Who to vote for

[willedoo]

The list is shrinking. I've been doing some reading about last month's passing in the Senate of the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017.

 

Here's part of it:

 

Amends: seven Acts to create a jobseeker payment to replace seven existing payments as the main payment for people of working age from 20 March 2020; 10 Acts to provide for the cessation of the widow B pension, wife pension, bereavement allowance, sickness allowance, widow allowance and partner allowance.

 

Yeah, right, stuff the widows. I remember when I got the bereavement allowance, I had just spent three and a half years living with my dad as his full time carer. By the time he died, I hadn't had a paid income in that time and had spent my life savings in the process. When he passed, I was in a situation of having the carer's pension cut off, and the cost of having to relocate back to my former residence, which was a bit of a financial burden when you are on a centrelink payment as your only source of income. Add to that the fact that you are working through the grieving process and it's not a nice place to be.

 

At the time I was very impressed with the compassion shown by the DHS and their granting of the bereavement allowance which enabled me to pack up and move with some dignity and still be able to make the mortgage payments. But no more under the current Nazi bastard regime running this poor country. It's now bend over and cop it up the rear end if you're needy.

 

The heartless dickheads have even pinched a few pennies by changing the date of first payment for carers, the unemployed, and farmers seeking income assistance. It used to be backdated to the date of application, but no longer. It's now the date of approval, which in the case of carers can be quite a while, considering valuations of property, visits to specialists and doctors signing off on it. It can often involve tying together several different departments, eg DVA, Aged Care, Centrelink.

 

Personally, I hope the morons choke on their new found shekels. But back to the thread title. Those who voted yes were the usual suspects that put up this piece of sh*t un-Australian bill, the Liberals and Nationals (who else could dream this crap up while at the same time trying to cut the corporate tax rate - only peanuts could do it). Also interesting was that Nick, Darren, and that bastion of the little Aussie battler, Pauline, all voted in favour to screw the unemployed, carers, widows and farmers in dire need.

 

It reminds me of that movie about Harry Truman when he was running for a second term. The opinion polls had him losing, and while addressing a crowd in a campaign speech, he said to them "How many times do you have to be hit over the head before you realise who's doing the hitting?".

 

The only people who voted against the bill were the dreaded Labor party and those fruit loop Greens. Go figure that one out. Is this really the Australia that we aspire to, where we have heartless incompetent government trying their hardest to steal a few pennies from widows?

 

To those over paid bludgers in Canberra, I call you out for the un-Australian pieces of excrement that you are. Men and women fought for this country and look at what you bastards are doing to their legacy. Shame on you.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Well, you said it yourself Willedoo. Will you remember it on polling day?

 

 

[robinsm]

The americanisation of our country. People dont matter any more, its all about the penny pinchers and how our leaders appear on the world stage. What is the popint of having a budget in surplus when the populace are starving or suffering. I thought the government was elected to care for the peoiplke of the country as well as looking after the housekeeping, not sending money overseas to make us look good. Charity begins at home.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

... I thought the government was elected to care for the peoiplke of the country as well as looking after the housekeeping, not sending money overseas to make us look good. Charity begins at home.

If you're criticising the level of overseas aid provided by the Australian government, I agree it's wrong. It not nearly enough.

 

Australia, although a very rich country, has one of the stingiest aid budgets in the developed world, and governments routinely make big cuts to it.

 

Properly targeted, aid money can help us at least as much as the recipient country. Australia helped Indonesia control Foot and Mouth disease, which makes our billion-dollar cattle industry a lot safer.

 

When Howard and Bush reduced aid to public education in Indonesia, Saudi money poured in to fund madrassas that push their ultra- orthodox brand of Islam. The results may well be hundreds of thousands of potential Bali Bombers...

 

 

[nomadpete]

"Properly targeted" is the key.

 

Paying money to the government of another country is NOT aid. It only encourages corruption of those governments.

 

I think the only way to assist the needy of other countries, is to send work crews to build schools and hospitals, or essential infrastructure such as water, etc.

 

Unfortunately our government seems to send money, which is why I believe the majority of our so called aid is wasted.

 

 

[robinsm]

I you're criticising the level of overseas aid provided by the Australian government, I agree it's wrong. It not nearly enough.Australia, although a very rich country, has one of the stingiest aid budgets in the developed world, and governments routinely make big cuts to it.

 

Properly targeted, aid money can help us at least as much as the recipient country. Australia helped Indonesia control Foot and Mouth disease, which makes our billion-dollar cattle industry a lot safer.

 

When Howard and Bush reduced aid to public education in Indonesia, Saudi money poured in to fund madrassas that push their ultra- orthodox brand of Islam. The results may well be hundreds of thousands of potential Bali Bombers...

Sorry to disagree, but my taxes are paid to support me and mine, not some corrupt overseas govt that pockets the profits and says "stuff the people." Forget the money, how about investing in industry and works that make a return to the investor, put money into the pockets of the people that actually need it and give the ordinary people some pride and leadership to start and manage their own affairs. Unfortunately I beleive that a return for the investment is need to repay it, after all, I, and others, worked for that money, we deserve to get a benefit, and not just a feel good, from it. Tree hugging is all very well but giving overseas govt\s money to fatten the beaurocrats doesnt cut it for me.

 

 

[spacesailor]

Robinson said

 

"Sorry to disagree, but my taxes are paid to support me and mine, not some corrupt overseas: "govt that pockets the profits and says "stuff the people."

 

That's smacks of Australia's government.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[robinsm]

Robinson said"Sorry to disagree, but my taxes are paid to support me and mine, not some corrupt overseas: "govt that pockets the profits and says "stuff the people."

 

That's smacks of Australia's government.

 

spacesailor

Robinson said"Sorry to disagree, but my taxes are paid to support me and mine, not some corrupt overseas: "govt that pockets the profits and says "stuff the people."

