If National wins ...

[elZorro]

Maybe its aboutime for someone outside th Labour party to steal the initiative and create a party that is based on the principals of the olriginal socialists. The evolution of technology is rapidly reducing the need for"workers" to fill the varius roles and we are reaching the stage where we need to reevaluate the concept of employers and employees. Milliions of "jobs" worldwide are being replaced by bits of technologyand this will not lessen with time. How do we deal with the unemployment that that will cause? I am happy to live on pension and continue to brew the ethanol ( bourbon brand) that allows me to rave on at 11.22 on aWednesday night. I might even cut a cord or so of wood tomorrow to buy some more sugar to make some ethanol or I might do a bit more fencing. Ironically, at 75 I appear to be self employed as well as pissed as aferret. And I am more than happy with that situation

Hilarious Craic, but also disturbingly sensible given the picture you painted for us..

I would have very little to show for years of work without the abilities of employees and contractors. We should all move up in income together, it's like the sharemarket. You don't buy a share without ensuring there is a cohort doing the same. Now all I want is a govt that shares that view, I want to see the right messages coming out before I employ any new staff, and invest more in the business.

[fungus pudding]

. Now all I want is a govt that shares that view, I want to see the right messages coming out before I employ any new staff, and invest more in the business.

The govt. is not holding you back in any way. They want businesses to employ more staff, and have taken several sensible steps to make that easier for employers. So go ahead and employ as many as you want; you're also at liberty to pay them as much as you like. The govt. could help in that admittedly by introducing a flat tax, so as you pay them more, the percentage they pay in tax wouldn't rise, even though they would be paying more tax.

[elZorro]

The govt. is not holding you back in any way. They want businesses to employ more staff, and have taken several sensible steps to make that easier for employers. So go ahead and employ as many as you want; you're also at liberty to pay them as much as you like. The govt. could help in that admittedly by introducing a flat tax, so as you pay them more, the percentage they pay in tax wouldn't rise, even though they would be paying more tax.

Look FP, that's great coming from you, when you've already stated quite smugly that you'd not be crazy enough to ever employ anyone. How many other right-thinking voters are like you - this is partly why there are so many unemployed.

I want to hear from govt that we're all moving into higher value work, that govt understands employers might need a push in the right direction, because they'll be collecting extra taxes from that work. I don't want to see that govt is ransacking their own companies and laying off staff, in a short-sighted manner. How does that encourage me to do anything apart from hunkering down?

[fungus pudding]

Look FP, that's great coming from you, when you've already stated quite smugly that you'd not be crazy enough to ever employ anyone. How many other right-thinking voters are like you - this is partly why there are so many unemployed.

Nothing smug about it, and nothing to do with 'right thinking', by which I presume you are talking about political outlook rather than meaning correct. (Incidentally, I have voted Labour more times than I have voted National. I am interested in policies - not parties, although the personel of the parties matters.) I simply choose to operate as a one-man band because I don't like the laws that apply to employers. I have several friends who are owner operators of their own businesses and each and every one of them is nervous, possibly over-cautious, about taking on a new employee. I'll bet you know some who are like that, and you probably are yourself, because the reasons you give for not employing more staff, are illogical.''I'm not employing more people - cos the world's not perfect, I don't like the govt., etc'' is nonsense.

[BIRMANBOY]

EZ allowing yourself to be "hunkered down" is simply a defensive, re-active posture. Any neutral observer I would have thought would be heartened by seeing the Govt. undergoing cost cutting and belt tightening as is necessary. This shows they have the courage of their convictions and have a vision of the way forward. If you were a pro-active entity you would make decisions for your business based on the actual climate of your business not what the Govt "might" do or the current "global crisis". Trying to solve the "Govts problems" is a sure sign the owner has gotten distacted from what they know best..their own business.

[elZorro]

EZ allowing yourself to be "hunkered down" is simply a defensive, re-active posture. Any neutral observer I would have thought would be heartened by seeing the Govt. undergoing cost cutting and belt tightening as is necessary. This shows they have the courage of their convictions and have a vision of the way forward. If you were a pro-active entity you would make decisions for your business based on the actual climate of your business not what the Govt "might" do or the current "global crisis". Trying to solve the "Govts problems" is a sure sign the owner has gotten distacted from what they know best..their own business.

