Politics

[cyclopath]

You are surprised, Biffo? Have you renounced your position as the G&GR arbiter of all things grammatical and etymological? I just wasn't sure if ordinariness would pass muster.

 

[Biffo]

You are surprised, Biffo? Have you renounced your position as the G&GR arbiter of all things grammatical and etymological? I just wasn't sure if ordinariness would pass muster.

A little hyperbole there, political analyst extraordinaire "all"? "position"? :lmao:

In any event, there was no grammatical or etymological interest in your wild assertion that I might have a view on such a boring and irrelevant subject. :lmao: If you refer to "ordinariness", yes, it is a real word. :

The wisest man I ever met said "we can disagree about analysis, finding, conclusion and recommendation and remain the best of friends; we can't disagree about fact and remain any kind of friend".

 

[Cutter]

I appreciate what you say about stimulus spending v infrastructure, Cutter, and you are quite right. But sooner or later there needs to be some vision. In terms of infrastructure, we are in a woeful state. Too much reliance on poor roads for heavy transport, rail systems out of the 19th century, a 20 year debate about where to put another airport in Sydney which has progressed, well, nowhere. Transport in general is rubbish.
Don't even get me started on our over-bureaucratised health system, where the only growth sector is medical administration (by several hundred %).
All these politicians look to is the next election, and that is that. They are mostly self-interested fools, or in NSW something else! The stimulus was blown by most in frivolous spending on items that most people didn't need, and to reduce some personal debt by some, and for Kevin07, Swannie, Jules and co to feel the love. There has been too much chest-beating about how strong our economy is, and how fore-sighted some people were, when in fact it was mostly dumb-luck and a shitload of minerals. And I mean not only the incumbents, but the mob that went before too.

Triple shot flat white to start each day, then a couple more after that. And I don't sip!!
No champers though...off the grog. :'(

Agree with all of that Cyclo. My point about the stimulus was that infrastructure spending would not have been effective immediately. I don't deny we need it though. We should spend shedloads on a good rail system and take our freight off the roads.

I particularly agree with the short sighted nature of politics. The current generation seem to be more interested in being successful politicians than successful leaders (and there is a world of difference).

 

[chief]

Kevin Rudd has done a decent job in office, but I think the spending that he is authorizing Wayne Swan to do is now becoming outrageous, certainly cut backs are going to be needed. The stimulus wasn't by al means bad, nor good. But I'm not meaning to discriminate, should we have given it to the dead? Should we have given it to people who Salary Sacrifice the majority of their salary? I think both governments both State and Federal should definitely pay more of a keen interest into transport. I speak for Brisbane here, but as someone pointed out, the tracks are far too old. With Brisbane having only 6 tracks at Central Station. Admittedly it is not the current Governments (Both State and Federal) who are at fault it is the previous. This won't be able to be fixed for a long time because A) laziness B) money. They seem to be investing all of their money in Busways, when I really think Railways are the way to go. More railway tracks, with more connections it gets a bit annoying when you are traveling 10 km away from the city, yet you have to catch 2 trains, and 2 busses.

Looking forward however to the Lite-Rail which connects the Gold Coast, I think they should attempt to fast track that because their is no steady way to get Surfers from Brisbane, except for catching Train-Bus. Lite-Rail should be a good alternative.

Sorry if i veered away from the main point of it!

 

[Sully]

How is a dead person accidently getting a stimulus check an argument against the stimulus package Chief? When you are dealing with hundreds of thousands or even millions of people and things go wrong why do we concentrate on the small error and not on the greater good? I know why political Parties do it but why are we falling into their habits. All it makes us look like is a bunch of whingers.

On a side note I have been reading the Comments in the Courier Mail and I am thinking Queenslanders are the worst of the bunch nearly every article has people crying about something someone else has done.

 

[Pfitzy]

Considering QLD gets quite a handy chunk of the GST from NSW its a bit of a laugh. Resources boom anyone?

The thing that shits me about the stimulus packages is they're short-term, vote-winner thinking.

I paid my rego the other day at a grand cost of $254.

I noticed that the registration fee is $55. The Motor Vehicle Tax is $199.

I looked at the tax I pay on fuel. The tax I paid to buy the car. The tax and levies I pay on the servicing and maintenance of the car. The tax I pay on the COMPULSORY third party insurance, despite taking out comprehensive insurance (also taxed) that should invalidate my need to have CTP policies in the first place - I already consider insurance compulsory for this vehicle as its very important to me. Why should I have to buy two lots of it?

