TheDUDE like this - a response to Treasury's analysis of Guaranteed Minimum Income (http://www.oursystem.info/2011/11/gmi-response-to-treasurys-economic.html)
TheDUDE
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Economic Thinking
'If you are highly educated and older you likely get paid more, and if pay is a proxy for productivity, then you are by definition more productive.' Economic thinking. Of course by that thinking, finance is also the most productive industry sector, because they pay themselves the most, and volunteers are entirely unproductive.
TheDUDE
TheDUDE
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Employee Compensation Share of GDP
This chart indicates what could well be something of a concern for those in New Zealand. Click on the chart to see it larger.
Clearly employee compensation is much less in New Zealand than in the US and UK, and has been that way since the sharp decline of the 80's. Couple that with much smaller GDP per capita and we get a rather poor situation for little old New Zealand.
TheDUDE
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Wow - Have I Gone I Quiet
I think it's because I'm tweeting, not that there isn't enough to get aggravated about, just that I rather like the discipline of saying it in 48 letters (is that the right number?).
TheDUDE
TheDUDE
Friday, March 18, 2011
Don't Cycle Fast In The City
Don't cycle so fast a car door opening would cause you serious injury, especially wherever there is only a narrow gap between parked cars and moving traffic, which is pretty much anywhere in the central city and surrounding suburbs. It just isn't worth it.
In fact, wherever possible, keep away from roads where there's little space for cyclists, and avoid times where there's a great deal of traffic.
If isn't safe, and you can't do it safely, don't do it.
TheDUDE
In fact, wherever possible, keep away from roads where there's little space for cyclists, and avoid times where there's a great deal of traffic.
If isn't safe, and you can't do it safely, don't do it.
TheDUDE
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Plugging The Gap (NZ Institute) || Food & Tourism...?
"The difficulty for firms trying to build successful international businesses is that the domestic market here is very small so that businesses are small when they begin to export and the markets they serve are distant. That means their capability and resource base is relatively low when they internationalise and the cost to establish in offshore markets is relatively high. Those difficulties often cause delays that consume capital and erode competitive position."
"The business must have a product or service that is appealing enough to win customers and those customers must be willing to buy from an emerging business that is headquartered a long way away. It must be able to deliver the product or service at a competitive price and have costs that are low enough to provide an attractive margin."
"The current ecosystem is not delivering sufficient talent and capital to the internationalising businesses so the businesses are not as successful as they could be. Some are being sold overseas when the value created could otherwise be held in New Zealand."
Rick Boven (2010), Plugging The Gap – An Internationalisation Strategy, New Zealand Institute.
There has to be a reason why a product is produced in New Zealand, with agriculture it's obvious: the conditions are just right and arable land is relatively plentiful. Produce a product that can be produced more easily elsewhere, and the market is elsewhere, then production will move. In short, unless production in New Zealand delivers some form of advantage, production will move.
'Clean & Green' ('Pure') are probably our greatest brand assets. These gel well with food production and sustainable tourism. There is no particular limit to the diversity of food product or variety of tourist experience that we can produce. We would do well to play on this. If we work to New Zealand's strengths we will most likely succeed in overseas markets and still produce here.
TheDUDE
"The business must have a product or service that is appealing enough to win customers and those customers must be willing to buy from an emerging business that is headquartered a long way away. It must be able to deliver the product or service at a competitive price and have costs that are low enough to provide an attractive margin."
"The current ecosystem is not delivering sufficient talent and capital to the internationalising businesses so the businesses are not as successful as they could be. Some are being sold overseas when the value created could otherwise be held in New Zealand."
Rick Boven (2010), Plugging The Gap – An Internationalisation Strategy, New Zealand Institute.
There has to be a reason why a product is produced in New Zealand, with agriculture it's obvious: the conditions are just right and arable land is relatively plentiful. Produce a product that can be produced more easily elsewhere, and the market is elsewhere, then production will move. In short, unless production in New Zealand delivers some form of advantage, production will move.
'Clean & Green' ('Pure') are probably our greatest brand assets. These gel well with food production and sustainable tourism. There is no particular limit to the diversity of food product or variety of tourist experience that we can produce. We would do well to play on this. If we work to New Zealand's strengths we will most likely succeed in overseas markets and still produce here.
