Kevin Rudd

[Mofra]

Re: Rudd the comedian

We will get rid of all those landed gentry (National Party voters) who have destroyed land, ie, we will import all food requirements.

Not that you haven't summed things up well Buddy, but I really wanted to highlight this one.
If Rudd or anyone can find a better environmental manager than your average farmer, please point them out. Farms are often inter-generational and if the land is not cared for effectively the farmers go broke!

 

[gav]

Re: Rudd the comedian

From the article posted at the start of this thread:

"By 2050, there will be 2.7 working-age Australians for every one aged 65 or over, down from about five today.

The impact would be twofold, Mr Rudd said. It would cost more to meet the needs of ageing Australians requiring health services, aged care and age pensions, at the same time reducing tax revenues as the proportion of working Australians fell."

Yet in the 2009 Federal Budget, the government cut the superannuation concessional contributions cap in half, starting the 2009-10 financial year. From $50K to $25K for those under 50, and from $100k to $50k for those over 50. And from July 2012, those over 50 will have their concessional contributions cap halved again, to $25k.

Makes no sense at all.

 

[trainspotter]

Re: Rudd the comedian

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old farmer, who's hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man.

Eventually the topic got around to the Prime Minister.

The old farmer said, 'Well, ya know, in my opinion, the Prime Minister is a 'Post Turtle''..

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him, what a 'post turtle' was.

The old farmer said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'.

The old farmer saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there and you just wonder what kind of dumb buggar put him up there to begin with !!

 

[Timmy]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

The Australian newspaper has nominated Mr. Rudd as its Australian of the Year

Mr Rudd's selection - as the person who had the most significant impact on the nation in the past 12 months - stands out because of the extraordinary challenges that confronted Australia last year and helped define his prime ministership.

More here:
WITH the exception of wartime prime minister John Curtin, few Australian leaders have faced a more daunting crisis in their first term of office than that which confronted Kevin Rudd.

Mr Rudd was barely a year into his job as prime minister when a collapse of confidence in US financial markets spread like a contagion across the globe in late 2008, plunging much of the world into recession. What happened next proved to be a defining moment, both for Australia and for its new leader, who had never before held an economic portfolio.

Rather than risk waiting for a clearer picture to emerge, Mr Rudd and his team saw the need for urgent and radical action to protect the economy, approving a series of unprecedented financial stimulus packages to taxpayers and giving sweeping guarantees to the nation's banks.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

The Australian newspaper has nominated Mr. Rudd as its Australian of the Year

Mr Rudd's selection - as the person who had the most significant impact on the nation in the past 12 months - stands out because of the extraordinary challenges that confronted Australia last year and helped define his prime ministership.

More here:
WITH the exception of wartime prime minister John Curtin, few Australian leaders have faced a more daunting crisis in their first term of office than that which confronted Kevin Rudd.

Mr Rudd was barely a year into his job as prime minister when a collapse of confidence in US financial markets spread like a contagion across the globe in late 2008, plunging much of the world into recession. What happened next proved to be a defining moment, both for Australia and for its new leader, who had never before held an economic portfolio.

Rather than risk waiting for a clearer picture to emerge, Mr Rudd and his team saw the need for urgent and radical action to protect the economy, approving a series of unprecedented financial stimulus packages to taxpayers and giving sweeping guarantees to the nation's banks.

He deserves the accolade.

He had to make some line ball decisions at the start of the melt-down. I didn't agree with them.

He has been proven to be correct.

Australia is better positioned than most atm.

gg

 

[Julia]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

He deserves the accolade.

He had to make some line ball decisions at the start of the melt-down. I didn't agree with them.

He has been proven to be correct.

Australia is better positioned than most atm.

gg

Are you still going to be confident that he has been proven to be correct when taxes and charges are increased, and essential services cut, in order to claw back the deficit?

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Are you still going to be confident that he has been proven to be correct when taxes and charges are increased, and essential services cut, in order to claw back the deficit?

Sorry, proven to be correct so far, I should have said.

And I still think he is a pigeon toed ,opportunistic, bullying, godbothering little geek Julia, so I haven't got the warms for him quite yet.

If he gets in for a second time he will screw the taxpayer to build up treasury stores again I would predict.

gg

 

[noco]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Are you still going to be confident that he has been proven to be correct when taxes and charges are increased, and essential services cut, in order to claw back the deficit?

