Posts by Sacha
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Hard News: The Editorial Image, in reply to Hilary Stace,
The argument was primary economic - about the cost of disabled people, and how it was a cost to the rest of the citizens
This still drives our Immigration Service's approach that prospective disabled migrants are a 'burden on the health system'. IHC's latest newsletter notes recent cases (scroll down, no direct link).
I'd add that the department was originally seeking an official exemption from the UN Convention's non-discrimination provisions until they were talked out of it by other NZ public servants. Old attitudes don't die without strong leadership and action.
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And yes, there is a fair equivalence when our govt acts to selectively control the reproduction of targeted sections of the population. It's not a cheap shot to raise the Nazi spectre in this matter. People need to be reminded where this sort of thinking can go. Who's next?
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Hard News: The Editorial Image, in reply to Russell Brown,
This longer essay indicates how widespread and respectable eugenicist ideas were in New Zealand in the early 20th century
Strongly recommend Hilary's essay. The revelations about the Plunket Society's underpinnings were eye-opening for me.
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Hard News: Press Play > Budget, in reply to BlairMacca,
it does however mean that those people can now afford to buy shares in privatised state assets. #winning
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Hard News: Press Play > Budget, in reply to BlairMacca,
'to encourage growth' #fail
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Hard News: Press Play > Budget, in reply to Matthew Poole,
As Russell said, yesterday English not only admitted the Roads of Dubious Significance haven't been assessed against Treasury's guidelines, he stated they won't be assessed because, as best I can understand, they're election promises.
To clarify, the Treasury guidelines mentioned are more recent than the business cases for most of the RONS, which were assessed against standard transport economic modelling frameworks - but it's true, without some of the rigour Treasury usually insists on for other capital projects.
Those cases were not done until after the projects were announced as a done deal. When it became clear that the benefit-cost ratios for some were less than 1, pressure went on for the cases to be reworked until they delivered the politically-desired result.
Rod Oram's 2010 article is a highly recommended read.
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Hard News: Press Play > Budget, in reply to Hilary Stace,
But all better than nothing.
We don't really know that yet without taking into account the other side of the ledger, but certainly better than no gross increase at all.
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Hard News: Press Play > Budget, in reply to Hilary Stace,
What's most needed with disability budget items are figures about what the increases would need to be merely to keep up with inflation and demographic changes. I'm not holding my breath.
The trade union economists usually do a good job of that with the overall Health spend if someone can track down the recent link (CTU I think).
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Capture: Cats Love Cameras, in reply to Nora Leggs,
woodwinds
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Hard News: The Editorial Image, in reply to Lilith __,
and their daughters
that bit sealed the deal for me.