TheDUDE
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Dollars Are Only One Measure Of Productivity (NZ)
It's not gross domestic product per worker, it's the monetary value of product per worker, which is quite a different thing from product per worker. On product per worker I have no doubt New Zealand would be very much the same as Australia.
By measuring everything in dollars we fall down on the things that are actually important to us, like making a meaningful contribution and finding fulfilment in what we do.
New Zealand's natural products have not done well (in dollars) because other countries have subsidised a glut on the market. Now the market has grown (in world population and affluence) and even those extensive subsidies are not enough to encourage supply great enough to keep prices down.
TheDUDE
By measuring everything in dollars we fall down on the things that are actually important to us, like making a meaningful contribution and finding fulfilment in what we do.
New Zealand's natural products have not done well (in dollars) because other countries have subsidised a glut on the market. Now the market has grown (in world population and affluence) and even those extensive subsidies are not enough to encourage supply great enough to keep prices down.
TheDUDE
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Authoritarian Attitude Is Dying, And Good Riddance
"Key [New Zealand Prime Minister] would improve the odds if he were to add authority to likeability, put his stamp on the government as well as be its face. Authority would require that when he says something it is the government speaking, not John Key musing. It would require that when a minister does something, it is the action of an unmistakably John Key minister, not of someone who happens to be in the ministry."
An Investment Opportunity For Trader Key, Colin James, Dominion Post, 17 Jan 2011
This is rubbish. It is his qualities of approachability and good nature that contribute the greatest part to his likeability and his popularity (along with his clear capability). His authority is without question - he is the Prime Minister.
The idea that a position of authority must entail an authoritarian attitude is a nonsense. In the sense that he is collaborative, constructive and willing-to-talk he embodies the qualities that are vital to anyone being popular in the new politics. The old authoritarian 'strong leader' is largely dead in modern Western politics (or so most of us hope), just as it is dying in modern Western corporations (though not as quickly as many of us would wish).
TheDUDE
An Investment Opportunity For Trader Key, Colin James, Dominion Post, 17 Jan 2011
This is rubbish. It is his qualities of approachability and good nature that contribute the greatest part to his likeability and his popularity (along with his clear capability). His authority is without question - he is the Prime Minister.
The idea that a position of authority must entail an authoritarian attitude is a nonsense. In the sense that he is collaborative, constructive and willing-to-talk he embodies the qualities that are vital to anyone being popular in the new politics. The old authoritarian 'strong leader' is largely dead in modern Western politics (or so most of us hope), just as it is dying in modern Western corporations (though not as quickly as many of us would wish).
TheDUDE
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Israel/US Use Virus To Sabotage Iranian Nuclear Facilities
Relevant Article: Israeli Test on Worm Called Crucial in Iran Nuclear Delay, NY Times
Right or wrong, corporate multinationals actively kowtow to the interests of America. It must be pretty hard for Siemens to be trusted again as a software provider.
Where's the legality of this? It isn't debated. Because of cause the actions are never admitted. It's obviously illegal, domestically. But internationally, the laws are weak, and what's been ruled right, has often been might.
Sometimes some harm has to be done to prevent a greater harm. I guess this is the essense of the best argument used. But is this the case here? Is American-Israeli sabotage of Iranian nuclear facilities the lesser harm against Iran's rhetoric about Israel? Is murder of scientists?
TheDUDE
Right or wrong, corporate multinationals actively kowtow to the interests of America. It must be pretty hard for Siemens to be trusted again as a software provider.
Where's the legality of this? It isn't debated. Because of cause the actions are never admitted. It's obviously illegal, domestically. But internationally, the laws are weak, and what's been ruled right, has often been might.
Sometimes some harm has to be done to prevent a greater harm. I guess this is the essense of the best argument used. But is this the case here? Is American-Israeli sabotage of Iranian nuclear facilities the lesser harm against Iran's rhetoric about Israel? Is murder of scientists?
TheDUDE
Friday, December 17, 2010
Adversarial Politics & Phil Goff (NZ)
Adversarial politics seems to be the only politics Phil Goff knows.
Whatever National does, count on Phil Goff to criticise it and find fault.
Phil appears to have only one style, and that's the old politics of win or lose.
But a good leader demonstrates constructive, collaborative behaviour. That's the way we want to be led and the way we want to be treated.
