Wealth gap leaves our youngest at most risk
Alt Tv/Fleet FM Breakfast News Comment
Wealth gap leaves our youngest at most risk
Children have been left behind in the economic prosperity enjoyed by New Zealand over recent years, child health advocates say. They are urging politicians to reconsider the use of money for initiatives such as tax cuts, and what it could do to improve the health of children - those suffering most where poverty exists. A damning report into the health of New Zealand children released yesterday by the Paediatric Society and pulling together the "jigsaw" of all available data on child health paints a grim picture of disparity. Despite some bright spots, the report describes a clear emerging trend, with those living in poverty significantly more likely to suffer. Marked ethnic disparities are also apparent between Maori and Pacific Island children, and their European and Asian counterparts. It emerged in the report that New Zealand's hospital admission rates for childhood skin infections have increased to double those in Australia and the United States. Serious skin infections are common in overcrowded households. Vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough continue to occur at rates higher than other developed countries. Immunisation targets of having 95 per cent of children fully immunised at 2 years stood at 77 per cent in 2005. Admission rates were much higher for those living in the most deprived New Zealand households. Children living below the poverty line were also more likely to have respiratory problems, exposure to household smoking, and abuse.
I’ve blogged for some time on the fact that there are two NZs, those doing well from property speculation wealth and parallel imported consumerism, and those not doing so well. There is always a howl of indignation from those enjoying the fruits of the Labour Party economic white rainbow for pointing out that the pot of gold seems so beige. According to those who frequent Kiwi Blogh poverty is something that happens in other peoples countries and there is no way that should stop them getting more bigger larger creamier tax cuts. The fact that so many children live in poverty in NZ and that poverty has a direct impact on their health should be a deep embarrassment, it won’t be, it will be used as another reason why harsher penalties should be used against those unfortunate enough to earn less than $60 000.
posted by Bomber @ 6:22 am
9 comments
9 Comments:
People on benefits should not be allowed to breed and should be force to take birth control. If they are still on benefit after 6 month’s sterilization should be mandatory if they intend to keep receiving government benefit.
This want prevent every case but will go along way to stop children being born into poverty.
Advocatus Diaboli
and 8 years of socialist meddling from the labour party has only made the situation worse, gee what a surprise. What could the answer possibly be?
Stop "poor" people from getting easy credit with idiotic interest rates to by fucking crap that they don't need and the problem will be half solved.
If you are feeling poor you could always try to win $10000 on Alt TV. Oh wait...
According to those who frequent Kiwi Blogh poverty is something that happens in other peoples countries and there is no way that should stop them getting more bigger larger creamier tax cuts.
8 years of Labour and no tax cuts doesn't seem to have the wretched poor folk now does it Bomber? Why doesn't the concept of letting people keep more of the money that they have earned so the can provide for themselves better compute with you?
Children living below the poverty line were also more likely to have respiratory problems, exposure to household smoking, and abuse.
No matter how much money you take off the "rich" to give to the poor they always seem to find a way of buying shit like smokes. It keeps them poor and makes them, and their kids, sicker. Why not stop the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to (super-annuitants excepted)people on Government assistance? If they can afford that crap they don't need my cash.
The proof to me that labor couldn't give a flying stuff about the poor actually has something to do with tax cuts.
Because I've always thought the first $10,000 dollars earned should be tax free ( I think howard and rudd both promised something like this in their campaigns ).
The effect of this would be to benefit the poor above all else.
Whats more poor people dont tend to save so the extra money they have will be spent back into the economy.
But I've never ever heard even a murmur about such a possibility from either the natianals or labor.
The nats look after the rich .......
labor looks after the unions ........
Another thing that is wrong with our country is how un-skilled workers have almost been exclueded from the housing market and effectivly have been in auckland with the prices there.
Society's only works and when people feel part of it and see a future for themselves in it.
When buying a house seems as remote a prospect as swimming to Austrailia for lets say the youth of south auckland .......... then society shouldnt be surprised when a culture of nihilistic anti authority anger is present amongst poor youths.
When you have sectors of society failing or getting left behind trouble will follow ..................
Well put nznative, but the youth of south Auckland and the poor in general have never been participants in the housing market. Even if house prices were the same now as they were 5 or 10 years ago, how many of the poor people we are talking about, would be diligently putting money away each week and saving for a deposit on a house? I think Governments of any hue realise that there is a fairly large section of the community, mostly made up of the poor, for whom saving up to buy a house is never going to be high on their list of priorities. I think this is the same for most developed countries.
Surely it would be better to concentrate on removing opportunities for the poor and uneducated to get themselves into crippling debt with unscrupulous credit companies and one-sided hire-purchase arrangements. Also do what ever it takes to ween them off booze, smokes and junkfood - very expensive and unhealthy habits.
Yeah, I can understand how stopping the poor from getting into debt would help them.
...... but I dont see how you could legislate for such a thing.
.......... and I think a few of the finance companys may well have been undone and gone under due to their lending money to people who could not repay it.
As for booze, junkfood, and smokes ............ the only legislation I could see working to cut back consumption is taxing these products even more.
"As for booze, junkfood, and smokes ............ the only legislation I could see working to cut back consumption is taxing these products even more."
LOL classic nutjob
This from the person who thinks that laws against drugs are useless and now he thinks that taxes on fast foods will stop obese islanders from suicide by KFC.
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