That's it. Not voting for Nat

[mark247]

I think it's a great idea. I'm going to vote for National twice!

[shafty]

I was a solo mother for 10 years. During that time I worked full time as a chef. The boys were below school age and the child care was crippling. But I prefer my independance.

Changed careers when they went to school so I could spend more time with them.

It is possible to work while being a solo parent and my kids have a very good work ethic and my 12 year recently got himself a paper route to earn enough money for a laptop.

Would he have had the same drive if I had stayed home? I have no idea. But I am really proud of how hard he works.

Congratulations Jorja, - I too reckon gettin kids earn pocket money is the best start in life they could get. Not always poss I know, but the National approach is aimed at the mainstream career Benefit claimant

[MIXONE]

Fully 1/3 of our tax take goes on benefits of some kind.
Less people on benefits=more tax $ for education,health,roading etc.

[Skyryder]

Not all solo parents have "choosen" on purpose ta have kids on their own. I know so many that have have their child to someone they thought they would be with for a long time only ta have life pull that plug out on them one way or another.

By the way, I a single 45yr old male that has not kids of my own (that is just the way life has gone for me), BUT I have so many friend that are solo parents and most of them are struggling ta get by. They do not need smart arses that have had better luck in life giving them a hard time about not pulling their weight. It will not help them and does not help their kids. Reward those that make the effort, but don't knock those that are just trying ta get by.

I'm with you on this one RB. There's too much generalization with Keys policy but it's there only for those that see all beneficiaries as being in the same basket. Once they bring in the core policy they will rachet it up even further. Fifteen hours will upped to twentyfive, given over to private enterprise to administer with bonuses to the CEO for savings etc. Having said that there are far too many young teenage girls who do see the DPB as a free ride. They are far too young to understand the implications of deliberatley getting pregnant for a free ride. I would have liked to see some policy and resourses for combating this. Key has just 'lashed out' at all beneficiaries for no other reason than political purposes. For someone who takes pride that he came from a 'benifit' family it would be interesting to know the working circumstances of his family.


Skyryder

[Skyryder]

What? People with skills ready and waiting to work when the economy picks up?

How many Islanders do we bus in every fruit picking season? There are still plenty of jobs out there don't believe everything the MSM tells you.

Treasury's view of last month's indicators add to a growing body of opinion the economy is in recession and it says things might not improve until towards the end of the year.

from http://www.stuff.co.nz/4644005a13.html

Cullen believes it will pick up but at present treasury is of the opinion that we are now in a recession which is what Bradford said on the News 11-8-08.


Skyryder

[MSTRS:Me]

Key has just 'lashed out' at all beneficiaries for no other reason than political purposes. For someone who takes pride that he came from a 'benifit' family it would be interesting to know the working circumstances of his family.

Bullshit. No matter the background of a polly, if the idea is sound it will work on it's own merits.
And the idea of breaking the benefit cycle is good. Time someone did something. If nothing changes, then guess what...nothing changes.

[mstriumph]

People don't just have kids by 'accident', ..........

unfortunately they do
and the current system, both in nz and oz, encourages them to turn that one mistake into a lifelong career financed from the public purse

reform is necessary - compassionate reform that breaks the cycle without penalizing the minority special needs cases

[Swoop]

Cullen believes it will pick up...

Cullen is a fuckwit who struggles to count to ten using his fingers. Mr Cheshire Cat should be minister of paper clips.


Anyway, back on topic.
Sanx posted a superb comment regarding another similar topic (the dole).
Paraphrased and adjusted to relevance here: "The (DPB) should be there as a safety net, not a hammock".
Quite true!
NZ has a "breeding industry" that established itself as a lifestyle choice for some.

[Skyryder]

Bullshit. No matter the background of a polly, if the idea is sound it will work on it's own merits.
And the idea of breaking the benefit cycle is good. Time someone did something. If nothing changes, then guess what...nothing changes.

If Keys ideas are sound why does he do so many U Turns. This is not about getting benificeries into the work force and any one who believes that needs dose of reality pills. This policy is for the Provider Industry. It is simply there to change subsidy(benifit) of the indaviduls to the Provider sector. This was tried once before and it was a disaster.
As to the Keys background I agree that ideas must be sound but the childs background sets the tone for adult life. Key comes from a background of social benifits which he 'trades off' politicly. His working life is that of a money trader who contributes nothing to the economy. Like I said the background sets the standard for Adult life.


Skyryder

[Dilligaf]

If Keys ideas are sound why does he do so many U Turns. This is not about getting benificeries into the work force and any one who believes that needs dose of reality pills. This policy is for the Provider Industry. It is simply there to change subsidy(benifit) of the indaviduls to the Provider sector. This was tried once before and it was a disaster.


Skyryder

Then why are so many providers now moving to an outcomes based model? I know in the Waikato, over half of the providers have gone out of business simply because they were not outcome based and could not provide results for the MSD.

[Skyryder]

Cullen is a fuckwit who struggles to count to ten using his fingers. Mr Cheshire Cat should be minister of paper clips.


Anyway, back on topic.
Sanx posted a superb comment regarding another similar topic (the dole).
Paraphrased and adjusted to relevance here: "The (DPB) should be there as a safety net, not a hammock".
Quite true!
NZ has a "breeding industry" that established itself as a lifestyle choice for some.

Yes I agree that the DPB should be used as a safety net. However that was not it's intention when Kirk bought this in. I think it was Kirk. The DPB was a benifit to give married woman, not solo mothers, a benifit so that they could get out of violent and bad marriages. At present both Labour and National have not made any significant attempts to bring the DPB back into line for it's intended purpose. If Key had focused on unmarried mothers, those that deliberaltly get pregnant for a free ride, instead of lumping all solo parnets into the same basket I might have been a bit more sympathetic to this but he has not. Instead this has all been lumped together as one.


Skyryder

[MSTRS:Me]

If Keys ideas are sound why does he do so many U Turns.

Cos he hasn't learned the black art of teflon....
I agree sort of re the back into work thing, but wanting to break the cycle of state dependency has to start somewhere. Ultimately, it is the state telling lazy arses that the writing is on the wall for their choice of lifestyle. How many people do you know that feel useless without a job, and will do almost anything to change that? There are great wodges of beneficeries that feel no such thing, and there is no incentive for them to change anything.

[Skyryder]

Then why are so many providers now moving to an outcomes based model? I know in the Waikato, over half of the providers have gone out of business simply because they were not outcome based and could not provide results for the MSD.

That's the way it should be but I see no policy that Keys Providers need to be outcome based. So far all that he has said it that benificieries must enroll in some kind of training. I suspect that Schools may be employed in this training which in itself is an improvement from the past. But given that there is a perception that Key wants to privatise the education system it seems to me (early that it is) that many providers will simply just set themselves up as schools for the cash cow than private education will become.


Skyryder

[Swoop]

At present both Labour and National have not made any significant attempts to bring the DPB back into line for it's intended purpose.

Well labour has had nine years to attend to it, but there is bugger all chance of them doing anything like that.
They have to build the perfect nanny state to protect us from ourselves and encourage this.

National will have a massive task, when elected, of changing the mindset of the population away from the "big brother" state mentality.

[Lias]

Where's the party that wants to require manadatory licenses to breed!

They'll get my vote.. Some people just shouldnt breed.