Australian Politics thread [merged]

[dwaino]

[Gigantor]

The crap I see week in week out from politicians of all color...I dont want to vote anymore.Give me someone who is concerned about our community ,our society,and not about saying anything just to get elected.....

[Judge Roughneck]

US is an oligarchy, not a democracy
(Study shows)


http://www.princeton.edu/~mgilens/Gilens%20homepage%20materials/Gilens%20and%20Page/Gilens%20and%20Page%202014-Testing%20Theories%203-7-14.pdf



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746


 

ol·i·gar·chy  [ol-i-gahr-kee]  Show IPA
noun, plural ol·i·gar·chies.
1.
a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
2.
a state or organization so ruled.
3.
the persons or class so ruling.
Origin:
1570–80;  < Medieval Latin oligarchia  < Greek oligarchía.  See olig-, -archy

[1965]

12 billion dollars on 58 Joint Strike Fighters and then we hit the pensioners and poor.

 

'Nothing is free': Joe Hockey warns of budget pain, with pensions in the firing line
 
April 24, 2014 - 6:48AM

Mark Kenny

Chief political correspondent

Australians from all walks of life should brace for a serious tightening of federal government expenditure, Joe Hockey has warned, but it appears older Australians will be asked to do some of the heaviest lifting in a budget repair task being pitched as a moral and economic necessity.

In a key note speech just weeks ahead of his first budget, Mr Hockey has railed against the unsustainability of the age pension, the growing cost of aged care services, and the drain on the budget from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which he noted was weighed down with 80 per cent of its costs coming from concessional usage.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/nothing-is-free-joe-hockey-warns-of-budget-pain-with-pensions-in-the-firing-line-20140423-zqyaq.html#ixzz2zkLooESD

[dwaino]

Now I understand the meaning of cockpit

[WilliamPowell]

Have no problems with them strengthening our Defence Forces

But I have serious issues with this Govt on one hand persisting with their over the top paid parental leave scheme when the age of "entitlement" is supposedly over.

But then attack the very people who are actually entitled to be looked after and that is the elderly. PBS scheme, pensions, $6 fee to go to the Doctors. Whether they introduce all these changes now or in a few years, they are broken promises

Clearly the priorities of this government are screwed

[Chuck17]

Looking forward to being the supreme force in the air around here

[Penelope]

there's quite a few people saying otherwise chucky.

Isnt the f35 more of an air to ground fighter?

heard an ex air marshal giving a run down of why the Russian fighters all our asian neighbours are buying will give them air superiority over the joint strike fighters, in particular their ability to gain higher altitude and carry 12 air to air missile rather than 4.

from what i have heard the f22 raptors would be a  better option for air to air combat as that is what they are designed for.

Dennis jensen, a lib back bencher, comments on it are interesting and are pretty much apolitical

"But Dr Jensen, who has studied the Joint Strike Fighter for years, said the purchase of the planes had been a "bipartisan stuff up", set in train by the Howard government, continued under Labor and completed under his own government."
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-mp-dennis-jensen-attacks-joint-strike-fighter-order-as-a-dud-decision-20140423-zqy6a.html

[dwaino]

F35 is a pretty capable air to air fighter and has a profile advantage, it is considered a multirole fighter but you're right in that it is better suited to air to ground operations due to superior stealth technology.

The F22 is a pretty decent fighter but probably suffers from being an in-betweener. The F18s might have the reputation of 'flying pigs' but we only have a defense force and they're perfectly fine for that albeit getting on. If we invested in a heap of F22s they'll be in the same boat as the F18s in 10 years so I can understand wanting to upgrade to the latest. Australia will only ever play a support role and I don't think our air force will ever be expected to win air superiority but rather assist tactical ground operations.

Like WP I have no issues with buffing our armed forces but not after the government hasn't shut up about being broke and wanting to touch things like aged pensions, medicare and minimum wage. Surely things aren't so bad if the government can fork on these things to sit and rust at Amberley and Williamtown.

[tony_montana]

priorities..

[1965]

Unbe-effing-lievable.

