

Snouts

## Tax the Super-Rich  
and Save Yourself

## by Sir Robert Gordon

## Snouts

### Tax the Super-Rich and Save Yourself

### by Sir Robert Gordon

### Copyright © 2017 Sir Robert Gordon

### All rights reserved.

### Smashwords Edition.

### Acknowledgement:

### Thanks to Jonathan Wills for invaluable assistance in this project, including concept artwork for the cover design.

### The Financial Review, The Age, The Sydney

### Morning Herald, Guardian Australia, Guardian UK, Guardian USA

### The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

### Snouts in the Trough – a true crime story about

### the brotherhood behind the badge by Andrew

### Fraser.

### This book was banned in Victoria. The Author supports the call for a Royal Commission into the Victoria Police.

### Author contact:

### Sir Robert Gordon

### taxsuperrich@icloud.com

Snouts

### Chapters

BIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

YES YOU CAN AND YES WE CAN

WHERE WE WERE

THE KEY TO HAPPINESS

THE LIMITS TO WEALTH

CAPITALISM AND DEMOCRACY - YOUR FUTURE

"CONFIDENCE IN ""THE POLITICAL CLASS"""

LAOS BOMBS TO BE CLEARED

DEBT PEONAGE AND GEORGE ORWELL'S 1984

DON'T CRINGE UNDER THE JACKBOOT AND DEATHS IN CUSTODY

"YOUTH, DRUGS, WARS"

FREE EDUCATION

CHILDREN

AUSTERITY IN EDUCATION

PROTECT INNOCENT CHILDREN FROM RELIGIOUS HOGWASH

EDUCATION EQUALITY

"RELIGIONS, PEDOPHILES AND TAX"

BAN SMOKING NOW

DRUG COMPANIES

ALCOHOL - START A TEMPERANCE GROUP IN YOUR COMMUNITY

SUGAR AND OBESITY

ALCOHOL AND GAMBLING LAWS IN A LOVING CARING SOCIETY

SUICIDE

AIR POLLUTION

OCEAN WARMING IS OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE

DON'T LET THEM WRECK YOUR ABC

NO MORE CAGED HENS

POLITICAL DONATIONS

STOP PRIVATISATION OF COMMUNAL ASSETS

DEFENCE OR OFFENCE

LABOR: THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

HELLO NEW LABOR - GOODBYE UNIONS?

CARTOONS BY SIR ROBERT GORDON

SUPERANNUATION AND DEBT

TAX HAVENS AND ETHICAL INVESTMENTS

THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM AND OXFAM

TAX THE SUPER RICH AND ERADICATE POVERTY

THE FUTURE FUND AND COUNCILS

JOBS JOBS JOBS

CHILD EQUALITY AND JOBS

THE FUTURE OF WORK

THE PEOPLE'S FEDERAL BUDGET

REQUEST FOR PARDON

THE VISION FOR AUSTRALIA

A CALL TO ARMS

BRING ELITES TO HEEL IN UK AND AUSTRALIA

SUPER RICH?

YOUR IMMEDIATE PLAN - WIN. WIN. WIN.

BE A TRUE AUSSIE

SAVE YOUR PLANET

AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

"AND NOW, THE END IS NEAR?"

OSSIFIED OR ON THE RAMPAGE?

#  BIOGRAPHY

Sir Robert Gordon

Robert was born in 1941 and grew up in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The family built a weatherboard house in the suburb of Thornbury with a large backyard and a veggie patch in 1940.

His father Joseph came out from England in 1925. As Catholics couldn't get work in Melbourne in the depression, Joe, his brother Bill and cousin Tom Clough, would ride their bikes on dirt roads to Mildura to pick fruit every year for George Heatherington.

No locals had a car or telephone in Thornbury in the forties. The iceman would bring a block of ice for the ice box. Hot water for the bath came from a wood-fired chip heater, and a wood fire under the copper boiled up the linen and clothes. Toilet paper was squares of newspaper. The nightman would collect the drums of sewerage with a horse-drawn cart.

Horses also delivered the bread, the milk, the library books, the ice and collected the garbage. There was an adequate supply of horse manure, much prized for the vegetable garden.

A billy can was left outside with money for the milkman. The three kids had a bath every Sunday night whether they needed or or not, in the same water.

In time the house was connected to sewerage, the ice box was replaced with a Silent Knight kerosene refrigerator and the chip heater replaced by a gas bath heater.

The public telephone was two blocks away and there was often a queue.

Collectors would call weekly for contributions to War Loans, and the mums would pay 3 pence or 6 pence.

Sir Robert walked a mile to Wales Street Primary School. In winter there was ice on the puddles. The eucalypts and peppercorn trees had hundreds of big fat Emperor Gum Moth caterpillars and cocoons.

He joined 2nd Northcote Boy Scout cubs at 8 and left after 13 good years as an assistant scout master.

He topped science in form 4 (year 10) at Preston Technical School, age 15, and was offered a job at St Vincent's Hospital as a trainee pathologist, with two days a week off to study for a diploma and degree. Unfortunately he declined as he felt he wouldn't like looking at dead people.

He worked as a clerk and studied accountancy at night school, before switching to real estate at 17 years of age.

In the sixties he started buying inner suburban houses on 100% finance, renovating and letting them. Property values soared, and in the mid-seventies he had 23 houses and shops and decided to try his hand at developing outer suburban housing estates.

He also bought a half interest in a 9,106 acre grazing property near Robe in South Australia. Interest rates doubled in 4 months and property values plunged, forcing him to sell the houses to pay for mortgages on the land, wiping out his entire equity. Those houses are now worth $50m.

He retired from real estate after 52 years in good standing and was a Mitchell Shire councillor for 9 years to 2009, giving his wage of $135,000 over 9 years to local groups. This included the provision of a 50 seat community bus.

His younger son Jake died of a heroin overdose in India in 2005, leading to depression, business losses and bankruptcy.

As he has suffered enough, he opted to invoke his right to self-knight under natural justice, and urges others to follow suit, especially tenants, the 3m Aussies in poverty and the 2.56m workers who are unemployed or underemployed in our brave new neoliberal world.

There are many options from which to choose. Do you prefer Baroness, Baron, Lady, Lord, Duchess, Duke, Earl, HRH Queen Amanda, etc?

Sir Robert is a bankrupted pensioner, living from fortnight to fortnight, who owns no property. He is active in Labor and Green politics, the Australian Conservation Foundation and other environmental groups. He says he is as happy as he has ever been.

He believes that we are empowered to stop digging ourselves into a deeper hole. He implores us to pause prior to turning on a switch or starting a motor, and acknowledge that such action means extra misery to be burdened upon our children and grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren. He pleads with Australians and the people of the world emerge from the fog of gobble-gobble economics and rise to the challenge of maintaining the damaged remains of our tiny planet.

We can definitely transition to clean energy within a decade. Our politicians are waiting for you to tell them to do it.

#  INTRODUCTION

It's December 18th, 2016 at Melbourne Airport. The pre-Christmas rush.

At the Tiger Air service desk a woman starts screaming, walking back and forth, weeping, mentions of the F word, sitting on the floor, "I'm going to die" - "There's no compassion" - "We missed the train by 5 minutes" - "I can't do this". She mentioned the sum of $85.00.

Here we have an Australian citizen honestly and freely expressing her views about her predicament. She didn't hurt anyone. She didn't abuse anyone.

Here we have an Australian citizen who is clearly at her wits end, totally frustrated and devastated, with nowhere to go, except to weep and wail.

How would you feel? What would you do?

She appears to be an emotional person like a lot of us. So what? That's not a crime. After ten minutes a policeman and a policewoman arrived.

The woman was then heard to say into a mobile telephone "I'm under arrest" and "Dad I can't do this any more". Under arrest for what? A victimless crime? Raising her voice? Is that a crime?

When you finish reading this book you will be a politician in waiting. You will let people know that you want to get along with everyone. That everyone is entitled to their point of view. That you are a fighter for equality and justice, and you are never going away. You will keep meeting with and persuading those who you know are wrong.

The police were standing back while the woman was walking around and talking on the 'phone. Where was the victim of her great crimes?

This is Business and globalisation in the 21st century. Screw, screw, screw.

The woman, her husband, and a 20 year old woman with a baby completed their group of four.

They missed their plane and Tiger Air had them over a barrel and demanded cash. What else could she do? Walk away and quietly slash her wrists? They planned this trip and paid for it out of their supposed meagre income.

$85.00 is a fortune if you don't have it. To the rich it's not even a petty cash item.

A man in his seventies gave the younger woman $100.00.

Five minutes later the police were seen walking away. They never had the woman in shackles.

Put yourself in her position. She was unable to pluck a lazy $85 out of thin air at a moment's notice. Only the cost of a meal for two at a restaurant, but a fortune if you haven't got it. Many people can never go to a restaurant.

In the aboriginal culture everything is shared.

Many who strive for money and succeed, find it doesn't bring happiness, often quite the reverse, jealousy, disputes and family breakups.

The only value in money is the good it can be used for right now.

Fifty years ago a young man was seen in busy Swanston Street, Melbourne crouched down on his haunches saying Woof, Woof. He explained to the judge that he was distressed because his dog had just died. Judges must get to hear some extraordinary tales. The man got 3 months in jail. Where was the victim of his great crime? Dogs have more rights than we do. The police should have been fined for wrongful arrest.

Yes you are of course a free citizen in a democracy, but importantly you must never forget that you are not free to say woof. Law and order is a game between small police and small people.

With 3 million Australians in poverty, including almost one child in 5, over two and a half million WORKERS unemployed or underemployed, and real wages flatlining for a decade, most are very frugal with their meagre income.

I missed a train by a minute once and Qantas never demanded money to put me on the next flight.

In Spain I clearly ordered a bus ticket to Reus Airport, a half hour trip. The filthy swine at the bus station sold me a ticket to Barcelona Airport, a one hour trip.

I had paid €78, euros that is, to fly to London from Reus with Ryan Air.

Sensing their great power, and that I had no power, those bastards at Ryan Air extorted a further €100. I said it wasn't my fault, but they said it wasn't their fault either. Shit rolls downhill. The bastard at the top turns the whole food chain into a pack of bastards.

These people just don't get it.

It's a privilege to serve the people. There is no greater privilege.

There was a time when the customer was always right. When you stand in your valued customer's shoes and solve their problem with pride. Offering better service than your competitors.

Isn't it nice to help people running late and obviously stressed, as we all are when running late. Our basic humanity and Australianness. An opportunity to give a hand-up to a person in need, as opposed to gutter-dwelling greed. To help instead of hinder.

The old man who handed over $100 at Melbourne Airport was a pensioner who was bankrupted in a business failure. His assets - a car worth $4,500, $660 in the bank and $450 cash in hand. His liabilities - debt to a relative, $1,800.00.

He was emotional and happy. Indeed, studies show that when we give, we are happier than when we receive a present.

A man donated $20m to a university, million that is.

Someone paid off the lay-bys at a store to the tune of $62,000.

A man with two babies in an old pram at the Eye and Ear Hospital car park, who didn't appear to have the airs and trappings of the super-rich, was looking at the pay station in stunned silence. Another man paid his $25.00 fee - a greatly enhanced amount at that time.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had a photographer on hand to snap him giving $5 to a homeless man sitting on the footpath, comforted by the fact that his stash of maybe $500,000,000 in the Cayman Islands is channelled anonymously through the likes of a Luxembourg hedge fund earning some 10% to 71% tax free every year.

Such a hard life. $50 million profit, minimum. Every year. Tax free! Whee. What a man. What an example to all employees and small business owners. Let's make him prime minister for life. Our Malcolm. Up there with Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. Leader of the most cruel, elitist, racist, bigoted, Christian hard right and climate-changing-denying lunatic Fascist government in the nation's history. I presume you required an accurate description.

Our heroes fought and died on the Kokoda Track and at Long Tan for this - the Australia we are looking at every day.

We can do better than this. We are better than this. Don't be turned off by politics - embrace politics. Join a party today. It's all we've got.

Small government and deregulation are code for "let the 10% rob the 90% unfettered by any notion of justice, regulation or fairness".

Former prime minister Gough Whitlam got it wrong when he said: "Let the user pay." In our fair-go country - Let's never forget our proud egalitarian roots and help the under-dog. Democracy demands that public goods are bought with taxes raised based on the ability to pay.

In our social contract we have given our government the monopoly on violence. This means that our government can take physical possession of your body. If it locks you up in Darwin, Manus Island, Nauru or anywhere, it has a solemn and inviolable duty to treat you with dignity and respect, and proudly make provision for your everyday needs including education, activities, entertainment, legal support and hope for your future.

The conservatives are deliberately running Hell Holes, contrary to UN laws, with untrained guards helpfully offering women more shower time in exchange for sexual favours. Wasting billions on profit-focussed contractors who have taken the jobs of professionally trained public servants. Look at the disgraceful child abuse at Don Dale Correctional Centre in Darwin. When will those thugs be charged? It is now 2017. When will we ever learn?

Whether you are rich or poor, when you read this book you will have graduated to be:-

....one of Aristotle's philosopher kings,

....a politician who aims to get along with everyone,

....an environmental warrior,

....respectful of our war dead,

....empowered to demand justice, and

....a true Aussie.

Be Strong. Be active. We will never surrender.

In the States a man was found walking around in a figure of eight wearing a sheet and chanting Yabbadabbado (or something). Friendly local police locked him up. For what?

