Economists have a lot to answer for. Over the past decade here in Australia, our governments of both persuasions have tried to sell off everything that was owned by the people. They have also encouraged the population 'To Go For Growth' As the Liberal party ran as one of it's election slogans said.
The answer to the economists dream is to have a bigger population, consuming more products, while travelling as many kilometres as humanly possible on or in whatever carbon guzzling machine is most appropriate.
Now as we are being told by scientist from around the world in one large collective voice we have to become green and lean. Buy local is the new slogan, we have known this for ever and a day. Not economists they have asked us to buy global. Allow Brazilian farmers to sell us their orange juice, no matter that it puts our farmers out of business, if they can't compete then they shouldn't be in the market place.
In fact the whole emphasis has been to consume more of just about everything, except maybe water and that is because we have had a drought for 10 years. I'm sure it was the economists that told the state governments that it didn't matter that they would have to double the price of water, building a desalination plant [the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere] was an economic miracle. Because governments tend to believe 'Experts' and 'Experts' have said build it.
We need to clean out this current mob of economists and money men. They will be the ruination of us all. Even Carbon is worth trading in. Don't for a minute think it will make an once of difference to our carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It will become another piece of paper to trade and make wealthy financiers wealthier.
I wonder which economist told the airlines of the world it makes economic sense to fly twice as many flights around the world some at such low costs per passenger it wouldn't even cover the pilots drinks tab. I read recently that a flight from Australia to Europe is equal in carbon consumption to an average Australian household for two and half years.
Scientist will finally win these debates about carbon and renewable energy. But not before a handful of economists will cost as billions in lost opportunities to be Lean and Green.
Woof.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Goodbye and Good Riddance
Goodbye Mr Howard and your right wing politics. As I had predicted and hoped for John Howard's government were decidedly beaten in the weekends election.
The reason I could see it coming was that the outer suburbs of our major cities where Howard had been elected at each previous election over the last 11 years, had turned against him. The voters out there are Mums and Dads with Mortgages and by and large employed in small to medium size businesses. The work place laws introduced by Howard were not popular, so they deserted him. Two other factors may of helped the Labor cause. John Howard was very slow in accepting Climate change and that is a big worry for many people now, and they don't want an old fart with all the privileges of high office telling them it is better to give tax cuts to millionaires than put money into alternative energy creation.
Howard along with his treasurer Peter Costello, have managed to waste 10 years of economic good times. They lauded their achievements but didn't plough the surpluses they so happily took through consumption taxes back into longer term policy. That is why I say good riddance. I hope the Liberal party learns from this drubbing and thinks about the future of this world next time they are elected and not some stupid right wing agenda to feather the nest of aspirational greedy millionaires.
Best of luck to Kevin Rudd
Woof
The reason I could see it coming was that the outer suburbs of our major cities where Howard had been elected at each previous election over the last 11 years, had turned against him. The voters out there are Mums and Dads with Mortgages and by and large employed in small to medium size businesses. The work place laws introduced by Howard were not popular, so they deserted him. Two other factors may of helped the Labor cause. John Howard was very slow in accepting Climate change and that is a big worry for many people now, and they don't want an old fart with all the privileges of high office telling them it is better to give tax cuts to millionaires than put money into alternative energy creation.
Howard along with his treasurer Peter Costello, have managed to waste 10 years of economic good times. They lauded their achievements but didn't plough the surpluses they so happily took through consumption taxes back into longer term policy. That is why I say good riddance. I hope the Liberal party learns from this drubbing and thinks about the future of this world next time they are elected and not some stupid right wing agenda to feather the nest of aspirational greedy millionaires.
Best of luck to Kevin Rudd
Woof
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Cricket and Polls
Cricket and Opinion Polls, two things I could say who gives a flying fig about at this very moment.
We have had two test matches this summer, Australia versus Sri Lanka, the first ended in a massive defeat to Sri Lanka and likewise the second even if the end score looks closer, the Aussie declared at some unlikely score of 2 for 210 in their second innings. What is the point of having these test matches. Australia I think is the only nation that has this incredible appetite for winning at cricket. I know other nations like India [touring here this summer] and Pakistan, West Indies etc. all have 'Proud Traditions', but none of them have this military type approach to winning.
