Posts by James Littlewood*

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  • Hard News: Tragedy into Crisis?,

    Tom

    I hear people speaking with a kind of new-nation pride about acres of sheep farm having been cleared of the woolly residents and replaced with the industrio-cultural miracle that is sauvignon blanc.

    So, we're replacing animal protein with alcohol. Roll on the good times (hey, at least it doesn't leach methane, unless you drink too much of it).

    I hate to sound like a wowser, I really do. But I have to agree with you that we live in a society that promotes alcohol almost as a fundamental human right. The posher, the better, but anything's better than none, right.

    I don't know what's already stopping local authorities from imposing their own restrictions on liquor licences, as we do in Waitakere. The Trusts now plug millions and millions back into charities every year.

    What is Helen proposing that will enable any TLA to do anything more?

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Tragedy into Crisis?,

    When our mate Nicole was run down on Ponsonby Rd by a couple of shore boys having a race at 10 oclock on a tuesday morning, the cops were no problem. They spent a long time preparing a strong case.

    The driver who made impact got 1 year. His mate, who was racing another car, got acquited. To some, this seemed very light. For myself, I can't imagine what it's like having a death on your hands followed up with a year in the clink (albeit with time off etc.).

    However, it does seem odd that the prosecution failed to result in a sentence any longer than a moderate dope dealing rap.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Indiana Jonesing,

    *FFS, stop the mysogeny*?

    How dare you take the name of human propogation in vain - that's err sexist.

    Language - as you've shown - is subjective, and at its best at its most coloured.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Things To Do,

    Deborah you're right: fair's not always fair. The rich should pay more tax than the poor. Or rather, the poor are - by definition - obviously more deserving of tax relief than the rich.

    But while removing GST on some foods is clearly even more regressive than blanket GST, it may nevertheless make desirable foods more accessible to - well - everyone than they are now.

    'Cept of course for - as Michael and others suggest - the whole thing's completely unworkable and just ain't gonna hapn.

    Lettuce
    Bagged lettuce
    Bagged lettuce with dressing sachet

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Things To Do,

    GST is equally fair on everyone since it's the same for every transaction - when you buy an X it doesn't distinguish between rich and poor - and because it's on absolutely everything it's pretty much impossible to avoid no matter how much you earn

    Nonsense. Fred earns $50, Jo earns $100. They both pay $5 for a beer, with the same 62c in GST. Fred's paid a higher proportion of his income on GST.

    Plus, Jo earns more because he owns a company (probably an over-capp'd LAQC), so writes his beer off as a bogus business expense, paying no GST at all.

    Cheers.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Things To Do,

    Fresh foods - health foods of all kinds - cost more than junk.

    Therefore rich people people spend more money on the food that will be exempted from GST.

    Therefore rich people will save more than poor people, making GST exemptions on healthy food more regressive than blanket GST.

    No?

    All of which says to the labour govt: cut back GST. It's the one tax break you can give which National can't.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Not all victims are equal,

    Much as we'd like to dispense with the SSTrust's oversimplified, vitriolic nonsense withot further consideration, this - unfortunately - does them a disservice.

    From their membership's POV, serious crime and its perp's are as intolerable as the loss of their loved ones. Any crime rate is therefore the wrong one, besides the big fat zero.

    When Nicole was hit on Ponsonby road by 2 guys racing each other, she died. Devonportians can now vis. a statue where she used to have a flower barrow. She was - to be brief - one of the greats.

    The driver of the car that made impact got one year, the other got let off. We - her friends and family (some of whom - not me - hang out with SSTrust) - can't help but compare that to seemingly lesser crimes (i.e. that don't cause death: corporate crime, to pick a safe e.g. Various forms of abuse, to cite another) with longer sentences.

    Maybe that one year (less parole) completely ruined the guy's life. Maybe it even had some kind of osmosis effect on his *conspirator's* life too (hmm). But then again, he may have sailed through to purchase himself a new corvette on the day of his release, and be happily living the Death Proof fantasy of boy racers everywhere. We just don't know (if you're out there, I for one would sincerely treat with respect any serious attempt at dialogue).

    So, what is justice? Either the correction of the perp's ways, or some officially sanctioned misfortune to the perp, equal to that of the victim?

    To the SST's frustration, the crime seems to all about the perp, and nothing about the victim.

    The claim on these pages has the crime rate reducing. At the very least, the SST is clearly lacking appropriate support in dealing with their losses. To that extent at least the justice system is failing them.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Phoning a Friend,

    Re the Primaries: good to see on last night's Daly Show that Ralph Nader's back in town.

    He compared 2 party system to systematic capitalist oligopoly.

    Turns out that if you voted in the Texas primaries, you're prohibited to sign a petition for an indy candidate.

    In another state, you give em a cheque for $500. And in NJ, you just collect 800 signatures from, like, anyone, and you're hat's in the ring.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Random Play: Sing like you’re winning,

    A lot - maybe all - good art is enlightening, or improving.

    As Dylan said of Guthrie "Here was music you could live your life by."

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Random Play: Sing like you’re winning,

    And yes, it's more intelligent than popular music - it has to be to have withstood the test of time.

    Um ... no. "Intelligent" isn't the right word ... It's just more musically sophisticated and technically prodigious ...

    Maybe. But couple of points.

    1. I think the historical staying power of opera is more to do with its audience and patrons ... Europeans kings and queens, Masons, and polite, well educated billionnaires. That is, in earlier centuries orchetral music received the canonical status, funding and critical attention, while folk music just got on with it and looked after itself.

    2. Who cares? Longevity - while it may look important - doesn't really have any bearing on an audience's direct response to a work of art. It just tells you that someone else enjoyed it first.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

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