Child maltreatment: MSD still making excuses for Maori

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All ANZACed out

Generally I read Colin James' ODT columns without exception. As I subscribe, they appear in my e-mail box weekly. But today I read the headline (Mateship, sacrifice, a fair go and all that) and first line and abandoned it. Immediately I felt a surge of guilt. But I have to say it. I am all ANZACed out. It's been going on for weeks, at every turn, and it'll just get worse. Though last night's TV3 news provided a slight deviation. They led with rugby and followed with ANZAC. I am so bored with both but accept I am probably in a tiny sacrilegious minority. Berate me if you like. In  fact that would lift the ennui.

"Don't like feminism or gay marriage? Blame capitalism"

Stephen Horowitz argues that capitalism is responsible for same-sex marriage and feminism. He mentions the welfare state but in the context of "positive" transformation. The Left would agree that welfare has provided more choice for women but  I would argue that it left many women (and men) trapped in relative poverty with fewer choices than if marriage had held up. This article however mainly focuses on same-sex marriage, the emergence of which probably does have more to do with capitalism than the welfare state. In fact, in recent times, in NZ, social security worked against same-sex relationships when benefits for gay couples came under the same legislation as benefits for heterosexual couples in 'marriage-like' relationships. The groups who opposed that development argued it would split up gay couples - especially where one relied on the DPB and the other worked - as their income levels dropped significantly.

While the right resists same-sex marriage and the left thinks that cultural paradigm shifts are responsible for the transformation of today’s family, the fact is the creative powers of the market are largely responsible for the face of the family in the early 21st century.
Certainly, government regulation, including the welfare state, have influenced family life in the last four decades, but the long-run positive fundamental transformations are due to economic growth fueled by the market.

New Painting

This is currently on show at the Eastbourne Art Expo, last day today. For sale.

The painting, The Blue Blanket, is based on a black and white photo. The colours are probably unrealistic for the times (c late 1800s) but that's the mood I was in when I painted it. What strongly appealed to me was the joyous interaction between mother and child.

Benefit numbers continue to fall

I am always interesting in the underlying numbers, for instance, is it long-term dependants that are coming off welfare?

Part of the answer lies in the data tables. 5 years ago 69.5 percent of current beneficiaries had been continuously on welfare for a year or more. Today the percentage is 74. However, the total number reliant for a year or more has also fallen from 225,957 in 2010 to 210,482 today.

The official reason for reducing numbers?

"Changes in benefit numbers over this period largely reflect changes in economic conditions."

Nathan Guy wasting money

Racing Minister Nathan Guy happily boasts that the NZ TAB has a monopoly on betting in NZ, and then announces the establishment of a working group to investigate (stop) people betting with overseas book makers on-line. Competition has reared its ugly head.

What a waste of taxpayer money.

Here is the answer Mr Guy. (No, I am not going to suggest privatisation because that's not going to happen any time soon.) Just make the TAB a provider of services that overseas bettors want to use! Simple. For instance, allow the withdrawal of betting account funds on-line, which I understand is possible in Australia. Punters have suggested this to the TAB repeatedly but they continue to resist.

NZ is happy to compete in the international market when breeding and selling horseflesh, exporting our best jockeys, importing apprentices, exporting technologies, importing semen, etc.

Get smart about making the TAB internationally competitive. The potential from a vast global market  is far greater than loss from the domestic.

Stop wasting taxpayer's money on futile investigations.

US: Black females better educated than white males

Brookings has an interesting 'Long Memo' on the marriage problem faced by educated black females. Intermarriage rates are apparently low, and educated black men are far less numerous than educated black women, So the opportunity for 'assortive' mating is low. (I don't know this is particularly a problem beyond couple's future earning potential. On paper my husband is significantly better educated than I am. But the university of life can be a better teacher than some left-wing, indoctrinating, cloistering institution - depending on subject studied.)

Anyway, it was this graph that intrigued me. It shows the significant progress of black females in relation to, not only black males, but white males (I use Brooking's labels for simplicity.) 57 percent of black women have 'some college' or 'bachelor's degree or more' versus 54 percent of white men (within the age group studied).

Quote of the Day

The mounting burden of taxation not only undermines individual incentives to increased work and earnings, but in a score of ways discourages capital accumulation and distorts, unbalances, and shrinks production. Total real wealth and income is made smaller than it otherwise would be. On net balance there is more poverty rather than less.
 

- Henry Hazlitt, The Conquest of Poverty [1973]

(Hat-tip Future of Freedom Foundation)