Yes Julia, we have not seen the worst of this toad yet. In an election year, I can't see how he can offer any sweetners to the tax payers. He might follow Swannie's recent comment, "work harder and be rewarded" and we'll tax you to the hilt. He has little choice as you say, but to cut essential services and increase taxes.

Hate to think how he will do it if he does get way with an ETS and CPRS!

How he will handle the double dip recession in 2011, which is predicted, I would hate to think. More stimulas and more debt.

 

[Julia]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Hate to think how he will do it if he does get way with an ETS and CPRS!

Pretty hard to see how he would get an ETS through now. The Libs won't be backing down - they'd lose their last shred of credibility.

The return to Parliament next month should be interesting.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Pretty hard to see how he would get an ETS through now. The Libs won't be backing down - they'd lose their last shred of credibility.

The return to Parliament next month should be interesting.

He'll probably hold an Inquiry, have a committee look at it, or call a summit in 2012.

Anything but make a decision.

Li'l Wong will do the biff on this one, Kev07 will stay low.

gg

 

[Logique]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Can Sen Conroy's internet filtering proposals be added to the the agenda for that hypothetical debate. Who gets a say on what's filtered and what isn't. Thin end of the wedge.

If they wanted to splash cash around in the name of economic stimulus, that's one thing, but where are the lasting national assets as a result. Dams, broadband networks, highway upgrades, hospitals and more doctors.

The $900 'plasma tv' stimulus payments were a poorly targeted social injustice, and a frittering away of the hard-won national surplus.

The comments about more taxes if this government is returned are right on the mark.

 

[noco]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Pretty hard to see how he would get an ETS through now. The Libs won't be backing down - they'd lose their last shred of credibility.

The return to Parliament next month should be interesting.

Unfortunately Julia, I believe the Greens are watering down thier demands which may suit Labor. Both parties are currently in negotiations. It does not look good at all and could well be passed before the next election.

 

[Julia]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Unfortunately Julia, I believe the Greens are watering down thier demands which may suit Labor. Both parties are currently in negotiations. It does not look good at all and could well be passed before the next election.

Unless I'm mistaken, they don't have the numbers to get it through the Senate.
Assuming Fielding, Xenophon and Scullion would vote with the Coalition, they have 39: Labor plus Greens have 37.

Also, Rudd is nothing if not politically savvy. He knows that with the total debacle that was Copenhagen, the public mood has shifted, and far fewer Australians are going to be in favour of the ETS. Business has also hardened their stand, with excellent reason.

 

[prozac]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Does Rudd inspire confidence?

NO. ........Australia is a speed-bump along Kevin's way to somewhere else.

 

[noco]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Unless I'm mistaken, they don't have the numbers to get it through the Senate.
Assuming Fielding, Xenophon and Scullion would vote with the Coalition, they have 39: Labor plus Greens have 37.

Also, Rudd is nothing if not politically savvy. He knows that with the total debacle that was Copenhagen, the public mood has shifted, and far fewer Australians are going to be in favour of the ETS. Business has also hardened their stand, with excellent reason.

You could be right Julia, but didn't Xenophon go with Labor last time, which could make it even.

Hope he has changed his mind.

 

[Aussiejeff]

Re: Rudd the comedian

Apparently, Dick says he is NOT Amused...

PLANS to massively boost Australia's population are a bad idea and must be stopped, entrepreneur Dick Smith says.

The Federal Government favours a "big Australia'' and wants to increase the country's headcount from 22 million to 35 million by 2050, largely by immigration.

But Mr Smith said this was ridiculous.

"We need to do something about this incredible increase,'' he said at an Australian of the Year dinner in Parliament House today.

"No one is allowed to talk about it ... I am.''

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/br...ation-dick-smith/story-e6frf7jx-1225823061121

Kevy Baby might have to employ another script writer if his Comedy Show takes another Popularity Ratings Hit....

 

[Duckman#72]

Re: Rudd the comedian

I am at a complete loss to explain "The Australian's" decision to make Kevin Rudd their Australian of the Year.

Day in day out, they have been extremely critical of, (in no particular order),

*The lack of progress
*The expansion of spin
*The headstrong drive towards a ETS
*His desire to put himself on the world stage
*Poorly directed government spending
*Him being a "poor mans Obama" - all talk

As for his handling of the global financial crisis - the newspaper even suggests that he was very fortunate to have inherited such a large warchest and a strong economy in the first place.

