TE-BO’s: There is not one who is “WORTHY” – a bloggers bitch …

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TE-BO’s: There is not one who is “WORTHY” – a bloggers bitch … 
| Author: TE-BO| Date: May 28th, 2014 |

the-eyeball-opinion6The bloggers dilemma is as endless as it is simplistic – express your thoughts based on the research and an opinion you wholeheartedly believe in, and then ponder how it might change the way people think.

For years I have been saying that Politicians are a symptom of the problem and not the answer to the problem.

Take Scott Morrison – Australia sits back and applauds his success at stopping the boats – but has he really solved a problem or just stopped it being Australia’s problem?

The same with the ‘tunnel vision’ Joe Hockey delivered in his Budget – his fix for the so called ‘Budget Crisis’ is to hack the funding of anyone who supported the climate change and carbon tax debate, and break election promises by cutting Education funding,  Health funding, Regulatory funding, and welfare/pension funding.  Then there was his ego driven dream of a $20 billion Medical Research Fund – [MRF] – to be paid for by anyone visiting a Doctor – these measures to fix what Hockey calls a ‘budget crisis’ are as nearsighted a policy agenda as is a night time military operation without night goggles – a disaster in the making.

Both these senior Minister’s suffer from bureaucratic oversell and a reliance on someone telling then they need to do a good job.  What is considered  ‘a good job, a well done job’  for a politician these days?

The critics of Hockey’s Budget are endless, the Human Rights issues associated with Morrison’s success are hidden from our media because they don’t want to venture outside their comfort zone.  The Green’s Hanson-Young tries to be a spokesperson on this issue but nobody listens to her anymore – she should wake up and turn the record over.

Thinking and inspirational Minister’s might have considered many alternative options.

Take the Budget for example – I’m aware that the end game being played here is perhaps an ‘double-disillusion’ option over the GST tax being increased as an alternative to the current Budget structure.  Abbott and Hockey are rolling the dice so to speak and they can’t lose because no one in their right mind will put the ALP back in power in any scenario.

Hockey has to raise revenues or cut spending to the bone if he wants a balanced budget by 2017-18 as forecast.  But why does he need a balanced budget?   Yes – the ALP were out of control with policy spending – but Hockey’s $12 billion infrastructure spend, and the $20 billion MRF are luxuries that should have been left until the Budget was balanced.  If the GST option was to be seen as a breaking of an election promise, then what is the ‘Debt’ tax, and the $7 Doctor visit levy?

No – both Ministers are schoolboys pretending at Politics –

Slamming doors closed in the face of hopeful refugees is not great for humanity – nor is indexing pension increases to the lowest growth index in the CPI, whilst the MP”s enjoy their ‘Parliamentary Tribunal’ as a conspiratorial referee for MP’s wage outcomes.  Once again the privileged enjoying what privilege offers.   Where is the generosity, the compassion, and the concept of fairness for those who have to find a way to survive without an income for up to eight months if you happen to be under 30 with no job?

  • Hockey can dine on his $50,000 designer chef lunches to impress the World’s finance leaders, but what does it get Australia as an end result?   Hockey does not understand that Leadership has to set an example – this is not a Monarchy from the dark ages where dissenters have their heads lopped off – as much as Hockey might want everyone to applaud his budget and stroke his ego – the premise for his MRF is a joke if he wants to be taken seriously.
  • Morrison has to know that the 45 odd million refugees in the world are looking for opportunity to start new lives.  Morrison should be looking at mass employment projects that could take large numbers of refugees as an alternative.  What could Australia do to engage such a workforce …  Governments are supposed to lead – to inspire – to forge new directions and paths.  They can change history if they get it right or wrong, sitting on the fence should not be an option.   Mandela was about the last truly inspiring Leader and look what he did for South Africa when he had the opportunity.   Gandhi was another,  and since then who – Kennedy maybe.
  • Abbott’s ‘wink’ experience represents much more than an idle reflex reaction.  I’m sure he regrets it being caught on camera, not that he winked.   The fallout is a measure of how the media can take something so ‘off-guard’ and turn it into a viral cycle of negativism … if there was no camera there would be no story – the intrusion of irresponsible media  hunting for a ‘kill’ story that puts the head of a senior politician on the block is a game they all play.   These media hacks are not serious people for serious times.  The world is complicated, it’s become a survival game and for the crims who get three square meals, air conditioned accommodation, free access to any vocational course they want, and when they leave this habitat, the risk of re-offending is only lessened marginally – they want back inside because they get a free ride, dental, medical, food, entertainment, etc … perhaps the crim’s have worked it out …

If a Government wants to make the under 45 unemployed work for the ‘dole’, why shouldn’t crims be put to the same conditions?  I’m sure many of the refugees who want to come here would work for far less wages than what Australians are paid.  So what is the problem – business would be happier, less Union activity, better production, better work ethic – are they not all something that would make all Australians a little more humble and respect the job they have.

We are insulated from the rest of the World in so many areas – we have a climate many envy, we have so much land mass, and yes we need workers to build the infrastructure for Australia to progress – imagine what building large dams on the Burdekin, and Ord River systems would achieve – combined these infrastructure builds with an irrigation system that turns all of central and fringe Australia into an oasis.   We could become the ‘food bowl’ to all of Asia and beyond.   Is that not inspirational?

It has been talked about but on much smaller scales – you will remember the issues associated with the Murray River basin and the use of its water resources that is still largely unresolved.   Well water availability is all that is holding back most of inland Australia – with hydroponic farming practices in arid lands leading the way – surely with our land mass we should be leading this area.