When the word got out to his mates, twenty of them appeared in sheets walking around in a figure of eight, etc. etc. The police released the man because it was a religion.

Whether you are super-rich or further down the food chain at this time, this book will give you the key to happiness and the best possible environmental outcome, given that our planet has been trashed by 250 years of industrialisation.

This book will steel your resolve and empower you for the necessary political action. This book will introduce you to the death throes of laissez-faire capitalism and the introduction of social democratic capitalism, capitalism commanded by the votes of the citizens.

This book invites you to promote the Vision for Australia and the Citizens' 2017 Federal Budget.

There is no greater privilege than serving the people, and our politicians should earn our respect and be held in high regard. The two old parties have received their lowest votes ever, after prostituting themselves for their unworthy donors, the hotel and gambling lobby, coal and oil for example.

Labor and Liberal are a disgrace: ultra conservative, constipated, reactionary and ossified; and everybody knows it.

In 1995, 550 people owned as much of the world's wealth as the poorer half of humanity. According to Oxfam it was 62 in 2016. Now in January 2017, they say it's 8. Very soon it will be two, and their kids will intermarry. It's simple arithmetic.

The only time to stop this lunacy is now, with effective taxes only on the super-rich and tax relief for struggling families. Donald Trump suggested a one-off wealth tax of 14.5%.

That should apply to all net wealth whether here or overseas, including trusts and foundations. There should be wealth and inheritance taxes aimed only at the super-rich, and the tax free threshold should be raised from $18,200 to $75,000 to help eradicate poverty.

#  YES YOU CAN AND YES WE CAN

Dear Reader, in this book I hope to enthuse you and empower you to grab self confidence with both hands and never let it go.

Now there's an idea for you to consider. Clearly it is one of the options on the table right now.

And what is exactly the most powerful force in the world right now?

Good question.

And the answer?

AN IDEA AT ITS TIME.

And the best idea for you at this time and for all time?

TO SPREAD LOVE, JOY AND HAPPINESS, AND DEFEAT NEGATIVITY, DEPRESSION AND EVIL.

This is realistic and logical and can be your self talk for every day of your life.

The past is the past. Yesterday is ancient history.

The point is that today you are empowered to do good things, to help others and to lead by example. What a fabulous opportunity.

As we progress through life our wealth of knowledge keeps growing. We experience the joys and the miseries.

I was electrocuted and clinically dead in 1988. I was resuscitated by my 86 year old uncle. I see the world differently.

Money is not important and doing good things is most important.

My younger son, Jake died of a heroin overdose in India in 2005. I suffered depression for several years.

Whether you are rich or poor, you can pursue happiness right now and every minute of every day. Over the course of your life your financial fortunes may go up and down. It is possible for you to be happier than you have ever been before, even if you have lost everything.

Old people will tell you that life is so short. Every day you have the opportunity demonstrating your most valuable asset, your self confidence, and kicking depression out of your life.

Step up. Start a youth club and join a political party. Always have a project.

Millions have died for the democratic rights we have today. Millions have had their lives ruined by war.

You can respect their sacrifice by acknowledging that the fight goes on.

After a war we don't relax in nirvana and dance in the daffodils all day.

We must fight for justice every day and defeat the forces of greed and evil.

One hundred years ago Australia had the highest standard of living on earth. There were tariffs which held up the price of locally produced goods and stopped cheap overseas imports.

A proud egalitarian tradition was established. Jack was as good as his master. Passengers sat in the front seat next to the taxi driver.

After 23 years of conservative rule, a Labor government was elected in 1972.

Two months later the Australian newspaper printed a letter from a Canberra gentleman helpfully advising us that he will not pay tax to feed other people's bastards.

What have we become?

Consider joining an environment group.

This planet is our life raft. It is now poisoned beyond repair by 250 years of industrialisation. Its soil, water and air. All by courtesy of one branch of primates.

Our best option is clearly to act urgently to save the bit that's left.

Money itself is worthless. It's only value is contained in the good things that can be done with it. And, of course, time is the essence.

It has been said that we get more pleasure out of giving than receiving.

If you are one of the lucky ones who is financially comfortable count your blessings, spread the joy, help others and pay your taxes with pride. The tax you pay, hopefully based on the ability to pay, is not a fine or penalty. When you pay tax you are purchasing public goods, the trains, roads, military and the justice and welfare services.

Support environment groups. Join or start a branch in your locality.

You are empowered and therefore we are empowered.

#  WHERE WE WERE

In Australia at this time we live in a plural, legal, rational, democratic society. We enjoy our rights and fight any injustices. There is unlikely to be a nirvana at any time soon, when multinationals give us $2,000 each and every day, and we can dance in the daffodils.

All decisions are political and we all should be, indeed must be, involved in the process. We can't relax because our forebears fought the good fight in various wars, because there will always be greed and corruption.

During the Second World War, Changi Jail in Singapore was used for Allied prisoners of war. Every day they were marched to the waterfront to load supplies including beer onto ships for Tokyo. A lot of empty bottles turned up in Tokyo.

One day they were marched along a different route with men's heads on sticks at corners to instil fear and obedience. They were assembled in the city square, where a Japanese officer said: You Australia think Nippon know fuck nothing, but Nippon know fuck all.

There is a theory that we all need a good laugh every day. The prisoners had a good laugh that day.

If they were caught taking stolen goods back to the camp, they would be killed. With all the fear-mongering they assumed they wouldn't be searched that day. One prisoner marched back with a pineapple between his thighs.

Thousands were sent to brutal camps including the Thai Burma Railway. At one camp six survived out of 2,000. When prisoners were singled out to go there, one chap offered to take the place of a sick one who was selected, in full knowledge that he was certain to die.

At another the prisoners had to carry bags of rice from the shore up the mountain. If you fell over a brutal guard would club you to death with the butt of his rifle, but a kind guard would shoot you.

The Australians weren't trusted and were locked in wooden cages like sardines. When you awoke you would check if the man in front of you had died overnight, and if so, take any small personal items. Then with difficulty you would roll over to see if the man behind had died.

The Australians were starved, and looked at the monkeys for guidance as to edible plants in the jungle.

The British were trusted and worked in the kitchen. They delayed dog feeding time until after the Aussies returned from work. The slops were poured into a trough and you could be hanging onto one end of a bone with a hungry dog on the other.

1939-1945 Catholic Archbishop Daniel Mannix took time out from his important work of transferring pedophiles around Australia and the world, to fly to Canberra and arrange for the three Woodruff boys, of Woodruff's Dairy, Port Melbourne, to be excused from the inconvenience of attending World War Two.

They were needed in Australia to continue their important work of making money by selling cows' milk to babies and donating to the church.

Cows' milk has 700% more salt than human milk. After a year or so those babies are a different type of animal. They have different bacteria in their gut, they are fatter and slower than those on mothers' milk.

1956 Dad's and Lads Night at 2nd Northcote Boy Scouts, Thornbury.

Dads and their 15 year old lads were helpfully told that women can become emotional and should be slapped hard on the face once. This was apparently accepted without question, as no comments were made.

1957 A top Victorian police officer was interviewed on radio and explained that the biggest problem with women who are raped was the black pleasure they experienced. This appeared to be the belief of all police, who were all male.

This was not questioned. There was no talk back radio or controversy in the press.

1973 Truth in Advertising legislation:

Attorney General Lionel Murphy said religions should be excused from complying with truth in advertising because mainstream churches would have to prove their dogma.

Not so in my humble opinion. In our legal rational democracy, why should any group be exempted from our communal laws? Laws that only exist because the democratic process found them to be widely beneficial and necessary. It is a confession from those seeking exemption of their intention to mislead the masses to gain power and money.

Their messages could be worded....

"Calathumpians believe that God said that only Calathumpians go to heaven."

Instead of......

"God said that only ............"

In any case very few really believes these days, if they ever did.

As decent honest members of our modern democracy, religions should WANT to obey all laws and pay their taxes like anyone else. Any thief or lunatic can say God told her blah, blah, blah and set up a cult.

Some decades ago there was a plethora of convicted murderers who claimed to have "found God", as the main thrust of their bid for freedom from incarceration.

Church groups in the UK and Australia are social groups, and no-one takes the ancient dogma seriously.

This is openly acknowledged. A vicar in the UK said on radio 50 years ago that the Christian rules for living are accepted without people taking the bible literally.

A priest in Brisbane said more recently that Catholics have been permitted not to take the bible literally for 40 years.

Why are these people, who acknowledge it's all fiction from the bad old days of ignorance, allowed to keep ramming it down the throats of innocent children, the less educated and intelligent?

And at taxpayers' expense!

Aren't children entitled to protection, say until the age of 18, from this toxic divisive crap?

The rules for religions are not much different from the laws of countries on earth. Murder and theft are widely discouraged, unless of course the victims are members of a group out of favour with the writers of the bible.

The bible is one of many important historical books. It is also ludicrous, violent, homophobic and the basis of political power. On many occasions innocent citizens had the choice of believing or being killed.

As Professor Richard Dawkins says in "The God Delusion", anyone who believes that there is a big fairy in the sky who gives two hoots as to whether they are being good or bad, is barking mad. Yes mates, barking mad.

1980s Western Sydney police shooting:

...... Camillieri, a 16 year old lad, was sitting in a car when he was shot dead by a plain clothed policeman.

The killer was charged and found innocent of all wrong-doing.

A police inspector helpfully told us on TV that this is a message from the Courts to all criminals that no crime will be tolerated.

A chilling moment in the nation's history. Are we living in a Police State? Did Hitler win WW2?

What sort of country are we? What have we become? What does this say to all those who have fought and suffered in wars, including the 102,000 who were killed, in the defence our nation?

After the outrageous murder of two young policemen in South Yarra, Victoria, there were 11 suspected police murders. When one killing was announced, Richard Ackland, a solicitor and ABC breakfast announcer, said : "They're on the rampage", (the police that is, those public servants to whom we have entrusted the monopoly of violence and a duty of care to every Australian).

An aboriginal man was beaten to death by a policeman on Palm Island. A

female prosecutor flew up from Brisbane and had dinner and wine at the policeman's house. He was found to be innocent of any wrongdoing of course.

Two monsters cooked an aboriginal father of four, Mr Ward, to death for six hours in 50 degree heat in a van in the WA desert without water or toilet stops, all over an alleged traffic offence.

They claimed to be remorseful.

One was a woman, Nina Mary Stokoe, who said she thinks of the victim every day. The magistrate, who fined her $11,000, said she was most sorry about the effect on her own life, and that her excuse that as a woman, she couldn't speak to an aboriginal elder for cultural reasons, was unsupported and an insult to the court.

The driver, Graham Powell, was fined $9,000. Corrective Services were fined $285,000, which is a joke as it's paid by the WA government to itself. The contracted company, G4S, was fined a similar amount. They all know they are guilty of deliberately causing the death of an innocent person. They knowingly denied him stops for toilet and water - in 50 degree heat for 6 hours. Their treatment of this father of four is part of their culture. Another day at work. Lucky to have jobs. Counting their defined benefits. Retire with a million, stolen from low and middle income earners.

The Department of Commerce director said the amount of exposure will ensure that this doesn't happen again, and that it raises awareness of workplace safety. ALL WEASEL WORDS TO HIDE THE FACT THAT THE WORLD'S MOST RED-NECK GOVERNMENT HAS DELIBERATELY FAILED TO CHARGE THESE MONSTERS WITH MURDER.

Recklessly causing death is murder. They must be charged and punished.

The conservative WA government bought off the widow with $3.25 million, which appears to be a bribe. I wonder if they got her written or verbal assurance that she would not press charges. Low level charges were instituted against the two monsters after 3 years.

BRUTAL COPS AND PRISON OFFICERS IN THE OUTBACK SHOULD BE CHARGED AND SACKED

This includes the Wild West town of Darwin. The majority in these occupations should be aboriginal to reflect the local population, and half of them women. It seems that these jobs have attracted brain-dead thugs.

Northern Territory prison officers forced a teenage detainee to endure a fifteen -hour road trip to hell with little water and no toilet stops, the royal commission into juvenile justice has been told. The Age 13.12.2016 page 1.

Dylan Voller was handcuffed in the back of an unairconditioned van and taken from Alice Springs to Darwin with only a hot chocolate and a sandwich.

He had to defecate in his shirt while the guards' cigarette smoke made him vomit.

This child was held in detention in Darwin and not allowed to go to the toilet. He defecated in a pillow case.

Voller was the teenager who appeared in ABC's FOUR CORNERS strapped in a mechanical restraint chair with a hood over his head. The program showed footage of child detainees being tear-gassed in a detention centre.

In evidence to the royal commission, he said a child care worker told him his family didn't care for him.

He was first put in detention at 11, and was regularly strip-searched. Once he was left in a cell overnight with no mattress, sheet or clothes and the air conditioning turned up. It's just a game to these evil sick guards.

He was refused food as punishment, but one guard pushed food through the bars in the wee small hours.

The QC appearing for the former Corrections Commissioner applied to the royal commission for the evidence to be heard behind closed doors, but this was rejected by the commissioners.

The best disinfectant is sunshine.

GANDHI SAID: We must make all injustices visible.

SIR ROBERT SAID: Ban cigarettes and boxing.

#  THE KEY TO HAPPINESS

The key to happiness is acceptance of your lot in life.

This doesn't mean that you stop the struggle for good and justice.

Money means nothing, well, nothing much. Work on the pursuit of happiness and not the pursuit of money, which can lead to greed, loss and misery.

