Speed will kill our children

Some three years have passed since I asked Manukau City Council officers for a report on imposing a limited speed zone around schools in our city. Despite repeatedly asking for the report there is still no sign of it.

Manukau is a city which has a high proportion of young people – some 40% are under twenty years of age – and many attend low decile schools. Research out of the UK shows that children attending low decile schools are at a greater risk of being struck by a car while going to and from school.

Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton and Waitakere are four cities that I am aware of that have imposed limited speed restrictions around their schools in this country and school speed zones are set in many other countries.

It’s time Manukau showed it cares about its kids.

The Aucklander News: Speed will kill our children

Tweedledum or Tweedledee

It would appear; going by all the polls, that the Labour led government is toast come the next election.

But is it a new found affection for National that sees it some 15 per cent ahead in most polls or is it a rejection of tired, dejected Labour party mired in sleaze and discontent?

It’s hard to believe that people are moving to National, the party offers nothing that Labour has not already provided. A “me to party” providing nothing new and telling voters that they will continue to stay with the failed policies of the current administration. This hardly seems to be a recipe to get our country back amongst the top performers in the OECD. In the past National have always signed up to Labour’s policies why will this time be any different especially as John Key has already demonstrated that he is New Zealand’s second most flexible politician.

There seems that there is no party that Kiwis actually want to vote for and they will end up voting for the Nats because they are not Labour. It’s about time that the electorate got an opportunity to vote for a party that actually provided solutions to our problems of the day, poor healthcare, poor education, high crime rates, high cost of housing and high interest rates.

Daniel Newman: Community not having a bar of it

Councillor Daniel Newman (Manurewa) responds to Cr Colleen Brown’s (Manurewa) criticism of the “boobs bar” in Manurewa.

Daniel Newman: Community not having a bar of it - 21 May 2008 - Opinion, Editorial - nzherald

NZ - The Latin America of the South Pacific

This article from the Independent Institute - it makes sobering reading. New Zealand is not unlike Latin America. Read this and replace Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela with New Zealand.

If there’s one constant in Latin America it may be this: For every step forward—politically and economically—there’s an equivalent step back. How else can one explain the never-ending roller-coaster many Latin American countries seem to ride? Bursts of freedom, energy and progress, followed by periods of inexplicable resentment, regret and regression.

32,000 deniers

Question: How many scientists does it take to establish that a consensus does not exist on global warming? The quest to establish that the science is not settled on climate change began before most people had even heard of global warming.

32,000 deniers - FP Comment:

The Little Train That Could

Here we are at the bottom of the world, emitting less than 0.2 per cent of the world's GHG striving to be a leader in stopping AGW if it exists. A recent report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, an independent consulting firm, estimated the the government's emmision bill will result in 22,000 job losses and a drop in GDP by $4.6 billion or to put it in more personal terms that represents a $3,000 cut in each household income.

Why are we subjecting ourselves to this? Why do we want to be leaders on this? Maybe "Dear Leader" wants to work for the UN when this country spits her out later this year. A hell of a thing to have on her CV - I mutilated the NZ economy to "save the planet!

'Local hero' judge puts wind up taggers

A judge who jailed a Hastings tagger for 28 days has been called a "local hero" who has other graffiti vandals running scared.

We need a judge here in Manukau like Tony Adeane who sentenced an eighteen year old tagger to time in the slammer. It’s about time that other judges realized that our communities are fed up with people who vandalise property. And it’s also time that so called “leaders”, Pita Sharples and Cindy Kiro got their heads out of the sand and realized that tagging is not art, is not an acceptable form of alternative expression but a criminal act and should be treated as such.

If we had a system such as the US we just might get judges such as Judge Adeane who are in touch with their communities. Good on him!

'Local hero' judge puts wind up taggers - Hawke's Bay - The Dominion Post

Watch the web for climate change truths - Telegraph

A notable story of recent months should have been the evidence pouring in from all sides to cast doubts on the idea that the world is inexorably heating up. The proponents of man-made global warming have become so rattled by how the forecasts of their computer models are being contradicted by the data that some are rushing to modify the thesis.

