“The Libertarianz Party utterly condemns the attempt by the Labour Government to buy their way into power yet again,” Libertarianz Education Spokesman Phil Howison declared today in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that, if re-elected, her party would introduce a universal student allowance. “The kindest words I can find to describe this policy are ‘irresponsible,’ ‘corrupt’ and ‘despicable’.”
“With the government facing a full decade of deficits, any responsible party should be finding ways to cut spending and wean people off state dependency. But Labour are prepared to whip out the chequebook and write a blank cheque for potential students. What a breathtakingly audacious bribe!”
“Labour’s cost estimates of $210 million per year are obviously inadequate. How many dole-bludging beneficiaries will enrol at university to avoid the pressure to find a job? How much of this allowance will go to middle-class students who really don’t need the cash, but who will waste it all drinking and partying? The Labour Party doesn’t know or care.”
“Just as Labour announced interest-free student loans three years ago, this is a blatant attempt to buy votes. It is bribery. It is corrupt. It is also part of Labour’s agenda to make every New Zealander dependent on the state - just as Welfare for Families put middle-class families on benefits, even the richest students will be given their Universal Student Bribe. Welfare dependency destroys motivation, independence and self-reliance. We should be getting people off welfare, not putting our best and brightest on it and simultaneously removing the incentive for them to ever leave university,” Howison explains.
“Libertarianz believes that education primarily benefits the recipient by increasing his earning capacity. It does not directly benefit ’society’. Each student should pay his own way or find someone willing to pay, voluntarily, on his behalf - perhaps through scholarships. So-called ‘free education’ distorts the proper incentives which discourage people from wasting their money, and time, at university.”
“None of these election bribes come for free - all are wrested forcibly from the pockets of tax victims. But that’s what the Nanny State parties are good at - using your money to try to buy your vote.”
“It’s enough to make you vote Libertarianz!”
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Phil Howison
Libertarianz Spokesman for the Deregulation of Education
Phone: 027 437 0308
Email: phil.howison@libertarianz.org.nz
This evening I helped the wonderful people of the Libertarianz prepare our presentation for the Libz Alternative Budget. I’m particularly proud of the line “Libertarianz is pro choice when it comes to your money” which Bernard uses, as I thought of it.
So without further ado, here it is:
Unlike Michael Cullen, Libertarianz believes your money is your own. That’s why our budget is designed to slash taxes and let you keep far more of your own money.
Other parties will be making a big deal about finally offering you a tax cut this year. Libertarianz policy has always been and will always be to cut taxes as fast and as hard as possible. If you are lucky, Michael Cullen will grudgingly give you back $20 a week after nine years in power. John Key is offering $50 – eventually.
Libertarianz will make the first $50,000 of income tax-free. This means that the average New Zealand household, with an income of $68,000, would keep an extra $403 per week, going a long way to offset rising food, electricity and fuel prices.
We will also immediately get rid of GST, knocking $20 off a $250 grocery bill and ten dollars off the price of a tank of petrol.
The government will say they can’t afford this – but it’s not their money – it’s YOURS. You have the right to spend your money however you wish. Libertarianz is pro-choice when it comes to your money. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a slideshow I gave at the Libertarianz Conference 2007 to show off Libertarianz activism over the last few years.
You can play the slideshow while listening to my own dulcet tones telling you what’s going on, by downloading this mp3 (17 MB); my bit starts around 37:15.
You can also download the full-quality slideshow from this page on SlideShare.
In late July, Phil and I had a great time attending the 2007 Libertarianz conference held at Mac’s Brewery right here in Wellington. One of the highlights of the conference was the rollout of Transitional Policies, which we hope will be inspiring for certain political parties who haven’t come up with new ideas recently. The first transitional policy presented was the education policy, which Phil and I wrote along with Craig Milmine and Colin Cross (current and former teachers, respectively).
I’d like to invite you to listen to the first audio we’ve made available here at Pacific Empire: Phil’s speech, Free the Schools (mp3, 12 MB)
The text of Phil’s speech follows after the break.