Accept that you are loveable the way you are. Don't put off being loved until you get to some rainbow in the sky.

You don't have to show off how rich you are or how strong. You can look at such people and understand that they are sad and silly and need to show off because they do not believe that they are truly worthy. By contrast you know that you are relaxed and happy, and your greatest pleasure is in helping our youth and those citizens who happen to be in need at this time.

Never forget that you now have self confidence, you know that you are a good person and you are happy.

If someone unfairly criticises you, or calls you names, don't take it on board. When did you give them permission to ruin your day? Don't look at them in anger. Look at them in compassion and understanding. Accept that they have a mental illness at this time and be satisfied that you don't.

When you see people boasting about their wealth or successes, you know they are worried and insecure, and you are sad for them and happy that you are not so afflicted.

Doing the right thing is paramount. Don't claw your way up the ladder and harm others. This is unconscionable greed and is unAustralian.

If someone gave you a present, that would give you some amount of pleasure. But experiences are far more pleasurable.

The pinnacle of life on earth is time spent with your loved ones. Many fathers are working too many hours, if they are lucky enough to have jobs that is, and not spending enough time with their kids.

In Australia we are so proud of our egalitarian history. To be greedy and not help those who are battling is unAustralian.

We have changed for the worse. The greedy have been whittling away at our values. They have the money, the education and the contacts to keep shifting the tax burden to the poor and workers. They are relentless. They have been at it for 45 years and now is the time to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Time to rebalance.

Two policies brought in under Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating have been a disaster. Part of the disease of the eighties : deregulation, privatisation and the abdication of the responsibility to govern. Designed by the rich to rob the poor and enrich the rich.

Firstly : negative gearing is a gift of hard-earned tax dollars from wage-earners to rich people considering buying their second or 22nd house as a business proposition.

It was always obvious that these gifts would increase demand for houses and drive up prices to put first-time home buyers out of the market, and further enrich the already rich.

Young Australians have been robbed of a roof over their heads by the rich, by overseas criminals looking for a safe haven for their black money, and by the flood of immigrants fostered upon us to take our jobs and homes. Incredibly at a time when true unemployment and underemployment totals 2,560,000 WORKERS!

Secondly : compulsory superannuation has been found to be detrimental to wage-earners. It beggars belief that anyone in a free democratic nation could dream up taking workers' money from them at the point of a gun and handing it to cowboys to gamble with.

Like pokies, it deprives working families of cash needed right now for food, clothing, housing, education and transport. Returns over 20 years have barely covered inflation.

On ABC TV 7.30 Report, 28.4.2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was told

by Leigh Sales that the top 10% of earners get 75% of taxable capital gains. He helpfully advised "That's beside the point."

These sad, sick, stupid, greedy people just don't get it. All wealth is a function of inheritance or luck. It doesn't mean the less wealthy think any more or less of them. We all have the same human problems. We all eat, drink, urinate, expel organic matter and die.

Loosen up. Be happy.

#  THE LIMITS TO WEALTH

1000 BC : World population 70 million, of a branch of emotional, irrational primates grovelling around on the crust of planet earth, i.e. us, to whom we have given the name 'Homo Sapiens.'

500 BC : 140,000,000 of us.

1000 AD : 350,000,000.

1650 : 710,000,000.

1760s -some 250 years ago - the start of the industrial revolution. Agrarian rural societies in Europe and America changed to industrial urban societies.

1800 : 1,200,000,000

1895 Global warming first detected, a function of industrialisation.

1900 : World population 2,270,000,000.

2016 : World population 7,400,000,000.

1975 : Professor of Biology at Sydney University, Charles Birch, wrote "Confronting The Future - Australia and the World over the Next 100 Years", declaring the tipping point to be 1990. "If we don't alter our behaviour within 15 years, the planet's soil, air and water will be damaged beyond repair". So the tipping point was 1990. We failed to heed that warning and we must urgently work together to save what's left of Mother Nature for the benefit of future generations of flora and fauna (including us of course).

I bought 50 copies of the book to give away, including one to a neighbour, who said that he was comfortable to continue living the polluting lifestyle, comforted in the thought that God has a satisfactory world planned for us in the post Industrial Age. You will say of course that he is barking mad, but adult persons such as him have a vote.

He seems to think that we have no responsibility for any or our actions, because a big invisible fairy in the sky has planned all events in advance and we are mere unthinking automatons without free will.

There are those who choose to believe that future technology will save us, with no evidence whatsoever. It's a cop-out of course, as people feel the need to continue their chosen lifestyle, and the earning of an income, and facing a disaster 100 years away is too hard. Or 10 years away.

And of course our wonderful technologies haven't stopped the planet from being damaged beyond repair over the last 250 years.

The planet is damaged beyond repair and we can only try to work with all nations on earth to limit the damage as far as possible, delaying the worst effects whilst working to ameliorate them for the benefit of what's left of flora and fauna in the future.

With the big powers facing off, fingers on the nuclear button, everyone in the 1970s believed our world would be destroyed within 10 or 20 years.

We were saved by politics. Nothing is more important than politics and it is open to everyone to join a political party.

The greatest gift I could wish for every child and adult is self confidence.

See "Gandhi", the world's best film of 1982. Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of non-violent protest leading to Indian independence from Britain in 1947.

2016 : World population 7,400,000,000. Global temperatures have risen 1.5 degrees centigrade since 1850. YES, GLOBAL TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN 1.5% SINCE 1850!!!

Causing hundreds of extinctions with thousands to come.

So, my fellow primates, here we are in 2017.

We are so clever.

Question : How do we know we are so clever?

Answer: Because we say we are.

But hang on, I thought that self praise was no recommendation?

We say we are the most intelligent and advanced of all of our fellow mammals. Self praise again. Did we do a poll of all our fellow mammals?

We say we are at the top of the food chain. That's just more self praise. Try telling that to a lion you meet in the middle of the jungle.

If we disappeared overnight every living thing would say "HORRAY! they've gone."

Every mammal is the very best in the whole world at being itself. Everything an animal does is correct.

We barely understand the awesome smell, hearing, communication and survival skills of our fellow mammals. The complex mating rituals. The behavioural patterns wired into the DNA of all creatures great and small. Whilst walking along a country track near Seymour, Victoria, I spied a family of Superb Fairy Wrens. The young were leaving the nest for the first time and I stroked one on the head and back about 20 times. During this the mother flew up and down about a foot above the road surface flapping a wing lamely, as though it were broken, in an effort to lure me away from the young one. How did she know to do that?

It is extraordinary of course that one branch of primates has become so proficient at using and improving tools, that it can press a button and destroy the planet which we know and love, the life raft for every living thing. We have merely built on the work of previous generations. Why can't we use our awesome skills for good?

More than enough food is produced to feed everyone and a significant amount is wasted. It's only a distribution problem and overcoming that would be a big step towards eradicating poverty. All discoveries are important and wonderful, and are advances on the work of those who came before.

Our planet is a rock whirling around the sun.

The sun is a middle-aged, middle-sized star about 3.5 billion years old. In another 3.5 billion years it will expand massively and vaporise these tiny nearby planets, including our life raft, before collapsing into a black hole. In universal terms such an event would hardly be noticeable.

Our sun is one of 200 billion stars in the galaxy called the Milky Way. The Milky Way is one of 200 billion galaxies in the known universe. So the lucky old sun is one of many stars, the figure 4 followed by 22 noughts, i.e. 40,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, suns, or stars if you prefer, discovered by us to date. Forty billion trillion suns!

Yes, we are mammals living on earth at this time.

Yes, we are among the lucky ones who have so far avoided extinction. But our greed and pollution have caused and will continue to cause, massive extinctions.

Yes, like all living mammals we have billions of direct blood forebears going back many millions of years.

Yes, we have evolved out of the jungle, a good co-operative peaceful experience at times, and a dog-eat-dog battle for survival at other times.

Yes, our emotional responses are hard-wired and learnt in those good and bad old days. Hopefully there were extended periods when tribes lived in peace and harmony.

Step 1. We make an emotional decision.

Step 2. We look around for facts and ammunition to back up our emotional decision.

Yes, we are the problem and we must urgently change our polluting ways.

Some 50 USA billionaires have recognised that the situation is ludicrous and pledged to give half their wealth to charity.

In Australia the two richest own as much as the poorest 20%. The Age 20.1.2017. That 20% is soaring to 30% and beyond, ticking up day by day.

The richest 1% own as much wealth as the poorest 70%, now soaring to 80% and beyond on a daily basis. This is due to the eighties disease, deregulation, privatisation, negative gearing, compulsory superannuation and tax cuts for the rich, meaning more austerity on the poor and middle. All of this largesse over and above their steady underlying advancement, known as simple arithmetic. Money makes money.

Whoever said that tax cuts for the rich would lead to them creating more jobs should have been laughed out of town, or hauled before the Committee for unAustralian Activities and executed like the Rosenbergs in the USA in the fifties, or granted the opportunity of a meaningful time in jail to come up with a better idea.

Our democracy and our economic system are broken. The Arctic ice cap has lost a massive 75%. Instead of building a post-car nation and ending inequality, our politicians are wasting time debating the continuation of the pre-2004 plundering of the public purse by those who entered parliament pre-2004. This is based on the lie that they would not have stood for parliament under the reformed rules. This is their message to us suckers who are paying for it all, that they have their snouts in the trough, that they want the largesse to continue, and that they have found a ludicrous technical point to help them bluster their way through. This is over-the-top greed and selfishness, not statesmanship or leading by example.

This is the mentality of our elected donor class, formally called the political class, which should be devoting its time to eradicating poverty and boosting education and jobs.

At the present historic extreme levels, the wealth of the super rich must be urgently stopped and reversed. We have similar anti trust laws which require the breaking up of monopolies.

Proceeds of the great big new taxes on the super rich, as proposed in this book, plus the tax and fines on money hidden overseas, will be needed to eradicate poverty, build infrastructure and reduce the outrageous taxes on the workers and the poor. This process will create a huge boon for business, large and small.

#  CAPITALISM AND DEMOCRACY - YOUR FUTURE

Goodbye Laissez-faire Capitalism, hello Social Democratic Capitalism, capitalism controlled by democracy.

The past is the past and we can't change that.

We are empowered to use our precious democratic rights to solve our problems.

Time for the silent majority to speak up - loud and clear. It is an obscenity that millions of voters in most western countries have been the victims of the lies and trickery of the super-rich and their cohorts in the donor class for decades.

Millions of voters should never be controlled by a handful of super-rich, and they won't be in the future.

The value of our democracy is a function of the quality of the propositions on offer at an election.

In the recent contests between Clinton/Trump and Turnbull/Shorten, voters were asked to choose between being shot and being poisoned.

In the future political parties or independent candidates could offer you the opportunity of voting for the Vision for Australia. Now is the time for you to join a political party and hammer out the details.

Get serious because this is serious. Never take one backward step.

You are here today as the spokesman for your billions of direct blood forebears, each of whom made it to sexual maturity and successfully procreated.

You represent our indigenous brothers and sisters who called Australia home over the last 50,000 years, or you are one of them.

You represent 102,000 Aussie kids who died in wars over the last 116 years.

Our lives are so short, but we celebrate that we have the opportunity of seizing every day, starting today.

Please, please, take this celebration very seriously. Many of our brothers and sisters on earth do not have that opportunity.

As governments since the eighties have abdicated their responsibility to govern, under the Vision for Australia they will actually step up and govern.

Instead of democracy controlled by unfettered greedy self-interested capitalism, which knows no bounds whatsoever, if you'll pardon a tautology, we will have democracy firmly in control of capitalism.

The majority will speak. The 99% will control the 1%.

We will have a command capitalist economy, instead of the current open slather laissez-faire situation wherein the rich are ripping off the poor in every conceivable way with impunity.

We can identify our problems and solve them.

***Wealth, income and inheritance taxes only on the super-rich.

***Tax-free threshold of $75,000 to assist struggling families and all those who go forth and add to production.

***Better public schooling and free universities.

***Abolish HECS debts and taper refunds.

***Boost public transport

***Reduce traffic and pollution.

***No diesel rebate.

***No divisive religious nonsense taught in school hours.

***No cigarette or gambling advertising.

***No alcohol advertising. No-one has the right to deliberately harm others.

***An end to tax lurks for winemakers. Wine is now cheaper than water.

***Build the most profitable publicly owned infrastructure.

***No public-private partnerships.

***A one-off tax of 14.5% on the super-rich for our infrastructure fund. Trump suggested 14.5% to pay off their debt. Not that it's crucial, as we can and should borrow billions for profitable infrastructure. It's a tiny adjustment after 45 years of theft and class warfare. It's the principle of the thing.

***The divestment of excessive wealth by various means including forced interest free loans to government for 50 years.

***All cars and motor bikes to be governed to 110kph and taxed off the road, to be replaced by electric cars. Motor bikes are mobile coffins.

***Abolish all superannuation, which is a disgrace, and require employer contributions to be added to wages which be a boost to large and small business.

***Abolish negative gearing and capital gains lurks.

***Increase the rent allowance for pensioners who do not own their own home to $280 per week for singles and $400 for couples, alternately give the so-called universal wage only to welfare recipients and mothers of children under 6. This would free up more jobs for men.

