Had they possessed more of the latter they would have indeed understood the irony. Should we feel sorry for them? It’s a good question. As Steven points out, if you were to ask them what we should do instead, things that would create higher incomes for all of us, they would stare back blankly.
Steven’s next point provides the answer. “Either wilfully or ignorantly they don’t make the connection – between how much we pay our nurses and doctors and how much the country earns.” Their understanding of economics is on a par with their ignorance of what is used to make an iPhone. This sort of mentality makes the country poorer.
The photo shows a sizeable percentage of the participants being from a younger generation who have yet to wake up to the realities of life. They might be excused on that basis but there were also older types who don’t want any extractive industries in this country. Ever. They want iPhones but don’t believe in extracting the materials needed to manufacture them. At best they are NIMBYs (not in my backyard), which only adds hypocrisy to their irony.
These fervent types are on a par with those Maori who blame all their woes on colonisation. There is a certain similarity between the two tenets. If it weren’t for colonisation, Maori wouldn’t be where they are today, and most would happily acknowledge that fact. The same applies to extracting minerals from Mother Earth to increase our country’s wealth. The rabid thinkers in these areas are simply not living in today’s world – maybe they would rather not.
The Government is proposing to take environmental harm into account. It is not going to mine on conservation land and industrial mining is now carried out in a far more environmentally friendly way than in the past. The protesters of course are against mining in any form. I’m also sure they would also prefer not to see a dairy cow in a paddock. No doubt any farm animal is offensive to them. Agriculture is another no-no. The previous Government thought so.
Fortunately we now have a Coalition Government that has at least a basic understanding of how the economy works and the means needed to extract ourselves, along with the minerals, and get back to economic wealth. It is impossible to have one without the other; a fact highlighted by our dangerously low oil and gas reserves. It is only by increasing the size and value of our industrial, agriculture and tourism industries that this country will return to riches.
As a comparison, Australian mineral exports to China alone are worth $49 billion.
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
The photo shows a sizeable percentage of the participants being from a younger generation who have yet to wake up to the realities of life. They might be excused on that basis but there were also older types who don’t want any extractive industries in this country. Ever. They want iPhones but don’t believe in extracting the materials needed to manufacture them. At best they are NIMBYs (not in my backyard), which only adds hypocrisy to their irony.
These fervent types are on a par with those Maori who blame all their woes on colonisation. There is a certain similarity between the two tenets. If it weren’t for colonisation, Maori wouldn’t be where they are today, and most would happily acknowledge that fact. The same applies to extracting minerals from Mother Earth to increase our country’s wealth. The rabid thinkers in these areas are simply not living in today’s world – maybe they would rather not.
The Government is proposing to take environmental harm into account. It is not going to mine on conservation land and industrial mining is now carried out in a far more environmentally friendly way than in the past. The protesters of course are against mining in any form. I’m also sure they would also prefer not to see a dairy cow in a paddock. No doubt any farm animal is offensive to them. Agriculture is another no-no. The previous Government thought so.
Fortunately we now have a Coalition Government that has at least a basic understanding of how the economy works and the means needed to extract ourselves, along with the minerals, and get back to economic wealth. It is impossible to have one without the other; a fact highlighted by our dangerously low oil and gas reserves. It is only by increasing the size and value of our industrial, agriculture and tourism industries that this country will return to riches.
As a comparison, Australian mineral exports to China alone are worth $49 billion.
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
3 comments:
You fail to mention that most of the mining in NZ is carried out by foreign entities, particularly the Ozzies. How much does Bathurst Mining return to the NZ economy after selling our premium coal to the Chinese, while NZ imports vastly inferior coal from Indonesia.
How about the fact that these phones & gadgets you mention are only designed to last a couple of years before they clag out, then more expensive to repair than replace, if you can repair them at all, resulting in even more extraction of the necessary resources.
What's wrong with people when its OK to tear the surface of the the only home we have to shreds in order to have the latest phone, bigger TV, gruntier laptop & other crap that when it boils right down to it, our lives would be richer without any of it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to any nation profiting from their resources, but I would like to see the gold mined here stay in our treasury to add value to our increasingly worthless Fiat currency. I would like to see NZ companies mining our coal, iron ore, Natural Gas & oil & not only pay less domestically for them, but get a share of the profits perhaps & an increase in revenue for our Nations coffers because these resources belong to all NZers, not the govt & particularly NOT foreign companies.
Your only telling half the story...
No they don’t, Hazel. They belong to the Crown, not “All New Zealanders”. And the Crown has given itself permission to hand out permits to mine and extract those resources for a royalty which should then benefit “All New Zealanders” in a perfect world, but the world’s not perfect, and murky deals are done in that space. Bathurst is a good example of how the once State-owned mine at Stockton wound up controlled by an Australian company after the collapse of Solid Energy. Ask Auntie Helen and her Labour government about why that happened.
The Crown "owns" nothing, whether it be Public Lands, Police cars or the underwear worn by the NZDF. The Crown/govt has a mandate to manage these resources for the benefit of all NZers & is paid handsomely via taxation to do so. The buildings all govt depts work out of are also owned by NZers & if we choose by majority consensus to remove them, then that is our right under a Democracy & if not, the social contract is null & void & we are no longer bound by the rules under which we are forced to live our lives, including paying taxes to a govt that no longer represents us. Perhaps it is time they were reminded who they work for ?
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