Life as a Landlord

[Don't believe the Hype]

Well said flyer.

[eri]

Success

a few good habits

repeated every day

Failure

a few bad decisions

repeated every day

Jim Rohn

[Beano]

Excellent. I thought it was a great letter and I for one was not aware of the German situation regarding the conditions placed on long term tenancies. I notice Rudman is now taking a swing at Andrew King of NZ Property Investors Federation taking his comments suggesting tenants be given an electricity subsidy from the government so they could warm their homes out of context. The context being that even with insulated houses ,its useless if the tenant cannot afford electricity.

Another Herald lefty - aren't they all - and regular columnist, John Roughan recently suggested that the government remove landlords tax deductions for mortgage interest accrued on rentals!

Making interest non deductible is ok so long as the rental income is non assessable

[Bob Kane]

However, these people seem to make the same mistakes again and again, seemingly never learning from their own experience and never moving ahead in life. Why this should be so has kept a number of psychologists and sociologists in work for a very long time.

Reasons advanced seem to vary from immaturity, a deprived childhood, low IQ, an innate desire for immediate gratification at the expense of long-term prosperity, or the stubborn belief that life should owe them more. From my own experience, you can point out to them that the problems they are experiencing stem largely from their own incompetent behaviour, but at best you get a smile, a nod, and a repeat of the same bungling actions leading inevitably to the same lamentable results.

My current theory on why some people lack life skills is simply the chemicals in their brains aren't quite right.
They may be born like that or perhaps they fry their brains through strong drug use.
As such, they are permanently damaged.
Sometimes a prescribed medicine can assist them - ritalin for example.
Thankfully we have a safety net in WINZ who can assist these people.
I'd be interested if anyone has any thoughts on this topic.

[mrsaneperson]

My current theory on why some people lack life skills is simply the chemicals in their brains aren't quite right.
They may be born like that or perhaps they fry their brains through strong drug use.
As such, they are permanently damaged.
Sometimes a prescribed medicine can assist them - ritalin for example.
Thankfully we have a safety net in WINZ who can assist these people.
I'd be interested if anyone has any thoughts on this topic.

In that case you absolve everyone from any kind of personal responsibility .Having that kind of thinking has led us exactly to where we are at this present moment in time with our decayed society.
Until we stop blaming everything and everyone else for problems of our own making, be it obesity, drug use etc then we will have a repetitive endemic of losers and failures .
Throwing money at the problem and ignoring root causes is in essence why all these things are continuing to escalate around us.

Largely the buck has to stop at the individual in whatever control they have over creating their own destiny!

[Don't believe the Hype]

My current theory on why some people lack life skills is simply the chemicals in their brains aren't quite right.
They may be born like that or perhaps they fry their brains through strong drug use.
As such, they are permanently damaged.
Sometimes a prescribed medicine can assist them - ritalin for example.
Thankfully we have a safety net in WINZ who can assist these people.
I'd be interested if anyone has any thoughts on this topic.

As previously posted, we're relocating a number of houses. This has meant I spend a lot of time on site I.e. All day 7 days a week. I have been watching the interaction of the family in a neighboring house. There is a male and female mid 20's and a young girl preschooler. She is a beautiful little girl who regularly goes into the back yard to play and gets collected by the community childcare a few days a week but I never see her with any toys nor do I see her parents interacting with her out side - they're home because by the looks of it neither work.

There is regularly (every other week) a blow up at the house with loud screaming, doors slamming and sometimes someone storming out of the house and up the street. On two occasions we've witnessed windows being broken and we have called police to attend a few times. Over the 4 months on site I think I've seen police there 4-5 times

My interaction with both the adults in the house has been above average to my surprise, the male is always polite and helpful - we've often needed him to move his car or use their drive for deliveries etc and they've always obliged. They don't seem like bad people just hot heads with limited skills to manage anger and poor communication skills that lead to the blowups.

The reason for this background is I think about the lessons that little girl is learning - in her world this is normal, screaming, beatings (maybe) threats of violence, displays of anger and police visits. I can only imaging what her parents tell her about the police who come visit but I'm guessing it won't be a positive one.

The problem is that this young girl is similar in age to my child, comparing the start they've had it is not hard to extrapolate where things will be in 20 years time. One life competent, the other maybe not so much, repeating the lessons taught in their upbringing.

bobkane - adding drugs etc to the mix certainly can't help but I think the issue starts well before they get to the point of using drugs.

The challenge is how how do we break the cycle in the pre teen years because in my opinion after that it's too late for most.

[Courham]

The problem is that this young girl is similar in age to my child, comparing the start they've had it is not hard to extrapolate where things will be in 20 years time. One life competent, the other maybe not so much, repeating the lessons taught in their upbringing.

bobkane - adding drugs etc to the mix certainly can't help but I think the issue starts well before they get to the point of using drugs.

The challenge is how how do we break the cycle in the pre teen years because in my opinion after that it's too late for most.

Sorry, teenage years way to late. Research shows interventions need to be done in first 3 years of life as that is when 75% of brain development occurs and has the biggest impact on life outcomes.
That's right, poor, uneducated solo mums (luckily the numbers have been declining quite markedly) are where we need to focus on attention with social services but alas NZ gov'ts have no interest in funding this and so we continue to have ambulances at the bottom of the cliff when the answer is already to there. Pity the gov't continues to ignore the experts.