***Re-instate funding to the ABC and ban ads on SBS.

Motor bikes cause a high level of pollution. In Hanoi, Vietnam, there are millions of motor bikes and the air is unbreathable. In China most motor bike owners took the government's trade-in offer on an electric scooter. There are very few motor bikes in China's traffic; they have dropped 90%.

The super-rich will be required to become poorer, and divest the obscene excesses, and not acquire more assets. They will be unable to get any richer, and more assets will be available for working families at reasonable prices.

Politics is a numbers game. Political parties are always pursuing pork-barrelling opportunities, wasting taxpayers' hard-earned dollars buying votes. Make the donor class history.

Instead of using our profits from the mining boom to build publicly-owned infrastructure, the Howard Liberal government wasted it buying votes.

Voters will have the opportunity of ignoring their hip-pocket nerve, in favour of decency and intelligence and supporting the Vision for Australia.

How will they vote?

Now there's an interesting question.

#  CONFIDENCE IN "THE POLITICAL CLASS"

Only 26% trust the government. Welcome to our brave new world.

The Australian National University has found that public trust, confidence and satisfaction in Australian democracy have dropped to record lows, as voters become disenfranchised with major political parties.

This follows popular disaffection with the political class in Britain, the USA and Italy.

Since when have we had a political class? Politicians, to whom we have entrusted our most valuable possession, supposedly come from us, and are elected by us. Two of the best performers in the 1970s were Mick Young, a former shearer, and Gordon Scholes, a former train driver.

Of the 2,800 interviewed by the ANU, only 30% took a detailed interest in the 2016 election. Trust in politicians has dropped to the lowest level since 1969, with only 26% expressing trust in the government. The study is billed as a wake-up call for politicians and government, but it is much more serious than that. It is a national emergency as the current arrangements are not producing the best decisions.

With so much important work to be done for our kids and their future, we have the likes of Labor's Joe Kelly in Brisbane wandering around promoting gambling and destroying families. Handing out cheques to community groups. A tiny fraction of the blood money lost by the mentally ill on pokies. On his website he has a chap helpfully telling us about his "studies" on the secrets of successful gamblers!!!

Why is a wake-up call necessary? Aren't we entitled to assume that they are not asleep? -

\- That they are honest, and not unthinking automatons mouthing spin from faceless persons in head office?

\- That they are focussed on improvements for the citizens and not the filthy evil gambling and liquor lobby and filthy fossil fuel merchants, their big donors?

I call on young Labor members to put their names forward for pre-selection and ignore the factions. Permanent factions should be banned and proposals argued on their merits day by day for the best decisions. The sitting members do not own the seats. Every sitting member should be challenged. Most do their best work is done in their first ten years.

This is an appalling situation. 102,000 Aussie kids died in wars for our homeland and the Australian Dream, and most of us aren't interested in politics and the fight for fairness,

justice and equality. They were sacrificed - for this?

About half were not satisfied with the state of democracy in Australia. 26% think politicians can be trusted, and 74% think politicians look after themselves. Defined benefits on superannuation must be outlawed. Average police retire with almost a million. Apply today! You too can have 9 weeks annual leave plus 18% super paid by taxpayers.

Politicians get $2m after 11 years. This is theft from the public purse they are entrusted to protect.

A record 19% did not feel any allegiance to a political party or individual, as a record number of cross-bench senators were voted in.

Support for the big parties declined to record lows - Labor 30% and Liberal 33%.

No prime minister since Kevin Rudd in 2007 has enjoyed a high level of popularity.

Labor leader Bill Shorten had the highest NEGATIVE evaluation of any party leader since 1993. In the UK every preferred prime minister has won since 1970, as have every party promoted by Murdoch.

After Kevin Rudd resigned, Labor had a leadership ballot between Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten. Party members voted 60/40 for Albanese, however Shorten won because of greater weight being given to the votes of federal Labor pollies, which is a disgrace.

Hard-working grass-root members are disenfranchised by this arrangement.

At a state level Victorian members are similarly disenfranchised, whereas NSW members have equal democratic votes.

Shorten got a large secret payment from an employer to the union he ran, for keeping down the wages of his lowly-paid members. He secretly spent $22,000 of this money on his own election campaign. He failed to report it as required by law, until after he was sprung 8 years later, and then reported it!

He caused the ructions of the Rudd Gillard years, became leader and changed the rules to make it harder to have him removed. When quizzed about the Rudd Gillard years, he glibly said "We've learned from that". How cute is that?

Labor lost the un-losable election in July 2016, against the most cruel, racist, bigoted, hard Christian Right lying fascist government in the nation's history, because of Shorten, who cost the party 5% to 10%, and will probably never be prime minister. The nation is the victim of his infantile ego. Party members were sold the line that after the turmoil of the Rudd/Gillard years, a change of leader would be a disaster. A change from Shorten, who was not wanted, would have given Labor government. For example, the Liberals changed to Turnbull AND WON.

THE LOSS OF PUBLIC TRUST, CONFIDENCE AND SATISFACTION IS A FUNCTION OF THE LACK OF WORTHY OPTIONS OPEN TO VOTERS.

The sad truth is that Labor would be no different in government to Liberal/National on present indications. Neither party has the decency or intelligence to come out and say "TAX THE RICH."

The discredited Liberal Party's Malcolm Turnbull was the preferred prime minister over Shorten, in a choice seen as being between being shot or poisoned.

A few months before the election Labor's leaders were ranked as preferred prime minister:-

....Tanya Plibersek. 33%

....Anthony Albanese. 22%

....Wayne Swan. 12%

....Bill Shorten. 10%

Well you might ask: Is Labor a bunch of born losers? Going to an election with Shorten as leader was suicide. It has always been crystal clear that swinging voters and the vast majority do not want him as their prime minister.

USA and UK workers had a glimmer of hope with Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn. Labor is ossified with a small number of well-paid union members ruling the roost. Unions now represent 15% of workers and are almost irrelevant. Why don't all workers want to be in their union, and actively support it? I encourage all employees to join and get involved.

Shorten should do the decent thing and step down right now, or be pushed right now. He does not have the vision or the charisma.

Australians do not want him as their prime minister. Just look at the polls for preferred prime minister. His shonky Union dealings put him alongside Craig Thompson, Kathy Jackson and Mike Williamson (who got 5 years) in the public mind. Williamson was Labor's federal president. Now we have O'Brien and another charged with the theft of $870,000.

Incredibly very wealthy schools were overfunded by the conservatives, and poor schools languished in poverty, in our so-called egalitarian country.

More incredibly, Labor under Prime Minister Julia Gillard, said : No school will be worse off. She then proceeded to do special deals with a dozen super wealthy schools which will be difficult to unwind.

In late 2016 a report showed that the wealthy schools are still being paid millions of taxpayers' dollars they don't need, and poor schools don't have the basics. State school headmasters are forced to do the impossible with too little funding. One recently committed suicide.

Another went to a school and found violent parents were standing over teachers. He obtained court intervention orders banning those parents from the school, and within two years turned the school around to be a happy high-achieving place.

We must significantly and quickly reduce funding for private schools. If wealthy people want a third heated swimming pool and the best education that money can buy for their kid, while state schools are languishing, they can't expect average families to pay for it. State schools need Gonski plus billions plus 30% more teachers right now. They can and should be streets ahead of any private school.

Politicians of the big old parties are no longer expressing themselves honestly as individuals, but mouthing the party line, usually promoting their unworthy big donors.

Voters are fed up with this crap to their back teeth. They are not stupid. They know it's a pack of lies. This is the Tweedledee Tweedledum phenomena first mentioned some 20 years ago. In more recent times the Liberals have taken off to the extreme right with Labor hot on their heels.

Tanya Plibersek recently stated that the funding model for schools is just fine, and as far as overpayment to the super wealthy schools in concerned - "well, there's not a lot of money involved." This is a disgrace. Even if it were a little money, it would be a disgrace. It's the principal involved.

There are many millions involved. Every dollar is someone's hard-earned tax dollar, which is precious trust money.

Every voter knows she is deliberately lying, and pushing the line of an ossified reactionary party that does nothing except keep the outrageous undemocratic status quo. This is exactly why we have Brexit and Trump. Voters are sick and tired of the never-ending greed and lies. Pollies have given themselves $2 mil of our money CASH IN HAND after 11 years, employees have to wait to retirement to get an average of $90,000 female and $160,000 male of their own savings. Meaning of course that some 50% of workers get much less.

Australian voters were not given intelligent worthwhile options.

The Scottish National Party has helped the little guy in a hundred ways. Plastic bags have been reduced by 90%. Record health funding. Record exam results. Free school meals. Free tuition. 607 school building projects completed. Business rates slashed or abolished for 100,000 employers. Council tax frozen since 2007. Free bus travel for pensioners and the most vulnerable. 30,133 affordable homes built. Lowest level of crime for 41 years. Nothing ever happens here. We know the planet's stuffed and we keep on burning fossil fuels. We have austerity and pauperisation, and we are piddling around at the edges, hearing the occasional person expressing alarm. Never ever the hint of a solution, only more and more material on inequality for academics around the world to study.

Tomato Hostel in Turin, Italy, has a policy of not selling plastic bottles of water to reduce plastic pollution. It has a fount where you can fill your bottle.

Drinking fountains have been removed from Flinders Street Train Station, Melbourne, replaced by a vending machine selling plastic bottles of water for a multinational which may pay no tax. No doubt they joyously paid a political donation. Well, well, well.

Jenny Macklin Labor MP said Labor will fight for the poor to retain their share of income, as did ACOSS, the Australian Council of Social Service. This is a disgrace, telling those in poverty including almost one child in 5, they can go to hell and stay in poverty forever. 30% of the 3m in poverty are the working poor. How would you feel? In this the land of the "fair go", where the battlers get a helping hand. How many poor people are on the ACOSS board?

The coalition thinks it can sway voters through excellent public relations, but from its empty campaign slogans to its carbon price falsehoods, the veil of deception is lifting. The Guardian 8.4.2017.

Some politicians or their advisers joyously and proudly boast about deceiving the electorate a year or two ago. Ah, the skill, the talent: enough to make your little Australian heart swell with pride.

These shysters deserve lengthy jail terms to give them adequate time to reflect on whether it's important for a candidate or politician to be honest with citizens in our sacred communal democracy for which 102,000 kids died in wars.

Normal business laws should apply, for example misleading and deceptive conduct is not encouraged.

Take Tony Abbott's former chief of staff, Peta Credlin, happily conceding on Sky news that she and Abbott always knew a floating carbon price is not a "tax" and gloating about how their success at making this falsehood "stick" meant Julia Gillard was "gone".

It was a floating carbon price - urgently needed right now.

In 2013 Howard said he was "agnostic" about climate change science, but backflipped before the 2007 election to support an emissions trading scheme. Now we're back in the Dark Ages with looney climate change deniers running the show.

And now we have the Liberal party's review of the 2016 election campaign which criticised the lack of concrete policy sitting behind the 'jobs and growth' campaign slogan.

Minister Peter Dutton helpfully tells us it's easy to scare people in politics. Remember Children Overboard - There will never ever be a GST - etc. etc. In politics little things can become big things.

The deceit, cruelty, lies and gross incompetence of the coalition are far more reprehensible than anything Gough ever did. Labor and the cross bench should call for an early election with Anthony Albanese as leader.

#  LAOS BOMBS TO BE CLEARED

Decades after US planes carried out hundreds of thousands of bombing runs over LAOS, President Barak Obama acknowledged the secret war and pledged $90m in aid to help clear unexploded bombs. The Guardian Weekly 16.9.2016.

On a visit to the struggling nation, he said that the USA has a moral obligation to help. I congratulate him.

From 1964 to 1973 the USA carried out 580,000 bombing missions in LAOS, dropping more than 270m cluster bombs in a CIA led campaign from neighbouring Vietnam. All to the enthusiastic cheers from the shareholders in the military industrial complex, which we were warned about by President Eisenhower in the 1950s.

Roughly 80m unexploded bombs still litter the country.

Notice to US taxpayers : This is your taxes at work. Decisions are made to benefit the big unworthy donors to both sides of politics, as in Australia.

Whilst this largesse is being given out, causing huge environmental damage to our tiny planet, millions of innocent Americans in need are denied healthcare and adequate support. Curiously many have been convinced it's their own fault - for failing the American Dream of becoming a billionaire.

I am reminded of the popular film about Garry Webb, a reporter from the Boston Globe, who uncovered the story of the CIA's illegal drug-running from South America to the biggest poorest cities in the USA. Criminals were hired to distribute the drugs, mainly to the poor and minorities.

They raised millions of dollars to fund an illegal war in the Middle East.

These people are highly paid public servants whose job it is to carry out the decisions of the elected representatives. They are stomping around the world with impunity, out of all control. When will charges be laid?

Garry Webb was harassed by the CIA for many years, and was found to have committed suicide, with TWO bullets in his head.

The first President George Bush said his biggest regret was not killing Saddam Hussain. How many people did he successfully kill? What are their names? When and how did they die? Were they assassinated in accordance with USA law?

Visit the museum in Ho Chi Min city, it's an emotional experience. One US soldier posted his medals to the museum.

#  DEBT PEONAGE AND GEORGE ORWELL'S 1984

The Mexican Revolution was almost 100 years ago.

At that time Mexico was divided into 17 haciendas whose children intermarried, and the haciendas consolidated and grew ever larger.

Agent provocateurs on behalf of the haciendas doorknocked the towns and cities offering people loans. When they defaulted on the repayments the family had to move to the hacienda to work off the debt. This was impossible because of the high prices charged at the company store. Therefore life-long debt peonage.