 

That's smacks of Australia's government.

 

spacesailor

good, then they are getting something right, maybe a first for them...

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Sorry to disagree, but my taxes are paid to support me and mine, not some corrupt overseas govt that pockets the profits and says "stuff the people." Forget the money, how about investing in industry and works that make a return to the investor, put money into the pockets of the people that actually need it and give the ordinary people some pride and leadership to start and manage their own affairs. Unfortunately I beleive that a return for the investment is need to repay it, after all, I, and others, worked for that money, we deserve to get a benefit, and not just a feel good, from it. Tree hugging is all very well but giving overseas govt\s money to fatten the beaurocrats doesnt cut it for me.

Did you actually read my post?

 

 

[spacesailor]

YES

 

", I agree it's wrong. It not nearly enough."

 

But the problem IS and always will be

 

FAT ASSED Politicians, taking the FAT CATS share, of anything they get their hands on.

 

I don't begrudge a polly getting a Fair remuneration for work done, ( not sleeping through the parliament session, they're supposed to be contemplating )then passing the buck.

 

When a shipment of food (rice I think) was delivered to a starving nation, it was left dock-side to rot while pollies on both sides tried to make a profit from it, including Taxes & import duties, ON DONATED FOOD.

 

I never mourn the passing of an old polly, there's too many getting more than their share. If old retired polies were put on the AGE benefit, we wouldn't have to ask for "Food parcels" from overseas.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[robinsm]

Did you actually read my post?

Yep, read it, disagree. Why should my money, and that of every other working Oz person go to do something that the governments of those countries should be doing. I reiterate, the money is not going to the people, its going to the politicians. I repeat, if you are going to give our money away, at least get a return from it and help the people, not the political ideology, the religious money people etc. Sorry mate, but our people come first, our health and welfare come first. Read Nomad petes answer. Properly targeted is correct, but who decides that. Surely the government of the country the money is going to and who controls the feeding trough for these people...???

 

 

[nomadpete]

OK, I agree totally with your comment about supporting education in impoverished society (including ours).

 

However, having just read our DFAT's diatribe about how we are 'assisting' Timor Leste, all I can define is a lot of 'feel good' words about trying to straighten out their emerging government processes. Perhaps a veiled desire to reduce their endemic corruption. least that's what I got out of it after filtering the buzzwords out. So in that particular case a lot of our annual millions of dollars are only going towards statistics gathering to support the flow of money. For sure, there are goals stated. But for all those millions, I don't see evidence of real benefit to the real poor folk.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...I repeat, if you are going to give our money away, at least get a return from it and help the people...

Well, isn't this what my post was saying?

 

 

[facthunter]

Corruption is not confined to overseas governments. There's PLENTY right here. You follow this stuff up and demand fix it or you don't get any more. We are miserly more so each year by world standards.

 

Australians can't hold their heads high when overseas anymore. We are not principalled enough. Remember the original Colombo plan?. some things DO work. We pinch overseas trained people that the poor countries have trained rather than train out own. How's that a good deal for those countries (or our own young people)? Nev

 

 

[spacesailor]

Here's a new bit.

 

"Australian millennials increasingly think big businesses and politicians do more harm than good, a new survey has found.

 

The annual Deloitte survey of Generation Y, roughly defined as those born between 1983 and 1994, found they were increasingly sceptical of politics but surprisingly more personally optimistic than last year".

 

See.! Not just this nutter.

 

Also The new generation are taking oversea's holidays & not putting ANYTHING into superannuation, as most are casual, being paid under the counter ( not even taxed !).

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Marty_d]

No one is saying you're a nutter Spacey, just that your vote is still too precious to spoil. Even if you don't like any of the options, you must hate some more than others!

 

 

[spacesailor]

The one's I hate least get in THEN,

 

The one's I hate more take-over & give me the sheeeats. LoL

 

It's happening far too often to be called Democracy any more, if the pollies don't want our vote, why do they bother with the elections.

 

My Grandchildren haven't bothered to enroll when they passed 18, (is there a law to make unregistered people enroll)

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...My Grandchildren haven't bothered to enroll...

...then I hope they don't complain about the government they get. The system may be very imperfect, but it's up to us to make it work.

 

 

[Marty_d]

As someone said, if you can't find someone who represents you, then maybe it's time you ran for office.

 

I've sometimes thought of that, but I hate public speaking and would get tongue-tied and embarrassed in front of a TV camera. Two things which would make me absolutely useless as a pollie.

 

 

[old man emu]

You don't have to be any good at speaking in public to be a politician nowadays.

 

The first thing to to is to memorise the list of political cliches such as "working Australians"; "mums and dads", "moving forward", "my leader has my full support".

 

Next, you have to be able to recite a speech from the script prepared by the Party speechwriters.

 

Then you have to perfect the "noddy", which is how to stand behind your Party's leader at a photo shoot- sound grab and nod your head every time the leader takes a pause.

 

Local Members remind me of the lines from Patterson's "The Man from Ironbark":

 

There were some gilded youths that sat along the barber's wall,

 

Their eyes were dull, their heads were flat, they had no brains at all;

 

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[facthunter]

Why do they bother with elections? They wouldn't except it's the LAW currently.. Leave them alone and the elections by people will be abolished and companies will just vote. They have all the power anyhow. Nev

 

 

[spacesailor]

WHAT !, Other's getting on my bandwagon & agreeing with me, "Well I never".

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Yenn]

The current crop are not even gilded. They should be gelded.

 

 

[spacesailor]

The current crop !.

 

when/who was the last PM to stay Full term ?.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Marty_d]

The current crop are not even gilded. They should be gelded.

Especially one B.Joyce... little Barnaby gets him into all sorts of trouble.