Its funny, isn't it? We, the people being shafted violently by "the gummint" (whether that be the shadow "gummint" that sits about in the Beehive pretending to run the country, or the real one where Aunty Helen is now, current HQ = UN, New York), are the ones that make this world turn. All the millions and billions of dollars "they" squander minute by minute - with so little thought to where it came from - came from all of us "little people" slogging away for 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 hours a week. Even the richest of the rich still got the bulk of their dosh from ripping some poor beggar off.
What would be great is for all of us little people to agree together not to pay our indentured slave tax - and then listen to the yelling and screaming coming from the privileged ones. Of course, until "we" decide that we can do a better job with our money than the "gummint" - and stop enabling these scmucks making government bigger and more intrusive, we're doomed to stay on our little tread-wheels like so many million little rodents. It means, of course, that NZers have to finally decide to grow up and become "big people" - where the government is small and just does what government was designed to do in the first place: govern. Not tax. Not pander to every special interest group. Not to decide what indoctrination is taught at schools. etc etc etc. The only way "the west" will every become what was envisaged by those who sacrificed so much to enable our "freedom", is when people stop doing 2 things: 1) Expecting the "gummint" to look after everything. This means no more tax-payer funded safety nets / teats for the special-interest groups - going back to where people actually cared about each other and their community. And maybe even talking to their neighbours over the fence! And maybe even asking to HELP said neighbours with no expectation of payment or recognition! Radical!! 2) Re-learning that freedom does not equal license. With freedom comes responsibility. The west has become a bunch of churlish children who wants to be able to do whatever they want "so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else". Of course such logic is a nonsense and can never work, because "hurt" for one person isn't the same for another. And unless one really looks thru all the possible consequences of ones actions - now, tomorrow, next week, a year from now - just hoping that living for oneself and that it won't negatively impact others is reckless.
Ah, soapboxes - ya gotta love 'em...