Finally I took into account that the car drives me to work where I pay one of the highest income tax rates in the world.

I figured out not only that my $1000 pushbike looks like a bargain by comparison, but that our three-tiered government system is fucking ordinary at balancing the books. The sooner they wind back the golden handshake for ex-politicians, with free travel, accommodation, and other expenses paid, the sooner we can maybe have some better roads to drive on, so the fucking pollies can lump it like the rest of us.

Its a start. Once that is done we can start cutting back travel expenses for current politicians, and instead sponsor broadband links for them to teleconference rather than shindig trips to parliament all year where most of them do fuck all.

I'm starting to understand why the Yanks enjoy their right NOT to vote.

 

[spectator]

Nice rant Nick.I'm not as politically aware as you lot, but just one thing to say:

Kevin Rudd is a tool!!

 

[cyclopath]

Considering QLD gets quite a handy chunk of the GST from NSW its a bit of a laugh. Resources boom anyone?

The thing that shits me about the stimulus packages is they're short-term, vote-winner thinking.

I paid my rego the other day at a grand cost of $254.

I noticed that the registration fee is $55. The Motor Vehicle Tax is $199.

I looked at the tax I pay on fuel. The tax I paid to buy the car. The tax and levies I pay on the servicing and maintenance of the car. The tax I pay on the COMPULSORY third party insurance, despite taking out comprehensive insurance (also taxed) that should invalidate my need to have CTP policies in the first place - I already consider insurance compulsory for this vehicle as its very important to me. Why should I have to buy two lots of it?

Finally I took into account that the car drives me to work where I pay one of the highest income tax rates in the world.

I figured out not only that my $1000 pushbike looks like a bargain by comparison, but that our three-tiered government system is fucking ordinary at balancing the books. The sooner they wind back the golden handshake for ex-politicians, with free travel, accommodation, and other expenses paid, the sooner we can maybe have some better roads to drive on, so the fucking pollies can lump it like the rest of us.

Its a start. Once that is done we can start cutting back travel expenses for current politicians, and instead sponsor broadband links for them to teleconference rather than shindig trips to parliament all year where most of them do fuck all.

I'm starting to understand why the Yanks enjoy their right NOT to vote.

Yeah, like all the hangers-on that went to Copenhagen!! Talk about carbon footprint!

 

[Pfitzy]

For absolutely friggin ZERO result too. If I did my job like the politicians did theirs, I'd get either a massive pay cut, or the sack!

 

[mark_s]

I was going to steer well clear of this thread, but I can’t help but share a stimulus story. We had OS friends came and visit us late in 2009. The husband is a highly trained physicist and was in Aus at the invite (and cost) of the Aus government to train some PHD students. Anyway, the gov had similarly invited him to Aus a few years ago so he had originally paid tax in the period that determined eligibility for the stimulus payment. His wife had also come and so had also paid a small amount of tax in that period (doing some work to stop herself from being bored).

Anyway, they turn up at Sydney airport and immigration asks them into a room. Here they are thinking its rubber glove time, but no they get told the government would like to give them some money. You need to go and pick up checks both for your stimulus payments and for a refund of nearly all the tax you paid last time you where here. Have a nice day and enjoy your time in Aus where money just grows on trees.

 

[Scarfman]

Sounds like a bloody efficient beaurocracy to me.

As long as they are as good at picking up people who OWE tax, I haven't got a problem with it at all.

 

[Scotty]

Sounds like a bloody waste of money, to me. Hypocrisy always exists in politics, but this government seems to take the cake. A bit of razor gang work turning into the biggest cash splashes ever in Australia. I'm sure this government would have the record for the most inefficient spending spree ever, and it galls me that we (particularly the higher tax payers among us that have worked our arses off to get where we are) will have to be paying for it for a half a generation.

I would support the spree if I could see long term, positive outcomes. But they are few and far between.

And Cutter, of course I understand that there was a need for a quick injection of cash in the way of handouts to make an immediate impact, however I can't understand why this was given to people not even in the country, where it is obviously going to be spend in another economy. I can't understand why there it was means tested - people that earn more money like to spend as well (and lets face it, it was there taxes that put that money there in the first place). And I particularly can't understand how non-Australian citizens could possibly have received some - surely this would have been a pretty simple filter for the ATO to add.

And, I like to start my day with a triple shot flat white like Cyclo.