There is a reason that Early Childhood teachers in Finland, for example, get the most pay in their education system yet we continue to live in the 1900s here in NZ and poorly fund ECE compared to other education sectors- and don't get me started on all levels of lack of funding the current gov't (or is that recent gov't?) has given education in general! But that is another digression.

Craig

[Davo36]

I think a large part of all of this is that we now live in a meritocracy. So there are winners and losers. Those of us on this forum are winners.

But those with low IQs for instance will be losers. Nothing much they can do except work in a low paid job.

A low paid job that is then off-shored.

So you have lots and lots of time on your hands whilst on the dole. So you turn to drugs, alcohol, crime etc.

And it's happening in developed countries all over the world.

The inequality is driven by the meritocracies.

[eri]

yeah

poor impulse control

seems to start with an inability to think things through

coupled with having nothing to lose

leads to many living on the satisfaction

of doing, whatever they want, when they want

of course that's far too simplistic

from there you can add 10 more reasons

+ from that 100 more

but effective change in aberrant behaviour

has to start from within

and that's very hard

to impose from the outside

look at the example of these youths knocking off dairies from smokes,

many who will move on to home invasions, carjackings + banks

you could reduce the dairy attacks by

- giving all deprived areas free cigarettes (bad for health + wouldn't stop ram raids for sports shoes)

- removing or drastically lowering the high tax (same as above)

- handing out free nicotine gum (of debateable health value + increase nicotine use by youth)

- spending millions on more policing in poor areas (expensive + intimidating)

- spending millions + millions on parks, sports + mentor programs (least bang-for-buck)

[Don't believe the Hype]

Craig - I think you're right which is why I said pre teens... by teen age things are too ingrained. I think of it like a simple running race, at the start line kids in NZ are all more or less equal (excluding the impact of the mother drinking/taking drugs but I'm trying to keep it simple). The home impact in the years before school age can really mean some kids are far behind. So far behind in some cases that they just can't catch up.

Its very sad sad to see.

[artemis]

Sorry, teenage years way to late. Research shows interventions need to be done in first 3 years of life as that is when 75% of brain development occurs and has the biggest impact on life outcomes.
That's right, poor, uneducated solo mums (luckily the numbers have been declining quite markedly) are where we need to focus on attention with social services but alas NZ gov'ts have no interest in funding this and so we continue to have ambulances at the bottom of the cliff when the answer is already to there. Pity the gov't continues to ignore the experts.

There is a reason that Early Childhood teachers in Finland, for example, get the most pay in their education system yet we continue to live in the 1900s here in NZ and poorly fund ECE compared to other education sectors- and don't get me started on all levels of lack of funding the current gov't (or is that recent gov't?) has given education in general! But that is another digression.

Craig

The National government may have many faults but the social investment approach is not one of them. Instead of spraying funding randomly they have been targeting huge amounts of funding in exactly the way you said, based on data and not feelz or lobbying by groups with agendas.

Two examples. The Young Parent Payment, initially aimed at 16/17 year old parents, since extended to 18/19s and maybe extended further. Data showed that these young parents stay on benefit longer than any other group. It is very expensive per family as it involves wraparound services and a system of responsibilities on both sides. The number of teen parents is now around half the number in 2008, some of which will be because of the YPP.

The second example is the proposal to attach extra school funding to individuals with specific risks. Rather than to the community composition, which is what the decile system does.

Each of those has performance measures.

Neither is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, and there are other social investment initiatives as well. When I mention the YPP to people I know, few have ever heard of it. One of the reasons for that is opposition parties never ever mention it so the policy gets no airtime. So it stays under the radar, a quiet achiever where those involved are just getting on with it.

[eri]

bill english being the driver of that system

focused on better use of resources

[Perry]

I think a large part of all of this is that we now live in a meritocracy. So there are winners and losers.

Well, there's lots of controversy about that, David. According to the system we're in now, there are no winners and no losers. All one has to do is "achieve competency," or get a "certificate of attendance," or "complete a course."

I suspect that we place too much on too many uncertain variables. There will always be winners and losers. That's life. Then someone will argue how one defines "winning" and "losing?" And on and on the debate will go.

The dropout that makes good and makes a fortune in the process. The born-with-a-silver-spoon and a massive inheritance who blows it all in depraved and dissolute living. The story of Ben Carson is yet another example of one who breaks the yoke and succeeds spectacularly. My late wife was a great example. She saw something better in life, strived for it and achieved it.

Life is replete with what seem to be inequalities. To all those who would whine about such things, I say: get over it and get a life. One way or another. Of one sort or another, never forgetting that the harder you strive, the luckier you're likely to get.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence

If you compare yourself with others
you may become vain and bitter
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself

Be yourself. You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here
And whether or not it is clear to you
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should

Excerpted form The Disiderata.

[Anthonyacat]

The number of teen parents is now around half the number in 2008, some of which will be because of the YPP.

I read a fascinating article on whether the Smartphone is destroying a generation. Link isn't working, but raw link here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...ration/534198/

Some amazing facts and stats in there. Including some on teen sex. I'll try to link the graph below. But I just found it interesting how you referenced 2008, being the year the iPhone really started to take off...

[artemis]

I am aware of some of those global trends. And did not say that the YPP was solely responsible for the NZ trend in teen parenting. The social investment programme is data based, so the extension of the YPP to older teen parents indicates that the government objective is being met.

It is not a cheap programme. In the short or even medium term.