Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Extending the welfare mentality

My son will turn up at university the year the parental income threshold goes completely. That's $153 a week for you, young man. What for? To vote Labour, that's what for.

We understand the concept of debauching beneficiaries with easy money, and easy credit, yet are so quick to extend the process. This is a mind-numbingly foolish policy.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. I think the Auckland VC points out why it is such a ludicious policy;
"The low level of investment in New Zealand universities would inevitably harm the quality of the education they offer, said Professor McCutcheon.

"Our universities will lose ground to those in Asia and in other countries where there has been massive investment in the tertiary sector, leading them to drop in world rankings. Already the academic salaries we can afford to pay staff are so inferior internationally - 40 percent below Australia - that we will continue to lose talented Kiwis as well as finding it hard to recruit staff from overseas."

Moreover, bright New Zealand students would be increasingly attracted to amply-funded Australian and Asian universities which were already wooing them with low fees and generous scholarships. "The University of Melbourne, for example, has double the amount per student to spend on teaching and research compared with The University of Auckland.

"Pouring money into student allowances simply to catch votes will deny New Zealanders the world-class university system which the country needs as universities’ infrastructures are neglected.

"The government has put some funding into universities to help with salary costs but the amounts involved - typically $20 million a year - are trivial compared with the $182 million that the universal student allowance would cost annually. And it does not address the investment needed to bring facilities up to international standards - something in the order of $5 billion across the university sector."

Gloria

Swimming said...

I agree. Who can live on $153 a week? Students have so many bill s that in order for them to go avoid going into debt further they have to work so hard that the amount earned will abate the benefit out - the other option is to live in cold flats with noodles.

Lindsay Mitchell said...

Work or stay home....

I left home, cleaned office buildings and shared expenses.

Anonymous said...

Yes, well when you've finished university you move from having $153 a week to having about $600 a week after tax.

I would suggest that you can DOUBLE your standard of living to $300 a week, and use the other $300 to pay down any student debt - ie pay-back $15,000 a year from a student loan.

Which shows that student loans are easily affordable to pay-back, yet so many don't. Why? Because they are more interested in buying toys than they are in being fiscally responsible. The real problem here is that thanks to Helen & Michael, the tax-payer comes to their rescue and pays the interest for them. How many hundred million is that every year now?

Anonymous said...

The really stupid thing about this is that to get this bribe from labour you have to vote for them in 2008 and 2012 elections. Given that the books are headed south at rapid rate of knots, other than increasing taxes, how can they pay for this?

Brian Smaller