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“When Rich People Fail, Poor People Pay” - Hone Harawira
Friday, 8 April 2011
“When Rich People Fail, Poor People Pay”
Hone Harawira
“When rich people fail, poor people pay”, said Hone Harawira, Independent MP for Te Tai Tokerau, after government announced a bailout for AMI.
“That’s the bitter lesson that ordinary Kiwis draw from previous government bailouts of finance companies like Allied Nationwide and South Canterbury Finance,” said Harawira. “And now what do we see? More bailouts - this time for AMI and Mediaworks.”
“Well to hell with that. If poor people lose their benefits for not meeting their obligations, then the same deal should apply to the big boys as well. If they’ve blown their money, then let them fail. And if they’ve blown other people’s money, then send them to jail as well.
Harawira said that government should be spending hard-working taxpayer dollars on helping poor communities in Tai Tokerau and quake-stricken Aranui rather than on the bailout of failed finance companies.
“Unfortunately the trend suggests that poor people are going to be paying for these failed finance companies for some time to come".
ENDS
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