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Tony Abbott for PM

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Totally off topic but here goes!

Dear People of Australia ,

Due to the current financial situation caused by the slowdown of the
economy, your Government has decided to implement a scheme to put
workers 50 years of age and older on early retirement. This scheme
will be known as RAPE (Retire Aged People Early).

Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to the government to be eligible
for the SHAFT scheme (Special Help After Forced Termination).

Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under the
SCREW program (Scheme Covering Retired Early Workers). A person may be
RAPED once, SHAFTED twice and SCREWED as many times as the government
deems appropriate.

Only persons who have been RAPED can get AIDS (Additional Income for
Dependants & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel
Early Severance). Obviously, persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not
be SHAFTED or SCREWED any further by the government..

Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on, will receive as much ****
(Special High Intensity Training) as possible. The government
has always prided itself in the amount of **** it gives out. Should
You feel that you do not receive enough ****, please bring this to the
attention of your local MP. They have been trained to give you all the
**** you can handle.

Sincerely,

Kevin Rudd
Canberra

PS: Have a nice life. . . . .

P.P.S: The truck was speeding Nulla Nulla
 
Shame on you mainstream media! Shame on you ABC! And finally shame on you Joe Hockey!

The ABC smashed Barnaby Joyce's for his comments about Australian debt levels yesterday. Rather than discussing his "actual point", they took him to task on his choice of words - which there was a basis for using. I expected this from the ABC but found the same extent from the commercial networks.

And Joe Hockey - if you want a liability in the Coalition at the moment, you don't have to look past Joe. Barnaby makes some valid points about Australian debt levels and does Joe even have the brains to back him up. No - he just gives a stupid smug grin to the journos which just extinguishes any traction to the story. Worse it creates a new one!

I defy anyone that reads Barnaby's article in todays Australian, not to be AT LEAST slightly concerned by some of the issues and points he raises about Australia's debt levels.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/pol...he-debt-hangover/story-e6frgd0x-1225834048745

I like the part about HECS debt being considered a significant cash windfall asset for the Australia. When will that be repaid!!!

Duckman
 
It is looking more and more like Tony Abbott for PM. Abbott has certainly put the acid on Rudd since becoming the Opposition leader and has made him accountable. He is making Rudd more uncomfortable than I have seen before.

Must agree though, Abbott has had a bit of luck on his side while he watches Rudd self destruct.
 
Hi Duckman,
I was amazed at Joe Hockey's cosying up to the media rather than supporting his colleague. I've never liked or trusted Mr Hockey, especially since when all hats were in the ring for the leadership, he actually went on to Twitter and asked what he should do! We don't want someone whose lack of personal conviction is so marked that he needs to establish his stand on anything from Twitter for heaven's sake!

At the same time, though, Mr Joyce really does need to get his mouth under control. Sometimes, spontaneous is good, but when it just comes out as being confused and garbled, he lets himself and the party down.

I wouldn't be booking The Lodge for the Abbott family just yet, Noco.
 
Julia said:
I wouldn't be booking The Lodge for the Abbott family just yet, Noco.
Click to expand...

Yes, let's not get ahead of ouselves. There are still a heap of things in Rudd's favour:

1. His overall lead in seats
2. History suggests Governments last at least 2 terms
3. While the "poll worm" has turned slightly, in the ebbs and flows of politics this won't last, Rudd will again have his moments in the sun.
4. The Unions are about to make their presence felt with big $$$$ and a lie campaign targeting the "Return of Work Choices"
5. Barnaby needs to prove himself and cut through Labor's "Economic Credentials" (and getting little help from Hockey)
6.Voters are still weighing up Abbott and what he stands for - although there is support for what they see, it is far from a sold deal.
7. The fragility of the Coalition - up until now they have been a reasonably cohesive unit. How long can this last? Success is a cure-all, when some pressure comes back on the Coalition we'll see how happy the family is.

So there is still a lot of water to go uner the bridge and Rudd is still in the box seat but at least it is looking more like a two horse race. The biggest challenge for the Coalition is being able to harness the dissatisfaction, incompetency, arrogance, disappointment and spin that the Rudd Government is quickly being charged with - and turning into votes. It is not an easy thing to do. As Rudd would know all too well - Qld and NSW have had years of successive Governments that have been pathetic. But are still voted back in time after time.

The problem I have with Rudd's (Beattie's) strategy of saying sorry for errors is that it leads to poor Government. It changes the culture. It destroy's accountability. Mistakes are more likely to be made if an error just leads to another "We are very sorry. And we are determined to fix it". For the PM or the Premier to say "the buck stops with me", they are basically saying "the buck stops with no one".

The problem Qld had, was the strategy started out with Health, moved to Education, then Law and Order.....and then before you know it the "sorry culture" had permeated throughout the Parliament.

It also desensitises the electorate to Government stuff-ups. Voters don't react negatively to a huge policy failure, if they are conditioned to hearing about stuff-ups followed by a heartfelt "I'm sorry". At the hight of his powers Beattie was holding press conferences to announce "Sorry" at the rate of about one a week.

I will admit that Beattie also had a complete rabble in opposition (not much has changed). That is why it is imperative for the Coalition to be seen as a viable Government alternative. Qld has proven that voters will continue to vote for Rudd, even if they think his team has dropped tha ball and stuffed up, if they have no confidence in the Opposition.

Duckman
 
For well over 50 years of voting I have only voted Labor once. That was the last election. I expected it to be a once off and it was designed to get rid of Howard and help in my small way.

