Welcome to NZ

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Will it take a miracle or the point of a gun to get a little commonsense into New Zealand
politics? In reality we shouldn't need either. There's nothing wrong with our political system but sadly it's human cupidity that creates mayhem. Our politicians aren't the most brilliant of people, yet insist their elitism as 'leaders,' entitle them to concoct whatever laws they deem fit. With their honesty ranking on the bottom of the trusted list and the election more than a year away, we now have party leaders appealing to popular prejudices in the hope of gathering votes.

There are two major political parties. The ruling coalition Labour Party and the out of flavour National Party. Labour used to be the socialist working class party that attracted the Maori vote. National was the conservative right wing representing farming and business interests. Interestingly, NZ has always been a socialist type country, yet National has ruled for the bulk of the last century. In recent years, Labour has swung from extreme left to the middle of the road, while National has veered from extreme right to hug the white line in the middle. With both driving in opposite directions on the same road, there are bound to be collisions.

In practise there's not much between them. It's a two horse race with both tripping over their misrepresentations and getting unimpressively nowhere. Thus, the propaganda lies have started.

The National Party leader, Don Brash has attacked Maori by saying that they should be
treated as normal Kiwis. Nothing wrong with that, one might think. He has also stated that
there should be no parole for prisoners, 50% of whom are Maori. Whoops! This has
appealed to the white Jackass Mentality majority. Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark, has decided that the hundred and ten billion-year-old foreshore and seabed belong to everybody, and Maori claiming historic ownership was not in the national interest. Maori retaliated by raising two fingers and started their own Maori Party. Being a racial minority, at most they will win a few seats in Parliament. This mean that they will be a minor coalition partner with little say. But good luck to them. My wife's a Maori and I have to be positive or she'll thump me.

Both major party concepts are nonsense, yet according to the spin doctors, have immense vote catching (buying) potential. Sadly, the interests of the common people have been ignored in the flurry of accusations and denials. Each concept will be to the advantage of the followers and the opposition who will obviously miss out. In recent years both parties have introduced legislation designed to appeal primarily to the Jackass Mentality. Most new laws are little more than crackpot ideas, such as Labour's no smoking in bars and National promoting big business and the moving the manufacturing of consumer items offshore for cheaper costs. Neither contributes anything sensible to the average Kiwi who loses the freedoms he fought in numerous wars to maintain. Soon, Kiwis won't be able to smoke in bars and few domestic manufacturing jobs will exist. Violent smoking arguments in bars have already started and 127 jobs making electric blankets have just been moved to China. How does this benefit Kiwis?

There are a number if minor party coalition members whose sole interest is to remain in
minority power in the hope of influencing the major parties to their way of thinking. To my
prejudiced mind which I have yet to make up. Rodney Hide's Act Party is the only group of
politicians promoting individual freedom, sensible taxes and individual (politically incorrect) responsibility. To my unthinking self, this seems most appropriate as I have always held strong opinions about what I like or don't like, should I ever get around to thinking about them. When and if I make up my mind, I will probably vote Act because they've given me the freedom to be decisive without being in a position to force stupid laws down my throat without consultation. Thus, I have freedom of thought. Unfortunately, most NZ politicians are against ordinary people thinking at all. The last thing they want is an intelligent population who can make up their own minds as to what commonsense means. I guess that's why education has been dumbed down to ensure the unheeding Jackass Mentality rule Godzone. It's no wonder people smoke.