Jammed down a rabbit hole with no way out
The United States has no chance of winning this tariff fight with China and is in for an embarrassing defeat.
China supplies the United States with billions of vehicles, whiteware, plant, machinery, electronics and other manufactured goods.
Now with 125% tariffs on Chinese imports the spare parts required for these goods make it uneconomic to maintain them, resulting in a mountain of waste to deal with. So where do the replacement goods come from? Once again it is totally uneconomic to import from China with 125% tariffs and no other country has the manufacturing capacity to replace China.
The US is jammed down a rabbit hole with no way out, having lost this tariff battle with China before it began because instead of being based on research and analysis it was based on intimidation and bullying.
Always consequences
They say the health budget of $30 billion a year is inadequate and requires an increase. This has actually happened. $60 billion was borrowed for our Covid response. Doubling health funding for two years, in order to save lives.
In addition an extra $3 billion is added to the health budget every year due to the cost of interest payments on the $60 billion. Effectively we are increasing our health budget by 10% every year. This is the cost of building a new Dunedin hospital every year. There is always a consequence of borrowing money.
Feeble jellyfish
I think Christopher Luxon showed the backbone of a feeble jellyfish by making himself scarce at the ignominious ending of David Seymour's anti-Treaty Bill.
But it was still a great victory for Aotearoa, despite the frivolous waste of $6 million.
After 300,000 submissions, 90% of which opposed this offensive Act and a Hikoi of 50,000 people in Te Whānganui-a-tara, Te Tiriti o Waitangi is now undeniably our founding document and a blueprint for the way forward toward an enlightened, inclusive and successful society. Congratulations to all who showed the courage to stand and defend our treaty.
Academic politics
As an academic employee of the University of Otago, I find the ongoing disputes around karakia to be largely a waste of time. Every person who is present in a meeting that opens or closes with one can simply take the 20 seconds to pray to their own god of choice; atheists are free to pray to science or Albert Camus if they wish, or to simply continue their inner monologue. Alternatively, participants could review in their mind Sayre’s law: "In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake."
All while not forgetting its corollary: "That is why academic politics are so bitter."
No more cameras
It is interesting to see Lisa Futschek, the chief executive of the industry body Seafood NZ (ODT, 10.4.25) endorsing the use of cameras on fishing boats as having improved the quality of data on which to make decisions. What she fails to mention is that one of the so-called "reforms" is to stop the further rollout of cameras, which will limit the overall accuracy of that data on which future decisions are made.
The solution to myriad problems, for just $12b
Look. We all know New Zealand needs to protect itself in this very uncertain world. So, we’ve consulted on this and we’re going to spend 12 billion over the next wee while building up our self-defence forces.
A few billion will go into a new Navy frigate, which we will proudly name HMNZS Otago.
The beauty of this is that, while this wonderful life-preserving craft is not doing overseas self-defence business, we will have it tied up at a Dunedin wharf.
Yes! After a 1.88 billion refit, it will serve — also — as a hospital for the southern area.
Yes! We promised you a kick-arse new hospital, and I’m proud to announce today that we have delivered!
And! She will also get around potential earthquakes and flooding, which mere earth-bound hospitals are prone to.
Yes! A floating hospital, as well as a kick-arse hospital.
So, to all you southern muppets and wokers, we have delivered on both scores!
There is already an HMNZS Otago. It is an offshore patrol vessel and is based at the Devonport Naval Base. It is not a floating hospital. — Ed.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