Just imagine the electricity generation with solar inspired power grids arising from the population growth in central Australia.  Again visionary and all talked about but nobody wants to commit.  The States want their share and the Feds want control … our Federation has to be seen as an obstacle in these matters.   Just like the ‘seam-gas’ industry – the States can’t live without the royalties but the environmental degradation is seen more as a Federal issue …

Politician’s are but mere ‘frat’ bullies imposing their insular and tunnel vision of how they see the world and what they can do to try and fix the problems.  If they had no entitlement to superannuation and no large salary – do you think they would want to be working as Public Servants answerable to the electorate every three years?

Hardly – most are ‘hack’ lawyers who could not make it in their chosen profession and turned to Politics because of the ‘gravy ride’ entitlement that lasts well beyond a 2-3 term career in Politics.   i.e.

  • Gillard has 15 odd years on a Parliamentary pension and her ex PM benefits of near $2 million value a year before she reaches aged 70 – and then it continues for the rest of her life … and if she dies her partner Tim the ‘Hairdresser’ gets to share in the spoils for the rest of his life.  You tell me if Gillard and her partner, with her alleged criminal and corrupt past, and currently before a Royal Commission investigation, deserves to be a drain on the public purse to that extent.  She served 15 years in the House – and left Australia some $300 billion in debt after just three Years as PM because of her failed policies – why should she be rewarded for an appalling lack of responsible Governance?
  • Senator Bill Chee – appointed to the Senate in 1992, won in his own right in 1993, and lost his seat in 1998.  He was 34 when he left politics and spent the last 16 years on a parliamentary pension to supplement whatever income he can earn in the private sector – it will go on for the rest of his life.

Why is the parliamentary pension scheme so generous?  Why did Costello gift some $60 billion of taxpayer owned assets to the ‘Future Fund’ [i.e. Federal Parliamentary Superannuation]  to cover under funded liabilities within the Fund?   There is no end to the need and glutenous wants of Politicians in a position to act on all types of insider knowledge to further profit from their position?

I say make them work for free if they have an existing wealth benchmark or not at all – did Kevin Rudd need to add additional income to his family’s already $200 odd million plus worth – what of Joe Hockey’s reported $10 million worth, Turnbull’s $100+ million, and the list goes on.   Why not stand up and say – if you have personal wealth beyond a benchmark – then you donate you efforts in serving your Nation – don’t they all get up on Anzac day and thank the fallen and living for their service to the Nation – there is no gratuity in that service – why should Politicians enjoy different options?

I learned today that Michael Clarke – Australia’s Cricket Captain earned some $2.5 million in salary and player bonuses in 2012, and an additional $4 odd million from endorsements and sponsorships.  At the time Clarke’s annual gross income was more than double the total value of a NRL Football Club’s player roster ceiling.

I have a poor opinion of Clarke, both professionally and personally, I think he is a boofhead and not a Captain’ asshole – he is all about the glitz and the glamor and it was Darren Lehman’s influence that is responsible for recent successes.  Oh – and it was reported in the same story that Watson earned about the same as Clarke from Cricket Australia. [source data – this was reported 2 years ago.]  Where is the ‘love of the game’ value – what happens when they lose Nation ranking status and Test Series’ … why not a bonus system where success earns higher incomes and non success earns minimal incomes across all CEO, Political, and Sporting codes?   Clarke had little influence in Australia’s form turnaround yet he is rewarded to the point where he received higher bonus payments than any other player.

It is all out of control – and for a blogger to offer commentary with respect for anyone with status deserving of respect – it is something I cannot offer nor believe is deserved.   They who help themselves when they hold a privilege position are nothing more than the lowest of the low.

Because of the limited powers of ICAC, Obeid may escape any financial punishment, and may even escape criminal proceedings because the offences happened more than 3 years ago.  Swan will never have to pay back a cent of his $300 billion debt legacy, and Joe Hockey can sleep and feast on the public purse never believing there is anything wrong with a $50,000 spend on a lunch to impress other World Financial Leaders.

If Hockey wanted an equitable alternative to his budget measures – a super tax on high income earners would be a start … say and additional, and incremental sliding scale of 20-40% on incomes of more than $1 million …  It would only be a token gesture because the Corporations and the Sporting bodies would absorb the tax hike with further pay increases to compensate … we can’t have our top earners out of pocket … but it would be seen as an equitable trade off …

These are the themes permeating in my thoughts as I hunt for a story that might make a difference – there is such apathy to all that is going on around us, an acceptance, angst for a day or so and then as the media throng move on everybody forgets and then the moment is lost … is is a conditioning and formulated to a precision.   When Abbott’s ‘wink’ went viral, everybody in the Government was tasked at finding a way to create the next big story to shift focus.   We just watch the news on recycled replay … in a word we are already living a ‘zombie’ type lifestyle immuned to emotional responses …

One thing that is still genuine is the emotion attached to State of Origin – and for all the ‘Blue’s’ willing their team to beat ‘the invincibles’ – it will be another year of despair.

P.S. [For all those Jarrad Hayne fans – he will have his moments in this series, but his contributions over the last 8 seasons has never been enough claim a series victory for the Blues.  Individually nobody can deny his brilliance, but League is a team game and no coach can coach a side to run with Hayne – he would be better off in individual sports where his natural and explosive talents would bring him greater reward’s and perhaps allow Parramatta fans to move past the Hayne enigma … this comment was for David and all his misery endured as a lifetime fanatical Parramatta fan …]

 

[…EYE-BALL…]
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