 

[Scotty]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/distorted-banking-market-still-a-problem/story-e6frg9io-1225827621983

Article on the banking system and withdrawal of the government guarantee from wholesale os funding. Seems there were some unintended consequences (but again the government had warning of these consequences) of providing this guarantee. Namely restricting competition, and helping the two biggest banks to increase their market share. Westpac now seem to be taking advantage of this reduced competition by raising their rates in excess of the RBA's rises.

I bank with Westpac, and have one point of contact there, which is a good service, but if they do this again I'll have to vote with my feet.

 

[Scotty]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/property/roof-insulation-turns-houses-live/story-e6frg9gx-1225827643226

More unintended consequences of ill thought through policies. It seems there are quite a few insulation installations that were carried out with metal fasteners, and could cause death for any entering the roof space.

The intention of the insulation rebate was to have a quick response via using a trade that there is no official training/accreditation while also achieving a 'green' outcome. Problem is they got what they wanted - every dodgy man and his dog installing crap insulation, that may either have to be redone, or worst case could cause injury or death.

 

[Scotty]

The results of the audit show about 2 per cent of roofs were found to be live. If this carried over all 37,000 houses insulated, it would mean more than 700 houses were electrified.

Master Electricians Australia chief executive Malcolm Richards urged the government to withdraw the $1200 rebate.

Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt called on the government to halt the program altogether and hold a judicial inquiry, following the death of a fourth insulation installer in Queensland last week.

Sunny Barnes, 23, whose 16-year-old brother Rueben died while installing foil insulation in Stanwell, south of Rockhampton, last November, said industry regulation was "laughable". She said the scheme should be halted.

The program to insulate 2.7 million homes has been dogged by allegations of rorting and malpractice and has led to house fires.

 

[cyclopath]

Sounds like a bloody waste of money, to me. Hypocrisy always exists in politics, but this government seems to take the cake. A bit of razor gang work turning into the biggest cash splashes ever in Australia. I'm sure this government would have the record for the most inefficient spending spree ever, and it galls me that we (particularly the higher tax payers among us that have worked our arses off to get where we are) will have to be paying for it for a half a generation.

I would support the spree if I could see long term, positive outcomes. But they are few and far between.

And Cutter, of course I understand that there was a need for a quick injection of cash in the way of handouts to make an immediate impact, however I can't understand why this was given to people not even in the country, where it is obviously going to be spend in another economy. I can't understand why there it was means tested - people that earn more money like to spend as well (and lets face it, it was there taxes that put that money there in the first place). And I particularly can't understand how non-Australian citizens could possibly have received some - surely this would have been a pretty simple filter for the ATO to add.

And, I like to start my day with a triple shot flat white like Cyclo.

You know, Scotty, for a Qld supporter, you are a very good bloke!!!

Interesting about the electrified roofs - as my builder had told me. Nice to see he isn't a bullshit artist!

 

[Scotty]

Should I be concerned as to what that said before it was edited?

I must admit that sometimes it is only two shots, but more and more I am relying on three.

 

[Scotty]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/ban-as-bodged-insulation-proves-deadly-20100209-nogw.html

Foil insulation now completely banned.

Mr Richards said he doubted there was a safe way to install the foil installation.

"We're firmly of the belief that removing the rebate for foil will result in no more accidents, subject to the 37,000 getting checked," Mr Richards said.

Mandatory training standards for all insulation installers take effect from this Friday.

So we've had this scheme going for over a year now, and they've only just decided to have some training standards for the installers? It has only taken 4 deaths to get the pollies moving? Talk about policy on the run.

 

[cyclopath]

Nah, Scotty, I'm not like Lindo!!
Just added the bit about dodgy insulators!

 

[Scotty]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/wayne-swan-on-defensive-over-reserve-bank-warning-on-interest-rates-and-spending/story-e6frg6n6-1225828647649

The Coalition today seized on RBA governor Glenn Stevens’s remarks that there was a trade-off between interest rates and budget spending, to argue that Kevin Rudd’s stimulus spending could be putting upward pressure on interest rates.

``Pull back on your spending or it will put further upward pressure on interest rates,'' Mr Hockey told ABC Radio.

The shoe is now on the other foot. Kevin might need to razor gang is own spending.

But Environment Minister Peter Garrett remains under pressure to audit all 37,000 homes that could be affected. An audit of 10 per cent of homes is under way.

Mr Garrett said today he would consider further audits but would not confirm all homes would be audited, a measure that is likely to cost $50 million.

Although we might all have to dig into our pockets for a few extra dollars to pay for the stuff ups of the stimulus package.