Jack Tame asked both leaders.
It says something about New Zealand — or perhaps TVNZ — that the question was asked.
More remarkable was that neither Christopher could answer yes or no.
Hipkins’ difficulty was obvious.
If it is immoral to have a billion dollars, at what point between having nothing and a billion dollars does a New Zealander become immoral?
If Hipkins had said extreme wealth was immoral, he would have exposed what I believe is behind Labour’s capital gains tax: the politics of envy.
Luxon’s failure to answer is inexplicable.
He said: “I don’t believe at the end of our lives all of us should be the same.”
Tame pointed out that he had not answered the question.
Luxon then talked about equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome.
He could have reframed the whole election.
He could have said:
“Yes. There are ethical billionaires and there are robber barons. Wealth does not determine morality.”
“But your question goes to the heart of this election.
“Should government take from people simply because they have more?
“National says no. The state should provide essential services, look after the truly vulnerable and give everyone the opportunity to succeed.
“Labour and its allies want to redistribute wealth.
“If you believe people should not be punished for being successful, vote National. If you disagree, vote for the other lot.”
Jack Tame asked the question at the heart of this election.
Hipkins knew what he believed but could not afford to say it.
Luxon appeared not to know what he believed.
The Honourable Richard Prebble CBE is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament. Initially a member of the Labour Party, he joined the newly formed ACT New Zealand party under Roger Douglas in 1996, becoming its leader from 1996 to 2004. This article was sourced HERE
If it is immoral to have a billion dollars, at what point between having nothing and a billion dollars does a New Zealander become immoral?
If Hipkins had said extreme wealth was immoral, he would have exposed what I believe is behind Labour’s capital gains tax: the politics of envy.
Luxon’s failure to answer is inexplicable.
He said: “I don’t believe at the end of our lives all of us should be the same.”
Tame pointed out that he had not answered the question.
Luxon then talked about equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome.
He could have reframed the whole election.
He could have said:
“Yes. There are ethical billionaires and there are robber barons. Wealth does not determine morality.”
“But your question goes to the heart of this election.
“Should government take from people simply because they have more?
“National says no. The state should provide essential services, look after the truly vulnerable and give everyone the opportunity to succeed.
“Labour and its allies want to redistribute wealth.
“If you believe people should not be punished for being successful, vote National. If you disagree, vote for the other lot.”
Jack Tame asked the question at the heart of this election.
Hipkins knew what he believed but could not afford to say it.
Luxon appeared not to know what he believed.
The Honourable Richard Prebble CBE is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament. Initially a member of the Labour Party, he joined the newly formed ACT New Zealand party under Roger Douglas in 1996, becoming its leader from 1996 to 2004. This article was sourced HERE
10 comments:
Summed perfectly.
"Luxon’s failure to answer is inexplicable."
No, it is not. Luxon is a Green. He is a climate change alarmist. That is why, if he manages to be PM on 8 Nov, he should resign or be rolled.
Progressive taxation - where the more you make, the greater the proportion of your income you pay in tax - is common to Nat and Lab. It is a form of wealth distribution in the sense that it takes proportionately more money from 'rich' people than it does from 'poor' people and spends it on services that the poor make more use of than do the rich.
But progressive taxation hits some vulnerable groups hard, such as families trying to make it on only one income.
Much better is to apply a flat tax rate and increase GST especially on luxuries that the 'rich' tend to buy more of than the 'poor'.
What Luxon should have said to Tame “You earn more than me, presumably because you’re considered to be worth it.
Billionaires are not individuals who have been randomly shoulder tapped by some deity saying ‘here’s a billion bucks’. They have it because they have made it themselves. They have it because they’re worth it.
What’s the difference?”
Quite right, Richard. Economics very much takes your view = that is, it depends how you made the money. Billionaires are not all the same. Some live very frugally and all their money is tied up in a business thats creating jobs & wealth for others. There are also some who maybe lavish spending crooks. The former are legitimate and highly valuable to society = the latter are not. Luxon proved with his answer what we already know = namely that he's an idiot who has no depth of thought, only reads exec summaries, and doesnt know what he wants other than the title of PM for himself. Same as Hipkins in other words.
How many of the Maori elite are millionaires on the back of State funding for their alleged under privileged tribes ?
Morally reprehensible .
BTW, Luxon never answes a question, will go off on his Trump like high speed babble to avoid the question.
Above all, Luxon wants a Knighthood. He should NEVER get one. He's been more damaging to this country than Key. We should learn by our mistakes.
I'm a nobody, a very average kiwi. Yet I can clearly see the wood from the trees and was never a sheeple. I couldn't stand Ardern from the minute I heard her speak in her very early days. It does my head in completely to try to understand why so-called intelligent people or even stupid ones, would ever consider voting for Labour or the Greens.
Aspire to be beggars & beneficiaries - that’s what the socialists, leftists and MSM are advocating by implication. Don’t get rich and don’t aim to multiply your wealth.
What a screwed (fxxked) up country NZ (or the woke Aotearoa) has become.
Spiralling into 2nd world status.
This is just another powerful example that tells us our governing systems are irrevocably corrupt. If our ‘leaders’ are entirely incapable of answering a simple question honestly and comprehensively we are well on our way to societal and cultural collapse.
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