and back slapping bullshit.

Anonymous said...

Nonsense Matt B. Voters vote in their rational self-interest, whatever they perceive that to be. Do not expect anyone to vote otherwise.

Bearing that in mind, the idea of smaller govt is probably more unpopular now than it has EVER been.

Craig - if Libz would call themselves 'The Objectivist Party' they would do a lot better IMO. Doing a political clifftop tango with the proto-fascist right - as evidenced by the comments in the tagger thread, not to mention religion and abortion, has been very detrimental.

Constantly trying to nip the hindquarters of John Key doesn't help much either.

Anonymous said...

"Constantly trying to nip the hindquarters of John Key doesn't help much either."

Doesn't help who exactly? You? The national socialist workers farmer party?

What makes you think that it matters whether the fuhrer is Key or Clark or some other flunctionary? They do the same things. They lead to the same results.

Reckon you an' Craig should start a family... or perhaps not; that would be inbreeding.

LGM

KG said...

I like "flunctionary" LGM--mind if I borrow it?

Anonymous said...

KG

Sure. You're welcome to.

What are you going to write?

LGM

KG said...

I thought perhaps a glossary of terms for the many and varied forms of bureaucrats and flunkeys we're saddled with, lgm.

Anonymous said...

KG

A good idea. Let me know when you post it!

LGM