A young couple applied to the Grand Poobah for permission to marry. She was thrown into the Grand Poobah's harem and he was buried standing up and horses driven over his head.

Zapata and his horsemen from the hills defeated the army, and when they rode into Mexico City, did they rape and pillage you ask? Nay, they knocked on the door and asked the lady of the house if they could please have a drink of water.

They had no experience of government, so they appointed a chap who became as corrupt as the previous mob.

They expropriated the property of foreign oil companies on vendor terms, paying current market value and interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum, raising money by public donations.

A street urchin gave 20 cents and the President's wife gave her jewellery.

PRIVATISATION

Privatisation has been a failure around the world and we must legislate to buy back our monopoly utilities to give all citizens better value for money, as proposed by Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK election.

Television must be one of the most influential inventions of all time. Put something on TV and people rush out and buy it. Hire purchase was introduced, enabling people to buy now and pay later, which boosted factory production.

When our kids were small, out TV fortunately broke down, giving us a wonderful 3 years until a well-meaning relative gave us one.

We are more vulnerable to smart sales practices when we are young and inexperienced. Up until the seventies, any contract a person under 21 signed was unenforceable, protecting our youth from the sharks. But then the age was dropped to 18, which is child abuse. This was no doubt joyously promoted by the upper class who own most of the stuff for sale.

We can save our planet in the best condition possible if we live the frugal lifestyle today. Don't fall for modern day debt peonage. Why slave your guts out for the benefit of the vendors of junk that will be in the tip in due course?

Lobby for more public transport, not highways. Stop drinking and smoking and put your money into the kids' education and holidays. Every cent is a precious resource.

We are more like customers than citizens. For over 40 years we have suffered death by 1,000 cuts. The concept of pride in serving the people has disappeared. When I was elected as a municipal councillor in 2000, I believed there was no higher calling than to be privileged to serve the people, and especially those who are needy at this time.

Why should we be judgemental - there but for random chance goes I?

George Orwell's 1984 is alive and well and with us today. Seriously. The politicians just don't get it. We get the pathetic lies and manipulation about how good it is and how great it's going to be all day every day. Everything that happens cements and grows the fortunes of the super rich or the unworthy donors to Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Nothing that happens taxes the super rich or helps those in need. Politicians in the old conservative duo have diminished to be mere recording machines. Press the button and out comes the predictable ludicrous pathetic party script. This is why 102,000 Aussie kids died in wars. So the upper class can destroy the planet and pay no tax, blatantly, as a right.

Speeches and monthly reports by Andrew Leigh MP are an absolute masterpiece in obfuscation. He goes on and on, waxing lyrical about inequality, but never a word about what to do about it.

Any cut in service is an unauthorised price increase.

Some decades ago Telstra unilaterally stopped giving the addresses as printed in the phone book, over the phone; obviously to save money and cause hours of delay and frustration to their valued customers.

Now we are denied a drinking fountain on Flinders Street train station, replaced by vending refrigerated displays of one multinational's brand of polluting plastic bottles. I wonder which political party got donations for that. Water is as necessary as air, and water fountains are a necessary public good.

The private electricity companies have no interest in maintenance, causing the Black Saturday fires and 179 deaths, but they attack with gusto the opportunity of building gold plated poles and wires, which will never be fully utilised, cheered on by our so-called regulator, significantly increasing the cost of power to pensioners and workers.

Whilst our cheap coal is polluting India and China, allowing their manufacturers to access cheap electricity, our businesses are marginal due to huge hikes in power costs.

The Australian Energy Regulator has ruled that huge electricity providers have ripped billions off consumers by unnecessarily investing in more poles and wires.

All those responsible for the gold-plating of our communal poles and wires must be brought to book - jailed, and the ill-gotten gains from this grand heist forfeited to our government as realistic fines. And of course future charges mandated to be where they were prior to the gold-plating. Will there be a class action?

PROPERTY BUYERS' STRIKE - NOW. STRIKE - STRIKE - STRIKE - STRIKE

The four big banks are out of all effective control. Astronomical profits for shareholders by courtesy of usurious fees extracted from pensioners and workers. Outrageous salaries to management.

Every week they receive money from within the country to loan out, and they increase that amount by 50% by borrowing from overseas. This pump-primes the property market, forcing up house values and increasing the banks' share of the loan market, which is highly profitable as interest rates here are very high by world standards for some strange reason.

Negative gearing has joined the fray with gusto, forcing young Australians out of the market for life. Home ownership has dropped from 70% to 50%.

As 75% of the profits go to the wealthiest 10%, the liberals won't abolish negative gearing, and a pathetic labor party wants to entrench the rich forever by stopping it only on purchases of existing homes, but keeping it on newly-constructed dwellings. This means the rich will be competing with owner-occupiers for the finite number of new dwellings forcing up prices.

The obvious answer is for negative gearing to be totally abolished ON THE SAME DAY as home buyers are given their entire super balance, AND ON THE SAME DAY dwellings can be sold ONLY to owner occupiers, not foreigners or investors. That way the expected drop in values will be balanced out to some extent by the expected boost in values caused by the new buyers coming into the market.

If you believe it's a property bubble, wait for values to drop. Who can look into the future?

Landlords have the opportunity of selling right now. Buyers have the opportunity of going on strike right now. Values should drop by 25% or more.

Investors and foreigners can be excluded from buying dwellings, owner occupiers can be given their entire super. Read on.

# DON'T CRINGE UNDER THE JACKBOOT AND DEATHS IN CUSTODY

The rights you enjoy here today have been bought with the blood of millions in wars.

Sadly you can't relax in a land of milk and honey, because you have to leap our of bed, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, every morning and fight injustice.

There is a Little Hitler in all our brains and there will always be someone trying some greedy or stupid lurk who has to be brought in to line.

All decisions are political.

THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE WORLD - AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME

Nag them to death - starting now.

Now that you are self-confident you will be ringing and writing to politicians supporting fairness and equity, and opposing any attempt to further enrich the super rich.

Very little is "accidental" or "an anomaly." Almost everything is INTENTIONAL.

It is intentional that Google, Apple, Facebook, McDonalds, etc. etc. pay virtually no tax in Australia and other countries where they have hugely profitable businesses.

It is intentional that British Protectorates like the Cayman Islands exist as tax havens. They were set up after the war by the U.K. for the benefit of the tax-dodging upper class and super rich.

It is intentional that the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, invests his $500 million through the Cayman Islands and dodging Australian taxes, whilst pursuing wage earners to the end of the earth for their grossly unfair direct and indirect taxes, which are usurious because the upper class pays next to nothing.

The conservatives are refusing to tax multinationals and the wealthy, whilst spending our finite taxes INTENTIONALLY hounding 1.7 mil welfare recipients.

If you are battling and you scrape up over $18,200 per annum, you are pursued for income tax. PLUS Goods and Services Tax. PLUS, PLUS, PLUS.

Instead of leading by example and paying his taxes with pride, the nation's Prime Minister is leading the pack of super rich tax dodgers.

102,000 Aussie kids who died in wars for the country over the last 116 years must be turning in their graves.

There's none so blind as those who don't want to see.

On 28th April, 2016, the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, was questioned on ABC TV . He was told that the top 10% of earners get 75% of capital gains. His response, "That's beside the point."

The pen is mightier than the sword, unless of course you are at close quarter facing a person bearing a sword.

You will blaze away with a torrent of news releases to the print and electronic media. The opening sentence should contain 19 to 26 words and encapsulate the story, according to the lecturer in a one day course I attended.

EXAMPLE - PRESS RELEASE

TAX THE RICH AND SAVE THE WORLD, says author

An author claims that targeting the super rich with taxes based on the ability to pay can eradicate poverty and help the environment.

Author Sir Robert Gordon, in his tome "Snouts in the Trough, Tax The Super Rich, and Save Yourself" claims that the yawning gap over the last 75 years between the rich and poor can only be reversed by sensible taxes on the rich in conjunction with tax relief on the poor and wage earners.

The disparity is now greater than at any time since Louis the Fourteenth and the French Revolution, Sir Robert said.

Sir Robert, who opted to self-knight in accordance with his rights under natural justice, encourages all citizens to follow suit, especially tenants and the 3m in poverty.

He stresses the urgency of effectively taxing the super rich because their share of all assets is growing exponentially at the expense of the poor, the middle and wage earners.

He says that ONLY because of government policies, most workers will never be able to buy a home, whereas some 45 years ago it was considered immoral by his neighbour, Ted Sykes and others, to own a worker's home.

"We have become a nation of impoverished tenants who will never own their home and tax-dodging, highly geared aspirational landlords, due to the present federal policy called negative gearing". he said. "Most of the tax dodged goes to a handful of the most wealthy electorates."

"We need governments that represent the bulk of the population. Workers have suffered every dirty trick in the book and this is intentional.

"In other countries there are non-recourse mortgages, where borrowers in distress can walk into the bank and hand over the keys and that's the end of their liability, whereas in Australia borrowers will be pursued to the ends of the earth.

"Residential tenancies are generally 6 to 12 months in Australia, compared with years or life in some countries, where there are sensible rent controls.

"Tax breaks in negative gearing laws have seen investors, foreigners and criminals with black money, who may be highly geared, buying up workers' homes causing values to soar and forcing owner-occupiers out of the market and into renting.

"All superannuation is a disgrace and should be abolished. Compulsory super is an outrageous attack on poorer Australians, wherein a government has deliberately and wilfully taken workers' hard earned wages from them at the point of a gun and handed it to lurk men/women to gamble with. Profits to the contributor barely covered inflation in the first 20 years, after deduction of fees which are absolutely outrageous by international standards. All because of a flawed economic idea.

"Pokies and compulsory super are keeping workers in poverty. 30% of the 3,000,000 in poverty are working poor." He said.

Sir Robert said "It has merely replaced other forms of savings - home ownership for example.

"Two parties, you and the bank, agree : -

I) the house you want to buy is a suitable security for the proposed loan, and

ii) your income is sufficient to handle the repayments and necessary living expenses.

"However the banks breach this obviously implied agreement by

a) not accepting the the property in full settlement if you fall on hard times, they chase you forever for any shortfall, fully aware that you are skint, and

b) at their whim, they unilaterally INCREASE YOUR INTEREST RATE AND YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENTS deliberately and wilfully in the full knowledge that these repayments are unaffordable according to their own stated criteria, unless of course you stop eating."

Sir Robert calls for a Royal Commission into banking.

"The big 4 banks are a cartel who don't compete on fees and charges, whereas 35 years ago we had 7 large banks and keen competition. They screw their employees and customers, including pensioners, for the benefit of the shareholders and directors, whose remuneration is unconscionable, around 30 times that of the prime minister.

"If decent hard-working governments can take usurious direct and indirect taxes and pathetic compulsory superannuation off workers at the point of a gun, it can target the super rich with the fairest of all taxes, inheritance tax, say on estates of $5 million plus (which is Greens' policy) at a high and increasing rate, wealth tax as in France and a great big new income tax of 55% over $1,000,000, up from 45%. It's 60% in Sweden.

The tax-free threshold should be raised from $18,200 to $75,000 to help eradicate poverty.

Superannuation is only one of many choices FOR THOSE BLESSED WITH SPARE CASH. The vast majority, living from week to week, should be relaxed and comfortable in the certainty that future governments will pay adequate pensions. As super consists largely of taxpayer's money, any balance at death should be forfeited to the state, or a large part thereof. It must not be used as a tax dodge for the super rich. Actually superannuation is known to be a complete disgrace and should be abolished. It is detrimental to low income earners, and marginal to middle income earners, according to a university study.

Returns from compulsory superannuation have barely covered inflation in 23 years.

Those who hang on long enough to collect, will get a pittance with reduced purchasing power. This is largely due to usurious fees, $230bn, billion that is, charged over the last 10 years, enough to buy 55 submarines or 4,600 schools.

"The conservatives cherish their founder, Robert Menzies, prime Minister in the 1950s and 1060s.

"Under MENZIES the top marginal tax rate was 75% and company tax was 45% with no dividend imputation." Sir Robert said.

Media Enquiries Sir Robert Gordon. 04.........

END OF PRESS RELEASE

Notes:

1. Sign off as secretary of Happyville Residents Association, for example. Just do it.

2. You too can self-knight, especially if you reckon you have suffered enough, are a tenant, or you just want to. You may choose Lord, Lady, Baroness, Earl, etc. How about Her Royal Highness Freda Cox, Keeper of the Cinque Ports?

DEMAND THAT GESTAPO POLICE BE SACKED AND CHARGED.

Policing is a tough job. We are blessed with many good police. Crooked police are above the law and this is a long-standing disgrace. Western Australia is considered by some to be the red-neck capital of the world.

Two evil killers of a man cooked for 6 hours in a van in the desert without water or toilet stops, faced a minor charge after 3 years and got a small fine. I call for them now to be charged with murder.

DEBTORS' PRISON

Ms Dhu, a 22 year old aboriginal woman in Port Hedland, Western Australia, died in police custody in 2014 after being denied medical help. She died in less than 48 hours after being locked up for unpaid fines.

After a delay of two years and four months, a coronial investigation criticised her former partner Dion Ruffin and three police, Rick Bond, Shelley Burgess and Chris Matier. Ms Dhu's family has called on the authorities to charge them.

It seems that no public servant is charged in less than 3 years, and the charges are minor.

