We are in the midst of election season in New Zealand--which, as usual, is roughly equivalent to March Madness. Under our proportional representation election system it is almost inevitable that major parties (National, Labour) will need to form coalitions with minor parties in order to reach a majority in the House. But these come with variations in cost for every New Zealand household. Smaller, fringe parties tend to offer huge bribes to the electorate, promising to increase spending on every hand.
When one puts these spending commitments together with notional coalitions one gets an indication of how much additional spending the next New Zealand government will be committed to. How much is it going eventually to cost each taxpayer? The summary below is by courtesy of the Taxpayers Union.
Let's remember that the power to tax is the power to enslave and destroy a people more quickly than Iocaine powder--that colorless, odourless, and deadly poison from Australia.
Some may riposte by arguing that minor parties always "promise" the moon because they will never have to deliver on their "promises". That may be true in some cases. But recall that post-election coalition horse trading amongst the parties--where one additional parliamentary vote makes all the difference--can be frenetic. When it comes to being in power and government, or not, minor parties can extract enormous spending commitments from major parties. Their one or two votes can make the difference between a major party sitting on the Treasury benches or being consigned to the oblivion of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. In such circumstances, the minor parties can jerk the chain of the major parties very, very hard.
And, remember, the prospect of POWER operates like an aphrodisiac so powerful, no Sicilian can withstand. We have all been warned, thanks to the Taxpayers Union.
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