http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1679
Progressive promotes strong, safe communities
The
Progressive Party also advocates within the coalition
government for practical policies and programmes that
advance our commitment to promoting strong, safer
communities.
Ahead of Budget Day on May 19, we'll be
releasing new funding for programmes that build on
Progressive's Budget 2004 and Budget 2003 initiatives to
reduce the demand for drugs, to promote individuals' and
families' well-being, including early intervention for
children.
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All the information on our continuing commitment
on fighting drugs is at www.progressive.org.nz/anti-drugs
That’s
http;//www.progressive.org.nz/anti-drugs
Building on
our 2004 anti-drug initiatives:
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=930
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=929
and
on our 2003 initiatives . . .
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=171
http://
www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=174
Investing in businesses, jobs
The
share market had its worst day in almost two years yesterday
largely in reaction to a feared economic slowdown in the
United States. The reason Progressive is so strongly
committed to upgrading the productive capacity of our
economy is to diminish our vulnerability to offshore market
swings and roundabouts. We want to further weaken the link
between our economic and social fortune, and global
commodity market cycles.
In this year's election, the
Progressive Party is campaigning to bring our corporate tax
rate into line with Australia's, because we want to further
enhance New Zealand as a base to do business and create
jobs. Sweden did this with the EU, and have been able to
boost employment and Swedish people’s social security.
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=104
Further reasons to offer graduate debt
relief
University study in New Zealand is among the
most expensive in the world, according to a North
American-based research institute, the Educational Policy
Institute. In this year's election, Progressive is
campaigning on a policy proposing that for each year a
graduate works in New Zealand after graduation, the
government should meet the graduate’s student loan payments
for that year.
We want your Party Vote so that our policy
on graduate debt relief will be promoted by us as a priority
in post-election policy negotiations with Labour. We want to
have the same level of success that we had with Four Weeks
Annual Leave, regional and industry development, and
Kiwibank. All those have become coalition government policy
over the past five years.
http://www.progressiveparty.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1334
ACT
stung into action by robson-on-politics
I gently
pointed out on Thursday that ACT was not complying with the
obligations of being an incorporated society, and was within
days of being struck off the register. It's obvious they
were stung into action. Within 36 hours they had notified
the Registrar of a change of address and on Monday filed
outstanding reports for the years since 2001/02. And ACT
president Catherine Judd’s email didn’t have a single word
of thanks for my help.
Good books help make a
civil society
In 1780, John Adams outlined how
American culture might evolve. "I must study politics and
war that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and
philosophy." His children's studies might permit his
grandchildren the right to study painting, poetry,
music.
Adams' prophesy foretold much of the richness of
America in the 19th and 20th centuries, but a strange thing
has happened. There has been a decline in average reading
standards that is hurting businesses. The decline of reading
is also taking its toll in the civic sphere and
participation in the democratic process. There is a lesson
there for us - Treasury last December reported that there
are 535,000 functionally illiterate New Zealand adults.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/04/10/why_literature_matters?mode=PF>
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/04/10/why_literature_matters?mode=PF