The Quintessential Quote

They said it…

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Guyon Espiner (Interviewer): “So it’s part of our strategy to have wages 30% below Australia… But is it a good thing?”
BILL ENGLISH “Well, it is a good thing if we can attract the capital, and the fact is Australians- Australian companies should be looking at bringing activities to New Zealand because we are so much more competitive than most of the Australian economy.” TVNZ’s Q+A, 20 April 2011

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“I subscribe to a wealthy New Zealand based on higher salaries. The practice of screwing down wages as we see in New Zealand, to cut costs is the purest sign of a failing economy. This is not a new issue, but every year employers fail to address it the greater the gap between New Zealand and leading economies will become.” – Kerry McDonald, then Managing Director, Comalco (Wellington) 10 October 1999

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“If by a “Liberal” they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a “Liberal,” then I’m proud to say I’m a “Liberal.” — John F Kennedy, 14 September 1960

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“New Zealand workers are starting to work out that the tax shuffle last year simply delivered a big tax break to the wealthiest while the poor and middle classes are paying higher food and petrol costs, not to mention higher GST rates.” – Bernard Hickey, Interest.Co.Nz, January 2011

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“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” – Warren Buffett, 2nd richest man on Earth, b.1930

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“If we ended up in a position where New Zealanders are tenants in their own country, I can’t see how that would be in New Zealand’s best interests.” – John Key, 27 July 2010

“No where is that better illustrated than in the Crafar farm deal where the tenant will be a Government state-owned enterprise, Landcorp.” – John Key, 2 February 2012

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“We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both”. Louis Brandeis, US Supreme Court Justice (1856 – 1941)

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“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F Kennedy, 13 March 1962

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“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act” – George Orwell, Author (1903-1950)

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“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.” – Elizabeth Warren, candidate for U.S. Senate

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“Where are the jobs? Seriously. Where are the real jobs for these young people and sickness and invalid beneficiaries? The only way to really stop the number of beneficiaries going through the roof, is jobs, jobs and more jobs.” – Duncan Garner, TV3 journalist, 16 August 2011

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“The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control.” – John F Kennedy

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“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville (1819-1891)

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“We will be unrelenting in our quest to lift our economic growth rate and raise wage rates.” – John Key, Prime Minister, 29 January 2008

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“The driving goal of my Government is to build a more competitive and internationally-focused economy with less debt, more jobs and higher incomes.” – John Key, Prime Minister, 21 December 2011

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“Would you be willing to increase the mortgage on your house to go and borrow the money to buy shares on mighty river power?” Bill English, Minister of Finance, 16 February 2012

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