[Gllug] VACANCY: Junior Systems Support

[Thomi Richards]

Hi,


2009/9/10 Stephen Nelson-Smith <sanelson at gmail.com>:
>> I'll be moving somewhere abroad with a higher
>> standard of living, better weather, an infrastructure that works
>> properly and sensible taxation levels.
>
> I fancy New Zealand.  Where do you think you'll end up?
>

I have emigrated from New Zealand to the UK mainly for work reasons -
the IT industry in NZ is very small, especially in Dunedin, where I'm
from. I've been following this debate for some time, and I have to
say, I'm shocked at some of the opinions being aired on this list.
Perhaps we can blame my upbringing (yes, my parents could be described
as liberal, free-thinking hippies), or perhaps it's a measure of the
politics in New Zealand, but I find a lot of the opinions here
incredibly right-wing and almost offensive.

I certainly don't mean to target anyone here personally, but I thought
you should all know that New Zealand has *exactly* the same issues as
we've been discussing here on the list (although on a smaller scale,
owing to our 4million population). Anyone thinking that New Zealand is
some kind of tax-free island paradise is sorely mistaken. My point is
that these issues are not unique to this country. I would not be
surprised to see similar debates taking place in any developed nation.

I don't know what the answer is, but I personally feel that the health
of a society as a whole is more important than the health of the
individual. I'm sure that the current tax / benefit system is far from
perfect, but I'm equally sure that minds far greater than mine have
spent a long time considering the system. All things considered, I'm
more than happy to let the current government do their job.

Cheers,
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