Letter to the Editor: Simon Bridges is a very naughty little boy!

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FROM:    "f.macskasy" 
SUBJECT:  Letters to the editor
DATE:     Tue, 18 Feb 2014 15:54:16 +1300
TO:      "Sunday News" <editor@sunday-news.co.nz>

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The Editor
The Sunday News
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National's Energy Minister, Simon Bridges, continues to rant
that the  Green Party is somehow planning to print  "magic
money" with their recently announced policy to install solar
panels on 30,000 New Zealand homes.

He said,

"I have news for the Greens - if it's a lower interest rate
than normal, it must involve a government subsidy."

Really?

Is this the same kind of subsidy that National gave away to
home owners to install $1 billion worth of insulation in
cold and damp houses?

Or is it the same kind of subsidy that National handed out
to Rio Tinto, Warner Bros, and other private companies? Was
the $30 million of our taxes that John Key kindly gifted to
the Tiwai Aluminium smelter not a subsidy? Or the cheaper
power which National re-negotiated last year?

Ironically, the Green Party is not suggesting subsidies at
all, but allowing access to cheap loans that the government
already has access to. All loans would be paid back by home
owners - not tax payers.

The same cannot be said for the $30 million gifted to Rio
Tinto or the $160 million-plus to Warner Bros for the "Lord
of the Rings" and another $60 million for "The Hobbit". 

We won't be seeing that money back again any time soon.

-Frank Macskasy
(address and phone number supplied)

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References

TV3: How The Hobbit came to stay in NZ

Beehive.govt.nz: $100m for investing in warmer, healthier homes

Fairfax media: $1b Budget warmup

TV3: Labour backs Greens’ solar panel policy

Youtube: Solar Homes policy launch

Dominion Post: Greens’ solar pledge would ‘push up prices’ – Key

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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen

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Letter to the Editor: John Key dazzles them with bullsh*t

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The Editor
Sunday Star Times
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FROM: 	"f.macskasy" 
SUBJECT: Letters to the Editor	
DATE: 	 Tue, 18 Feb 2014 15:17:26 +1300
TO: 	 "Sunday Star Times" <letters@star-times.co.nz> 

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Almost in a knee-jerk reaction, John Key is derisory of the
recently announced Green Party policy to offer low-interest
loans to home owners to install solar panels on their
properties.

Key said,

 "If you look at the big emissions at the moment in New
Zealand, it's Genesis through Huntly where they have coal
fired power plants, and the plan that [the Greens] have got
is going to reduce all competition and in my view, put up
power costs to consumers, not reduce it, actually locks that
in."

How the use of solar energy is going to "reduce competition"
and "put up power costs to consumers" is not only unclear -
but bizarre in the extreme.

Key appears to be floundering to create the flimsiest
possible excuse to dismiss the Green's policy initiative.

That is despite;

(a) solar panels reducing our reliance on hydro-dams, which
in drought conditions can interrupt power supply and push up
prices, 

(b) National having invested - in concert with the Green
Party - $1 billion dollars to insulate thousands of homes
around New Zealand.

The later home insulation plan involved non-recoverable
grants of up to $1,500 per household.  By contrast, the
Green's plan involves loans, not grants.

National seems wedded to giving our money away. This was
evidenced by Key's keenness to giving away $30 million to
Rio Tinto, and over $90 million to Warner Bros for 'The
Hobbit'. Those were our taxes given to private companies and
both  subsequently made billions in profits.

Perhaps Mr Key can answer a simple question; why does he
think the Green Party solar panel initiative will "push up
power prices", but National's home insulation programme
would not?

-Frank Macskasy
(address and phone number supplied)

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References

TV3: How The Hobbit came to stay in NZ

Beehive.govt.nz: $100m for investing in warmer, healthier homes

Fairfax media: $1b Budget warmup

TV3: Labour backs Greens’ solar panel policy

Youtube: Solar Homes policy launch

Dominion Post: Greens’ solar pledge would ‘push up prices’ – Key

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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen

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Radio NZ: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams – 17 February 2014

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– Politics on Nine To Noon –

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– Monday 17 February 2014 –

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– Kathryn Ryan, with Matthew Hooton & Mike Williams –

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Today on Politics on Nine To Noon,

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Click to Listen: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams (24′ 09″ )

• Kim Dotcom/Russel Norman
• Green Party in government
• GCSB/surveillance
• David Cunliffe
• Fairfax/Ipsos Poll
• Shane Jones/Countdown supermarkets
• Labour’s “Best Start” Policy/Taxation
• Passports/Syria/Al Qaida
• Green Party Home Solar Policy

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Letter to the Editor: National’s response to Green solar policy is sheer hypocrisy!

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FROM:   "f.macskasy"
SUBJECT: Letters to the Editor
DATE:    Sun, 16 Feb 2014 20:31:51 +1300
TO:     "NZ Herald" <letters@herald.co.nz> 

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The Editor
NZ HERALD

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The Green Party  policy, to fund the installation of solar
panels on 30,000 homes, is sheer common sense. As power
prices continue to rise and power supply is heavily reliant
on good rainfall in hydro-areas, anything that make homes
more self-sufficient is to be welcomed.

I was therefore stunned and flabbergasted to hear National's
energy minister, Simon Bridges, almost hysterical in his
condemnation of the Green Party,

    “Money doesn't grow on trees, even for the Greens.
This is just back to the old roll out the printing press and
start printing money from the Greens.”

Someone please take Mr Bridges aside and flash the National
Party's Energy Policy document in front of his baby-fresh
face and remind him that in 2009 National allocated $1
billion for home insulation, as part of an agreement with
the Green Party. In  a media release dated 16 May 2013,
Bridges waxed lyrical about the home insulation scheme,

    “Warmer, drier homes provide real benefits to New
Zealanders Mr Bridges says. As well as energy efficiency
gains, insulating homes reduces health risks such as
respiratory illnesses and serious diseases like rheumatic
fever. Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes will help boost
the health and well-being of New Zealanders living in poor
housing and is part of the Government’s response to child
poverty.”

So spending $1 billion  on home insulation is a good thing?

But lending for solar panels for our homes is bad?

Considering that the $1 billion spent by National was in the
form of non-recoverable grants (up to $1,500 per home),
whilst the Greens are talking about low-interest loans, it
occurs to me that the Greens are more fiscally conservative
than the money-splurging National Party, who waste
tax-dollars like it grows on blue trees.

This is the National Party that gifted $30 million to Rio
Tinto and over $90 million to Warner Bros to subsidise 'The
Hobbit'. Both Rio Tinto and 'The Hobbit' have  made billions
in profits.

I'd rather spend our taxes on New Zealanders rather than
subsidising billion-dollar  foreign corporations.

Mr Bridges - breathe through your nose!
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-Frank Macskasy
(address & phone number supplied)

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For the actual policy launch, here is Russel Norman’s speech on a Youtube clip,

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References

TV3: How The Hobbit came to stay in NZ

Beehive.govt.nz: $100m for investing in warmer, healthier homes

Fairfax media: $1b Budget warmup

TV3: Labour backs Greens’ solar panel policy

Youtube: Solar Homes policy launch

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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen

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