The Book of Ashes

Lost hours/days... 9:24PM

I've been busy. I've had things on. The dog got sick and I had to nurse it back to health. My computer broke down and I had to hand carve some little cogs to get it going again. You've all heard the excuses before, why I haven't been posting much, but really I've gone over to the dark side (hi Tom) where work is more important than posting up, where a social life plays a larger part than my virtual one online, where I've just got other things to do.

It's quite lucky really that I can type fast and get these done in a matter of minutes. Otherwise I wouldn't find time. I'm still waiting for someone to invent mail order clones; send away a swap from your mouth and 12 months later you receive another you in the mail with a kit for hooking up and transferring across all your memories.

So I'm back (who knows for how long). I've been learning, refining, becoming. Such is the path I long ago set out upon. My latest rise has been the observation and assimilation of political knowledge. We've just had an election here. Previously I could name one or two polititions, the prime minister, Helen Clark and a few others. I didn't know any electorates or who was in the running for them. I didn't know the difference between left or right (or who was which and what they stood for) apart from the L and R's tattoo'ed on the backs of my hands from high school. I was ignorant but it had never really effected me. No matter who got in or what policies were put in place I didn't care (why you scream, getting up on your seat, what about public health, education, your student loan) and it didn't matter. What ever happened effected everyone and I was adaptable I adjusted to whatever policy was in place. This was a good thing. The fact that I didn't know the policies was a bad thing. I think the reason I started paying interest was because of my interest in investments and that has only come about because I have paid off my student loan and now have money to invest.

So the giant leap from investments to politics. Not so giant really. Some policies are all reaching and all powerful, they effect the economy, the public health and our employment rate. They almost directly effect anything I want to do with my money in the future. Buying a house? Labour is going to get in, they are introducing their savings policy that can be cashed in to put a deposit on a house, this will come about in a couple of years time (people will start cashing in their savings for deposits on houses) and I think before that time the low to middle income people who it will effect most will hold off on buying a house, maybe, just maybe that will mean that house prices will fall before that time and maybe, just maybe it means that house prices will rise (for a short period) once people start cashing them in. Who knows? But it pays to think about these things.

Politics... 9:44PM

So this election what did I learn?

That labour won mostly the major cities (and the West Coast and Palmy) and National won mostly the rural areas. It was a definite split.

That people are ill informed. They mostly base their vote on a few key points that effect them most and are swayed by advertising. They don't take into account all information and whats best for the country (which for many will be good for the individual as well).

That many of the policies pledged were crap. National did a focus group to find out what people wanted then pledged those things. No worries that wouldn't help the country. I mean settling all treaty claims by 2010 (5 years) and doing it honerably when the best estimate is currently for 2020 and I think that will still blow out a little. They didn't care, they just wanted votes and the problem out of the way. The surprising thing is how many people convince themselves its a good thing. My workmate -

"umm, nah its only to register claims by 2010, yeah thats it it must be (I'm voting for it)"

"they are just free riding off it, getting free money thats on going (give me an example and a better way of dealing with it)"

"we're doing crap (NZ) with high tax rates and crap everything (I thought we had good everything, low unemployment, good standards of living, good roads, not the best at anything but still not bad)"

Anyway a guy came out of the polling booth. His partner? said "Guess who I voted for... National" to get him riled up and did he ever. He went off at her, "you didn't?!", "do you want to end up like Bush, you know what you've done now!!!! ahhhh." he was worked up. She was just kidding but regretting having said that I bet. People get a little worked up over it.

Another thing. So we have a surplus in the budget. That was for the previous year been. A lot of people think we should get tax cuts. Is that your view? Are you thinking of yourself or whats best for the country? It costs a lot for tax cuts, that much has been proven. The forcast for the next couple of years is a slowing economy and for the surplus to disapear, maybe we could even go into a deficit? This is why Cullen didn't apply tax cuts but in his budget suggested hooking the tax rate up with inflation so it continuously adjusted rather than falling behind. National wanted tax cuts. It was their big card, more money in the pocket, keep the economy going. That I don't know about, I don't know the effect on keeping the economy going but I do know that if we no longer have the surplus how do we afford it? Do we borrow to put ourselves further in debt? Do we cut back on the public sector like they want to (but we need more resources to get those treaty claims settled by 2010 and more nurses for the hospitals and more...not less)? I don't know that people thought much about that (or wanted to).

And then theres Labour, bringing out the student loan deal. Interest free student loans for people who stay in NZ. First thing I said to my two brothers (with student loans) was to just pay off the minimum, pay off any extra into a bank account and earn interest on it, then when the policy runs out, pay it all off at once and keep the interest, so rather than paying interest on your student loan you're earning interest on it while paying it off and at the governments expense. Sounds like I'm taking advantage right? But its a policy they put out for people to use. I think its as bad as the download your entire years loan allotment at once idea (which was quickly enough refined to weekly allotments once they realised everyone was using it for computers, cars and holidays not to mention drinking money).

So enough rabble from me. I've got my foot in the door and I've learnt a little to help me through next time. I don't like any of the parties, I think I could do better than all of them and in that respect I'm in the same boat as most people who are passionate about politics. I'm too good looking to be a politician though and not nearly old enough.

I think Helen Clark is good at what she does and honest (for a politician) and Don Brash is a dick. I think people forget that Labour has done well this past term and focus on what they haven't done yet (why try improve when we're doing better than we've done in a long time)? I think a change of government right now would have set National up for a fall next time round. I think I need another beer...