ABC News: The poor? We don't give a Friar Tuck

The poor? We don't give a Friar Tuck
Wed 27 Jul 11, 15:45pm AEST

Paul O'Callaghan

Taking from the rich and giving to the poor isn't too popular these days. The Gillard Government's plan to compensate low-income households for the impact of the carbon tax draws cries of anguish from the self-appointed representatives of aspirational Australia. Many people think the tax and welfare system is a giant piggy bank. If they don't get back everything they pay in taxes they complain that the system is unfair. The Robin Hood approach where those who are comfortably well off help support those who are struggling is falling out of favour. And it's not just opposition to the carbon tax. Tabloid papers seem intent on stirring up a full-scale tax revolt. Fueling this new class war is the belief that the biggest difference between people on high and low incomes is how talented the...

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Fwd: Debating Lord Monckton

Great article by Richard Denniss by the Drum (ABC) on 20 Jul here http://tinyurl.com/3foc5uw

Some highlights:

Let's face it, if the House of Lords can't convince him that he is not a member of that house then what hope does a sincere scientist have of convincing him, or the audience, that the complex science is right and the entertaining guy with some tricky questions is wrong.

The problem for the scientists is that while it only takes a minute to start a bushfire it can take a week to put one out. Monckton's rapid fire crazy questions and his demand for more and more specific details are a simple, but effective, device to ensure that scientists look anything but relaxed and comfortable.

And why, from the conspiracy theorists point of view, don't they look relaxed? Because they have something to hide!

According to NASA, the CSIRO and the international academies of science climate change is already happening, is caused by humans, and is going to get a lot worse. It's possible that they are all wrong and Lord Monckton is right. It is possible that it is all part of some giant conspiracy, but if it is one, it is a far bigger conspiracy than the sceptics usually acknowledge.

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Conservative governments in Australia have been obsessed with the need to repay public debt, ostensibly in order to leave a better future for our children. In order to repay such debts it is inevitable that societies must make some sacrifices today in order to deliver benefits in the future. But somehow, conservatives in Australia manage to argue that it would be unfair to ask today's taxpayers to pick up the tab for protecting tomorrow's environment.

It gets worse. Conservatives are, as a rule, conservative by nature. They don't like to take big risks. They insure their cars, they insure their homes and they insure their health. When they don't crash their cars or their house doesn't burn down they usually focus on the peace of mind they purchased rather than the money they wasted.

When it comes to national defence the same applies. We spend more than $20 billion per year on defence. We are currently planning to spend $50 billion to buy 12 new submarines. That is more than the cost of the National Broadband Network that the Coalition is so worried about. But where is the debate about our need for 12 new subs?

Finest Experience????

This was the window of a new shop in Darby St - admittedly it's still undergoing its fitout.

This 'dish' looks more suitable for a lemonade experience though doubt it would be the finest

$10? Feeling the pain? Carbon class war? You must be joking - The Drum Opinion - The sense of greed and entitlement in this carbon tax debate is almost beyond belief. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

> http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2794652.html?WT.mc_id=newsmail