Budget blues

Well the budget 2008 has come and gone.  I like many others was waiting for the info on tax cuts.  I can see why a number of people will be disappointed as $16 a week will hardly change their lives.  I know a few people at work who qualify for working for families and they will be better off but again it will only partly compensate for the reduced spending power due to fuel hikes etc.  My return will be slightly better as I am one of those that has been fortunate to have previously caught in the top tax bracket and now I’m not, so I’m looking at close to $28 a week. Yahoo! Well sort of!  I’m not sneezing at it, but I do wonder about Cullen’s ulterior motives for doing this now.  I still think Labour are goneburgers, but t might have saved a few seats.

 

One of the really weird things about the budget was the $9 million given to the racing industry to increase the size of purses at major race meets?  Excuse me, how many hungry kids would that feed or hip operations could be performed.  It certainly would buy 900,000 blocks of Homebrand cheese at Countdown @$9.99 each.  Let’s get real, I thought that the racing industry was  self-funding through the totes and the sponsorship.  Obviously not – is there a secret Labour agenda at play here!  Does someone in Cabinet have shares in racehorses?  What a conspiracy theory that could turn out to be!  But seriously you can’t help but wonder!

I’m just a Maori guy!

Kia ora

I’m new to this blogging world but not so new to the world (born in the Summer of 1963).  I am just an average middle class Maori living in the city, but not too far from home that I can’t just jump in the car to get there in a few hours.

I am well educated and have a good job in a service industry.  I don’t earn the big bucks but I do have a house, 2 mortgages and 3 hungry children that my wife and I are trying to do our best to bring up with a sense of social conscience and have encouraged them to explore their Maori and pakeha ancestry.

 

I have always thought of myself more of a left leaning person politically, but as I get older I think I am more in the centre right camp.  I like the odd Labour MP but not the Maori MPs (other than Shane Jones) and quite a number of the Nats.  I think Winston’s lot should get dead and buried at this election.  As for the Greens, well although I sympathise with some of the messages I fail to see why I should be lectured by this motley lot.

 

I am undecided at this stage who my 2nd vote will go to this year but I will be watching the campaign with great interest.

I’ll keep you updated with my views on Maori politics, society and everything else tika and not so tika as the comments come out.  Feel free to leave a comment, and I’m happy to say I’m not easily offended.

MG

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