The continuous sniping is the old politics, the tired politics, the foolish and stupid politics of no good purpose, played as a game for winners and losers.
We're past that now, why isn't Goff?
I've been a Labour supporter, but Key, and many of his cabinet (not all), are the better leaders now.
I only post this because I want Labour to do something constructive.
TheDUDE
Whatever National does, count on Phil Goff to criticise it and find fault.
Phil appears to have only one style, and that's the old politics of win or lose.
But a good leader demonstrates constructive, collaborative behaviour. That's the way we want to be led and the way we want to be treated.
The continuous sniping is the old politics, the tired politics, the foolish and stupid politics of no good purpose, played as a game for winners and losers.
We're past that now, why isn't Goff?
I've been a Labour supporter, but Key, and many of his cabinet (not all), are the better leaders now.
I only post this because I want Labour to do something constructive.
TheDUDE
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wikileaks Diplomatic Cables Leak
Wikileak's cables leak puts the state of affairs in a better light than the media does. Perhaps the establishment shouldn't find releasing the truth so scary.
But then again, we can probably always rely on the media to distort whatever they say (jazz it up, sensationalise it, speculate on it, etc).
TheDUDE
But then again, we can probably always rely on the media to distort whatever they say (jazz it up, sensationalise it, speculate on it, etc).
TheDUDE
Saturday, November 27, 2010
You've Got To be Kidding!
Australia's Kevin Rudd was at least partly kicked out of government because of Australia's slavish kowtowing to the United States, so why an Earth is this still going on?
Not to mention Obama, who was most definitely voted in by a vast margin because of Bush's total delinquency on foreign policy. And yet the US Pentagon is still acting like it should be protecting that legacy rather than reneging it: we all know Bush was a prick, and that Obama is meant to be genuine, upfront and supporting the truth. So why the hell is he (via the Pentagon) protecting Bush?
That the US and Bush were backstabbing its allies… What a surprise!!! The neo-conservatives were only about America. No-one should be surprised that the documents prove that. There were plenty of public documents at the time that ascribed Cheney and other Bush cronies to exactly these policies.
The awful shock, if any, is that the Pentagon under Obama is just as secretive and just as defensive as it was under Bush. Either Obama hasn't got a grip on changing the culture of the departments of Homeland Security, et cetera, et cetera (and it has only been a short time) or he's just a sap.
And the same can be said of Australia's 'new' government. What's changed?
Power corrupts – that rule never seems to change. God damn it.
Australia slams 'reckless' WikiLeaks over US cables http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOEg5Znwgpu57lX9sx19wNY_mNJg?docId=CNG.5b3b763ba2738bcc238cf218258f7f67.421
US warns of likely harm from WikiLeaks release http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jUZomhwHKrBR-R3tw_E-cFunmZgQ?docId=e36bae4685ba416e80c2fde3e9ec78ff
TheDUDE
Not to mention Obama, who was most definitely voted in by a vast margin because of Bush's total delinquency on foreign policy. And yet the US Pentagon is still acting like it should be protecting that legacy rather than reneging it: we all know Bush was a prick, and that Obama is meant to be genuine, upfront and supporting the truth. So why the hell is he (via the Pentagon) protecting Bush?
That the US and Bush were backstabbing its allies… What a surprise!!! The neo-conservatives were only about America. No-one should be surprised that the documents prove that. There were plenty of public documents at the time that ascribed Cheney and other Bush cronies to exactly these policies.
The awful shock, if any, is that the Pentagon under Obama is just as secretive and just as defensive as it was under Bush. Either Obama hasn't got a grip on changing the culture of the departments of Homeland Security, et cetera, et cetera (and it has only been a short time) or he's just a sap.
And the same can be said of Australia's 'new' government. What's changed?
Power corrupts – that rule never seems to change. God damn it.
Australia slams 'reckless' WikiLeaks over US cables http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOEg5Znwgpu57lX9sx19wNY_mNJg?docId=CNG.5b3b763ba2738bcc238cf218258f7f67.421
US warns of likely harm from WikiLeaks release http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jUZomhwHKrBR-R3tw_E-cFunmZgQ?docId=e36bae4685ba416e80c2fde3e9ec78ff
TheDUDE
Friday, November 26, 2010
David Miliband Makes A Blunder On Leadership
"So you're saying to the country, 'show me where to lead and I'll follow'; you're not saying, 'I'm going to be your next Prime Minister and I will lead you'; you're saying, 'tell me where to go...'?"
