Happy birthday Peter Gabriel – 60 today.
Saturday’s smiles
13/02/2010Some definitions from a women’s dictionary:
Argument n. A discussion that occurs when you’re right, but he just hasn’t realised it yet.
Bar-be-que n. You bought the groceries, washed the lettuce, chopped the tomatoes, diced the onions, marinated the meat and cleaned everything up, but, he, “made the dinner.”
Blonde jokes n. Jokes that are short so men can understand them.
Clothes dryer n. An appliance designed to eat socks.
Diet Soda n. A drink you buy to accompany chocolate..
Exercise v. To walk up and down a mall, occasionally resting to make a purchase.
Grocery List n. Something you compile with great care then forget to take to the supermarket.
Hair Dresser n. Someone who is able to create a style you will never be able to duplicate again. See “Magician.”
Hardware Store n. Similar to a black hole in space-if he goes in.
Park (park) v./n. Before children, a verb meaning, “to go somewhere for romance.” After children, a noun meaning a place with a swing set and slide.
Patience n. The most important ingredient for dating, marriage and children. See also “tranquilizers.”
Waterproof Mascara n. Comes off if you cry, shower, or swim, but will not come off if you try to remove it.
Confidence not caution
13/02/2010Several commentators have seized on John Key’s statement that GST will only go up if most people will be better off because of income tax cuts as a sign of potential for backtracking.
I don’t think he’s being cautious, I think it’s a sign of how confident he is that most people will be better off and that cuts in income taxes will more than compensate most of us for the increase in GST.
What’s better for individuals and the wider economy – less money in our pockets and lower GST or more money in our pockets and higher GST?
I’d vote for the latter any day because it gives us more choices.
If people already live from payday to payday they may keep on doing that and they’ll be no worse off. But some might also find that a little more in their pay packet enables them to save something.
Those who already have something left over at the end of the week will have more left over and the choice to spend or save it as they want to.
The plan to cut income taxes and raise GST isn’t just about how much everyone will be left with. It’s also about a change in attitude. John Key and his government wants us to have more of our own money and to reduce the burden of the state on individuals.
It’s far better to let us keep more of what we earn and have a small increase in the tax on what we spend than to take more from our pay packets and take less from what we spend.
It’s better for us and it’s better for the wider economy which in turn is better for us.
Maintenance better than repairs
13/02/2010We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary last month.
Although “celebrated” is perhaps not the correct term – my farmer was in Central Otago and I was at home, but even had we been together we probably wouldn’t have done anything out of the ordinary.
My farmer reckons it’s better to know you’re loved every day than be fussed over once a year.
A cynic might say that’s an excuse to get away without giving presents.
But the good sense in his philosophy has been reinforced recently because I’ve come across several couples who’ve been having problems.
Not all of us get it right the first time and I’m not making judgements on people who have good reasons to part.
But it saddens me that people without major problems let themselves drift apart and don’t give their relationship the care and attention they need.
A marriage is like a house – it’s much better to do regular maintenance than let things slide and have to do repairs.