Labour wants a truck driver in Pakuranga, a builder in Howick, and a tradie in Bucklands Beach to help pay off the student loans of lawyers and other high earners. Let that sink in for a moment. Hardworking Kiwis footing the bill so that some of the highest earners in the country can pay off their degrees faster. Students who borrow from taxpayers should be expected to pay it back. That's only fair on the millions of Kiwis who graft, pay their taxes and never ask for a handout. We already have one of the most generous student support schemes in the western world. Apparently that's still not enough for Labour, who reckon a few hundred million more won't hurt. Classic Labour. Add it to the tab. They've already racked up more than $18 billion in unfunded spending promises, and the gap between what they've promised and what they can actually pay for keeps growing. National is taking a smarter, fairer path. We want to help graduates get ahead by reducing the compulsory student loan repayment rate from 12% to 10%. Graduates keep more of what they earn while still paying back what they borrowed. No gimmicks, no shifting the burden onto everyone else, just a fairer deal for people who did the right thing and took out a loan in good faith. Because here's the truth Labour won't say out loud. There's no such thing as free money. Someone always pays, and too often it's the tradie in East Auckland. I'd rather focus on growing our economy, creating good jobs, backing our farmers, tradies, workers and small businesses, and giving people a real shot at getting ahead through hard work and ambition. That's the real choice this election. Reward effort, or reward everyone else picking up the tab. Party Vote National 🩵

Texas Republicans and Democrats both call for an end to toll roads

It’s because a lot of liberals and leftists have trouble accepting that voter anger over illegal immigration is sincere and deeply felt, rather than a symptom of economic frustrations. I’m nearly as pro-immigrant as you can get, but I think we have to face reality.

Two of my friends became anxious during lockdowns and purchased Xanax laced with fentanyl and died. Multiple friends businesses closed forever. Multiple friends became alcoholics and drug addicts. Multiple friends romantic relationships dissolved (mine included.) multiple people caught a glimpse into the nature of what lengths their friend groups were willing to go to to comply with the state by sacrificing their close friendships. That's not even beginning to get into the effect lockdowns had on children. This was a major cataclysmic event and any reports otherwise are revisionist and condescending to the extreme hardship and devastation that they caused.

Bigotry in all of its vile forms must be condemned— misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, ableism, and more. All forms of bigotry is rooted in hatred and we must stop this madness. We all deserve better.

I think some people’s problem is that they do not see Jews as a legitimate/persecuted minority. But like just because YOU think we are rich and powerful does not mean we are. And the stats don’t lie about hate crimes.

Jews being persecuted for so long, for centuries, culminating in the Holocaust, has made Jews around the world feel they are eternal victims. But the entire point of Zionism was to create a nation where Jews were the ones in power, where they would not be at the mercy of others.