The State is not a good parent

 "Reading the abuse in care reports, two questions requiring clear and compelling answers remain unanswered: Why? and How? Why were so many children and young people abused in such awful ways? How was it possible for so much and such appalling abuse to continue unchecked for so long? Without satisfactory responses to these two critical questions, the chances of history repeating itself must remain unacceptably high.

    "For some reason, however, the Why and How of Abuse in Care were not made the prime focus of the Royal Commission’s investigations. Its reports tell us the Who, When, Where and What of this horror story, but, those two key questions, Why? and How?, are not adequately addressed."

~ Chris Trotter from his post 'Report on the abuse of young people – two key questions have gone unanswered'

"For NZers the state is an instrument rather than an oversoul.... a pork-barrel from which a member might extract pickings for his constituents."

"New Zealanders [use the] state for their material well-being without too curious an interest in the philosophical implications of their actions, as they [have] since the beginnings of their history....
    "For [New Zealanders] the state [is] an instrument rather than an oversoul.... a pork-barrel from which a member might extract pickings for his constituents."
          ~ W.H. Oliver, from his book The Story of New Zealand (p. 130)

NB: tenses changed.

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