Truth column May 16-22

 My Truth column for May 16-22

Criminologist Greg Newbold’s recent remarks on Maori’s over-representation in violent crime statistics reminded me of another.  A 2007 Corrections report found, “… over 16,000 Maori males currently between the ages of 20 and 29 years [over 30% of that age-band] have a record of serving one or more sentences …” Also noted was the over-representation of Maori victims because “… much crime occurs within families, social networks or immediate neighbourhoods.” This was called a “catastrophe” for Maori.

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Beagles go to parliament

Lexie and I are off to parliament to join other Beagle owners as a petition asking the government to rule out testing recreational drugs on animals is presented. I'm not heavily involved in  this campaign but can't see any case for using Beagles (chosen for their gentle easy- to- handle nature) to keep recreational drug users safe. Couldn't those who like to experiment with drugs, inherently risk-takers, test them personally?


 Update:




No Minister. No Peter Dunne. Green MP Mojo Mathers accepted the petition and she sent apologies on behalf of John Banks who also strongly opposes but couldn't attend. Some coverage here.

1 in 5 new entrants still on DPB after ten years

Here's an interesting table which reveals quite a lot about who and how long people stay on the DPB:

1 in 5 of those single parents who went on the DPB in the year to June 1998 was still on it (or back on it) ten years later. Almost one in three of those who'd had their first child under 18 were still dependent.

(If you look back from a point-in-time, the proportion that are long-term is much greater as they accumulate.)

Earlier 1998 research looking at entry (to any main benefit) in 1993 found,

35% of the 1993 entrants overall and 57% of the DPB entrants were in receipt of benefit on the five-year anniversary of their 1993 grant.......

If we could identify the long duration group early in their benefit history and turn that history around, the benefit savings would be great, possibly sufficient to support a greater up-front investment in assisting people to secure sufficient incomes to become and remain independent of the benefit system than has been contemplated in the past.

That's what the later research does and why National's reforms have targeted very young entrants.

Voter turnout

Came across this snippet from 1938 which showed a voter turnout in Wellington of 89 percent.

"...a surprising number of people on the rolls for the six Wellington seats and Hutt did not record their votes in the General Election October 15."

Did the writer express surprise because the turnout was lower than previous?

Today's Wellington and Hutt electorates voter turnout is 81 percent.

He'd be flabbergasted at the national 74 percent turnout - less than three quarters (with 58 percent in the Maori electorates.)

Roger Douglas versus Peter Conway on the budget

Rodney Hide hosted Sean Plunket's Radio Live show on friday and from 11am Roger Douglas and Peter Conway (Council of Trade Unions) discussed the budget. But it developed into a more far-reaching debate about the real problems facing NZ, especially education and welfare. Does poverty cause dysfunction or vice versa? Roger kept returning to education and the need to get it right for Maori. Conway insisted that the public schools were fine but the homes that the failing kids came out of were the problem due to poverty and unemployment. Roger used an example of a Ruatoria school run by Maori, with children mainly from beneficiary homes, that is apparently getting great results whereas the next door public school is not. The kids from the private school go on to tertiary education, the kids from the public school don't.

On welfare, Conway was adamant that when jobs were available people took them. He specifically talked about the reduction in the numbers on unemployment benefit dropping from 162,000 to 17,000 which showed that "When the jobs were there people took them and so only a very tiny number didn't...human characteristics didn't change....what changed was the opportunity and availability of work." And that all happened under Labour's investment approach.

Sounds great except the total number of people on benefits  dropped from 1 in 7 to 1 in 10. Not a very tiny number. As Roger pointed out quite a lot of people moved onto incapacity benefits which continued to rise throughout. If that is the best that can be achieved under a Labour government it leaves a lot to be desired.

You can pick up the interview here. It's covered over the four quarters from 11am to 12am, Friday May 17.

Rodney does a great job on radio. This is the kind of discussion I want to hear. And judging from caller's comments to him, so do others.

Wall sticking her neck out

Labour MP, Louisa Wall isn't going to be making herself popular with Ngai Tahu and other operators of so-called charities.

I blogged about the Shotover tax-free status 6 years ago here.

Just as charitable status for the purpose of exempting donations should be tested, so should straight out tax exemptions for organisations that  look more like businesses than charities.

We all pay too much tax because we have a too-big government. Taxes should be lower, flatter and fairer. Exemptions without obligation don't fit the last criteria.

The budget and welfare-related matters

The government is concerned about the growing student allowance bill so have restricted allowances for over 40s (from memory) to 120 weeks and made over 65s ineligible.

Can't see this saving much as less than 1 percent are over 65 (how come you can get a student allowance on Super but not if you are on any other benefit?)

91 percent of student allowance recipients are under 40 and nothing changes for them.

Next, state housing reviews to ensure people move on when their circumstances change, will be shifted into the realm of MSD. Work and Income probably know more about the circumstances of state house tenants than the landlord and are best placed to assess their needs.

Also, non-government social housing will now receive income-related rent subsidies. Unclear from the speech whether this applies to council-owned housing (if it doesn't already).

The child-related measures seemed confined to already announced extra funding for fighting rheumatic fever and extending house insulation to a further 49,000 low income homes.  No food in schools mention but more funding for mentoring NCEA level 2 students.

And more funding for budgeting services.

Truth column May 9-15

My Truth column May 9-15

Parliament resumed this week.  Why do MPs get school holidays off anyway?  Other working parents have to pay for child care or farm their offspring out to family, though I reckon quite a few break that absurd law that says a child under 14 can’t be home alone. But it wouldn’t do for an MP to break the law.  And if anyone should have to live by some of the claptrap that comes out of Parliament, it should be the claptrap creators.

My youngest went to school in the city from 11, footing it unaccompanied on city streets daily.  Am I expected to believe he’s safer there than at home?  A flying squad could swoop on thousands of homes during the school breaks and find under-age children fending for themselves. Good thing too, learning to take responsibility for themselves. I can’t fathom a law that says developing initiative and becoming independent is a bad thing.

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