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Scoop Feedback: Economics and Other Disasters

Scoop Feedback: Economics and Other Disasters

The following is a selection of feedback and other unsolicited email received by Scoop recently. The opinions they contain do not necessarily reflect those of Scoop.

They do not appear in any precise order.

Send feedback to Scoop: http://www.scoop.co.nz/about/feedback.html or editor@scoop.co.nz

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Dear Scoop,

Conditions for workers:

Lets say the government cut company tax as much possible, empowered business to demand no union presents as a prior condition to employment, and gave employers the power to lay people off for any reason they like with no more than one months notice. Whay would happen?

New Zealand would become a very popular place to do business in the global market - we would be seen as a fantastic foundation to develop and grow, as we facilitate so much flexibilty. What this would leave us with, in turn, is a large effective over- supply of progressive businesses relative to available New Zealand labour. And this, in turn, empowers New Zealand workers to cut excellent deals with their employers - that is, unless the government does something stupid with immigration.

We need to explain this more to the public - business friendly is--or at least can be-- EVERYBODY friendly. And the people who may have the most to gain are in fact the people at the bottom of the ladder.

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good,i like

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The most noticeable side effect of the power failure in Auckland City today, was to highlight yet another facet of our so-called Civil Defence System.

One of the key tools for communicating with the public in a major disaster is by radio. So we are told.

To do that, you need to have at least the major national radio stations able to stay on the air. If we have an earthquake near the City, it is an expected and reasonable assumption that major disruptions to power will occur.

So what happened today? Driving over the Harbour Bridge at 7.29am, IZB died. Spluttered back for a few seconds, then died again. So I changed to all 6 of the Auckland stations I have programmed in, nobody home. A scan turned up one strong signal, that of a Chinese Station but of course I cannot understand the language. But good on them for being prepared to give service to their audience in a power cut. I raised a station which was broadcasting from Orewa I gathered, but they gave me know news on what was happening. There were some very weak signals from distant stations but all I could hear was static mixed with music. I doubt it would be helpful to try and get real good info if it was needed.

I got to my office in Remuera at 8.55am, and IZB was still not broadcasting, but did come up later I was told. I spoke with them from the car on the way home at midday, was told they do have standby power supply, but could not tell me why it took so long to get the service going.

I bet it will be because no-one checks it!

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Let me make it very clear. You have posted pictures to show that USA is an evil country. If you want to play a fair game, why don't you display the photos of Iraqis who were torchered by Sadam.

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I am curious why none of the media covers the most important aspect of the Malvo shootings. If you look at Newspapers on the dates when the shootings are underway you discover something quite interesting. The shootings begin the very day the debate on the war starts and completely and totally dominate the news until they catch them shortly after the declaration of war???

If you ask most people "do you remember the debate about starting the second Iraq war", they will all answer "yes of course". But if you followup with the question "name one point in the debate, a speech by a Senator or where their senator stood", nada.

Almost no one noticed any aspect of the most important senate debate in the last 50 years?

An interesting and odd fact... No one has done a story on what the real impact of the shootings were. It was to virtually eliminate the senate war debate from the media.

The special forces background of the senior member of the pair also seems to get short shrift.

Smells a little fishy to me. At a minimum its a very significant part of the story, i.e. that a common murderer had such an impact on our political process at such a critical time. Why is nobody covering this obvious fact?

Dan Pride

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Just a quick note to Ms. Manning on Hanji Hanjour and the "Pentagon Plane" attack. Locate the overhead photos and you will see that the Pentagon was not hit by a plane. In viewing them keep in mind the thickness of the walls, five feet of stone and concrete. Note the holes left by the "airliner" as it passed through all of the walls. They are very consistent with a depleted uranium missle. So was the high level of radiation and lack of any fuel damage to the lawn and cable reels in front of the building. The impact should have thrown fuel back out on the lawn. There were no wing or engine marks on the front walls either.

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In researching for a series I am writing on global economic canaries (http://www.tradingeducation.com/kiwi.asp), I came across an article in Feb 2005 entitled Clark's praise of Sweden misplaced http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0502/S00154.htm I found this rather disturbing. In writing another series 2 years ago entitled How Taxes Impact Investment Returns http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/071404.asp, I discussed a study entitled EU versus USA that concluded that if the EU-15 were a state in the US it would be among the very poorest. You will find the link to the paper in my article. if you have not seen it.

While the economic world awaits New Zealand's Q1-2006 growth statistics to see if your country is in official recession, it be a surprise to me if your nation does not encounter growing headwinds. Thriving in an increasingly competitive world with not only some of the highest tax rates but the second highest current account deficit and highest interest rates in the developed world (behind Iceland) would be like trying to win an olympic swimming event with two hands tied behind your back. Best of luck. You'll need it.

Sincerely,
Matt Blackman

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I want to comment on the opinion by Marjorie Cohn entitled "Stop the Beast"...

On March 18, 2006, I returned to the USA, after working as a DoD Army Contractor in this "war on terrorism." Camp Bondsteel and Camp Monteith are very familiar to me as that was "my home" the last two years.

Reading the article "Stop The Beast" by Marjorie Cohn, clearly showed her lack of knowledge for the war, the personnel involved, and the areas of confrontation. She alludes to the fact that Bondsteel is the "LARGEST FOREIGN US MILITARY BASE BUILT SINCE VIETNAM" when, in reality, it is a camp just 7 miles in diameter !! For exercise, several times a week, I would run around it, in less than an hour !! Camp Monteith was only two miles in diameter.

AND, the reason Camp Bondsteel has grown is because other camps in the area have closed !!

BUT, we were ALL there with the single thought of unity...believing we were doing the right thing for our country...risking our lives for a common cause...FREEDOM FROM OPPRESSION...knowing we could perish...willing to take the risks while others sit at their laptops spouting editorials they don't HONESTLY understand nor could comprehend unless THEY had lived through the training and the cold and the isolation of the one man patrol for hours on end...all the while, PROUD for having volunteered to serve their country.

So, it was with a sad heart that I read my local paper to discover it was a Beebe soldier, my son's friend who had been to my home many times, who was killed last week by a car bomb while escorting the three CBS journalists in Baghdad... the camera man and sound man were also killed. His brother, Patrick, who graduated with my son in 2000, is a soldier in Iraq, also. Robert Frost said, "I came to a fork in the road and took the road less traveled, and THAT has made all the difference." Little Bobby had so much to look forward to...but these young men feel as I do, they are willing to place their lives on the line EVERY day, although many wonder why I can't be "normal" and just work 8 to 5 in the USA, content to sit at home, far away from any thought of bodily harm or injury. I was riding my lawn tractor, mowing the yard, being "normal" when Little Bobby lost his life. I pray for a peace that passes all understanding...at the West home...for our soldiers, force protection officers and security personnel...and for our country. Have a blessed day in your office, far away from the travesties of war...and be glad that someone is overseas defending your freedom !! I awaiting orders to go to Kuwait. My mom just told me that U.S. Army Specialist Bobby Russell West, 23, will be buried Wednesday, June 7, at 1400 at the First Baptist Church, in Beebe, Arkansas...I'm sure there will be standing room only as he was such an outstanding young man...who will be missed...

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