I don’t know how you can not be a socialist.

Money doesn’t make me happy, and it makes other people act strange.

@ bridge. #118 02:14 pm Aug 26 2011 "If you don't have a socialist streak then i assume you pay for all your healthcare expenses, all your children's schooling expenses, would rather the unemployed resorted to homelessness and crime, and don't support regulation of financial markets or industries at all."

If you are a top earner you do pay for all your own healthcare as 1) you are in the group that is paying the most tax & 2) you are likely to have private health cover.

Same goes for education.

Re "unemployed resorted to...crime": unemployed and low income already make up the group that commit the most crime. Your point is?

"and don't support regulation of financial markets or industries at all." And that is a bad thing because? Legislation doesn't stop bad people from doing bad things. Cause & effect dictated by ones social peers does.

@ clint #172 05:23 pm Aug 26 2011 "Fair call. Socialism has much to commend it. I would prefer to lean towards socialism than to lean towards individual greed, and I believe the same is true of most kiwis. And I vote National."

I agree. Left leanings indicate common decency. As long as this is met with same in return. Which I don't believe it is at the moment. Seems we had a government that went too far left & destroyed the foundations of our country.

There seems to be a rather large gap in understanding what exactly socialism is and its place in Government and society.

Socialism is closely related to Communism. Ask anybody from the ex Communist states in Eastern/Central/Northern Europe about their feelings about Socialism and they will give you a negative appraisal. Socialism is about controlling wealth and freedoms concentrating it to a few people - now you could say that wealth is concentrated today under capitalism, but under Socialism there is no excape from it.

Socialism has failed in every country it has been adopted in wholesale. Key brings up Sweden but even that country is rejecting it today - not to mention the taxes over there are AWFUL.

Be very careful what you wish for, or think you know about it.

Having A social conscience is very differant than being a socialist. Most people in this world fortuanately are the former. Unfortuantely too many New Zealanders are socialists are the latter and believe that the state should be their saviour. Hence that is why Australians enjoy a much higher standard of living because they are willing to look after themselves, whilst the state provides a safety net for the less fortunate.

just came across this...can't believe 190 of you find this newsworthy.....find a freshly painted fence to stare at..

Nelan #182 you mean that country that has higher taxes, stronger trade unions, more unemployed and more spending on indigenous restitution?

Egalitarian society would be a more apt description of New Zealanders. Not that socialism is bad.

Nicules #121

I cant understand how some one could not be a socialist? Do you not care about your fellow kiwis? Do you not realise that $ does not buy happiness? Socialism is not about bludging it is about looking after each other. Like another poster said they happily pay there taxes knowing it helps others less fortunate. I am the same, I don't agree with someone abusing the benefit however there are plenty of people out there that genuinely need help. Have you ever stopped to consider how these bludgers would impact you if there was no benefit? Let me tell you... the crime would go up and we would be just like the states with homeless people.

I knew it.....

Socialism is and has always been about social control through the machinery of the state. It has nothing to do with caring for others, at least not through the benefactor's willing participation. Nor is it from any sense that what the beneficiary gets is earned. You don't become a successful socialist politician by promoting the voluntary act of giving towards or caring for others. It's only by promising to give people something for nothing that get socialists elected, and they will keep giving until the economy goes bust and mobs of entitlement suck puppies riot in the streets, looting, smashing and burning private property.