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Feedback: A Taste of Shoe Leather - Again
Firstly I have to say that I am not a member of the ACT Party or am I ever likely to be. But I cannot help noticing that every time Jim Anderton opens his mouth he puts his foot cleanly down his throat; perhaps he should leave it there. Perhaps he is in to leather.
I do not support ACT on their latest vote catcher, zero tolerance for crime proposal. However, I would say building new prisons is not anti crime, it is in fact pro-crime. The catch-call 'build more prisons' is tantamount to saying, 'we expect in the future to have more people to lock up'. This is not tackling crime, this is dealing with the aftermath of failed crime policies.
If the government were serious (or even concerned) about the rising crime rate in New Zealand then surely it must look to the cause and deal to that cause. We have legalised theft in the form of government taxation, a fine example to any who feel they are not getting enough stolen money thrown in their direction. Why should they not steal also?
We have drug laws that are probably responsible for more crime and misery than any other piece of legislation on the statute books. I personally know of a father of three who was locked away for personal consumption of cannabis. He now resides on full five star treatment courtesy of the NZ taxpayer; his wife is now on a benefit and his three children have been deprived of a father. New Zealand, a free and caring society? Don't make me laugh.
We only have to look to Palestine to see the very same mistakes being made here in New Zealand. When you indoctrinate a young child into believing that a certain race pillaged his country and persecuted his ancestors then you are setting the seeds of hatred and vengeance. The escalation of violent crime, especially among young Maori, could well be the results of such indoctrination. And when young Maori realise that the wealth created from the treaty settlements is only for the select few, the elite, the Maori hierarchy, what then? Like Dr Cullen's super fund, we had better start setting money aside now for all the extra prisons we will ultimately require.
We have the new crimes sentencing bill, enacted into legislation only last night, that sends a clear message to any aspiring criminal. We are becoming more tolerant of crime and will release you by (your) right after a much shorter period of detention. And this following a referendum in which over 90% of New Zealanders voted for tougher sentencing. What a joke!
No Mr Anderton, being anti prisons is not being anti crime; quite the opposite. But then, I don't expect you to ever understand that. And although I feel Rodney Hide was remiss in speaking at that particular offshore seminar, at least the participants who (maybe) invested money in what turned out to be a scam did so voluntarily - unlike taxation which has deprived New Zealanders of billions of dollars of their hard earned money through force, coersion and intimidation.
M MacKenzie
Scoop
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