In 1984 of all years after a single election:
A single administration achieved the following:
Left the Defense Treaty with the United States (like leaving NATO)
Floating the New Zealand dollar.
Removing farming subsidies. << In a completely agricultural economy!!
New banks were allowed.
Reducing income and company tax.
Removing controls on foreign exchange.
Abolishing or reducing import tariffs.
Corporatising many State owned enterprises such as the Post Office, Telecom and Air New Zealand to be more like private businesses. Some of these were later privatised.
Enabling the Reserve Bank to autonomously pursue an inflation target.
Improving the reporting and accountability for government expenditure
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 — enumerated civil and political rights
Legalised sex between males over the age of 16 (Homosexual Law Reform).
Passed the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989, introducing Family Group Conferences.
The death penalty was fully abolished.
Rape within marriage was criminalised.
The Rent Limitation Regulations were abolished in order to encourage new investment in the private rental sector (1985)
There was an absolute tonne of other reform that took place.
Dozens of countries have had massive and complete reform going from authoritarian to much more liberated all through democratic processes.
See the thing is though, you all have to want the same thing and vote the same way. Taking your ball and going home because of slight philosophical differences won't get it done.
Ron Paul was a unifying figure more than anything else, yet people still wanted him to run third party or refused to support him over minor quibbles.
There aren't currently any figures like him and there aren't any on the horizon. Turning the United States around will require a ground swell of support.
It is a massively more entrenched system in the United States. Procedural tricks won't get you there.
Voting harder will work, but it will have to be maybe 20 or 30 times harder. For a decade. With a plan and without ego.
A single administration achieved the following:
Left the Defense Treaty with the United States (like leaving NATO)
Floating the New Zealand dollar.
Removing farming subsidies. << In a completely agricultural economy!!
New banks were allowed.
Reducing income and company tax.
Removing controls on foreign exchange.
Abolishing or reducing import tariffs.
Corporatising many State owned enterprises such as the Post Office, Telecom and Air New Zealand to be more like private businesses. Some of these were later privatised.
Enabling the Reserve Bank to autonomously pursue an inflation target.
Improving the reporting and accountability for government expenditure
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 — enumerated civil and political rights
Legalised sex between males over the age of 16 (Homosexual Law Reform).
Passed the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989, introducing Family Group Conferences.
The death penalty was fully abolished.
Rape within marriage was criminalised.
The Rent Limitation Regulations were abolished in order to encourage new investment in the private rental sector (1985)
There was an absolute tonne of other reform that took place.
Dozens of countries have had massive and complete reform going from authoritarian to much more liberated all through democratic processes.
See the thing is though, you all have to want the same thing and vote the same way. Taking your ball and going home because of slight philosophical differences won't get it done.
Ron Paul was a unifying figure more than anything else, yet people still wanted him to run third party or refused to support him over minor quibbles.
There aren't currently any figures like him and there aren't any on the horizon. Turning the United States around will require a ground swell of support.
It is a massively more entrenched system in the United States. Procedural tricks won't get you there.
Voting harder will work, but it will have to be maybe 20 or 30 times harder. For a decade. With a plan and without ego.
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