Such an invitation to get it right. But he doesn't. So close. But he fails. Like every leader (virtually). He fails. The interviewer is right. Ask the people. Listen to the people on the topics they are interested in – they will show you the direction: the data, the information and the knowledge, will show you the answer.
C'mon Miliband, you can do better than this. It's by listening to the people, by studying the problems, by getting feedback on the solutions from those whom the issues affect that you will find the answers. There is no other way to a correct solution. Don't take the 'strong-man' road of being the 'strong leader' and not admitting that you have to ask people what they want – that's just stupid.
I think you've just made mistake in hearing what was being asked. I think you know better. Tell us you do.
[BBC Radio 4 Interview with David Miliband – 'Who are Miliband's 'squeezed middle'?' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9231000/9231239.stm]
TheDUDE
Such an invitation to get it right. But he doesn't. So close. But he fails. Like every leader (virtually). He fails. The interviewer is right. Ask the people. Listen to the people on the topics they are interested in – they will show you the direction: the data, the information and the knowledge, will show you the answer.
C'mon Miliband, you can do better than this. It's by listening to the people, by studying the problems, by getting feedback on the solutions from those whom the issues affect that you will find the answers. There is no other way to a correct solution. Don't take the 'strong-man' road of being the 'strong leader' and not admitting that you have to ask people what they want – that's just stupid.
I think you've just made mistake in hearing what was being asked. I think you know better. Tell us you do.
[BBC Radio 4 Interview with David Miliband – 'Who are Miliband's 'squeezed middle'?' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9231000/9231239.stm]
TheDUDE
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Joint Drug-Taking & Social Bonding
Joint drug-taking is a form of social bonding, but can quickly become a requirement of social bonding.
If we are to remove the requirement of drug-taking in social bonding, whether it be alcohol in pubs, parties, ad infinitum, or other forms of drugs, then we need to show that these social occasions can occur as well as they should without the drug. This can be fostered with the knowledge that all of our social bonding before the age of eleven was without drugs.
But can we really do that? Can we, any more, socialise without alcohol?
TheDUDE
If we are to remove the requirement of drug-taking in social bonding, whether it be alcohol in pubs, parties, ad infinitum, or other forms of drugs, then we need to show that these social occasions can occur as well as they should without the drug. This can be fostered with the knowledge that all of our social bonding before the age of eleven was without drugs.
But can we really do that? Can we, any more, socialise without alcohol?
TheDUDE
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Alcohol Recruitment
Alcohol companies deliberately recruit young people into drinking their product – that's what they do, as Bacardi CEO Seamus McBride specifically attests to on BBC's The Bottom Line (02 Nov 2010):
"My first thought is, 'who are going to be the target group to recruit the new generation of drinkers for our global brands?' We generally focus on legal drinking ages (because that changes by country), and then, 'how are we going to introduce 23, 24, 25, 30-year olds to our spirit brands?' Now they consume media, communication very differently to when we were younger…, so we need people who are open to, expert at, both inside and outside the company, on digital work, social networks, on events, on sponsorship, on celebrity, and that kind of thing."
"We focus on, let's say, 25 to 30 year olds because that's the age when boys become men, girls become women, and they develop their preferences."
"One of the things we want to do is revitalise the rum market. So we try to attract 25 to 30 year olds into the rum market through the brand Bacardi. So we will portray people in our advertising people who are 25 to 30 because they will recognise themselves in that."
"We have 25 year olds, we have 30 year olds in our businesses around the world because those people understand the trend, they understand what 25 year olds think."
What chance do youth have against this?
Liquor companies will never voluntarily inform on the harm their product does.
But the information provided on what a product does needs to reflect the whole balance of what that product does, not just the fun part. Alcohol companies in the current capitalist ethos will not work to provide this. We need a system that's ethos isn't just the pursuit of money regardless of harm, but the pursuit of fulfilment (for all) without harm (to any).
(The Bottom Line, 02 Nov 2010 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bqscp#synopsis)
(OUR SYSTEM - http://www.oursystem.info/)
TheDUDE
"My first thought is, 'who are going to be the target group to recruit the new generation of drinkers for our global brands?' We generally focus on legal drinking ages (because that changes by country), and then, 'how are we going to introduce 23, 24, 25, 30-year olds to our spirit brands?' Now they consume media, communication very differently to when we were younger…, so we need people who are open to, expert at, both inside and outside the company, on digital work, social networks, on events, on sponsorship, on celebrity, and that kind of thing."
