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I think the Republicans realise they will lose the House, but Trump will do everything he can to hold onto the Senate. If the Democrats win the Senate as well, they will be in a much stronger position to make his life miserable. My concern is that the Democrats are so focused on campaigning against Trump that they haven't figured out what they're actually for and what they would do to turn the ship around, so nothing much will get done for the next two years.

Not safe for HIM to use Roads. USA has a long record of Assassinating Presidents (or Gangland Leaders)..Nev

HIS team are really "Freaked out" about the Mid terms. There might even be a few who do a runner to get away from the Courts. I wouldn't be surprised if DT did something dramatic and uses it to Declare a National Emergency and declare Martial Law.. Desperate people do desperate THINGS. Nev

TRUMP is FKN unbelievable. Trashed America's reputation easily. Who can trust Putin, Netanyahu OR Trump? How does one deal with People who are LIARS? Trumps giant EGO dictates most of what HE DOES . He has the emotional development of a 4year old spoiled Brat. The American Constitution should have stopped him in his tracks Long ago IF the Republicans had any ethics or Principles. Nev

And that's probably the nicest thing he did today.

Trump ( and helpers) just Picked on an Obese Female protester. Pretty nasty stuff.. All on video. What a lovely Place to live? Nev

Apparently Now, Most Food companies are also Chemical companies. More Adulteration in everything. Depleted soil produces crook Vegetables and vegetable varieties are down 90% from what they were 80 years ago. Processed Food can Be hardly food at all. SALT FAT and SUGAR makes up a lot of it.. Nev

We will ALL pay for the Plastic in the environment. Nev

Is there a Policy of not responding to MY posts? The Forum is not very active Lately. I was trying to contribute. Nev

They would regret it. Not enough People to cover costs. Bit like Tassie. New Zealand and the NT. Geelong has about the same Population as Tassie.. Nev

Albo rescued me! Just did some shopping at ALDI and didn't have to acknowledge that there ws a surcharge for using plastic.

Interesting figures which few Down-Southers would realise. Re the Constitution Sections 121 and 124. Both have big hurdle words - 'may' and 'consent'. It takes a lot to get over them, especially when Sect 124 means that Lower Queensland would lose a motza in royalties etc.

ome, it is permissable. Section 121: 'The Parliament may admit to the Commonwealth or establish new States, and may upon such admission or establishment make or impose such terms and conditions, including the extent of representation in either House of the Parliament, as it thinks fit.' Section 124: 'A new state may be formed by separating a piece of land from an existing state, only with the consent of that state's parliament.'

If the above posts seem like I might be an advocate for NQ independence, I'm not. I'd much rather see our state remain as one, but I do understand the desire for some in the north to run their own show. It's a big state, 3,000 k's from bottom to top, and people up there often feel a lack of understanding from the pollies down in George Street, Brisbane. At the moment things are lot better in that department wiith a premier who is a North Queenslander.

I've never done much research into the economics of it that's been put forward over the years. Regarding health, education and law - the schools, hospitals, police, police stations and courthouses are already there, but the government bureaucracy side of it is not and would have to be built and funded. As far as paying their way, they'd have their share of the GST carve up, plus state taxes and fees like any other states. They also have a big slab of our state's resources in the form of mining, agriculture and fishing, and tourism. 60% of Queensland's export industries are located above the Tropic of Capricorn. There's always been two sides to the argument. The north has always felt like they're the cash cow being neglected in return, and the south doesn't want to lose that cash. As a comparison of populations below the millions level, NQ north of the Tropic is 800,000, Tasmania 580,000, Northern Territory 267,000. The GSP, Gross State Product of a North Queensland state is more than double that of Tasmania and equates to a GSP per capita of around $70,000 for Tasmania compared to $112,000 for NQ.

Marty, putting aside Katter ridicule for a minute, the debate on the formation of a NQ state has been going on for decades, involving public groups, local government and business. It's not all about Katter, he's just one of many mesengers on the subject.

In WA it's legal to buy pepper spray if over 18 but it's classed as a controlled weapon and can't be carried in public without reasonable grounds. General or routine self-defence is not accepted as a lawful excuse to carry it.

That's NOT what you see when you drive into Melbourne or see in a Hospital car Park.. My youngest Vehicle is 14 years old. Nev

Bob's a bit of a Joke really. When he asks a Question in question time, He run's over the time and is almost unintelligible. Mt ISA now, doesn't even have an RSL Club. It's NOT what it used to be. Nev

I guess northern QLD is the only place Katter has relevance, so he wants to make it a separate state so he's a big fish in a smaller pond? Most of what comes out of his mouth is garbage so I wouldn't waste my life trying to decipher his gibberish.

Regarding Katter's idea. How would the government for a State in that area firstly establish the structures necessary to run things like health, education, law? Secondly, how would it obtain the money to do these things? It is idealistic, but not practical to create a new State in an area that does not have the population to carry out teh necessary functions of government. I think that's why Western Australia shelved the idea. Besides, I don't think it would be permissable under the Constitution.

Both on Sunrise this morning with video interviews with various people. No.2 was on the Ch 7 News last night. Apparently it is already law in WA and NT.

Yesterday I had a calibration appointment for my Cochlear implant. It started with the audiologist connecting the device to her computer and playing a range of beeps at various frequencies, starting too low to hear, and increasing them until they were at a comfortable volume. She then read out a number of words from a printed list of about 30, with her face obscured, and I had to locate the word on the list and repeat it without being able to lip-read. Passed that without problem. Next, she placed a page of 12 half sentences in front of me. Again, obscuring her face, she read out the full sentence which I had to repeat back to her. The example I recall was: Printed: She cleaned the floor.... The spoken sentence: She cleaned the floor with a mop and broom. I passed all 12 sentences at the first attempt. She said she normally doesn't get to pulling that page out until the second month. I've had the device for 9 days. I can now hold conversations, watch the TV, and talk on the phone without the hearing aid in the other ear.

Can't see either of those stories on ABC.

Two items on the news I invite you to comment on. 1. Bob Katter's renewed call for north Queensland to break away at the Tropic of Capricorn and form a new state. 2. A call for people 16 and over to be permitted to purchase and carry pepper spray.