Watch the web for climate change truths - Telegraph

Manukau Not Listening

“People are calling but the Manukau City Council has taken the phone off the hook”.

This is how Pakuranga councillor Dick Quax describes the Council attitude towards its rejection of a volumetric component to its unpopular fixed wastewater charges.

The Policy and Activities Meeting recommended charging a fixed rate for wastewater at its meeting.

“We considered over 400 submissions on wastewater most them in support of a user pays pricing which was also supported by Manukau Water Ltd. In addition to that there was an online petition circulated by People’s Choice last year which collected nearly 2,000 signatures supporting some form of user pays for wastewater”.

Cr Quax points out that a fixed charge for wastewater is unfair and penalises small users of water such as the elderly and people living on their own.

“Here in Pakuranga there are many elderly people on fixed incomes who are being charged three or four times the water they bring into their homes to get rid of it – where is the fairness in that.”

“There is no fairness in a pricing regime which forces low users of water to subsidise high users”.

I am particularly disappointed that the mayor, Len Brown and Pakuranga councillor David Collings supported the fixed price regime.”

Double standards sinks attempt to extend kerbside recycling service

Despite calling for community organisations such as sports clubs, churches, pre-schools and marae to be included in the new recycling services in 2008-09, only the 21 marae in Manukau City will enjoy the benefits of a service subsidised from general rates.

The decision to include marae but exclude sports clubs, churches and pre-schools has angered Manukau City Councillor Daniel Newman, who moved a resolution to extend the service to all community organisations.

“I am a strong proponent of recycling. I am a very enthusiastic recycler and believe the Manukau City Council should extend the new recycling service right throughout our community. Yet when it comes down to making a tough decision on this matter, the Council opted for a very limited extension of the recycling service.

“Tens of thousands of residents across Manukau City would have benefited from the extension of a recycling service to community organisations. Yet by voting down my motion to extend that service to all community groups, the Council has declined an opportunity to get serious about recycling and reducing the amount of material discarded in our landfill.

“The Council has once again passed over an opportunity to demonstrate real leadership and consistent treatment for the benefit of all residents and organisations in Manukau City,” Daniel Newman said.

At today’s Policy and Activities Committee meeting, Daniel Newman moved the following motion:

“That the 21 marae situated in Manukau City and community organisations such as sports clubs, churches and pre-schools be included in the new recycling services within the next financial year and subsidised from general rates”

That motion was defeated by 7 votes to 5.

Those councillors who voted for the Newman resolution to extend the recycling services to all community organisations were: Daniel Newman; Dick Quax; Jami-Lee Ross; Sylvia Taylor; and Sharon Stewart.

Those councillors who voted against the Newman resolution to extend recycling services to all community organisations were: Colleen Brown; Maggie Burrill; Len Brown; David Collings; Arthur Anae; Hugh Graham; and John Walker.

End.


Contact:

Daniel Newman 027 478 1484

Topless bar hides bottomless pit

Manukau Councillor Colleen Brown is not happy that a topless bar is in her local shopping centre. Read her Op Ed article from today's NZ Herald. Is she right?

Colleen Brown: Topless bar hides bottomless pit - 15 May 2008 - Opinion, Editorial and reader comments from New Zealand and around the World - nzherald

Take railways down road of retirement

Jon Addison is the former editor of the 8 O'Clock and founding editor of Trucking Magazine presents some sobering facts about the state of rail in New Zealand. Michael Cullen is promising to run a "highly efficient rail system" but is rail really the saviour of our transport system or is it a relic of the late 19th and early 20th century? Has the government spent your dollar wisely or has it just bought us an expensive lemon?
Jon Addison: Take railways down road of retirement - 15 May 2008 - Opinion, Editorial and reader comments from New Zealand and around the World - nzherald

Supply of Land Determines Prices

It’s an irony that politicians screech loudly that something must be done to take care of this or that.

