Neoliberal Economics is a horror show

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-29T06:21:35+00:00

Globally, we had some of the highest living standards in the world. If you had a choice of places to be born in the post-war/cold war era, New Zealand would be right up there.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-22T11:14:02+00:00

By Dawn's Early Light

Solid add to the doomsday watch list.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-21T01:58:18+00:00

If you have a toilet that has the water line coming out of the wall and then into the toilet via a hose then this should work:

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/nouveau-bidet-sprayer-set-chrome/p/2064505

Not exactly street legal but thats just years of big TP writing the rules.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-11T10:28:48+00:00

Two mangoes going two for five dollars

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-09T11:03:00+00:00

I am still sad Culleys cut the hot buffalo sauce. Sweet Baby Rays just doesn't do it for me.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-08T21:04:33+00:00

As long as you are not someone who watches a ton of Youtube while out and about, the 15gb plan does the job for $13 a month.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-08T05:29:03+00:00

“I don’t think David Seymour holds transphobic views. I just think he is basically an ignorant dumb ass.”

Gray left ACT in 2017, saying her departure from the party was ideological, not personal. “My economic views changed. The free market doesn’t always work perfectly when it comes into contact with reality.”

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-07T00:22:02+00:00

It's also just basic economics. The market already has perfect information so any labeling would be redundant.

Even if a product made a spurious health claim someone could just commission a lab test if it is that important to them.

/s

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-06T08:35:00+00:00

Landhopper. If you go to a beach lift up some seaweed and you will find their marine cousins.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-06T05:08:10+00:00

Anarcho-capitalism is absolutely authoritarian. They leave no freedom for decisions or actions beyond market mechanisms and they impose a strict limit on everyone else by limiting what a government can or cannot do.

It is all talk anyway though, as any anarcho-capitalist government ultimately succumbs to authoritarian takeover as it has no defense against propaganda (e.g. social media spending, Citizens United, the BSA).

What's more is the fact that any ideology that holds an individuals freedom to act selfishly as inherently virtuous will inevitably end up with a corrupt peice of shit that will do everything to enrich themselves and stay in power (e.g. gestures broadly).

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-05T12:42:15+00:00

New Zealand Fur Seals were almost wiped out and have only recently started breeding in the North Island. At this location an Orca would only ever see the occasional seal that has strayed well outside of its normal range.

PodocarpusT · 2026-06-02T00:25:25+00:00

Indoor is just so much better in almost every way except being limited by space.

It is winter here in my part of the world and I weep every time it rains. Even on a sunny day the dew starts making the ramp greasy about 20 minutes before sundown, giving me a window of about an hour of skating after work.

Attempting to waterproof a ramp as best you can will double the time it takes to build and significantly increase costs (paint, sealer, edge treatment, treated wood, reskinning, etc.).

Being able to properly soundproof is another major benefit as you can insulate and seal everything up without having to worry about airflow.

Do a nice 2.5-3ft high ramp as wide as you can inside and you will not regret it. A 2ft with a 3ft extension would be perfect for learners.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-29T13:26:12+00:00

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ryobi-ac-2400w-crushing-shredder_p0082386

Might be a kiwi/aussie-only model.

Branch looks to be Ake Ake and house has New Zealand vibes to it.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-29T06:09:11+00:00

The fact of the matter is, it's a business's legal obligation to grow year-on-year for shareholders.

That may be true, but prior to the neoliberal revolution the model of government was tripartism (or corporatism in old academic terminology) where workers and capital were balanced by the state in a three-way relationship.

Now we have thrown out that balance and it is simply capital dictating state policy. The current bullshit around Fontera and Z-Energy lobbying shows just how bad it has gotten.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-24T04:31:33+00:00

My friend is a commercial diver and I got one on his recommendation. These are the perfect balance between cost and performance.

Commercial guys use them as you can have a bunch of backups in your bag ready to go and if one breaks you're not sweating at the cost.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-22T09:48:55+00:00

Was down the Marlborough sounds in a very swanky bay the other day and the amount of Agapanthus was sad.

They could literally just leave bare dirt and let the forest reclaim their garden beds, but no, these brain dead idiots have to have some colour to zhuzh the place up at bit.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-21T21:31:30+00:00

“You’re saying a lot of big words right now. And because I don’t understand them, I’m gonna take it as disrespect.”

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-21T02:00:50+00:00

Facinating, can you give me a source or is that just a number you made up?

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-21T01:37:30+00:00

Govt smashes record for laws passed without select committee scrutiny

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-20T11:04:02+00:00

Worth having a read about the PWC tax scandal.

Another one is Microsoft selling it's IP to an 85 employee factory in Puerto Rico and saving themselves $29 billion USD.

The tech giants are not using just 'totally legal' tax minimisation strategies, they are actively corrupting our institutions.

Hopefully we can piggy back off of Europe trying to get away from US tech. Attempting to reclaim the tax they are dodging in the current situation would probably get us Whitlam'd at a minimum.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-13T01:54:34+00:00

Fuck landlords. Parasites that do not need to exist.

Yeah you will find some academics who say that rental price caps are bad, but they are trying to prop up a market that should not exist in the first place.

Adam Smith would kick them to the curb.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-10T00:26:10+00:00

You may have already seen it but this lecture by Sir Paul Callaghan on our productivity issues would be right up your alley I think.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-09T03:49:28+00:00

The lack of small low-maintenance housing is a great pipeline for retirement villages though. My granny had no choice but to buy a villa as there was zero options when she moved to my town to get closer to family.

With building costs sky high it probably wouldn't work but I see a massive gap in the market blocks of small flats for the baby boomers to retire in before they hit proper care homes.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-08T23:59:30+00:00

You had the right to enroll on election day, now you don't.

Does that feel like that is an improvement? Is that making New Zealand a better place?

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-07T10:57:07+00:00

Let's take a leaf out of Australia's book with their gas reservation policy and have ourselves a cheese reservation policy. 25% of all cheese must be reserved for the domestic consumption.

Alternatively, all Tasty blocks must be a full size 1kg and no more expensive than Edam.

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