Free Press: ACT’s regular bulletin

Campaigning from the Right, Governing from the Left
In the past week National have announced they will not cut taxes before the election, when they could do so, but will campaign to cut taxes after the election. Who would trust them? ACT now stands alone in parliament advocating for the taxpayer.

More Corporate Welfare
Steven Muldoon Joyce has announced that the Government will spend another $15 million on boosting tech businesses. How do Government employees have so much extra insight into high-tech industries? And why can’t they just tell the rest of us where to invest instead of using our taxes?

Housing Armageddon
The Government is preparing for the nuclear option on Auckland housing. Having thought that the market would cool before the election, they are now preparing to legislate over the top of the Auckland Unitary plan. It will be very untidy.

New Zealand’s Trump Movement
The political left in New Zealand look on in horror as Donald Trump sweeps American politics. They, of course, oppose everything he stands for. In this week’s Sunday Star-Times Column, David Seymour points out that the Labour, Green, and New Zealand First parties are indistinguishable from Trump when it comes to foreign/trade policy.

Free Press’s Endorsement
Free Press is horrified by the quality of candidates for POTUS. It is like a Green Party leadership contest but much more important. The best hope is that the candidates are just kidding. Trump has our support because his views are the least likely to be held seriously.

The Trouble with Trump
Trump is truly terrifying. He has said the military will do whatever he tells them regardless of their reservations, and that he will stop American businesses from moving activity offshore even if it is best for their business to do so. He is a tyrant.

For New Zealand
Normally U.S. elections are just entertainment from a New Zealand point of view. Trump’s attitude to free trade and defence could mean the U.S. Navy pulling back from the Pacific and no Trans Pacific Partnership. The choice of President may materially affect New Zealand this time.

A True Test
The Founding Fathers established then fought for the U.S. Constitution against a backdrop of the French Revolution and despotic English Kings. Their system of checks and balances is designed to ensure that a charismatic but flawed character could not become the state a la Napoleon. Trump is the character they had in mind.

A Wager
Trump hasn’t campaigned on upholding the constitution and respecting the founding fathers. No candidate has ever not campaigned on those things. He is effectively running against the U.S. system of Government. Free Press bets that if Trump is elected President it will be Founding Fathers 1 Trump 0. Instead of becoming a tyrant he will be ground down by the system without making any substantial change to American policy. But it will be close.

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