Cactus Kate gives David Cunliffe a shellacking on the way to eviscerating the faux-poverty story put up by the Herald yesterday:
Every year the Herald seems to run a series of case studies where poor unfortunates volunteer their income and expenditure details to contribute to “struggle street” stories.
The problem is that as I have analysed before the people used are one step short of having no brain matter whatsoever.
I am now starting to think these are the best examples the Herald can find and that in fact there is a perfect positive correlation between stupidity and faux poverty and inequality in New Zealand.
Today’s example tried to play a hardworking UK immigrant man with an idiot of a wife against a pair of breeders. A ridiculous piece by Simon Collins who is old enough to know better.
True to form politicians from the left couldn’t help themselves and we were treated to some David Cunliffe incomprehensible poverty poetry right up there with his fabulous rendition “I am Harvard”. A capitalised allegedly educated attempt at something we have only seen in the blogosphere from the brilliant mangled mind of Phil Ure.
Cactus then goes on to examine the information the Herald dished up to us.
“The Strugglers” are a mis-matched 51 yo with a 29yo. Craig and Carla.
Right away Carla is breaking all manner of female common sense. At 29 yo and a woman if you are to break the half + seven rule and hook up and breed with a man 21 years older then let him be one who is at least self-supporting.
Else you are better off on your own or an underachiever your own age with a chance of changing his future.
…Carla not only puts up with an underachieving bloke dumb enough to be interviewed by Simon Collins, she’s got a SOCK (some other c—-s kid or as the Herald terms it “cinderella syndrome”) on the scene. The good news is she doesn’t have to put up with Craig around the house as he has to work seven days a week.
Sticking the harsh but wonderful Suze Orman test on them we get the following:
1. Two cars of $160 a week. Beggars belief as to what cars they bought/financed.
2. Child support for SOCK of $132 a fortnight. So Craig can’t afford his first child. How on earth did Carla think this would end up?
3. Credit card debt. Go figure. Who gave them a credit card?
4. Petrol of $120 a week. So $280 a week is being spent on cars?
5. Wear shoes til they have a hole in them? Seen my shoe collection? I think most people do this. Even I resole.
6. An old couch? So what most student flats have them and at 29 yo she’s not much past that.
7. Laptop won’t work. Cancel the broadband then.
8. Haven’t had a family holiday. Hardly the biggest sacrifice. The UK immigrant couple didn’t make any money for five years working all week.
9. They eat meat and veges sparingly and eat noodles, risotto or macaroni cheese. Along with most of Italy and their people seem alright.
10. At 51 years old this is as good as Craig is going to get. Carla will have to enter the workforce at some point however with three children the welfare system heavily stakes any advantage to her doing so.The conclusion is that inequality is created by bad choices. No one forced these two to have three children of their own in addition to a SOCK.
Of course, at 51, Craig only has to wait 14 more years before he can sit on his chuff while Carla will be put to work only to come home to a moaning broken-arsed pensioner with a gold card that is of no use to man or beast unless you like off-peak travel.
