PS about a couple things

I forgot one paragraph I intended to put in the last blog post about banking, so I'll put it here. Another money difference is that the government of New Zealand actually balances its books. When there are surpluses, then there are tax cuts. When there is a shortfall, taxes are raised or expenses are cut. Not long ago I was talking to someone who was expressing a desire that the government would expand some program and offer greater benefits, and he said, "But if there's no money to pay for it, it just can't be done." I wish someone would tell the U.S. government that.

I also wanted to follow up on my April post about Chinese miners in Queenstown who mined gold there in the 1800s. I said that I wondered what happened to them. I've been asking around and found out that the Chinese stuck with mining much longer than the Europeans, who wanted quick results and big fortunes. The Chinese were mining gold in numerous locations around Otago until only a few decades ago, and there are a number of people of Chinese descent around this part of New Zealand. It evidently took a very long time for them to be integrated into New Zealand society, but I'm told that now there is no discrimination and there's plenty of intermarriage. The mayor of Dunedin, Peter Chin, is of Chinese descent, and he has been working for at least a decade to get a Chinese garden built in Dunedin. It will open very soon, and Chinese designers were brought in to work on it. The Chinese garden is viewed as a way to recognize that the Chinese have played a significant role here for generations. I haven't met any New Zealanders of Chinese descent, but hopefully I will and then I can ask more questions.