So what happens, we have these one sided test series that leave a lot of cricket fans and potential cricket fans, with boring days of cricket with no suspense what so ever. Even the commentators have become geriatrics, maybe because, no younger guys want the gig. I have no idea what to do about it except to turn off the coverage which I have done for a number of years now.
Opinion polls the panacea of the masses. Feed them another opinion poll, get the electorate excited, this age long election is being held together by endless polls. No matter, that they all say the same thing [A win to Labor] a small deviation here or there, up a percentage point for 'preferred prime minister' down a point in two party preferred swing. Hey cut it out there are too many variables to know exactly what you are talking about and you only tell us the sexy bits.
Time to put away the papers and turn off the news flashes we need an election free zone. And did you know that in the long and short of it all, neither side have the answers they are by and large reacting to things out of their control with the illusion of being in the driving seat making all the right decisions. They couldn't lie straight in bed, god bless them, dear born agains that they are.
Woof.
We have had two test matches this summer, Australia versus Sri Lanka, the first ended in a massive defeat to Sri Lanka and likewise the second even if the end score looks closer, the Aussie declared at some unlikely score of 2 for 210 in their second innings. What is the point of having these test matches. Australia I think is the only nation that has this incredible appetite for winning at cricket. I know other nations like India [touring here this summer] and Pakistan, West Indies etc. all have 'Proud Traditions', but none of them have this military type approach to winning.
So what happens, we have these one sided test series that leave a lot of cricket fans and potential cricket fans, with boring days of cricket with no suspense what so ever. Even the commentators have become geriatrics, maybe because, no younger guys want the gig. I have no idea what to do about it except to turn off the coverage which I have done for a number of years now.
Opinion polls the panacea of the masses. Feed them another opinion poll, get the electorate excited, this age long election is being held together by endless polls. No matter, that they all say the same thing [A win to Labor] a small deviation here or there, up a percentage point for 'preferred prime minister' down a point in two party preferred swing. Hey cut it out there are too many variables to know exactly what you are talking about and you only tell us the sexy bits.
Time to put away the papers and turn off the news flashes we need an election free zone. And did you know that in the long and short of it all, neither side have the answers they are by and large reacting to things out of their control with the illusion of being in the driving seat making all the right decisions. They couldn't lie straight in bed, god bless them, dear born agains that they are.
Woof.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
John Howards Time in Office
Have a look at this article from The AGE by Ross McMullin. It outlines the deceit and lies that have surrounded John Howard's time in Office.
Woof
Woof
Monday, November 12, 2007
Spend
The two major parties in this election are promising billions of dollars in hand outs, much of which is aimed at buying a vote. However the biggest vote buying, 'spend' came in the first week of the election. The 32 billion dollar tax relief proposed by Mr Howard. I have already commented on how I find that intolerable. I have thought some more about it in the light of election promises, and just the way elections can focus the mind.
The main thing we need to be doing over the next 10 years is to reduce greenhouse gases by making our world less dependent on fossil fuels. We need to make, solar, wind, tides, etc our main source of energy. We need our reliance on petrol/diesel cars to end. And an added thing we need to do here in Australia is find ways of supplying safe water in a what has become a much drier continent.
We want our politicians to consult with the public to work together to find solutions. Not to tell us that with expert advise they have found the one and only solution and we have to live with it. There are often many ways to skin a cat and we need to debate some of them. The Howard government has promoted a get rich approach to lifestyle and it is going to come home to bite us all in the arse. It has made us complacent and encouraged us to bury our heads in the sand over climate change and the future. Up until a year ago you would hardly of thought that we had a crises of this magnitude looming. I put a lot of that down to John Howard and his approach to leadership. If you look back over his 11 years it has all been about running surpluses and giving tax relief to the wealthy. He has done this by selling the crown jewels, spreading the tax base, [GST] and cutting services. No forethought what so ever, just that wealth creation, will in some way magic it's way into all the households. I don't think.
Some of the advisers are economists, they seem to think the only way to get things done is to make it attractive financially, for enough, for them to initiate change. Driven by profit, well it only works to a certain extent. As shown by big business. They stop being inventive and look purely for profit.
