Yesterday the Minister of Social Services and Employment announced his vision for the future of New Zealand's Welfare system 'Pathways to Opportunity.' "Unfortunately," says says Lindsay Mitchell, Libertarianz assoc. spokesman for deregulation of Welfare, "the only thing of passing interest this lengthy document reveals is that the Minister is backtracking on his abolition of the work-for-the-dole scheme! This plan is a prime example of a government tinkering, a government trying to re-invent the wheel or in this case - welfare."

"For as long as the State continues to meddle in the provision of welfare - helping themselves to taxpayers money to fuel this billion dollar bureaucratic monster - we should expect no change." warns Mitchell. "There are too many conflicts of interest at play when governments run social services and employment services hand in hand. What well paid bureaucrat wants to work himself out of a job? What social worker doesn't want job security?"

"The only fair way to 'share' wealth is through capitalism - with producers free to trade what they produce. The only real jobs are those created by these producers - created by the willing purchases of goods and services being traded."

"It is unfortunately clear that neither the Hon Steve Maharey, nor the Right Hon Helen Clark understand this. The 'new direction' they herald has a fancy name but no real substance. Previous governments have already been there and done that at the taxpayers expense. 'Pathways to Opportunity is business as usual. A maze that is easy to get into but more an more difficult to get out of without the will or intelligence to do so.."

"It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!"

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>