Smile and wave

When the tsunami struck southeast Asia at the end of 2005, I remember reading about why it had been so lethal. Aside from the sheer force of the water which devastated so many villages, another phenomenon apparently contributed to the death toll. When the sea dramatically retreated in the moments before it returned, many people who had never witnessed such an occurrence scrambled down to the waterfront and started gathering fish that had been left stranded in the mud. For a few brief minutes they thought they had won the jackpot, until suddenly the tide turned and returned with remorseless violence, wiping them all out. It was an image that stayed in my mind, and it seemed like a good metaphor for what's happening with our economy.

I had been thinking about this subject for a while and musing about all the positive aspects of the impending recession and the economic catastrophe we're all told is coming. Interest rates are down, money is relatively easy to obtain, petrol is cheaper and inflation has ground to a standstill as the markets contract. Our tax cuts will kick in soon, the housing market has cooled and for now at least, if you can keep your job, things are a lot better than they were a year ago. Of course keeping our jobs will be a big if, but the silver lining remains and the pervasive national mood is that of the calm before the storm. Or in this case, enjoying the largess of the ocean's withdrawal before we're swamped by its rapidly advancing waves.

Housing NZ says it doesn't always know if its tenants are gang members, so it can't stop them from applying for state houses. But it apparently knows enough of its families have gang affiliations to segregate them according to their alliances. This has led to some areas becoming criminal ghettos and virtual "no go" zones for the police. Unacceptable. Gangs must be brought to heel and eradicated from these neighbourhoods so that their drug culture does not flourish. If it means evicting everyone with connections, then so be it. Housing NZ needs to grow a spine and, with the police, deal with this problem soon.

Saturday's toon, and another comment on the economy. I think what National is doing with their "rolling maul" of spending is probably a good idea. No single magic bullet is going to protect our workforce from the downturn, and introducing myriad projects over the next few years is a good way to keep the wheels turning, even if it's slowly. But you can't help but feel for Bill English when he explains this to the public, saying that National's plans will only dull the "sharp edges" of the recession. He's talking everything down and trying not to get our hopes up, and judging by the figures which constantly suggest things are worse than predicted, that's not a bad idea.

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paul   #1   01:26 pm Feb 17 2009

Irony is having a bull symbolise a market trend that is anything but :-)

Mike Moreu   #2   01:29 pm Feb 18 2009

That's a very good point, Paul. I didn't think of that, even though I used the iconic bull statue on Wall Street as one of my picture references. Doh! Mike

Max Power   #3   12:53 am Apr 04 2009

I am working on a hopeful Infomercial (of sorts) that critises the American Imperealist economist Max Keiser.

I would love to run a 250,000 NZD global campaign to discredit him where appropriate -- but that may or may not gel.

MK links -- http://www.maxkeiser.com/ -- http://karmabanqueradio.com/ -- http://www.youtube.com/user/MaxKeiserTV

My draft videos use your cartoons in as close a context as I could match, but it took until the 4th branches for me to provide cartoon credit (aach, production schedules can be unwieldy).

It may take me 15 or 20 days to tune the content and text, so the toons may get a boot before it is over.

In any case, I hope you like the extra publicity on the YouTube and Blip.tv websites.

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