Kevin Rudd can thank Wilson Tuckey, Brendan Nelson, Malcolm Turnbull and the crew for making his first year decisions so unaccountable and lacking in critical analysis.

Duckman

 

[Purple XS2]

Re: Rudd the comedian

Slightly off-topic, but on the subject of an aging population who thereby needs millions of new citizens (either local-born or immigrant) to pay taxes in order for said aged component of population to live out their 80's, 90's and beyond in middle-class, well-provisioned and serviced comfort:

am I alone in thinking this idea is macabre?

Being on the cusp of old-fartdom myself, I see no reason to expect the younger generations to pay for the privilege of sharing the country with millions of doderers. The old have had their day, they should just quietly repose in the background.

As they get ill and die, well funny that. I thought that was pretty natural.
Presumably they're happy not to have died young, now they want to live forever?

As for Rudd, yeah, I'm over it. I used to think there was an intelligent mind there, but looks like I got that one wrong.

 

[Julia]

Re: Rudd the comedian

I am at a complete loss to explain "The Australian's" decision to make Kevin Rudd their Australian of the Year.

Day in day out, they have been extremely critical of, (in no particular order),

*The lack of progress
*The expansion of spin
*The headstrong drive towards a ETS
*His desire to put himself on the world stage
*Poorly directed government spending
*Him being a "poor mans Obama" - all talk

As for his handling of the global financial crisis - the newspaper even suggests that he was very fortunate to have inherited such a large warchest and a strong economy in the first place.

Kevin Rudd can thank Wilson Tuckey, Brendan Nelson, Malcolm Turnbull and the crew for making his first year decisions so unaccountable and lacking in critical analysis.

Duckman

Duckman, I was taken aback too. Then I rationalised it by considering they'd applied the same criteria as apparently "Time" does, i.e. the person who has had the most influence for that year. I suppose we would have to concede this is Rudd, in whatever direction.
But then they followed it up by saying there was no doubt his decision to go for the huge stimulus has worked because Australia has avoided recession.
And that's when they lost me completely. They made no reference whatsoever to the deficit that we now have to pay back.

Is it any coincidence that since back from holiday Mr Rudd has been going on about how much the ageing population is going to cost, it's going to be a taxation crisis etc etc? Well, it's slightly unlikely he has just had this realisation! Planning should have been well under way for this some time ago.
Rather, what he is doing is finding a reason to soften up the population for all the increased taxes and charges, plus cuts to essential services, that will now be necessary to claw back the deficit.

Slightly off-topic, but on the subject of an aging population who thereby needs millions of new citizens (either local-born or immigrant) to pay taxes in order for said aged component of population to live out their 80's, 90's and beyond in middle-class, well-provisioned and serviced comfort:

am I alone in thinking this idea is macabre?

Being on the cusp of old-fartdom myself, I see no reason to expect the younger generations to pay for the privilege of sharing the country with millions of doderers. The old have had their day, they should just quietly repose in the background.

As they get ill and die, well funny that. I thought that was pretty natural.
Presumably they're happy not to have died young, now they want to live forever?

As for Rudd, yeah, I'm over it. I used to think there was an intelligent mind there, but looks like I got that one wrong.

Purple, I agree, but such a notion would be political suicide were it to be actually voiced by the government, or the opposition come to that.

There is an expectation amongst a section of the population that it's insulting to expect them to pay for themselves in old age, hell, didn't they pay their taxes etc etc, and a similar expectation that they should be the recipients of every last piece of medical technology in their dying days.

(With apologies for continuing to be a bit off topic) I recently read an absorbing book by Professor Ken Hillman, a specialist in intensive care who discussed the dilemma of this problem. Book is called "Vital Signs" if you're interested.

 

[prozac]

Re: Rudd the comedian

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old farmer, who's hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man.

Eventually the topic got around to the Prime Minister.

The old farmer said, 'Well, ya know, in my opinion, the Prime Minister is a 'Post Turtle''..

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him, what a 'post turtle' was.

The old farmer said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'.

The old farmer saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there and you just wonder what kind of dumb buggar put him up there to begin with !!

trainspotter, what an astute observation.