No matter what party is in the Beehive, it's people like you and me who keep the Government's coffers ticking along.
Honest, hard-working people keep this country going.
I can't really understand why the Government can't afford to give us a little bit of help. After all, the population is growing, with a record number of new immigrants so it must be collecting a lot more money in taxes.
I know there's much more to running a country than that. However, the powers that be really need to look after their "bread and butter" earners because without them New Zealand would be in dire straits.
There were some parts of the Budget I liked. More money for health and the bowel screening programme is fantastic - but again, we in Hawke's Bay aren't going to see any benefit from that for a long while.
It was also great to see the police getting a boost, although I suspect $299 million over four years is not nearly enough, especially with cigarettes going up 10 per cent annually for the next four years. Just watch the number of robberies at dairies and petrol stations soar.
If I was the owner of one of those places I'd just stop selling tobacco. The profit they make from them is not worth risking the safety of themselves and staff.
I read recently that fewer than 10 per cent of burglaries are solved. That's crazy. No wonder crime is so rife.
The criminals know there's little chance of being caught and if they do, the consequences are so minimal they just don't care. They are back out on the streets, climbing in windows and taking whatever they please.
Once again it's the honest, hard-working people who pay for this with increased insurance and the stress of knowing someone has been in your home.
Hopefully some of the money will go toward employing more police to deal with these people.
And please, judges, don't let the ones police do manage to bring before the courts get off lightly.
The arts received a boost as well, with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and kapa haka organisation Te Matatini sharing $11.6 million over the next four years.
It was also good to see money set aside for new schools and classrooms but my favourite was the $348 million dedicated to Child, Youth and Family reform. Please spend the money where it's needed, caring for at-risk children, not on reports into this and that.
So, while I missed out again, I am glad the Government is spending on health, education, police and our children.
- Linda Hall is assistant editor of Hawke's Bay Today.