We need our politicians to commit to changing the way we do business in Australia, get rid of the status quo and find green ways of seeing our future.
Very soon now it will be the people speaking up not the lobbyists for big business. People will demand their councils provide the correct infrastructure to sustain our consumption. It will be people who say, 'forget the tax cut give us a break on installing and running alternative hot water services and solar panels.
Why these issues are barely being questioned in this election, says heaps for the current way of doing business as a government. Get elected and then rule by executive power. And only listen to the lobbyists from big business or political donors. Enough is enough let the people be heard.
Woof.
The main thing we need to be doing over the next 10 years is to reduce greenhouse gases by making our world less dependent on fossil fuels. We need to make, solar, wind, tides, etc our main source of energy. We need our reliance on petrol/diesel cars to end. And an added thing we need to do here in Australia is find ways of supplying safe water in a what has become a much drier continent.
We want our politicians to consult with the public to work together to find solutions. Not to tell us that with expert advise they have found the one and only solution and we have to live with it. There are often many ways to skin a cat and we need to debate some of them. The Howard government has promoted a get rich approach to lifestyle and it is going to come home to bite us all in the arse. It has made us complacent and encouraged us to bury our heads in the sand over climate change and the future. Up until a year ago you would hardly of thought that we had a crises of this magnitude looming. I put a lot of that down to John Howard and his approach to leadership. If you look back over his 11 years it has all been about running surpluses and giving tax relief to the wealthy. He has done this by selling the crown jewels, spreading the tax base, [GST] and cutting services. No forethought what so ever, just that wealth creation, will in some way magic it's way into all the households. I don't think.
Some of the advisers are economists, they seem to think the only way to get things done is to make it attractive financially, for enough, for them to initiate change. Driven by profit, well it only works to a certain extent. As shown by big business. They stop being inventive and look purely for profit.
We need our politicians to commit to changing the way we do business in Australia, get rid of the status quo and find green ways of seeing our future.
Very soon now it will be the people speaking up not the lobbyists for big business. People will demand their councils provide the correct infrastructure to sustain our consumption. It will be people who say, 'forget the tax cut give us a break on installing and running alternative hot water services and solar panels.
Why these issues are barely being questioned in this election, says heaps for the current way of doing business as a government. Get elected and then rule by executive power. And only listen to the lobbyists from big business or political donors. Enough is enough let the people be heard.
Woof.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Climate change, An Election. Denial.
It's all here in an article from Kenneth Davidson in The Age. If we don't get our head out of the sand as far as global warming and Politicians start telling the truth about what we need to do to adapt then we are fooling ourselves and depriving future generations.
Have a read of THIS
Woof.
Have a read of THIS
Woof.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Melbourne recycle your water
The local council at Swan Hill has passed a motion asking the Premier of Victoria to make Melbourne recycle it's water, then it wouldn't have to take water from the Swan Hill area.
Here is the article. And reproduced below. I have been saying this for a few years now.
Woof.
Royce Millar
October 30, 2007
Here is the article. And reproduced below. I have been saying this for a few years now.
Woof.
Call for recycling instead of pipeline
Advertisement
MELBOURNE should recycle its water rather than piping fresh water over the Dividing Range from the drought-stricken communities along the Goulburn River.
That is the view of Swan Hill's council. This week it will ask the Municipal Association of Victoria's state conference to back its call for the State Government to invest in recycling for Melbourne instead of building the north-south, or Sugarloaf, pipeline.
The Swan Hill motion notes that water recycling works well overseas and that purification technology is advanced and "could offer long-term solutions" to Melbourne's burgeoning water demands.
It also doubts the Brumby Government's guarantee to limit the volume of water diverted from the Goulburn to Melbourne to 75 gigalitres a year. "Unfortunately, political history demonstrates such guarantees have a limited life," it says.
The council's motion is likely to get wide rural backing but it is not clear whether it will secure the metropolitan support necessary for success at the association's meeting.
Senior local government figures are understood to be anxious that a successful resolution could embarrass the Brumby Government.
Municipal association president Dick Gross could not be contacted yesterday.
Some Melbourne councillors have already backed the Swan Hill campaign. Moonee Valley Mayor and Greens member Ben Opie said he supported the motion because much more needed to be done to boost levels of water re-use and harvesting in Melbourne.