However we ended up with a very active Labor member. The first one ever in this electorate. She has done more for this electorate than the past three or four Nationals ever did. So she will get my vote again. She is active, she gets around. You dont have much trouble talking to her as she attends most local markets on Sundays. Previously we only saw the local member if there was something official going on and certainly not on a Sunday.

Another factor that influences me is I would not vote for Abbott as I consider him a sleeze bag. His underhand treatment of Pauline Hanson is testament to that. I get goose bumps thinking about him and what he may do if he gets the reins of power.

Local member voting will have more influence next time around.
 
"Big business protests $2.7bn Tony Abbott plan on maternity leave"

Tony Abbott is a bigger idiot than Rudd.

Why not have the top 100 companies pay for a birthday party for every employee each year as well?
 
dutchie said:
"Big business protests $2.7bn Tony Abbott plan on maternity leave"

Tony Abbott is a bigger idiot than Rudd.

Why not have the top 100 companies pay for a birthday party for every employee each year as well?
Click to expand...

agree.... Abbott just opened a can of worms. Business will have a hard time deciding which way to go this election.
 
dutchie said:
"Big business protests $2.7bn Tony Abbott plan on maternity leave"

Tony Abbott is a bigger idiot than Rudd.

Why not have the top 100 companies pay for a birthday party for every employee each year as well?
Click to expand...

Yeah big business don't seem too happy about it. At least the money would be going to parents instead of some botched Insulation scheme where millions were handed to the mob is probably one positive it has going for it in comparison.

Did you see John Clarke on the 7:30 report last week? mmm.... had shades of that former British PM's Paris-Dakar crap race car driving son Mark Thatcher stuck in the Sahara? LOL
 
dutchie said:
"Big business protests $2.7bn Tony Abbott plan on maternity leave"
Click to expand...

WTF?????

2.7 BILLION !!!!!!!!!!

And the Shirley Bassey "HEY BIG SPENDER" award goes to .... Tony Abbott!!!!!!!



Maybe it should be "HEY BIG TAXER"????
 
This seems to be an example of his personal beliefs overriding his political commonsense.
He says "it's good for the mother, good for the father, good for the family"
Well, maybe it is, but why on earth should someone earning $100K plus be paid that for six months out of the profits of the largest companies!

The government's plan (if we simply must have parental leave instead of expecting people to be able to fund their own desire to procreate) is reasonable.

Mr Abbott's plan is also quite inequitable in that someone earning only $30K p.a. will only receive that much in contrast to the woman above on $100K.

It's crazy from every point of view and if big business had been feeling favourably toward the Opposition Leader, this will soon turn them away.

He even admits it will not be popular amongst all his shadow cabinet.
So stupid, just when he was gaining some traction. Especially when he is offering the government yet another opportunity to taunt him with "ah, but you've changed your mind again", given his implacable opposition to maternity leave when in the Howard government.
 

Well, I mean Julia. If he introduces policies consistent with his other beliefs, well ah unless people go out and buy heaps of coathangers and garbage bags, there will be a lot more unwanted pregnancy.

So I think for not having access to RU469 and in some cases, abortion, it is fair compensation.

And in any case, Abbott probably thinks this is an opportune policy to get women back in the kitchen, where he thinks they should be.

If he unveils an election slogan, "Women: back in the kitchen." Or "Women: the things that batter... fish and other assortments." I might just vote for him.
 
Julia said:
It's crazy from every point of view and if big business had been feeling favourably toward the Opposition Leader, this will soon turn them away.
Click to expand...

Bob Brown thinks it is a great idea. That should ring the alarm bells for Abbott to back off.
 
Here is the choice.
You can pay for the maternity leave (parental leave) out of the taxpayers coffers or you can get big business to do it?
I know what option im going to tick.
 
lasty said:
Here is the choice.
You can pay for the maternity leave (parental leave) out of the taxpayers coffers or you can get big business to do it?
I know what option im going to tick.
Click to expand...

Can't see why it can't be both.

Or the incredibly obvious solutions both parties have missed: salary sacrificing into a matenity/ paternity leave fund in the same way as the first homebuyers grant; and or access to super for a very short period of time.
 
chops_a_must said:
access to super for a very short period of time.
Click to expand...

Sure I can see that happening. Wonder what the headline would be:

ASX crashes 4000 points into the open as thousands of mothers convert 2 decades of 9% cumulative investment into cash to raise next generation

or maybe just

Govt. ponzi scheme exposed
 
chops_a_must said:
Or the incredibly obvious solutions both parties have missed: salary sacrificing into a matenity/ paternity leave fund in the same way as the first homebuyers grant; and or access to super for a very short period of time.
Click to expand...
The first is a good idea. However, doubt it will happen as there seems to be a general belief amongst all the dear leaders that women having babies is something that the rest of us should pay for.
Even if the salary sacrificing was subsidised slightly by the taxpayer, that would seem reasonable. I just really dislike the concept that the person having the child should not bear at least the majority of the cost for the first six months.

Not keen on the access to Super.
 

I doubt whether 6 weeks or 3 months of super would have that affect.

And Julia, what do you think would be the overall impact of that slight tax break, if you were allowed to salary sacrifice like that, if the baby bonus was scrapped altogether?
 
I feel like I am being discriminated against as a man. Do I get the parental allowance as well? I like the idea of women having to salary sacrifice to pay for the 6 months leave to have a child. We cannot go on as a nation and expect the Guvmnt to keep handing out for every whim without someone having to pay the piper at some stage.
 

didnt he pipe up and say fathers will get it as well?

seems excessivly generous to me, even if its only for mothers.

btw, I find it disconcerting we have two real bible-thumpers as leaders of each party
 
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