Recent Posts
Well the obvious answer is no, but there is not enough time to name all the deadweight on both sides of the NSW parliament, lets take a look at the bigger picture. Many international critics would say that NSW is one of the most micro-governed states in the world. The three levels of government we are subjected to through federal and state parliamens and Local councils are independant and each have overlapping but seperate spheres of control.
The question is this, in this state of over regulation, do we really need a NSW upper house? That is to say, does the benefit that the house provides outweigh the costs to the tax payer and indeed to every voter.
To answer this question objectively the costs need to be identified. Well firstly there is the obvious cost that we have to vote for them. We have to either select the party of our choice or number 21 candidates on the enourmas ballot paper. Not only do we have to vote for them we have to accept that there is virtually no way that we can know the candidates personally. As a bi-product of a party system we are not given a real choice, the party decides who the candidates are and in what order they appear, so all we ca really be sure of is that these people are selected in order of their branch stacking and back scratching skills.
Personal Gripes aside, the financial cost is huge. each MLC is entitled to Basic salary of $126, an Electorate mailout account which is basically a slush fund for postage, their Home fax and phone bills all paid plus Free flights to and from Sydney. This adds up to several hundred thousand dollars a year, reports on Della Bosca estimate that last year the tax payers spent $ 346,521.80 sustaining the humble politician. So its easy to start to get the picture of how much it must be costing taxpayers on payments to politicians alone to sustain the 42 member house. And this isn't taking into account the 3 staff members every MLC is entitled to or the emmployees of the house itself or maintanence and so on...
So what benefit is the millions and millions of dollars purchasing the taxpayers of NSW? Those in favour of the second bearpit would say that it is a house of review, that it provides the checks and balances for the people of NSW to keep the government accountable. But i would pose the question, what checks and balances are being provided in an era where the house is full of party hacks like John Della Bosca and where the majority of members are from the government or government allied parties?
Shared on
I read with interest the broken election promises register on the website of struggling opposition leader...whilst undeniably biased there is little arguement to be had over what are seemingly facts. With this in mind i found the following story getting on y nerves as i read it in an email so i thought id share . . .
While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the man.
"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.
"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator. "I'm sorry but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a club and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar, and champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that, before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit heaven."
So, 24 hours pass with the head of state joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity." The senator reflects for a minute, then the senator answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.
"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and club, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now all there is is a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"
The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning …
Today you voted."
I only wish that i could say "dont blame me i voted Liberal"
Shared on
Mr Rudd is considering axing the Welfare to Work program, which forces the unemployed to attend fortnightly interviews with Centrelink. No official announcement has been made however, reports in The Australian (1 May, 2008), indicates that the program is likely to be axed, with Brendan O’Connor stating that as a part of the overall review and proposed changes that “…we are actively considering the Welfare to Work Contact Pilot program”, and Senator Ludwig cited as saying he “was not convinced the Government should keep the program”.
In this climate I read with initial amusement this tale which quite sucinctly puts the future of a nation under this government. I had high hopes for Mr Rudd and did not vote liberal, however, he has already demonstrated he is not the economic conservative he praised himself as. The story goes . . .
The Squirrel and The Grasshopper
REST OF THE WORLD VERSION:
The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
THE END
THE AUSTRALIAN VERSION:
The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed.
A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference and demands to know why the squirrel should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and starving.
The ABC shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the squirrel in his comfortable warm home with a table laden with food.
The Australian press informs people that they should be ashamed that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so while others have plenty.
The Labour Party, Greenpeace, Animal Rights and The Grasshopper Housing Commission of Australia demonstrate in front of the squirrel's house.
The ABC, interrupting a cultural festival special from St Kilda with breaking news, broadcasts a multi cultural choir singing 'We Shall Overcome'.
Bill Shorten rants in an interview with Laurie Oakes that the squirrel got rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the squirrel to make him pay his 'fair share' and increases the charge for squirrels to enter Melbourne city centre.
In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The squirrel's taxes are reassessed. He is taken to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders,
for the work he was doing on his home, and an additional fine for contempt when he told the court the grasshopper did not want to work.
The grasshopper is provided with a Housing Commission house, financial aid to furnish it and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be socially mobile. The squirrel's food is seized and re-distributed to the more needy members of society - in this case the grasshopper.
Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the squirrel has to downsize and start building a new home.
The local authority takes over his old home and utilises it as a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane to get to Australia as they had to share their country of origin with mice.
On arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of Australians' apparent love of dogs.
The cats had been arrested for the international offence of hijacking and attempted bombing but were immediately released because the police fed them pilchards instead of salmon whilst in custody.
Initial moves to make then return them to their own country were abandoned because it was feared they would face death by the mice.
The cats devise and start a scam to obtain money from people's credit cards.
A 60 Minutes special shows the grasshopper finishing up the last of the squirrel's food, though spring is still months away, while the Housing Commission house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain it. He is shown to be taking drugs.
Inadequate government funding is blamed for the grasshopper's drug 'Illness'.
The cats seek recompense in the Australian courts for their treatment since arrival in Australia.
The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog during a burglary to get money for his drugs habit. He is imprisoned but released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks. He is placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him.
Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery.
A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost $10 million and state the obvious, is set up.
Additional money is put into funding a drug rehabilitation scheme for grasshoppers.
Legal aid for lawyers representing asylum seekers is increased.
The asylum seeking cats are praised by the government for enriching Australia's multicultural diversity and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the cats.
The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose.
The usual sections of the press blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity and his traumatic experience of prison.
They call for the resignation of a minister.
The cats are paid $1 million each because their rights were infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in Australia.
The squirrel, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their credit cards to cover losses, their taxes are increased to pay for law and order, and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a shortfall in government funds.
THE END
This would be funny if it wasnt so plausible....
Shared on
Senate Enquiry restores my faith in democracy....Almost[[SIZE=3]I was over the moon when i heard the announcement of a senate enquiry into the academic bias evident in Secondary Schools and Universities. To hear this on the day after i blasted the media in a blog on their left leaning tendancies restored my faith in our elected politicians to take action on an issue of importance without being prompted by the political awareness media attention can create.
However it also made me question the operation of our democratic system. The media is supposed to be an advocate of the public, its function is an acknowledgment that the average joe does not have time to watch Question time live on the ABC nor the interest. The media should be highlighting these issues of Public importance, because all though i applaud the coalition senators in Victoria for pushing this, the fact is that we cannot trust our politicians to always do the right thing. The media is the safety net, it should not simply be reporting the announcement of an enquiry, it should have been the driving force.
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
It never ceases to amaze me that in this age of poltical correctness and the constant pursiut of equality of everything in existence, that somehow the blatant left wing bias in almost every medium of journalism is left unchecked.
I watched with interest as a youth movement tried hard in NSW with a campaign called "Make Education Fair". It detailed hundreds of examples of bias in textbooks and classrooms in the very same Arts faculties that produce left leaning journalists in Universities all over Australia. The examples were evidenced and most undeniably political.
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
|
|
|
Add Comments
Comments (1)
Read More
Comment by Patrick Conolly
on Lets Leave Leftist Journalism
Politics Town