Cr Opie said local councils were introducing recycling and other water measures but projects were limited.
"Local government budgets don't stretch far enough," he said.
Swan Hill Mayor Gary Norton said his council supported irrigation upgrades to reduce water seepage and evaporation "but we don't like the trade-off", meaning the pipeline.
He said it was not clear whether he would have the numbers to get his motion up on Friday. "But win or lose, we've got the message out there," Cr Norton said.
The State Government backed the pipeline as part of a two-pronged, $4.9 billion water strategy announced this year that also includes the controversial desalination plant at Williamsons Beach, near Wonthaggi.
Under the pipeline plan, up to 450 billion litres of water would be saved through a $2 billion upgrade of the 80-year-old Goulburn irrigation system, including the lining of open channels and installation of automated channel control.
Melbourne would receive 75 gigalitres of the water and the remainder would be shared between the environment and agriculture. The water would be piped 70 kilometres from the Goulburn River, near Yea, to Sugarloaf Reservoir, north-east of Melbourne.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Revolution
Over the last 500 years or so there have been a number of revolutions. In this context the main aim for human kind has been to free themselves from enslavement and oppression. The biggest of the revolutions have been to free the populous of oppressors like Kings and Emperors. Who in turn have extended their power via hierarchical power bases with brutal regimes in place to make them work.
These types of thoughts got me thinking about the present need for change. Climate change is going to impact on our lives like the Kings and Queens of yesteryear. There are in place big organisations that are trying to preserve the status quo for their own good. Our politicians have also become the lackeys for these powerful Organisations. They lobby and pollies listen. Elections are fought on the favours of big business.
So for the revolution to happen we need to sideline big business and find a new way of deciding what is important for our future. Because we are not going to get the answers from self interested large businesses that only want profits for their shareholders.
Woof.
These types of thoughts got me thinking about the present need for change. Climate change is going to impact on our lives like the Kings and Queens of yesteryear. There are in place big organisations that are trying to preserve the status quo for their own good. Our politicians have also become the lackeys for these powerful Organisations. They lobby and pollies listen. Elections are fought on the favours of big business.
So for the revolution to happen we need to sideline big business and find a new way of deciding what is important for our future. Because we are not going to get the answers from self interested large businesses that only want profits for their shareholders.
Woof.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tax Cuts
Why has Howard announced such large tax cuts. Does he want to buy my vote? If so he is going about it the wrong way.
There used to be a saying about a government that gives large tax breaks, it has either over taxed you in the first place, or isn't giving you value for money in providing services, such as Health, Education, etc.
Some of the most pressing needs at the moment are climate change, water, and alternative energy sources. If as a government you can't find ways of spending those tax cuts on improving those areas, you are bereft of ideas.
This election should be about the next 10 to 20 years a crucial time in our history. If you looked at the governments, 'steady as you go,' approach you wouldn't believe there was a problem.
So buck up Mr. Howard get with the message, Solar panel plan, Alternative energy base load plan, A water plan for the Southern states of Australia, reduce our carbon footprint plan. ETC ETC.
We don't want you to run this election on your past, you have been a conservative 1950s man. Step up or ship out.
In fact I hope you loose your seat to Maxime Mckew. You didn't know when to retire, and you have shown yourself to be really dirty when it comes to politics.
Woof.
There used to be a saying about a government that gives large tax breaks, it has either over taxed you in the first place, or isn't giving you value for money in providing services, such as Health, Education, etc.
Some of the most pressing needs at the moment are climate change, water, and alternative energy sources. If as a government you can't find ways of spending those tax cuts on improving those areas, you are bereft of ideas.
This election should be about the next 10 to 20 years a crucial time in our history. If you looked at the governments, 'steady as you go,' approach you wouldn't believe there was a problem.
So buck up Mr. Howard get with the message, Solar panel plan, Alternative energy base load plan, A water plan for the Southern states of Australia, reduce our carbon footprint plan. ETC ETC.
We don't want you to run this election on your past, you have been a conservative 1950s man. Step up or ship out.
In fact I hope you loose your seat to Maxime Mckew. You didn't know when to retire, and you have shown yourself to be really dirty when it comes to politics.
Woof.
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