Posts by Kyle Matthews
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
It's hard to know what to think about the timing of Edwards's endorsement - he had to do it sometime so over-analysing is a definite risk - but it's hard not to see it as a (sucessful) response to Clinton's arguments about the working class vote and the Michigan/Florida stand-off.
The interview that was linked to here a few days ago, he basically said that he respected both of them and didn't want to interfere in the race.
I wonder now if speculation will tip over to Gore.
-
Yes, exactly. And the way to do this is to tax consumption. Which we can do, because we have complete control of taxation in the New Zealand consumer market. This is the only thing the NZ government controls, but we avoid using this control to help save the planet.
That's not the only thing we control. We control the incredibly cushy deal that Tiwai Smelter gets.
Neither method has any control over the rest of the world. The aluminium from Tiwai goes to Japan, and we have no control over that consumer market.
That doesn't mean we should ignore the producers completely. We can't control what other countries do in their part of the world, but we can at least take some ethical responsibility for what takes place in NZ. If smelters stopped getting such great deals from countries, the price of the finished product would go up, and there'd be less demand.
-
I suspect the PM would quite happily let it go. The Labour Ministers have been tagged with it because they were aware of it while it was being investigated and didn't intervene (apparently under legal advice).
The fact that she was appointed (twice?) by lying about her qualifications on National's watch doesn't seem to have risen to the surface very well. I'm sure Cullen will remind everyone of that fact if he hasn't already.
-
Ooh Postman Pat. Good imagery. Now you need to photoshop a black and white cat in Trevor's car window, to complete the picture.
-
Kyle -- if your student loan is zero-interest (or even if it's just lower-interest than the mortgage!), then surely the choice is a no-brainer: pay down the mortgage before doing anything about the student loan.
Oh I'm not making voluntary payments. I make enough 'voluntary payments' in the form of child support already, compulsory loan payments, and tax already (my marginal tax rate is the delightful figure of 67%).
The only reason I would make voluntary payments, if for some reason I found a couple of grand lying around, would be to clear it which would increase my take-home pay. It doesn't make financial sense in the long term, but at that stage the lost money is probably only a hundred dollars or so, and it'd be worth that to have less stress a year early.
-
What they don't do is to security check you at any stage. So if you had an accomplice (like an LAX cleaner) hide weapons in the lounge area, you could get on the continuing flight with them.
That's the case with any exit lounge, not just a transit one at LAX. You could say the same of the sole exit lounge at Dunedin airport. Once in there, you could pick up a small nuclear bomb and carry it on board the plane.
-
On the leg thing, get to the airport early and request an exit door seat.
Sadly (because of the requirement that you open the door), they exclude those of us that travel with small kids.
-
So unless the plane has every second row empty, one should not use the recline at all, ever? Maybe the airlines should disable that feature?
Yup. Either of those things would be good.
-
Actually my argument is more like - efficient smelters built in places where they can utilise close by green power sources are the best possible way to minimise AGW from aluminium production.
No the best way to minimise the effects of aluminium production is to demand less aluminium in the market which will lead to less smelters producing it.
So if building a smelter at Aramoana is what it takes to prevent the flooding of Mission Bay, it is a sacrafice I am willing to make.
Which it clearly won't do.
-
so, for a $300,000 mortgage, your weekly interest bill would move from $460 to $575. an extra $115 is not a huge sum, but it has to come from somewhere.
Man, I wish I could say 'an extra $115/week is not a huge sum'.
I'm in a race between paying off my student loan, and my mortgage coming off a 5 year fixed rate in about 30 months. The mortgage is going to win by about 18 months at present, if interest rates are still this high... who knows how that's going to work.