Let us change the world

The world is as it is and there is nothing that any of us can do about it. We just must accept that what will be, will be. All we have control over is what we do individually.

Consumerism, stupidity, greed and envy, are all issues and don't even think about changing any of them. We can't change the collective actions of a group, all we can change are individual actions and thus collective action changes.

NZ is near the end of its time as a sovereign country and it matters little what any of us do now regarding foreign ownership, foreign debt, a boned out export sector, and no successful economic development in 150 years other than what would have happened anyway. Accept it.

There are things we can do at an individual level that will change things in our own lives and if enough of us do it we will change society.

There are things that governments can do too, but they are simply a reflection of what we ask of them and we should not expect too much of politicians elected by the masses for short durations of glory. They never vote for death or glory, sadly.

So this blog is about us at an individual and personal level.

Firstly most New Zealanders are poor. They live beyond their means and don't care. They are funded by those of us who don't live this way through taxes and through how we invest our money. Every poor person's debt is someone else's illusory asset.

We will not change welfare in NZ. We will continue to allow the poor to consume at a level and will continue to do this though taxes. That is what we do. We can, however, stop the poor borrowing from us on the promise that one day they might repay us. But if we do this, expect them to get cash from elsewhere, hence likely increases in welfare.

We cannot expect the poor to live within their means as their means are inadequate to give them the lifestyle we have conditioned them to expect.

The reality is the thinking and development of our society is in the hands of the thinking middle class. The group that has enough and a bit spare. The future of our country is in the hands of a few enlightened wealthy and a mass of less enlightened and enabled in the middle class.

Fact however, the world is owned and controlled by us the people. The economic assets are controlled by less than half the population who have a net worth. And the next reality is that those of us with modest and or comfortable means own the majority of the world's economic assets. Sure, per capita the rich own way more but collectively the middle owns the most. We have to stop being the pot which the immoral rich mine for their own benefit.

We can't expect the poor to mange their cash allocations prudently. We can't expect them to spend morally, they just don't care. So it falls to us all in the middle class to live sustainable, moral lives. And by the way, if you do this you will achieve security and independence and if you don't you will ultimately have neither.

The first step to digging your household and our country out of the mess we are in, is live within your means, spend no more than your income. Cut up your credit card, don't buy anything you don't pay for up front, don't get conned into the no cash for 2 year retail bullshit.

Become a smart consumer. If you can't muster that you have got no show of being a smart investor. And if you waste money when you buy things sure as hell you will be a soft touch.

When retailers offer interest free no payments for two years, demand a cash discount. If they don't give you one walk away... negotiate the big purchases.

In the supermarket on the small purchases, buy what you want but mentally check the value. By the way, fruit and veg, meat, bread and milk are all better quality and better priced in your corner stores. I can buy milk at $2.50 for 2 litres Tip Top bread for $1.30 a loaf. Shop around. Pick these essentials up on your way home. If you want better value from retailers you have to stop being a dumb pup when you shop. As I said if you can't get your head around that, leave your saving in the bank.

In respect of your wants prioritize them. Develop a plan to accumulate your savings.  Make every dollar of consumption pay. Work out how to increase your income. There are many ways but they do involve work or lifestyle compromises.

If you have a surplus you have it to invest. Become smart, invest wisely. Avoid investing with dishonest people and become an active owner. More on this in later blogs.

Now to societal issues. Each of us has a vote and each of us makes choices as to where we spend or invest our money.

Ultimately everything is owned by the people when you cut out all the intermediaries.

We all want a just and ethical society in which people can deal with each other openly and with confidence. The bullshit rules exist because this is not how the world is so let us smarten up and change it. This said, there are confidence tricksters out there and always will be. So the challenge is to not feed them with either your consumption or investment capital.

So let us start with voting. Politicians respond to noise. So get noisy. Tell them you want them to lead and make hard decisions. Tell them you want them to actually do something, send them emails, send them letters, drown them in commentary.

Keep it going for the next 2 years and the middle floating voters should then sit back and say:

"Well, the poor will always vote to take from the rich, the rich will always vote to protect what they have and they will likely more or less self liquidate so we the middle class actually run the place and owe a duty to the whole nation to lead our politicians down a responsible path."

Write to them, harass them. The emails of some of our leaders are set out below.

john.key@parliament.govt.nz

s.power@ministers.govt.nz

b.english@ministers.govt.nz

Now to dealing with people who hurt others. Hanover Finance owners Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin are a recent topical example. But the law protects them.

Nonetheless, full marks to Hell Pizza. The greed billboards are great. If the shareholders (Hotchin and Watson, not Hanover as the money in Hanover belongs to Hanover bond holders) sue you, all the more platforms to vilify them and promote Hell to NZ. This is what people's action and justice is about. Park one in Queen Street please.

While we are at it here is a challenge for Pizza Hut. (Disclosure I am a shareholder in parent company Restaurant Brands). Hotchin says he likes your pizza. I guess that is nice but how about a marketing decision that goes something like this...

"We are glad Mark Hotchin and his family love our pizzas, they clearly have good taste. We, however, do not like you, and would prefer you did not buy our pizzas. We have instructed our call centre to delete you from our data base and will not take any phone orders from you. We can't stop walk in business, so clearly you can buy our product on a pick up basis. This said, you may not want to as you would clearly need to be seen in public."

As a shareholder I would suggest to you at Restaurant Brands this would be good marketing. There are 16,500 Hanover investors who might now buy from you and just one person who won't. Do the maths.

Along similar lines note Watson's remaining New Zealand interests include Bendon, the Warriors and, believe it or not, Soul Bar in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour which he half owns.

Now to all you professional types who have helped Watson and Hotchin over the years. I intend to expose you over the next few weeks. It might be wise if you are prepared to drop these guys as clients soon as the challenge will be for good New Zealanders to drop you if you don't. There are plenty of good professionals that they can deal with.

If you want to stop this sort of stuff you have to isolate them and cut off all support for them. This requires deliberate action from those of us who have the capacity to do so.

Now for a positive role model rather than all this negative stuff. Thinking people can change things. Lloyd Morrison has been a thinking New Zealander for a long time, quietly lobbying for clear policy settings and measurement criteria for our progress as a nation. If you like a plan, predictable outcomes and measurement, all good stuff.

He unfortunately contracted leukaemia but by the grace of god and good medicine he has been given a reprieve and NZ and all New Zealanders should thank their lucky stars for that. He has now said the time he has left he intends to use to push thought leadership in NZ.

Lloyd, I am proud you are a New Zealander and I hope your sacrifice will be an inspiration to all couch dwellers who have not had an inspirational leader to follow. Wake up thinking NZ. It is time for you to start shaking trees. Don't look to others to do it for you, send your support messages to Lloyd. Ask him how you can help. Lloyd how can I help you?

All of this is nice in theory but I know most of you will wimp out.

So far not one Hanover investor has joined the Shareholders Association by the method I suggested in my last blog. Good luck with Allied Farmers and all that.