the crackle mirror

Those who care about poverty and the people, especially children, who find themselves in this desperate situation, they know - they know the consequences of Paula Bennett the Minister of Social Welfare and her bill, they know the downstream effects of creating more desperation and more poverty. Yep Paula Bennett is really getting into her work now and that work is demonizing and making life impossible for the poor and beneficiaries in our society. The most vulnerable, the most in need, those that should be looked after are going to be dealt to by Paula, she doesn't care, 

as Hone says,

the reality is there’ll be huge downstream costs for the people and families involved and ultimately for us all. Saving a buck here to then spend mega bucks later on dealing with things like homelessness and ill health is more than pointless. It shows a lack of thought and care that is simply disgusting.

Sue Bradford says "I am really fearful of what is to come" and "The results of all this will be tragic and costly.." So true and everyone knows it. Our society is going to be sorely tested by this because it further widens the gap between the haves and have nots. It is deliberate too, that is an almost unbelievable epiphany to have. Paula Bennett is doing this to the most disadvantaged in our society deliberately, because she wants to and is ideal for the task for many reasons, as Sue Bradford states

Much better to have a Maori woman, a former solo mum, taking the lead, than a former school teacher from the white South Island heartlands.

And Bennett knows what she’s doing.

She knows it even more than someone like Shipley, which makes her leadership role in this even worse. Paula Bennett’s seeming naivety and smiling, bubbly front mask a long, deep commitment to National’s ideology – a belief in helping the already-rich get richer while the poor are forced into ever deeper poverty, no matter the downstream social and economic costs.

Our most disadvantaged are being tossed aside and many will be Māori. The recent UNICEF report on child poverty in NZ showed that this country ranks 21 out of 35 for levels of child poverty. We know it is beyond bad and that the government is pretending to ignore the issue while adding to it, as we see with the Bill above. Hone says

what the report clearly shows is that when governments are fully committed to and invest in reducing child poverty, it does reduce. And what the report clearly shows for New Zealand is that child poverty is not reducing.

No it is not reducing, not even slightly and the reason is clear - they don't even measure it - they can't because. as bennett states in the video,  "there is not a Government measure for poverty." You probably won't find that funny but Paula Bennett thought it was hilarious as The Standard and NRT  and the short version with  Mickey show. That was no nervous giggle - sure she was chased down, completely flustered the whole way, until Jacinda Ardern got her. She was caught with no where to go and so she just giggled. You work it out - to me it says that she just cannot be bothered with any of that stuff - you know the stuff about people and real lives. She is totally living in a bubble of aloof disconnection deliberately maintained against evidence, morality and a belief that people mean something, individually and collectively. 

I don't think Paula Bennett likes people.