Aussie labourers told to find new careers in the 50s 
 
 Jessica Marszalek  •
 Herald Sun  •
 April 24, 2014 9:00PM
 
AUSTRALIANS whose ageing bodies are “broken” by hard labour would just have to find new careers in their 50s and work on, says Joe Hockey. 
 
Though asking older workers not to worry, the Treasurer made it clear Baby Boomers and their children would see big changes to the design of the age pension, including an inevitable rise in the pension age.

A day after warning that growth in welfare payments was fast outstripping economic growth, and could not be paid for by future generations, Mr Hockey said all generations would have to work on.

Having flagged a possible rise in the pension age from 67 to 70, he said: “There is an inevitability that, at some point, we have to increase the aged pension age.”


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/aussie-labourers-told-to-find-new-careers-in-the-50s/story-e6frf7jo-1226895306207

[Chuck17]

there's quite a few people saying otherwise chucky.

Isnt the f35 more of an air to ground fighter?

heard an ex air marshal giving a run down of why the Russian fighters all our asian neighbours are buying will give them air superiority over the joint strike fighters, in particular their ability to gain higher altitude and carry 12 air to air missile rather than 4.

from what i have heard the f22 raptors would be a  better option for air to air combat as that is what they are designed for.

Dennis jensen, a lib back bencher, comments on it are interesting and are pretty much apolitical

"But Dr Jensen, who has studied the Joint Strike Fighter for years, said the purchase of the planes had been a "bipartisan stuff up", set in train by the Howard government, continued under Labor and completed under his own government."
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-mp-dennis-jensen-attacks-joint-strike-fighter-order-as-a-dud-decision-20140423-zqy6a.html

All well and good Al but as long as we have the New Zealanders covered all is well

[🏅Dooks]

Unbe-effing-lievable.

Aussie labourers told to find new careers in the 50s 
 
 Jessica Marszalek  •
 Herald Sun  •
 April 24, 2014 9:00PM
 
AUSTRALIANS whose ageing bodies are “broken” by hard labour would just have to find new careers in their 50s and work on, says Joe Hockey. 
 
Though asking older workers not to worry, the Treasurer made it clear Baby Boomers and their children would see big changes to the design of the age pension, including an inevitable rise in the pension age.

A day after warning that growth in welfare payments was fast outstripping economic growth, and could not be paid for by future generations, Mr Hockey said all generations would have to work on.

Having flagged a possible rise in the pension age from 67 to 70, he said: “There is an inevitability that, at some point, we have to increase the aged pension age.”


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/aussie-labourers-told-to-find-new-careers-in-the-50s/story-e6frf7jo-1226895306207

Out of touch Hockey.

The budget could be the beginning of a more extreme version of Reaganomics in Australia where the false trickle down benefits spruked are a smokescreen for reform and leaves the poor poorer and the rich richer.

Obviously the standard of living which is the envy of the world is being indirectly but conciously attacked by the Libs.

How deep they cut into it will depend whether they think they are beyond being thrown out of government in one term

[Rampstar]

if the ALP hadnt ruined Australia's financial position during the last 6 or 7 years during their time in office then this wouldnt need to take place.

John Howard left Australia with ZERO PUBLIC DEBT and BILLIONS OF DOLLARS NET IN THE BANK. LABOR SPENT ALL THE MONEY THEN WACKED ON ANOTHER 300 BILLION IN PUBLIC DEBT.

This is not Hockeys fault this is the fault of Rudd and Gillard and their governments who lost control of the Australian Economy when we were in the middle of a commoditys boom which should have made Australia a richer country. Instead they stuffed it up the wall on dodgy policys such as pink batts, cash for clunkers and dozens of other bulldust policies. They wacked on tens of thousands of people in the public bureaucracy and left our national computer systems at a federal level with Centrelink and the ATO to fall apart. They are GUILTY! They are the GUILTY PARTY and they will always be the GUILTY PARTY!

[Gigantor]

I'm not sure of the stats on this but the general thrust is right.30 years Government activity accounted for approx. 30% of economic activity today from what I understand its less than 15%.I guess we can deduce the influence Governments are having over our lives is becoming less and less