1,402 Australians died in custody from 1980 to 2007.

18% were aborigines.

2.3% of Australians are aborigines.

32% of all women who died in custody were aborigines.

Deaths in private prisons are 3 times higher than government prisons. Neoliberal governments have abdicated their duty of care.

Prisoners have 10 minutes to see a GP.

150% increase in aboriginal deaths in custody since the Royal Commission in 1991.

I call on the commonwealth to declare Western Australia a territory and sack its police, replacing them with the Australian Federal Police, whilst training Aboriginal men and women to be the majority of police.

One suspicious death is one too many. Who watches the watchers?

In one case the coroner thought it was curious that a paralytically drunk aborigine tore a strip off his blanket and tied it to the bars and hanged himself when his feet were touching the ground. He found that the man was killed by persons unknown. Many aboriginal deaths in custody are suspicious, which is code for police murder. Every one of them could be a police murder.

#  YOUTH, DRUGS, WARS

Our precious youth - our most cherished possession and resource, or our customers and victims?

As we are immature when we are under 25, is it child abuse to :-

\- send us to fight in wars,

\- give us access to cigarettes, alcohol and gambling,

\- give us licences for firearms and cars?

Are we in default of our obligation to protect young Australians?

DON'T PUT OUR KIDS IN HARM'S WAY, and go one better:

EVERY KID IN OUR ARMED FORCES MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECLINE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY ACTION SHE DEEMS TOO DANGEROUS, without question or reprisal.

BUT HANG ON - SHE SHOULDN'T BE THERE! Only older people should be put in harm's way. Protecting our young is the top priority, and defending their right to marriage, affordable and social housing and the pursuit of happiness. Australians of all ages should not have to suffer ludicrous wars imposed by the conservatives.

THE DOGS OF WAR

Alcohol should be banned from army bases. Some years ago recruits were abused all day and plied with alcohol at night. They are pressed into units and urged to look after their mates. 521 manipulated to go to Vietnam for an appointment with death, including 18 year old babies conscripted in the Liberal's death ballot.

Japanese kids were abused and bullied and told that they were invincible and they must die instead of going home in disgrace after losing. On the Kokoda Track our valiant 600 held back 10,000 Japanese. It was a fighting retreat that held up the Japs for two weeks, thus saving Port Moresby and Australia. Arnold Potts defied orders and kept fighting for that crucial fortnight until our troops finally arrived from the Middle East, contrary to Churchill's wishes. At that time the Japanese supply line was cut by US shipping north of New Guinea. Our boys were waiting at every corner and creek crossing. The Jap troops were understandably reluctant to press forward, and an Admiral waved his sword in the air and yelled at them.

After the war many of our soldiers believed that the Japanese race was sub-human, due to their treatment of prisoners. 2,000 were sent to a brutal work camp in Burma and only 6 survived.

The Japanese people are beautiful and fabulous. Read David Suzuki's 'The Other Japan'. After visiting 26 countries, I can tell you the people of the world are beautiful and fabulous. Japanese soldiers were beautiful youths who were brutalised by officers.

A Japanese man was on ABC radio. As a 19 year old, he was not an outstanding success in his chosen field as a Kamikaze pilot. He advised that he and his comrades were paraded in front of the Emperor and given a headband of 1,000 stitches, each stitch made by a virgin. As a virgin himself, he thought it would have been rather nice if he had the opportunity of having sex with just one of them.

Similarly in the Battle of Britain, 19 year old pilots had a 90% death rate.

The woes visited upon the world by Japan and Germany in the 1940s were a function of a heap of bad political decisions. You MUST get involved in politics.

And the first rule of life in the jungle - What you give out is what you get back. The past is the past. From this moment forward you are a politician. You are here to get along with everyone. Get out there and press the flesh.

In the late 1970s, an officer gave evidence to a court, helpfully advising that people should come out to the barracks at Watsonia and see how real men drink. Telling us that they drink themselves into a stupor, but magically maintain all their faculties. Wow. Now there's a real man. No mention of 10 cancers caused by alcohol, alcohol brain damage or Brewer's Droop, almost as bad as smokers' droop.

The men were abused by officers all day and grossly overrepresented in wife beating and anger problems.

THE COALITION OF THE WILLING TO LIE

In the psychiatric unit at the Austin Hospital, Melbourne, a nurse was punched to the ground by a 19 year old soldier who had managed to avoid death in the Middle East.

Another young man's life ruined by the political decisions of war-mongering conservatives. Is John Howard a war criminal who decided to kill innocent Aussie kids he is obliged to protect? He killed 44 young men by attacking Iraq without a UN mandate. Even if it were mandated, IT'S NOT OUR WAR. But we will pay the price for decades.

BRING THEM HOME FROM THE MIDDLE EAST - NOW

44 innocent Aussie kids killed as government employees. How would you feel if half of them were women?

44 Aussie families ruined. The beat rolls on.

Now the Turnbull government will boost our troops in the Middle East as the price paid for the US taking refugees from Nauru.

Remember the Australian Federal Police joyously trying to kill 9 dopey Aussie kids, helpfully telling us: They would do the same again. The beat rolls on.

Tell me, Dear Reader, how does this all gell with protecting the precious life of Martin Bryant, who murdered 36 at Port Arthur and is costing us $200,000 a year, Julian Knight who killed 13 in Hoddle Street because he wanted to know what it felt like to kill people, and the person who deliberately killed six more recently by driving over them in Bourke Street, Melbourne.

I say these people have forfeited their right to live. I spent two hundred dollars in the eighties on telegrams to Hawke and Malaysian leaders trying to save the lives of Chambers and Barlow.

The United Nations is an expert body. It made its position very clear. A mandate to attack Iraq would be entirely inappropriate, indeed, illegal.

Howard should face charges, including over the wrongful detention and torture of David Hicks.

He sent us in to Iraq contrary to the wishes of most Australians, and with the support of 6%, telling us 13 major lies.

Remember the missiles Saddam Hussain had lined up on Paris and London, which could destroy them in 45 minutes, and the weapons of mass destruction? It must be right because Murdoch and the Liberals said so. It must be right because it was on the news.

Howard must have felt warm and cosy cuddled up with Bush and Blair. All intelligent countries refused to join, including Germany, Japan, China, France, etc.

One country helpfully offered a thousand monkeys to defuse land mines.

We have wrongly attacked Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq and been humiliated and defeated. When will we ever learn? The coalition of the willing to lie never finished their first project in Iraq, stopping 65 miles from Baghdad. Why was that?

We are suffering the aftermath of Iraq and this will continue. A terrorist outrage on Australian soil is only a matter of time. Why?

Because of the insatiable need of the American military industrial complex to find ever more people of colour to test their latest devices on and grab their resources. And also because of political decisions that were plain wrong. The politicians knowingly illegally attacking another country and putting our kids in harm's way, must face the consequences of their actions.

Those who must be put in harm's way should be aged 40 to 80. The first wave should be those over 70, then 60, etc. volunteers trained to be fit and strong, and then conscripts 40 to 80, before you work your way down to volunteers in their 30s.

PIETER FROM THE NETHERLANDS

Pieter from The Netherlands was born in 1943 and wanted to go to sea, as had his father and two uncles. At 18 he was called up for military service due to the war with the former colony of Indonesia. He was trained for the army and sent to the Dutch Marines, working in intelligence in Dutch West New Guinea, now Irian Jia, using USA maps. Rivers there go underground for 10 to 20 kms or in some cases where they come out is unknown.

He was unpopular with half the troops in the camp as he was in charge of cleanliness and inspection.

He worked at Unilever making soap and perfume, sometimes mixing poor coal with oil.

He worked with SGS Services Inspection Co. for 31 years, working out how to analyse gas in tanks. He was asked to go to Japan by a French company to investigate problems with alcohol shipments, which were mixed with Technical Alcohol at Publickers Berth in Houston USA and therefore unsuitable for human consumption. This was proven by carbon dating at Tokyo University laboratory. Shell asked to set up a laboratory and inspection outfit in Japan for contamination problems with oil and chemicals.

The LPG trade started in the early 1970s. Peter organised the calculation and measurement of LPG.

Pieter met his wife in Japan and they went back to The Netherlands. SGS asked him to go back to Japan and investigate the Minimata disease on behalf of an insurance company. This was caused by mercury in industrial wastewater building up in fish and shellfish in Minimata Bay.

It is a neurological syndrome causing numbness in the hands and feet, partial loss of vision, hearing and speech, insanity, paralysis, coma and death. Foetuses can be affected. 1,800 died and 10,000 got $US86m compensation from Chisso Corporation.

Pieter was called in to solve problems at Tokyo University laboratory and SGS handed him the job of general manager serving Shell at Yokohama. His wife was alone in The Netherlands for 6 months. His salary was 8% of what his employer could charge. He worked in Japan for 20 years.

China used the People's Army to transport LPG to Japan. A lot of it was sent on to Korea unknown to China.

In the 1970s China had no heavy lifting equipment and tanks had to be cut in half to move them. Times have changed.

Pieter organised 40 cryogenic plants in Asia, very cold storeage.

Ethylene (C2H4) is a hydrocarbon, a colourless flammable gas which should be stored at -103.6 degrees centigrade at zero pressure. Slow cooling ensures the tank shrinks uniformly.

Propane, also known as propylene or methyl ethylene, is an unsaturated organic compound C3H6. Both ethylene and propane are chemical made products.

These are the two basic parts of the chemical industry and comprise 80% of cars.

LPG mainly comprises propane and butane.

Pieter set up plants in South Africa, the Middle East, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Taiwan and Korea.

The USA had incineration vessels burning chemicals, oils and garbage at sea in the 1980s. This was banned by the UN.

AMARAD's mission is to promote US merchant marine. It entered into a joint venture with Mitsubishi Bank for two vessels to be built in Seattle for $250m plus, which will never sail. Their Diesel engines would only manage 7 miles per hour due to slow burning rubbish.

Pieter advised the EPA, which banned the operation. They were completely scrapped when 60% and 85% complete.

John Zink, a company which made incinerators, wanted to sue the shipyard over the ban, but quickly withdrew as incinerators on ships were banned by the International Maritime Organisation and the EPA in the USA before the contract was signed.

They apologised to Pieter for not knowing that that type of ship was banned worldwide.

MARAD built vessels to transport LNG at-156 degrees C. LNG ARZEW cost $275m and was converted to carry grain at a cost of $60m. A new grain carrier could have been bought for $60m.

Grain needs to be well insulated as a trip to China or Korea could take months.

After 5 years the LNG business picked up and the LNG tanks were put back in.

At 35 Pieter was made a fellow of the Energy Institute in the U.K.

In 1994 he was transferred to Indonesia and later quit and worked as an independent.

In 1995 he joined Saybolt, a US inspection firm, and set up a chemical lab in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

In 1997 he worked for the UN on the food for oil programme in Iraq. He was a team leader, ensuring spare parts were not used by the military.

The weapons of mass destruction, declared by Blair, Bush and Howard, were a complete fabrication.

Under Saddam Hussain every man had one wife, not 4. Women drove cars. More than half of men 25 to 50 disappeared in war or otherwise, up to 75% in some villages. Women were allowed to work in the oil industry. Women with men's jobs were allowed to shake hands if they wore gloves.

He spent 3 weekends fixing upside down plates in a distillation plant. It was a secret plant and workers may have been disappeared. Most of the engineers had done well at Manchester College and university and had English wives.

Donald Rumsfeld was the US advisor to Saddam and authorised the use of sarin gas during the war with Iran, a major war crime. Mini tornados brought some gas back onto the Iraqis, causing deaths.

After the US invasion Rumsfeld opened the jails and let idiots out. As in China, the Iraqi police were well-organised community police, trusted by the public. Rumsfeld sacked them.

Pieter got out of Iraq one day before the war in 2003. On Good Friday 2003 his wife had a brain bleed and an operation and died.

Pieter worked closely with the USA. At the town of Baiji there was a bridge over the Tigris river from which a 40 inch diameter pipe could be seen crossing the river. This was the Iran/Turkey oil pipe, which was an easy target. If the pipe were attacked and breached, 17,000 cubic metres of oil would go down the river to Baghdad. Pieter got the US army to maintain a strong guard and encase the pipe in metal. Within a fortnight there was a sabotage attempt.

He found a pipe to Syria illegally pumping 5,000 tonnes an hour.

During the Iran Iraq war there was an oilfield in no-man's land operated 50/50 Iran Iraq. Oil was pumped 1,000 kms to Baghdad for refining. The joint venture operated normally during the war.

During WW1 the important wool export business from Britain to Germany was maintained. Denying those German officers their great coats would be unthinkable.

British ships traded normally with the Viet Cong in Hanoi during the Vietnam war where 521 Aussie kids including conscripts lost their lives.

Remember the propaganda about the annihilation of London and Paris within 45 minutes? We were also advised that Saddam's troops were battle hardened, by the war with Iran. After the invasion many who were walking home from Kuwait were found to be 65 years old. Half of men between 25 and 50 died in Iran Iraq war or were disappeared.

BUSH'S BIGGEST MISTAKE

Bush stopped General Norman Schwarzkopf at the Iraq border after the lraqis were kicked out of Kuwait in the Gulf War, 1991. The decision not to press on to Baghdad is apparently due to Norman being seen as a hero and competing with Bush for the Republican nomination for president.