"We focus on, let's say, 25 to 30 year olds because that's the age when boys become men, girls become women, and they develop their preferences."
"One of the things we want to do is revitalise the rum market. So we try to attract 25 to 30 year olds into the rum market through the brand Bacardi. So we will portray people in our advertising people who are 25 to 30 because they will recognise themselves in that."
"We have 25 year olds, we have 30 year olds in our businesses around the world because those people understand the trend, they understand what 25 year olds think."
What chance do youth have against this?
Liquor companies will never voluntarily inform on the harm their product does.
But the information provided on what a product does needs to reflect the whole balance of what that product does, not just the fun part. Alcohol companies in the current capitalist ethos will not work to provide this. We need a system that's ethos isn't just the pursuit of money regardless of harm, but the pursuit of fulfilment (for all) without harm (to any).
(The Bottom Line, 02 Nov 2010 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bqscp#synopsis)
(OUR SYSTEM - http://www.oursystem.info/)
TheDUDE
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
WINZ Doesn't Provide Support, It Provides Coercion
That's why people try to get on the sickness benefit, to get some protection from WINZ.
I doubt there is a single person who has ever been forced to apply for a benefit that has ever had any trust in WINZ.
If WINZ really provided support they wouldn't confine themselves to the strict mantra of availability for only full-time work, and they would consider work outside of the confines of just employee jobs. They would tailor their assistance to people, not force people into their policy peg holes which don't fit anyone.
TheDUDE
I doubt there is a single person who has ever been forced to apply for a benefit that has ever had any trust in WINZ.
If WINZ really provided support they wouldn't confine themselves to the strict mantra of availability for only full-time work, and they would consider work outside of the confines of just employee jobs. They would tailor their assistance to people, not force people into their policy peg holes which don't fit anyone.
TheDUDE
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
WINZ – Trying To Find A Way Not To Help
They're trying to find a way, trying to find a reason, not to give you assistance.
WINZ (Work & Income New Zealand) can't decide if it wants to help people and be flexible to individual circumstances or to rebuff people and stick to narrow benefit definitions that don't fit individuals. Actually it can decide, and the decision has been made, despite any niceties the system isn't human, it's mechanical, and so it doesn't work for people.
TheDUDE
WINZ (Work & Income New Zealand) can't decide if it wants to help people and be flexible to individual circumstances or to rebuff people and stick to narrow benefit definitions that don't fit individuals. Actually it can decide, and the decision has been made, despite any niceties the system isn't human, it's mechanical, and so it doesn't work for people.
TheDUDE
The Big Society
Our government is part of our society, it's our answer to how to provide many essential services. If we're going to move essential service provision outside of the domain of government (into the 'Big Society') we need to ensure people have the basic income they need to contribute these services.
A base income is a lot less than we pay officials, but it has to exist, people can't live and contribute on nothing, there can't be a Big Society in which we share our contributions and ideas if incomes aren't shared.
TheDUDE
A base income is a lot less than we pay officials, but it has to exist, people can't live and contribute on nothing, there can't be a Big Society in which we share our contributions and ideas if incomes aren't shared.
TheDUDE
WINZ – The Job We Choose For You
'The job we choose for you is better than any work you could choose' is wrong. It's wrong in New Zealand, wrong in the UK and wrong in the States. But this is the latest mantra of their benefit systems.
Immense talent is wasted by jobs that don't realise our potential, all this when a base income would enable everyone to make their best contribution. With time, some of these contributions would generate enormous incomes which can be shared to sustain an ever greater base income.
[The Guardian, Unemployed told: do four weeks of unpaid work or lose your benefits - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/07/unemployed-unpaid-work-lose-benefits]
TheDUDE
Immense talent is wasted by jobs that don't realise our potential, all this when a base income would enable everyone to make their best contribution. With time, some of these contributions would generate enormous incomes which can be shared to sustain an ever greater base income.
[The Guardian, Unemployed told: do four weeks of unpaid work or lose your benefits - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/07/unemployed-unpaid-work-lose-benefits]
TheDUDE
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