BB, I didn't think you were a manufacturer (do you add value to goods?), but feel free to give me some more good advice. Cost cutting and belt tightening is a euphemism for putting previously employed staff onto the dole. Lean manufacturing, just-in-time manufacturing, reducing back office staff, more common phrases. It means the business or govt has given up on ensuring they have good profits to work with. They'll then be joining a race to the bottom - a battle we cannot win from over here. Let's take what we have here and add value to it, and certainly let overseas markets know about all the clever stuff we can do. The Chinese aren't backward at selling their products and services internationally via the web and email, why don't we?

[fungus pudding]

BB, I didn't think you were a manufacturer (do you add value to goods?), but feel free to give me some more good advice. Cost cutting and belt tightening is a euphemism for putting previously employed staff onto the dole. Lean manufacturing, just-in-time manufacturing, reducing back office staff, more common phrases. It means the business or govt has given up on ensuring they have good profits to work with. They'll then be joining a race to the bottom - a battle we cannot win from over here. Let's take what we have here and add value to it, and certainly let overseas markets know about all the clever stuff we can do. The Chinese aren't backward at selling their products and services internationally via the web and email, why don't we?

So now, are we to understand that you won't employ more staff because some NZ companies don't sell online?

[BIRMANBOY]

EZ we look forward to you entering the Chinese marketplace and demonstrating you new found proactivity. Euphanisms are a fine thing to use...they lower the "hurt" factor. If you want to call it what is ..how about if we call it getting rid of overpaid, low performing pencil pushers and or the new equivalent and attempting to turn them into employable individuals with new skills and some hope for the future. As an importer/wholesaler I saw the writing on the collective wall many, many years ago and realized the only way to do business (in my field) was to import and market the imported products. Thereby employing myself and others along the way. It would have been an exercise in futility and loss making trying to create a manufacturing entity. What seems to be missing in your various posts is the ability to recognise that the Govt is trying to make the distinction between business that has a chance to compete and those that will inevitably be left wanting. I'm happy to give you some good advice ...what worries me is you wouldnt know it if you fell over it

BB, I didn't think you were a manufacturer (do you add value to goods?), but feel free to give me some more good advice. Cost cutting and belt tightening is a euphemism for putting previously employed staff onto the dole. Lean manufacturing, just-in-time manufacturing, reducing back office staff, more common phrases. It means the business or govt has given up on ensuring they have good profits to work with. They'll then be joining a race to the bottom - a battle we cannot win from over here. Let's take what we have here and add value to it, and certainly let overseas markets know about all the clever stuff we can do. The Chinese aren't backward at selling their products and services internationally via the web and email, why don't we?

[elZorro]

So now, are we to understand that you won't employ more staff because some NZ companies don't sell online?

No, that wasn't what I was saying, maybe you should read the post again FP. We all need to be finding our profitable places in the international markets. The market won't come to us. I have observed clients who do make the effort overseas, they almost always succeed in bringing back a lot of business for NZ manufacturing. It's just there's not enough of them confident in giving it a go.

[elZorro]

EZ we look forward to you entering the Chinese marketplace and demonstrating you new found proactivity. Euphanisms are a fine thing to use...they lower the "hurt" factor. If you want to call it what is ..how about if we call it getting rid of overpaid, low performing pencil pushers and or the new equivalent and attempting to turn them into employable individuals with new skills and some hope for the future. As an importer/wholesaler I saw the writing on the collective wall many, many years ago and realized the only way to do business (in my field) was to import and market the imported products. Thereby employing myself and others along the way. It would have been an exercise in futility and loss making trying to create a manufacturing entity. What seems to be missing in your various posts is the ability to recognise that the Govt is trying to make the distinction between business that has a chance to compete and those that will inevitably be left wanting. I'm happy to give you some good advice ...what worries me is you wouldnt know it if you fell over it

Touchy there BB, yes I can see your agenda now. The National govt has decided which manufacturing businesses will succeed, it is only those with a turnover of 3 mill or more, if they are already spending on R&D. The rest can just struggle on, trying to get up this level. For the bigger firms, doors will be held open. That's very handy, a lot less paperwork for govt. Because it only applies to a few firms, and the fact that they probably don't need this part-funding or incentive anyway, is apparently beside the point. Think of the site visits, the press, the kudos. The National Govt's doing the job. Meanwhile tens of thousands emigrate or join the dole queue.