From Baghdad to Basra there was a military post every 2 kms with 15/20 soldiers who were supplied with water but had to organise their own food, mostly by begging. Their wage was $17 per month. Northerners sitting in the south and visa-versa. These people were the poorest of the poor, with bad weapons and only a couple of bullets.

Saddam had a couple of regiments, about 3,000 troops, well-trained and armed for his protection. The regular army was a joke, not battle-hardened tough guys as per Murdoch and the Liberals.

Norman Schwarzkopf would have been made welcome, especially by the Sunnis in the north, to get rid of Saddam and get back to democracy as before.

Northern Iraqis in particular are well-educated, especially in oil and mining, and are keen to study. Their backgrounds are in German and UK education.

Soldiers brought men to a hospital to have their ears cut off. A doctor refused and was shot.

An oil chief would say hello and point to possible Saddam bugs in the room.

MYSTERY SHIP - THE MAASGUSAR

The Maasgusar, a 574 foot long chemical tanker, 175 x 32m, was built in Croatia and launched in 1983. In January 1989 she was loaded with several different chemicals in Texas City, Texas, and set off to South Korea via Japan. She would never arrive. In March 1989 she was found ablaze by a Japanese patrol aircraft 70 miles east of Tokyo. There were 23 men aboard and none survived. The cause of the fire must have been catastrophic and fast, as no distress signal was sent.

The cargo comprises 8 different liquid chemicals used in the manufacture of plastic. Stress cracks had appeared in the walls separating the tanks due to yawing, twisting around an axis.

REPORT BY PIETER GROEN

"Three days before the explosion the captain had already reported problems with the cargo (many different chemicals on board) and requested surveyors, including me, to be there on arrival.

"As several products needed heating, the crew had already stopped steam-heating of cargo.

"There must have been an enormous cargo explosion as the deck was blown up like the lid of a sardine can and was hanging over the bridge. I have circled around the vessel by helicopter for two days and saw it from close by.

"The lawyers in the USA confiscated all photos of the surveyors, but as I also made a film with my camera, I had sole rights to that as that was not in the lawyer's instructions, which was only to take photos and I thus could keep my video film.

"It MUST have been a chemical-mix explosion, which is unprecedented in fully loaded tankers. The ship had a history of getting cracks in the tank walls. In my opinion the explosion was caused by a mix of Caustic Soda leaking into Acrylonitrile cargo tank(s).

"The explosion was on 14th March 1989 and the ship broke up 5 days later and sank on 19th March 1989."END

SCHOOL RETENTION AND JOB TRAINING

As they are not required as cannon fodder or factory fodder, our kids should be supported in further studies including free trades and TAFE courses. Many drop off the radar. If they are not in school, they should be in training. There is little that is more important than giving a kid a start in life. Under the Liberal/National federal government apprenticeships have fallen by over 100,000 in 3 years. All part of the need for austerity - the big lie.

Immigration is running at 300,000 a year, compared with 200,000 in the nineties, which is ludicrous, and adding to the unemployment queues. The ruling class wants hoards coming in with money to buy stuff they want to sell, land, houses, furniture, shares, legal and accounting services. They don't care that foreigners and investors have pushed young Aussies out of the housing market. They salivate at the new cash rolling in, pump-priming the financial markets, $3.6bn a year from China alone, both criminal and legitimate. This can be on-lent to Aussies, now facing record household debt, to buy plastic crap which will be in the tip in five years.

Then we have the slave labour brought in under 457 visas based on the fiction that there are 960 categories of jobs that "Australians don't want to do." Really? What are their names? Unemployed people want jobs - any jobs. And don't forget the 2,560,000 WORKERS who are unemployed or underemployed, according to Roy Morgan Polls , and the 3m in poverty including 900,000 working poor, and almost one child in 5. In our wealthy nation today this is a disgrace - but who has all the wealth?

Some 20 years ago in its annual report, the Melbourne City Council boasted that it abolished 200 jobs, just within the previous year. No thought of the 200 families affected. We need human beings with brooms - not filthy polluting leaf blowers. Brisbane's leaf blowers emit vile blue smoke that would kill a brown dog.

The government's method of calculating unemployment is ludicrous, as those working one hour or more a fortnight are added to the list of those employed and taken off the list of the unemployed, to make the conservatives look better.

Councils should boast about the jobs they are creating, including training and multitasking, including street sweepers with brooms.

In Queensland you could be fined $5,000 if you haven't swept your footpath by 8.30 every morning, Sunday's and public holidays excepted (1953 law).

IMMORAL TO OWN A WORKER'S HOME?

A worker's home is a worker's home.

It is not a gambling chip for the super-rich, or a safe haven for the cash of foreign criminals.

A woman told us on ABC TV that Melbourne and Sydney are international cities. She should have added "in my opinion". They are not international cities, they are Australian cities, built by Australians for Australians in Australia.

She helpfully told us that foreigners like to buy property there as a safe haven. Well, when did we agree to that? We must OUTLAW law-abiding and criminal foreigners, and investors, from stealing the homes of our young families. Every purchase must be analysed and those without FIRB - Foreign Investment Review Board - approval, under tough new or existing laws, forced to sell. Many thousands of them will add to supply and reduce prices.

The market for homes has been fairly stable for decades, allowing many young couples to get a foothold, and maintaining home ownership of 60% to 70%, now headed for 50%.

Many of the present and future young generations may never have home ownership - a function of sick, twisted, greedy, Neo-liberal ideas of the eighties. The undemocratic, inegalitarian, privileged robbing the less-privileged:-

\- Negative gearing, compulsory superannuation, privatisation, capital gains rorts and deregulation, meaning the abandonment of the responsibility to govern and robbing the poor to pay the rich.

This is Tweedledum and Tweedledee in their finest hour. Then we get the barefaced lies, brazenly and proudly entrenching and expanding poverty.

Negative gearing has created a false market, as the wealthy have leapt into workers' homes based on tax dodging, forcing up prices. 75% of taxable capital gains have gone to the wealthiest 10% - Leigh Sales, ABC 7.30 Report; and Malcolm Turnbull's response : 'Leigh that's beside the point.'

No, Mr Turnbull, that is exactly the point. You are taxing the poor and not the rich. You are the mouthpiece of the crazies and your unworthy donors, whose lack of worth has tempted them to buy influence from a willing seller. The most lucrative investment they have ever made. You are unAustralian.

Labor's policy of not allowing negative gearing on new purchases of existing homes, is designed to protect the wealthy owners of existing homes from a possible fall in house values. Governments are there to govern for all, not interfere in a free capitalist market for the protection of the privileged.

If home prices fell it would be a normal event following a housing bubble and an opportunity for citizens currently excluded from the housing market to buy at reasonable prices.

In the eighties a Japanese office worker could borrow enough to buy a house on our eastern seaboard for $1m. Property values in that high price bracket later fell by 50%.

Labor's policy now is to grandfather existing landlord's rental houses to shelter the rich and super rich from a possible fall in house values, and entrench their capital gains. This is a disgrace. We owe these people nothing. The people they bought from are not asking government to pay them the big gains they missed out on. The investors made their decisions to buy in a free capitalist market, as the citizens they bought from made the decision to sell in a free capitalist market. This is their personal private business and the government has no involvement in terms of laws at that time.

The investors bought to dodge tax which is unconscionable.

There is no more reason for Labor to seek to guarantee their ill-gotten capital gains, than there is to pay the capital loss the person or persons from whom they purchased missed out on by selling. Look at all the smart professionals and investors who bought the homes of little old ladies.

Labor has declared that new homes can be bought by wealthy tax-dodgers to rent out and negatively gear. When will they ever learn? This will drive up the values of new homes based on the laws of supply and demand, which never fail, excluding first home buyers from the market once again. Labor is not Labor any more. There is no light on the hill. Labor is one of the most disgraceful and conservative bodies in Australia. It has voted to entrench privilege at every turn, ignoring working families, 3m in poverty including almost one child in 5, and 2.56m unemployed or underemployed.

The market should be allowed to work, instead of molly-coddling the rich in cotton wool. Whoever buys a house takes a gamble. It's their personal private business. Values will go up and down. Whoever sells a house also takes a gamble, as it's value will go up, go down, or remain the same.

Negative gearing was a huge mistake designed for the rich to rob the poor and must be scrapped entirely.

I call on all politicians to :-

****severely restrict finance on investment housing,

****require all landlords to dispose of at least 10% of their residential properties by value each year,

****stop non-residents and investors from buying real estate in OUR COUNTRY, and

****stop all first home owner grants as they are a cash gift to land developers and other vendors and do nothing for the intended recipients. On the very day the grants are introduced, land developers put up land prices by that amount. $12,000 grant - land price upped from $32,000 to $44,000 at that time.

A paper released by Swinburne University found that more Australians are renting in retirement and facing financial stress. The Age 10.10.2016.

It calls for the reinstatement of death duties or an inheritance tax to reduce the widening gap between homeowners and non-homeowners.

The study shows an increasing number of older renters are already experiencing housing insecurity and impoverishment.

Swinburne's Dr Sharman called for :-

\- more government investment in social housing,

\- increased welfare support for retiree renters,

\- death taxes in order to redistribute wealth across society, and

\- the abolition of capital gains concessions on housing.

We should follow the UK in setting aside 20% of new housing developments for social housing, starting right now.

There are 426,000 Australians over the age of 50 years living alone or with a partner in private rentals, but there would be 832,319 by 2050.

A National Shelter spokesman said that will put a lot of pressure on the rental market, which does not cater to older people on low incomes as it is.

The Age article quoted Ms Leigh Evans, 41, a business analyst and author, "I look forward to dying early. It's gallows humour but the situation is real - it's homelessness. I think that it's well beyond time that Australia stopped keeping alive this delusion that the quarter acre block dream still exists for many people."

INVESTORS AND FOREIGNERS MUST BE PROHIBITED FROM BUYING DWELLINGS. IT MUST BE REGULATED THAT HOMES CAN ONLY BE SOLD TO OWNER-OCCUPIERS.

SUICIDE

Suicide is a function of depression or temporary mental illness which can be cured. Suicide is the biggest killer of people aged 15 to 45 in Australia, taking 3,000 a year, more than double the road toll.

Look out for the warning signs in your friends and get them to help.

In the USA there are 40,000 more suicides for every 1% rise in unemployment.

If you are unhappy for more than a fortnight, see your doctor and be put on a mental health plan. Step up and ask for help. Count your many blessings.

Write out your self-talk, and stand in front of the mirror every morning and read it out. E.g.:-

YOUR SELF-TALK

"My name is ............................., an Australian citizen and a mammal on earth at this time. Life on earth is a precious and joyous experience. I pledge to help others, especially those less privileged, and preserve what's left of the environment. I will volunteer at a community or environmental group or a sporting club. I will join a political party and attend all meetings and express my beliefs without fear or favour. I will undertake a course of learning in job or hobby related fields. I acknowledge that 102,000 Australians have lost heir lives in wars, and I will fight for justice every day. They must not have died in vain. I will be positive and enthusiastic and encourage others to count their many blessings."

THE ROAD TOLL

When are we mature enough to drive? At 17, 20, or 24 years of age?

Why do we drive, causing death, injury, pollution and congestion, when we can walk, cycle or use public transport?

In the seventies tanker truck drivers did us the great favour of striking for 3 weeks. There was minimal traffic, sweet fresh air and silence apart from the singing of the birds.

We are all going through some stage of life every day. Some young male persons feel the thrilling throb, throb, throb of a loud exhaust at the very core of their being. Why is this? Is it based on the urge to promote their genes? "Look at me. I've grown up. I'm big and strong. Listen to my exhaust."

Some decades ago an urban studies lecturer built on a new estate at Mitcham. He was working in his front garden when a young male person roared by in a car with a loud exhaust. He and the man over the road looked at each other in mutual unspoken understanding.

If cars were invented next week, would we license women at 20 and men at 24?

A WAR-LIKE PEOPLE?

In many ways our youth are our victims. We send our 18 year old babies to unnecessary wars to get a bullet in the head. There should be men and women volunteers between 40 and 80 in the army and the reserve, and in a crisis those over 70 should go, then over 60 and so forth, keeping our precious youth for technical and logistical support and paperwork.

Conservative governments have followed the US into unnecessary wars since 1945 and lost every one of them.

This has caused thousands to suffer unnecessary death and injury, and ruined many families, all in the name of promoting the conservatives' political agenda. These dead and injured, including life-long mental impairment, were public servants carrying out their given tasks on behalf of our nation. How do you rate the loss of one of their lives alongside the loss of life of a violent evil murderer, assuming we had the death penalty.

44 kids lost their lives in recent years in the Middle East due to cock-eyed decisions of the conservatives. What can we do? Shrug our shoulders? How does this compare with the deliberate act of an evil criminal deliberately shooting 13 in Hoddle Street, 35 at Port Arthur or driving into pedestrians in Swanston Street? Have they forfeited their lives? Are they seeking fame? Is the death penalty a deterrent?

Notable all perpetrators were young male persons. Why not old female persons?

MILITARY HISTORY

We had no business sticking our nose into Korea, Vietnam or the Middle East. Wrong political decisions, and we are still paying the price.

ICELAND

Iceland has a population of 332,529. It has a Nordic social welfare system, universal health and tertiary education. It was the 13th most developed country in 2013 and runs almost completely on renewable energy. It has the lowest military spending per capita and is the country most at peace according to the Guinness Records Book.

They have no standing army, only a lightly-armed coast guard.

