We candlemakers are suffering from the unfair competition of a foreign rival. This foreign manufacturer of light has such an advantage over us that he floods our domestic markets with his product. And he offers it at a fantastically low price. The moment this foreigner appears in our country, all our customers desert us and turn to him. As a result, an entire domestic industry is rendered completely stagnant. And even more, since the lighting industry has countless ramifications with other native industries, they, too, are injured. This foreign manufacturer who competes against us without mercy is none other than the sun itself!
Here is our petition: Please pass a law ordering the closing of all windows, skylights, shutters, curtains, and blinds — that is, all openings, holes, and cracks through which the light of the sun is able to enter houses. This free sunlight is hurting the business of us deserving manufacturers of candles. Since we have always served our country well, gratitude demands that our country ought not to abandon us now to this unequal competition.
We hope that you gentlemen will not regard our petition as mere satire, or refuse it without at least hearing our reasons in support of it.
First, if you make it as difficult as possible for the people to have access to natural light, and thus create an increased demand for artificial light, will not all domestic manufacturers be stimulated thereby?
For example, if more tallow is consumed, naturally there must be more cattle and sheep. As a result, there will also be more meat, wool, and hides. There will even be more manure, which is the basis of agriculture.
Next, if more oil is consumed for lighting, we shall have extensive olive groves and rape fields.
Also, our wastelands will be covered with pines and other resinous trees and plants. As a result of this, there will be numerous swarms of bees to increase the production of honey. In fact, all branches of agriculture will show an increased development.
The same applies to the shipping industry. The increased demand for whale oil will then require thousands of ships for whale fishing. In a short time, this will result in a navy capable of upholding the honor of our country and gratifying the patriotic sentiments of the candlemakers and other persons in related industries.
The manufacturers of lighting fixtures — candlesticks, lamps, candelabra, chandeliers, crystals, bronzes, and so on — will be especially stimulated. The resulting warehouses and display rooms will make our present-day shops look poor indeed.
The resin collectors on the heights along the seacoast, as well as the coal miners in the depths of the earth, will rejoice at their higher wages and increased prosperity. In fact, gentlemen, the condition of every citizen of our country — from the wealthiest owner of coal mines to the poorest seller of matches — will be improved by the success of our petition.
Translated and slightly condensed by Dean Russell from Selected Works of Frederic Bastiat, Volume 1. Paris: Guillaumin, 1863. pp. 58-59.
The kids had their ‘school holidays’ last week, but given that they have been stuck at home for the last nine weeks, it didn’t quite go as I planned six months ago.
I had originally planned to spend a week with the kids visiting old relatives and a few adventures (jet boating and kayaking) while we were down south, but ended up spending the week at home with the kids instead. On top of this, my oldest daughters birthday was last week as well.
To give the kids something to look forward to, I managed to buy a clay pizza oven online, as well as a few skateboards. The pizza oven went down a treat after a bit of working out how to get the best out of it.
The skateboarding went well until I fell off and sprained my wrist. Luckily, I still had the notes from the physiotherapist from when I sprained it last time….
The birthday party went as good we could get under the circumstances, and I think my daughter (16yrs) understands we did the best we could. It was a low key affair as no friends or relatives could attend. She was quite delighted to just have everyone play monopoly as well other card games.
I’m a casual cyclist at best these days and I mostly ride to keep fit and stay at a healthy weight. I don’t go as fast as I used to ten years ago, because it takes weeks of physio to get my knee’s back to normal if I over do it (again).
Gone are the days of flying down a hill trying to break the landspeed record, and going hard out on a hill climb, I’ve finally learnt that I’m not as indestructible as I was 30 years ago.
I usually ride to another town for breakfast, which is up to 24km away (15 miles), then wonder back home, but these days it’s a bit complicated because you can’t sit at a cafe because of covid lockdown restrictions.
To get around this, I simply buy a takeaway meal, and sit on the ground with it. It may sound a bit uncomfortable for some, but I’ve gone for months without eggs benedict for breakfast, so needs must!
They don’t have a lot of customers these days and are always pleased to see a regular customer.
Todays ride was a windy one, so I was fast getting there and slow back.
My tactic for riding the bike these days is to keep a good cadence, and simply not put a lot of power thru my knee’s for any length of time. When it comes to hills, I change down pretty quick and just grind away, while admiring the scenery.
For the last year, the majority of Kiwi’s have been bombarded by horror stories about covid and have meekly agreed with everything the Government has told them via a compliant media in a very sycophantic fashion.
There has always been a distinct minority who have been sceptical about the whole thing however, and this group is getting larger by the day as the Governments credibility is been torn to shreds by constantly making dumb mistakes and officials been caught out not following the rules they had set for ‘everyone’.
It’s spring in New Zealand and Kiwi’s love the great outdoors and the xmas summer holidays. It’s now common to see people just ignoring the restrictions and imposing a stricter lockdown now would go down like a lead balloon.
