Posts by Sacha
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But wait, there's more. LA Times reports that settlement leaves door open for further negotiation and re-filing.
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OnPoint: Everything has changed until 2014, in reply to stephen walker,
Won't help unless all of them lift their level of commitment like that. Broader than Labour too. Time to decide what you stand for and who you're with, pollies.
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Hard News: Getting dressed for the party, in reply to Cecelia,
Cheers. If the folly went much further North than the gateway to the Parnell second home zone, it may have earned a different name.
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BSA says TVNZ responded OK to complaints about Paul Henry's denigration of Anand Satyanand, but too slowly.
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Muse: Shelf Life: The Dying Elephant in…, in reply to Sacha,
Google Books settlement refused
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OnPoint: Everything has changed until 2014, in reply to Heather Gaye,
David Cunliffe laying the smack down.
About bloody time. More of that all round, thanks.
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OnPoint: Everything has changed until 2014, in reply to James Butler,
Unless that's what you meant, of course
I'm not attached to how it's done - just had enough of the hands-off neolib bollocks this nation has suffered under for decades.
We need smart and high-value enterprises and jobs to attract and keep good people, companies and investors. We need export income to pay our way in the world. We need to pay attention to the needs of the future as well as the present; to what we leave our children and theirs (and yes, that also means assets and debts). These are not things we can keep putting off or meekly bemoaning the failure of the 'free' market to provide.
I do believe it is reasonable for government to incentivise certain types of business activity over others according to their environmental, economic and even social impacts. I am sure there are ways to do that using consistent regulations, investments and partnerships rather than some laundry list of industry niches or a wink and some pork from Field-Marshall Brownlee or Driver Joyce.
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At last, something about salvage.
Authorities have clamped down on Christchurch demolition companies salvaging valuables from buildings set to be knocked down.
After the September quake, demolition firms helped themselves to valuables in buildings marked for destruction, Christchurch business owner Chris Meyer said.
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A Civil Defence spokesman said contracts often allowed salvage rights to the demolition companies, but Civil Defence had put in a clause to stop that happening since the February 22 quake.
"Any demolition we are organising will have that clause - but if a demolition occurred before the February earthquake, then it would depend on the individual contract."
The Christchurch City Council website states: "Demolition contractors undertaking commercial or red zone demolitions are not allowed to salvage materials. Where possible, goods of value, such as business equipment, will be returned to the owner or tenant."
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Keith, care to discuss the notion of "crowding out" that Key introduced in his Q&A appearance on Sunday.
JOHN Well, I think we need to take a step back and, say, if you look at New Zealand, it has a number of structural issues it just simply has to front up to. One of those is on the economic front, where we need to rebalance to a more export-orientated productive economy where the Crown doesn’t crowd out the private sector. It’s equally true that both the structure of government and ultimately the structure of the welfare system need reform.
Is he saying that the champions of the free market can't deliver unless our (average-sized) state sector is hobbled? And how does this relate to poor quality business leadership being a known factor impeding the country's productivty?
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OnPoint: Everything has changed until 2014, in reply to Bart Janssen,
The only argument I can see for not taxing more is that it takes money out of the economy
Depends who you tax - poorer people spend more of their income; rich ones have other options. Taxes on other than income and consumption have been recommended by experts and ignored by this government. I would prefer to see smart tax changes that incentivise investment in sustainable productive businesses rather than imported cars or a third house.