With an election coming up the Labour led government now want to fix is housing affordability. A Bill has been introduced to Parliament to make housing more affordable. They are willing to impose draconian measures on councils, rate payers and developers to achieve just that. If only they stopped for one moment realised that it is the pols that have caused the problem in the first place. It is the restriction on the supply of land that causes the price of it the go through the roof. Politicians have strangled the land supply with growth restrictions such as Auckland’s Metropolitan Urban Limits. It’s supply and demand. It’s not rocket science - increase the supply and the price will come down.

Interesting Line up in Mangere

Looks like things are going to get interesting in the race for the socialist stronghold of Mangere. William Sio who was on the Manukau City Council for two terms and now a Labour Party list MP is duking it out with another Manukau councillor’s brother Jerry, brother of Alf Filipaina. To make things even more interesting Arthur Anae former National MP & also a Manukau City councillor will also contest the seat.

They will be going up against Phillip Field the incumbent MP who was formerly with Labour and is now an independent. Field may not get to the starting line in this race as he has his on going problems facing 15 counts of bribery and 25 counts of attempting to pervert justice.

The only one missing from this intriguing line up (no pun intended) is Labour party stalwart, James Papa’ili found guilty of 15 counts of fraud while a Manukau City councillor.

One thing is for sure, they’ll all be working harder than a Thai tiler in Samoa to win the seat.

Environmentalists' Wild Predictions

At the first Earth Day celebration, in 1969, environmentalist Nigel Calder warned, "The threat of a new ice age must now stand alongside nuclear war as a likely source of wholesale death and misery for mankind." C.C. Wallen of the World Meteorological Organization said, "The cooling since 1940 has been large enough and consistent enough that it will not soon be reversed." In 1968, Professor Paul Ehrlich, Vice President Gore's hero and mentor, predicted there would be a major food shortage in the U.S. and "in the 1970s ... hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death." Ehrlich forecasted that 65 million Americans would die of starvation between 1980 and 1989, and by 1999 the U.S. population would have declined to 22.6 million. Ehrlich's predictions about England were gloomier: "If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000."

Townhall.com::Environmentalists' Wild Predictions::By Walter E. Williams

DIVERSITY TRAINING: How To Talk To Black People

Ethnic diversity is considered an important part of the Olympic Games. But Eugene, Oregon which is hosting this year’s US Olympic Track and Field Trials is going that extra marathon in order to make African Americans feel comfortable. The city is providing diversity training so that, amongst other things, people will be able to talk to black Americans.

