The announcement by John Key today on the NZ $12 billion vote welfare, yes 12 billion dollars out of a total government budget of $60 billion goes on welfare, got me excited about National's plan for the future of welfare in New Zealand.
For too long taxpayers money has been doled out irresponsibly to welfare recipients.
There have been no responsibilities attached to free taxpayer money and it looks like Key's plan to get single mothers working, dole recipients actually looking for work and sickness beneficiaries reassessed to see what there status actually is, will be a good start towards that crucial responsibility.
Welfare has been at the heart of this countries economic and social decline, especially as it has increased to record numbers, with the introduction of working for families welfare, under the Labour Government over the last 9 years.
Free money simply means recipients will not respect where it comes from and who it is taken off, the taxpayer, and over generations this lack of respect and freedom to spend other peoples money has led to poverty, of a monetary nature Cindy Kiro, but primarily a poverty of spirit and attitude.
You have heard it all before and it is true. If you don't work for what you have, you don't respect what you buy with that money and what you use the money to look after; children for example.
No more is the failed welfare experiment more obvious that in Labour's failed social experiment, South Auckland. A cot case, and even more so over the last 9 years, free money has achieved; dependence, poor self esteem, violent crime, poor health and education levels and little hope for improving ones future.
If welfare was going to succeed in New Zealand it would have years ago. The simple fact is you don't solve the current welfare problem buy doing what the deluded Helen Clarks and Sue Bradfords of this world advocate, even more welfare!
The definition of absolute stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Add to that people from government welfare agencies saying "we are here to help", when these are the people who caused these problems in the first place by doling out this free taxpayer moola.
Granted, there has to be a welfare backstop, one that will be there for all of us, temporally and with strings attached, but welfare has become a way of life for many and it is my personal opinion that the working Kiwi is sick to death of funding other peoples lifestyles. I get a sense that we just wont take the dropkicks and time wasters continuing to sponge off those who work for what they have anymore.
John Key has sensed this, he should know, he comes from a welfare background, one that was a backstop. I came from a similar situation to John and it helped my mother for a short time, with her family and its responsibilities. She worked at times though.
No disrespect to Helen Clark, no really, she was brought up with a privileged family background so isn't able to understand the complexities of a life at the bottom of the heap or on welfare, she thinks throwing other peoples money at the situation is the answer. Clearly that is wrong.
John Key understands how welfare can be used, with strings attached, as a short term tool to get individuals and families through temporary hard spots in their lives.
When one looks at welfare in this way, one goes back to its origins, but the current welfare state mentality, that other taxpayers will look after you from cradle to grave is unsustainable, monetarily, socially and spiritually.
Simply not to change, as Key has telegraphed today, means New Zealand is destined to ending up a spoon fed, fat, lazy, moral free corpse of disrespectful, angry dependant, ambitionless people.
And broke.
Related Political Animal reading
Labour's Socialist peril
Labour's state control out of control
Pointing fingers in the playground
What happened to risk?
c Political Animal 2008
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