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It seems that there's nothing happening in the local industry right now -- but that doesn't really surprise me.

After all, why should anyone invest in NZ-based hi-tech ventures when the workers in such ventures will have to endure personal tax rates which are now higher than they have been in over 20 years and when companies are facing tax rates that are significantly higher than levied by of our competitors and trading partners?

But, as if to rub salt in the wound, we seem to be reading on an almost daily basis, of instances where the taxes taken from hard-working Kiwis is being spent on frippery and the PM's personal indulgences.

Let me cite a few examples for you...

Remember the Social Entrepreneur fund which gave over $20K of taxpayer money to a couple in order that they could research Hip Hop overseas *and* (by their own admission) spend some time chilling out in Hawaii and Fiji?

Using the same fund, one lucky woman got a free shopping trip to Sydney worth about $5K, allegedly to research craft shops there.

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What about this story which reveals that $5K of taxpayers' money was spent "entertaining" Mighty River Power Staff at Ericsson Stadium.

And there are many, many more examples of totally improper use of funds that have been taken by the state under the pretense of funding essential services and securing the future of the nation.

Now, in the latest debacle, we find that a cool half million dollars of *OUR* money is being given to an artist whose biggest claim to fame appears to be a toilet that farts, brays and goes bang.

Remember that while all this mis-use of our money goes on, we're suffering major problems with key components of our infrastructure services such as the electricity generation and distribution grid.

Just as bad, this government is also endorsing the monopoly held by Telecom and using *OUR* money to subsidise the growth and expansion of that monopoly by way of Project Probe.

What's more... have you noticed those little "NZ On Air" logos in the corner of many music videos promoting local acts? What's with that? Why the hell are taxpayers subsidising the recording industry at a time when they're doing their damnedest to stop law changes that would allow us basic freedoms such as format-shifting?

It would appear that the biggest benefactor of the governments frippery is The Arts and that makes my blood boil more than just a little.

Maybe this government ought to go over to Sorted.org.nz and get some basic budgeting advice.

No budget advisor in the world would condone the type of attitude that this government has to dealing with money.

You simply do not hoard cash while not paying the doctor's bill and you don't splash out on new paintings and trips to the theatre when you're unable or unwilling to pay the power-bill.

Now I'm more than willing to acknowledge that The Arts are an important part of a nation's culture and heritage -- but it also has to be acknowledged that, compared to a working power grid, properly paid health-professionals and fostering an environment where export-earning industries can thrive, The Arts are indeed a low-priority luxury.

Nobody ever died for lack of art, but plenty in NZ are already dying or suffering for lack of adequate healthcare and affordable electricity.

If people want to enjoy and support The Arts, then let them, but don't force a blue-collar South Auckland worker who is just scraping by to subsidise the opera or ballet enjoyed mainly the by middle and upper class from Remuera.

And don't neglect proper funding of scientific research -- after all, that is the cornerstone of a knowledge economy.

Perhaps it is this preference for "Art of the state" over "state of the art" and essential services/infrustracture which explains why today's news headlines contain no positive news about IT but plenty like this:

• Child abuse reports soar nationwide
• End the traffic chaos demands city police chief
• Family still grieving for a 25-year-old victim of medical oversight
• MPs: Nice (art) work if you can get it
• Polytechnics face pinch after course clampdown
• Power bills prove crippling

As a footnote, it's worth remembering that one of the very first things Helen Clark did when she was elected to the role of Prime Minister was to give an extra $80 million of taxpayers money to one of her favourite indulgences -- The Arts.

Personally, I don't believe that politicians should use public money to fund their own hobbies or interests but it certainly explains why so many of her government's initiatives have been abused by those administering them. They're simply following her example perhaps.

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