YouTube - DIVERSITY TRAINING: How To Talk To Black People

Global Warming on Hold

Today’s UK Telegraph reports: “Global warming will stop until at least 2015 because of natural variations in the climate, scientists have said. Researchers studying long-term changes in sea temperatures said they now expect a "lull" for up to a decade while natural variations in climate cancel out the increases caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The average temperature of the sea around Europe and North America is expected to cool slightly over the decade while the tropical Pacific remains unchanged. This would mean that the 0.3°C global average temperature rise which has been predicted for the next decade by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change may not happen, according to the paper published in the scientific journal Nature.”
This significant new study adds to a growing body of peer-reviewed literature and other scientific analysis challenging former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC). MIT Climate Scientist Dr. Richard Lindzen’s March 2008 analysis found the Earth has had “no statistically significant warming since 1995.”- LINK.
http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/a-note-from-richard-lindzen-on-statistically-significant-warming/
Australian paleoclimate scientist Dr. Bob Carter also noted in 2007 that “ the accepted global average temperature statistics used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that no ground-based warming has occurred since 1998.” Carter explained that the “temperature stasis has occurred despite an increase over the same period of 15 parts per million (or 4 per cent) in atmospheric CO2.” (LINK)
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21920043-27197,00.html
In August 2007, the UK Met Office, Britain's version of our National Weather Service, conceded that global warming had stopped as well. Both the Nature and UK Met Office analysis predict a continuation of global warming in future years. [Note: Hyping yet more unproven computer models of the future in response to inconvenient evidence based data is the primary tool of the promoters of man-made climate doom.]
Today’s new study in Nature essentially finds that global warming will have stopped for nearly 20 years. (1998 until 2015) According to the UK Telegraph article: “Writing in Nature, the scientists said: ‘Our results suggest that global surface temperature may not increase over the next decade, as natural climate variations in the North Atlantic and tropical Pacific temporarily offset the projected anthropogenic [manmade] warming.’”
The UK Telegraph article by reporter Charles Clover noted the significant deficiencies in UN climate models: “The IPCC currently does not include in its models actual records of such events as the strength of the Gulf Stream and the El Nino cyclical warming event in the Pacific, which are known to have been behind the warmest year ever recorded in 1998.”
The evidence based data showing the Earth’s failure to continue warming has confounded the promoters of man-made climate fear. The American people have consistently rejected climate alarm as a Gallup Poll released on Earth Day 2008 shows the American public’s concern about man-made global warming is unchanged from 1989. Gore's $300 million dollar campaign to promote climate fear is attempting to convince American's that they face a climate "crisis" despite the new accumulating scientific evidence.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=5CEAEDB7-802A-23AD-4BFE-9E32747616F9
This new study in Nature further reveals a “tipping point” for the promoters of climate alarm. 2007 and now 2008 have challenged man-made climate fear as new peer-reviewed studies continue to debunk rising CO2 fears. A U.S. Senate minority report reveals over 400 scientists dissented from man-made climate fears, and more and more scientists continue to declare themselves skeptical of a man-made climate “crisis” in 2008.

Government buys back Rail

Michael Cullen would have us believe that he has done a great deal by buying back the rail.

Let’s check the facts. Toll Holdings bought rail for $328 million, valued it at $400 million and sold it back to Dr Cullen for $665 million. Great deal? For Toll yes for the New Zealand taxpayer no!

Furthermore, Toll gets keep New Zealand's largest trucking company Tranzlink - which includes 430 trucks, distribution and warehouses - with up to $20 million of free rent on its depots, and removed it's liability to pay millions a year to Ontrack.

Trannzlink will make the money send it to Melbourne and the poor old kiwi taxpayer will continue to pay out in subsidies for a dog of a rail system which has never returned a profit and never likely to.

National is party to this economic rape by stating it won’t privatise the rail if it gets into power later this year. It has no option but to back Labour’s vandalism because if it states that it will privatise the rail Labour will paint them as scary rightwingers prepared to sell off the family silver.

Council forms Working Party to move Furniture

If anyone should question the need for improved governance of the Auckland region one needs look no further than the Manukau City Council. Last month the Council’s Policy and Activities Committee chaired by Manurewa councillor, Colleen Brown, on the recommendation of Cr David Collings (Pakuranga) formed a working party to oversee the placement of furniture in council meeting rooms.

Councillors are elected by the people to govern, and see that policy they set is implemented by council staff.

One councillor was recently seen directing traffic on a busy city intersection. That’s carrying micro management a tad too far.

At the same P&A Committee I was rounded on by some councillors for questioning the tardy response of council to a request from residents, backed by the Transport Committee back in April 2007 to reduce the speed limit on a notorious stretch of road.

A year later the residents who live on this dangerous road are still waiting for council action.

This is truly a case of rearranging the deck chairs while the Titanic sinks.

Labour routed

The rout of the socialists in the UK local body elections is bad news for their kiwi comrades. Economic commentators in this country having been telling them that they need to give tax relief to middle New Zealand. The government has ignored those calls and now with little wriggle room they face annihilation later this year.

Brown's party routed in UK elections - 03 May 2008 - NZ Herald: World / International News