Rich and the poor

That’s Rich
The Tories just don’t get it do they? Making assumptions about low income people without ever having known what it is like to choose between school shoes and school lunches. In last nights “The Star” Katherine Rich writes how Kiwis are feeling the pinch due to recent inflation pressures. Naturally this is all the fault of Labour’s policies and in particular Dr Cullen’s over taxation and poor fiscal management.
Yes the economy is screwed up at the moment but that’s got more to do with Bush’s over spend on war and the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US. We are just a small boat in the big sea of international economy and when the US makes big waves the we along with most other countries can do bugger all about apart from battening down the hatches and manning the bilge pumps. In spite of international pressure the NZ economy is doing very well, perhaps the best in 50 years or more. What’s more the poor are benefitting.

I don’t count myself as at the bottom of the heap poor but I am on a relatively low income with 3 kids and the working for families tax relief tops up my take home pay by nearly 50%. That’s more than $250 a week. That’s a huge ‘tax cut’ over the last 2-3 years and has made a great deal of difference to our stress levels at home and given us a lot more choice about the way we live. It means we can live off one income and that our kids have at least one parent around after school every day.
Sure petrol's gone up, - that’s a global reality we need to get used to. As for us we walk a lot more – no problem.
Dairy prices have gone up - again a global pricing problem –we could persuade Fonterra to reduce prices on the domestic market (Yeah Right) Besides a reduction in dairy products is not a bad thing for the old ticker anyway.
What’s National answer to “Labours gain and kiwis pain” Well you know Cut taxes and Cut spending.
Tax cuts will make stuff all difference to lower income families what little they get in the pocket will be absorbed by the inflationary pressure of the tax rise. I’m sure wealthy Tories will do well out of a National tax cut as usual.
But what do they expect to cut spending on? And how will that affect the poor?
Market rentals for state houses?
Health?
Education?
Infrastructure?
Perhaps they plan to borrow from overseas to line the pockets of Key’s cronies. I hope these remain rhetorical questions I shudder at the thought of a return to the past with a national led government.
It’s another case of Camels and Gnats. The Nats are getting their knickers in a knot (Or trying to persuade us that we should) over relatively minor hiccups in the cost of living. The nats are straining gnats, yet missing the camel, that kiwi families on low incomes are significantly better off since labour came to power, more kids have risen above the poverty line have better access to health, better resourced schools and better futures.
God, please don’t let us throw it away!