Congratulations 48%

[DrunkenMistake]

If you look closely you will see that during Labours final term the amount of government debt did rise by around $1.6bn, not quite $11bn. Then if you look at the last 3 years it rose around $23bn!

The last 3 years we have been in a recession and had to borrow to get ourselves out of it, how about dem aleims?

[mashman]

So why didn't you just turn in an empty voting paper?? Means a hell of a lot more and actually has an affect. Not voting at all states nothing.

If it's a private statement then ok. But then don't expect others to take you seriously. Who is going to listen to someone who doesn't back their own beliefs by putting it on paper??

To be honest I'd never considered plonking an empty paper in the box, ha. You may well have me putting my first piece of voting paper into a box next time around... although I'd prefer to tick a box that specified my non vote vote. Not voting speaks volumes to others, perhaps your definition need an update.

Obviously I'm really really worried and concerned that I'm not taken seriously. Technically putting an unticked piece of paper into a ballot box isn't putting it on paper, as nothing has been put on the paper by me declaring my vote. fuck it, I take it back, I won't stick the paper in the box, you've talked me back out of it again

[shrub]

The last 3 years we have been in a recession and had to borrow to get ourselves out of it, how about dem aleims?

yeah, that's been a great excuse, but I'm curious as to exactly what National did to get us out of said recession. I've had a good long think about it, and apart from laying off public servants and giving a tax cut to high income earners they haven't really implemented any strategies. Oh, sorry, I forgot, the cycle way and the 9 day fortnight. And of course the home insulation scheme created a lot of work and will result in significant long term savings in energy use and health costs. That was just about their best achievement - pity it wasn't actually their idea.

[avgas]

Not voting is taken as meaning those people agree with whatever the outcome is because they didn't try to change it. What their actual intentions were is unknown and because they didn't make the effort many people ignore them.

Change it to what? State what they could have changed it to?

At best all they could have done was get labour in instead of National. Perhaps it was a case they agree with neither?
You might benefit asking "why" rather that stating what you clearly do not understand.

As mentioned earlier - people have voted in governments while others did not (vote). If history tells us anything, eventually it gets to a point where these people (that did not vote) make their intentions very clear.
Unfortunately innocent people usually die after.

If I gave you a choice between a red rope or a blue rope, to hang yourself with. Which would you choose?

[avgas]

So why didn't you just turn in an empty voting paper?? Means a hell of a lot more and actually has an affect. Not voting at all states nothing.

People have.
It counts as the same thing. So apart from making someone feel better achieves nothing.

The only way people have broken out of these systems is usually blood in the streets.
Democracy can be more than putting a bit of paper in a box. Unfortunately.

[BoristheBiter]

To be honest I'd never considered plonking an empty paper in the box, ha. You may well have me putting my first piece of voting paper into a box next time around... although I'd prefer to tick a box that specified my non vote vote. Not voting speaks volumes to others, perhaps your definition need an update.

Obviously I'm really really worried and concerned that I'm not taken seriously. Technically putting an unticked piece of paper into a ballot box isn't putting it on paper, as nothing has been put on the paper by me declaring my vote. fuck it, I take it back, I won't stick the paper in the box, you've talked me back out of it again

I'm going change my name to "none of the above"
and start a party called "tick this box".

[SPman]

If I gave you a choice between a red rope or a blue rope, to hang yourself with. Which would you choose?

Blue - to match my blood!

[avgas]

Blue - to match my blood!

Great decision sir.

However votes are now in, with National (the party you voted for) now in charge they have changed what you receive.
Please see attached you cute blue bear in return.

[superman]

How about a gracious... ok yes National have power because they got more votes.

Woopdishit, Centre-Left/Right parties are pretty much the same, the most contentious issue being the sale of 3% of our state assets.

HARDLY THE END OF THE WORLD.

[Edbear]

How about a gracious... ok yes National have power because they got more votes.

Woopdishit, Centre-Left/Right parties are pretty much the same, the most contentious issue being the sale of 3% of our state assets.

HARDLY THE END OF THE WORLD.

Yeah, needs a wee bit more than that...

[imdying]

if there was the option of "Noone" on the piece of paper, I'd go to the polling booth and tick it. There isn't, so I don't, but I have still voted.

You can make your vote informal, all of those are counted. We have a long list of informal vote types, including 'NO SUITABLE CANDIDATE', although I've seen some good pictures drawn too

So it would appear that you've twisted the truth. For the record, did you cast a ballot, informal or otherwise?

[Fast Eddie]

I drew a cock on my vote but I think it just counted as a vote for John Key

[Ocean1]

You'll also see that selling shit like electricity and airfares generated $15.1 bn, more than twice as much as the tax paid by the corporate sector, who paid less than 1/3 as much tax as private individuals. Interesting, huh?

Fascinating.

What percentage of their respective incomes did the corperate and private individual pay in tax?

[shrub]

To be honest I'd never considered plonking an empty paper in the box, ha. You may well have me putting my first piece of voting paper into a box next time around... although I'd prefer to tick a box that specified my non vote vote. Not voting speaks volumes to others, perhaps your definition need an update.

Obviously I'm really really worried and concerned that I'm not taken seriously. Technically putting an unticked piece of paper into a ballot box isn't putting it on paper, as nothing has been put on the paper by me declaring my vote. fuck it, I take it back, I won't stick the paper in the box, you've talked me back out of it again

Not voting is essentially an anarchistic act because you are deliberately rejecting all forms of social control available. It could be seen as a very passive demonstration of anarchy in that you aren't actually doing anything, or if an active decision it's the most extreme because you are intentionally rejecting not just the political parties but the very democratic system itself.

But not voting is in most cases a cop out because there is no perfect party: there never has been and there never will be. I think it also demonstrates intellectual laziness because the person concerned hasn't bothered evaluating every political party to find the one that is the best fit. Even in a MMP environment most people still think in terms of National and Labour, and left and right. One of the characteristics of most modern representative democracies is that the left and right continuum is very fuzzy and parties ideological positions change constantly.

I voted Green because they while I didn't like of their policies, there were none that I was really unhappy about whereas I couldn't say the same about any other party, and in fact Act, National and to a lesser extent Labour all had policies that I rejected outright. And while all the parties had some good ideas, I think the Greens had more of the best ideas than their competitors and accepted most of the other parties better ideas (e.g. capital gain tax). Right now New Zealand needs new ideas and fresh thinking more than ever in our history, but sadly the only parties weaker than National in that area are Act and NZ Future. Our government.

[shrub]

Fascinating.

What percentage of their respective incomes did the corperate and private individual pay in tax?

The personal rate is 10.5 to 33%. The top personal is lower than the Netherlands, Norway, Australia, Sweden and Germany. It's also higher than Palestine, Iceland, Jamaica, Mexico and Kazakhstan, so we need to follow their lead.

Corporate tax rate is 28% and it's lower than Australia, Germany and Japan but it's higher than Sweden, South Korea. Personally I think the corporate tax rate is about right and the personal is a bit low, and that's a big reason why the government struggles to balance it's books. The only problem is we have been fed the doctrine that the only way to grow is to cut tax and that we are paying too much tax for decades now so common sense will never prevail and we will always have governments that go broke in order for you and I to have enough money to buy more shit that we don't need. I know a lot of people look for tax cuts to improve their circumstances, but personally I prefer to either cut my cloth or lift my income by making myself more valuable and productive.