The article below is posted here on behalf of The Freedoms & Rights Coalition
How long will we allow the oppressive nature of this government’s voice to define us as a country? Every day at 1 pm they facilitate another fearful, brain-washing press conference from a podium of untruths.
As Kiwis, we would like to naively believe we live in paradise, free to live and raise our families as we wish and determine our own future. Yet, instead of living in the land of the long white cloud, there has been a depressing grey fog that we’ve allowed to overshadow us, all at the hands of this oppressive government.
Many may say, it’s not the government’s fault, it’s the fault of this nasty virus. Yet, don’t forget who let this virus gain access to our country. This government allowed this virus to enter, and now every day Kiwis are the ones continually paying the price for their incompetence.
The government were given ample warning from abroad, and we had the benefit of being a remote country with vast seas surrounding our borders. Yet this government has failed us at every turn to effectively manage the border, to manage MIQs, to manage testing, to manage ICU capacities….the list goes on and on.
However, this government always capitalises on a good crisis. They have seized this opportunity with glee and sought to punish us, to silence us, locking us down, fleecing us of our freedoms, trying to dupe us into believing they are the only source of truth. They won’t allow any healthy open debate or questioning of their actions.
The effects of this government’s action will be long lasting on New Zealanders, for this generation and many future generations to come. They are not assessing or even reporting on the horrendous effects on society due to lockdowns:
Increases in Family Harm (Domestic Violence), including child abuse and miscarriages
Increases in Suicides and Parasuicides
Increases in Loss of Employment/Careers
Increases in Business shutdowns and bankruptcy
Increases in Mental Health issues
Increases in Financial Hardship
Increases in Health conditions being untreated
Increases in Students falling behind in their learning
Increases in Divorces and Relationship breakdowns
Increases in State Dependency through wage subsidies and benefits
Increases in National Debt
A lot of this pain and suffering could have been avoided if this government hadn’t taken such a nanny-state approach, where they’ve sent us all to our rooms and grounded us like we’re misbehaving teenagers.
If you’re not familiar with the nanny-state term, it’s when a government interferes unduly with personal choice. They give too much advice and make too many laws about how people should live their lives.
Just think, imagine if this government had treated us with respect and dignity from the outset, and allowed individuals and families to make their own informed decisions. Enough of this discriminative, dividing and degrading talk about protecting vulnerable people like Maori and Pacific Islanders, insinuating they are too incompetent to make informed decisions.
If this government had just presented the facts and then allowed the Kiwis to make their own personal choices, we may not be seeing the serious social carnage that we are at present.
South Dakota in the USA presents an interesting contrast. This state has applied a ‘freedom-first’ approach to the COVID pandemic and they have much lower COVID death rates than states like New Jersey and New York who enforced strict lockdowns, devastating their economies and people in the process.
The South Dakota governor has also not mandated vaccinations or put restrictions on businesses. This state has never ordered a single business or church to close in the pandemic fight. They never declared some businesses essential, and others unessential – the governor said she had no authority to declare someone’s livelihood ‘unessential.’ Instead the governor has encouraged people to take common-sense precautions at their own choosing. The governor has instead focused the state on building hospital capacity. This has allowed businesses and families to make their own decisions on how to best deal with COVID. Their children have continued learning in their classrooms. They have maintained social, economic and mental health, and haven’t seen an increase in suicide rates like other states have.
It’s time our New Zealand government treated us like adults, not adolescents, and trusted us to each make responsible, informed decisions over our own lives. We will no longer be grounded!
This Saturday, 16th October 2021, at Auckland Domain we are hosting a peaceful Families Freedom Picnic that everyone is welcome to join, as long as you wear a mask and maintain social distancing. We have a range of guest speakers who will share at this picnic about their personal struggles under the tyranny and mandates of this government. The speakers include a doctor, a teacher, a business owner, and a farmer.
We are also hosting a Freedom Run motorcade of motorbikes, classic cars and tractors. They are riding and driving to raise awareness of the 1005 lives that have been lost to suicide over the 19 months since the first lockdowns began at the beginning of 2020. 696 of these lives were in the year ended 30 June 2021.
This government is not allowing these shocking and gut-wrenching statistics to see the light of day, but we will be shining a light on this nasty plight taking many lives at the hand of these lockdowns….these lives lost are way more damaging than the 28 COVID deaths New Zealand has experienced. The lives lost through lockdown suicides are way more concerning and avoidable than the COVID death fear peddled.
Never has it been more important for New Zealanders to stand up for their freedoms and rights. We want better….we deserve better. We care about our fellow Kiwis and don’t want to see any more lives lost to suicide. We have had enough of lockdowns and levels.
We the people…will no longer stay silent, stay still or shut up.
We the people…have the power, not this government.
Uncoffined 
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