HANG ON A MINUTE.....

Thank goodness someone has his feet firmly on the ground before we're all taken off on yet another flight of fancy.

Seems Dr Brash is touting his idea to cut government spending to what it was four years ago.  Could it be that the free-market revolution continues to be the panacea of all our economic woes?  Or maybe there's just a whiff of Roger Douglas here
Anyway, here's the upshot...............

It says anyone earning more than $14,000 a year would pay less tax and that would lead to  "a surge of enterprise, excitement about the future, and stronger economic growth".

But, to pay for the tax cuts and to stimulate the economy, Brash's report proposes cutting government spending to 2005 levels of 29 percent of GDP, within three years.

That would see some $9 billion cut from core government operating spending. Proposals for achieving this include:

* "Ambitious"  welfare reform including cutting beneficiary numbers, raising age of super eligibility, fewer universal subsidies

* Scrapping Kiwisaver subsidies and axing the Cullen super fund and using the cash to repay debt

* End cheap doctors' visits and scrap prescription subsidies for middle class

* Cut funding for early childhood education

* Scrap interest-free student loans

* Abolish youth minimum wage and cut adult minimum wage

Hmm........?  This just came to mind.............................

RING A RING O'ROSES

a pocketful of posies, atishoo, atishoo, all fall down

"Now, be sure that you're all in step..................."

ALL THAT HOO-HA

over the foreshore and seabed debacle, could leave someone with a sinking feeling----------- don't you think......................?

ARTFUL DODGER

So, have the economic experiments of the 1980s really paid off.............?
It seems, flying free on the taxpayer might be getting up a few noses, but where there's entitlement. Why not?

But Sir, is this what you would have expected from your employees?
Of course, all there in signed contracts, clear as mud..........
And Sir, may I ask how you treated your reps?  Did they have all the usual perks;  company car, expense account, manageable territory ....................................?

Well, it seems that tearing all around the North Island, away three weeks out of four, did little to appeal to one Red Seal applicant back in the 80's before exiting the interview post haste.

No free travel here as it turned out.  Running the prospective rep's own car into the ground peddling the company's wares, the final straw.

Solace from the Beehive..

This little piggy went to market.

This little piggy stayed at home.
This little piggy has roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy cried "Wee! Wee! Wee!" all the way home.......................................

And there's nothing like being back home after all that jetting around I say...
Yeah, I know..............Be damned if you do. Be damned if you don't. Anyway an MP's life is tough and a few perks here and there never compensate for all the flak I can tell you..!

So, what's the latest gripe.....? Skiving off? Carting the girlfriend along? Running off at the mouth? Who cares..........?

Reckon you can do better?  Hmmph... you'd need my brain for that. So why not throw your hat into the ring. Give it a go. See what happens?

And I reckon it takes real guts to put up with the crap we get----
Er........... yes Prime Minister, working on the language problem, crap in hand. Really sorry for what I said!  But not for what it bloody-well means...................................!