START OF TAKING THE PISS - JOKE \- JEST - SATIRE - BELIEVE ME

After 72 years of being whipped, you can understand our defence personnel lacking confidence and self-esteem. We need to think outside the square. Surely we could find someone out there we can actually thrash. It can't be that hard. Be positive. Get on the front foot.

Our defence chiefs approached me, "Sir Robert" they said, "The guys need some action and a boost in morale", they said, "We've lost every war in the last 72 years. What can we do?" (From Michael Moore's latest movie "Where To Invade Next").

I thought about it for a minute, and then, and then........I thought of Iceland.

"ICELAND HERE WE COME"

Iceland deserves a whipping. These people have deliberately, wilfully and selfishly failed to support our wonderful neoliberal "reforms" of the eighties, our wonderful privatisations, our fabulous negative gearing, our sumptuous compulsory superannuation, our sensible deregulation, our decent fair tax cuts for our suffering super rich who may create jobs one day, and our decades of creeping austerity on bludging jobseekers who should get a haircut, pathetic pensioners who should be in the workforce, young mothers who should be in the workforce, low and middle income earners who should get off their bums and get a better job, and sickly weaklings and malingerers who just have to learn to be more responsible, exercise, eat healthy food, get out of hospital, off the welfare gravy train and into the workforce. These people must face the fact that it is their OWN FAULT that they are pauperised.

Furthermore, prime minister Turnbull said it was rumoured in the Melbourne Club that Iceland had Weapons of Mass Destruction, so it must be right. Also a North Sydney fish merchant told him that Iceland could nuke New York and London within 45 minutes.

The fact that there are no jobs in Iceland is a mere technicality, as these people must be forced to allow our wonderful free globalised market to work by offering to work for lower and lower wages.

We are greatly honoured to have our untaxed super rich cruising around in super yachts thinking of ways to create jobs for us. They don't only suck up assets from the middle class you know.

Iceland isn't playing the game in accordance with modern moral values and wonderful globalisation, and of course family values.

Included herein is a photo of Harpa, in order that our guys can readily identify the vicious battle-hardened enemy. She was found to be travelling in Australia to photograph and sabotage our critical infrastructure and defence facilities. This just goes to prove that you can't trust these Icelanders. Note that her eyes are closed. They are trained to do this to avoid identification by iris examination.

Iceland deliberately failed to bail out its innocent hard-working banks in the Global Financial Crisis. Iceland deliberately jailed 26 of its bankers after the GFC, inflicting personal suffering upon them. Can you imagine - bankers in jail? I can hardly bear to think of the loss of prestige, confidence and self-esteem suffered by these victims of a cruel, harsh legal justice system. Why, there is a furrow on my brow and even a bead of perspiration right now. I could even sob.

Bankers are the village gods, up there with the local vicar, the super-human honest celibate priest and the decent fair-minded solicitor!

By contrast, the wonderful egalitarian USA jailed one banker.

With its embracing of renewable energy, Iceland has deliberately snubbed innocent shareholders in the fossil fuel industry, oil, coal, and the banks, and their hard-working compassionate directors. This is putting unacceptable downward pressure on the 10% tax-free return Malcolm Turnbull gets on his $500m in Luxembourg hedge funds. Tax free, YES - TAX FREE.

PHASE 1 - A SURGICAL STRIKE

A Surgical Strike sounds so nice and clean. No mess and splattered blood to sully our suburban TV screens. This phase will soften these suckers up and let them know that we are a nation of high achievers who aren't to be messed with, and not a pack of drongos. We will take out their aerobics, Pilates and yoga classes as these people represent a real danger to our guys. You can't be too careful. We will also surgically strike the coast guard.

PHASE 2 - WE STORM THE BEACHES AND MOP UP

Mopping up sounds so nice and clean. Who wants to look at something that hasn't been mopped? Our boys , oops, guys, will storm the beaches and occupy TV stations, palaces, that sort of thing. And of course get the scum off the streets like they do in America. Who wants to see scum on streets?

PHASE 3 - RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT

We will show these Yahoos the pinnacle of democratic governance in the modern era. I refer of course to the current Australian government, which we will replicate in our colony of Iceland. We will teach these retards and cretins all about :-

\- Family values,

\- Racism,

\- Bigotry, which is of course everybody's right according to George Brandis of memory lapsing fame,

\- the decent wonderful Hard Christian Right,

\- Austerity, and pressing 20% of all children into poverty to teach them their place in wonderful globalisation, as abhorrent Canberra man said 'I will not pay tax to feed other people's bastards',

\- Negative gearing. Our political/donor class will buy their houses just to help them out, as per David Feeney's example (also of memory lapsing fame),

\- Deregulation. Any regulation that stands between our magnificent political/donor class and a dollar will of course be repudiated,

\- and of course Icelandic persons will have the benefit of our wonderful Murdoch press and the remnants of your ABC after 20 years of decimation by Tweedledum and Tweedledee,

\- Privatisation. Small government means no involvement in monopoly utilities and public goods. Due to their vast experience, our marvellous political donor class is best placed to organise the privatisation of state assets such as poles, wires, ports, water, electricity, gas, telephones, jails, police, schools, hospitals, roads and bridges.

PROTESTERS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED

We throw any whinging Icelandic persons in jail, creating jobs for more police who will get a cool million on retirement under defined benefits, 18% Super, 250% penalty rates and 9 weeks off a year.

We take any oil they may have at this time as punitive damages for insulting family values.

We will appoint Cory Bernardi and George Christensen as joint Commanders in Chief to run the place. That's far enough away. Pauline Hansen will be their minister for Multiculturalism and Foreign Affairs, and Tony Abbott will be their minister for Justice and Equality.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Our defence forces will march with a new spring in their step. With this new confidence we could seek out other deviants with natural resources - New Zealand comes to mind. Like the Vikings, they come over here to steal our chooks and rape our women. How dare they!! I can feel the rising tide of national indignation right now. Kiwis - here we come!

FINISH OF TAKING THE PISS - JOKE \- JEST - SATIRE - BELIEVE ME.

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT - FOREVER GROWTH

Smash repairs, legal fees, funerals and the building and manning of jails are all counted as part of our annual gross domestic product, GDP, but not mothering at home.

4 teenage males died when a car wrapped around an electricity pole at Ringwood. They were said to be travelling at 200kph. Identical event at Altona. And at Mill Park, killing 5. 26 countries I have visited don't appear to have a hoon problem.

Note: all so-called accidents are not accidents - they are inevitable. Give overpowered cars to immature kids and the result is inevitable. Allowing immature brains to be plied with alcohol is cheered on by the donor class, but destroying kids.

Cars don't mix with bikes and power poles. Bikes should be on footpaths and power put underground.

We must raise all car taxes to reduce crashes, pollution and congestion, and save a little oil for future generations. They will have far more important uses for it. This would be a big step towards delivering on our promise to limit global warming to 2%, a disaster in itself, but not as bad as 4% or 8%. To achieve 2% we can't open any new oil fields, and yet several companies are paying bonuses to executives to find them. We lived very happily without cars for millions of years, and we will do it again. Please promise right now that you will only buy an electric car.

We urgently need a diesel scrappage scheme as mooted by the mayor of London.

Future generations will see our wasteful lifestyle as beyond the ridiculous. A dog expert on the radio advised people to take their dog for a drive every day for its entertainment. This is an insult to the one and only planet which supports us all. If you think you need a pet, give some thought to finding one of your own species to love. Every year 78 million American dogs eat 21 million cattle. This activity has destroyed ancient rain forests and wasted billions of litres of water. Cattle farms should be planted up with crops, fruit and nuts for 20 times more protein.

PROTECT OUR YOUTH

We must give our kids the protection that was stripped off them, by reinstating the age of contract liability to 21 instead of 18. The move down to 18 was a master stroke for the benefit of those trying hard to sell more stuff like used cars, and overseas shareholders in oil, car making, banks and finance companies.

If we were serious about loving and protecting our kids the age of getting alcohol and cigarettes would be 21, as in the USA.

Outlets for alcohol, cigarettes and gambling would be reduced in number and their hours restricted. Gambling should be banned from the Internet. We can and should ban the advertising of the very things that are destroying families, cigarettes, alcohol and gambling.

Nightclubs should have to close at 1am which would still give police more grief than they would want to see.

Our kids need every one of their beautiful healthy brain cells. One drinking binge will kill 600,000 brain cells which have evolved over millions of years, specifically to carry out a particular function to make our lives better. Protect your brain because your brain is YOU.

To give an unemployed Australian citizen $268.00 a week for basic food, clothing, housing, education and transport, is cruel and unusual punishment.

By the government's own rules, the bare minimum wage is $672.40. Unemployment is not good. There is an epidemic of suicide and twice as many men suicide than women. In the US, for every 1% increase in unemployment there are an extra 40,000 suicides. And yet Murdoch and the conservatives vilify innocent jobseekers every day. Just as they bleat on every day about our horrendous government debt which is truly a piss-farting amount in the overall scheme of things.

The conservatives will hound jobseekers and reduce their pittance of an allowance. How are they supposed to eat, let alone pay for transport to job interviews, their clothing, housing and education?

All welfare recipients should get the minimum wage of $694.40 per week as starters, as that is insufficient as 900,000 Australians are the working poor.

But the very same conservatives have no trouble with the likes of Chevron taking our gas and paying no tax for two years, or McDonald's transferring $515m to Singapore for a low tax rate, or their heroes with over $100m in so-called superannuation and getting some $10m annual profit thereon tax free.

Three professors have given evidence to the Senate that we need to tax Chevron and co. on turnover, as they do in Hong Kong.

Every jobseekers should be paid the minimum wage for 38 hours a week, working/studying 50/50 for the dole. Every day as the sun goes down the product of their labour is lost forever.

We desperately need 30% more teachers. Put 60% of that number on straight away as teachers' aides. Being for half a week, that's equivalent to 30% more full time. Just imagine the joy, the enthusiasm, and the love, doing the best job on earth. Helping kids.

Those under 40 could help struggling small businesses, working half time as pre-apprentices.

Those over 40 can be trained in the army, airforce and navy reserve, sewing garments, picking fruit and guarding railway stations for half the week.

All jobseekers should get free TAFE and tertiary training for half the week. Learning many things, national park management, gardening, cooking, trades, English, politics, economics, etc. etc.

ILLEGAL DRUGS

In March 2017, I wrote to the Prime Minister, and also the ALP, Greens and Nick Xenophon Team to jointly host a drug summit of interested parties to examine whether drug laws should follow the lead of Portugal.

It's commonly called decriminalisation, but small-time users receive a small fine and referral to medical assistance. They are not jailed and have no criminal record.

In Portugal there are 3 deaths from these drugs per million, compared with 70 in both Sweden and Norway.

A local Labor branch has called on the government to decriminalise drugs and establish a safe drug injecting room at North Richmond, Victoria, due to the consistent high death rate there. This is also the policy of the Sex Party and the Greens. Safe Injecting rooms have a solid history of success in Europe, Canada and Australia.

#  FREE EDUCATION

Back in the sixties and prior Australians were so proud that we had free education. Or at least the bottom 90% were so proud. Given the choice, the upper class has chosen to educate their kids and exclude the lower classes.

Life is just a breeze, with one success after another.

Now we are living in the twenty first century and we all know the game plan :- Screw the workers and the poor with every low, mean, evil trick under the sun and make the rich ever-fatter.

Only a year ago Germany made its universities free, whereas the Liberals want to bring in $100,000 degrees to keep the talented poor out of their precious professions.

Germany has just announced that for the first time ever the number of qualifying apprentices is greater than university graduates. By comparison, incredibly, under the Liberals/Nationals in Australia 100,000 apprenticeships have been lost over the last three years.

The rich can pay a lump sum in advance for their child's uni fees and get a discount of 25%. Not bad eh? It sure pays to be rich. Just one more dirty trick on the poor, meaning that they pay 33.3% more for the course than the rich, plus interest!

Now and then we hear about the kid from a deprived background who struggled against all odds and got that coveted degree. This proves nothing. We must look at the big picture and acknowledge that thousands of decent compassionate kids who would be excellent doctors and professionals are deliberately excluded from a tertiary education.

Thousands fall by the wayside as they have to work and learn at the same time. Studies show that the more hours worked, the lower the marks, which is hardly surprising.

Labour's manifesto in the U.K. Included free tuition.

Teaching must be one of the most rewarding jobs on earth. Music art and sport should be compulsory. Bring back technical schools with woodwork, sheet metal and engineering.

I worry about a country that doesn't make things. The conservatives have sold everything they can get their hands on, and given the proceeds to their wealthy mates.

China bobbed up out of nowhere and started to buy our resources. That should be a side issue. 24m Aussies should be flat out making and building things regardless. But nay, the conservatives believe we should lie still and be raped as that has been deemed to be our lot under their precious globalisation. Australia will be the biggest hole in the ground on the planet.

Now the worry is that China may slow down and buy less resources. We are a nation of active high achievers if given the chance. Most of our inventions are being made overseas.

We survived and thrived before they started buying and we will do so again.

CORRECTION NEEDED

After 35 years of miserable greedy neoliberal economic hogwash, it's time to start loving and accepting each other.

Recognise that innocent kids need 30% more teachers right now.

Stop wasting billions on jails and murdering aborigines. Let out non-violent offenders on community orders.

Let Keynesian economics actually work, by borrowing billions and building profitable infrastructure to soak up the unemployed and underemployed.

Free tertiary and TAFE education with the minimum wage for students, welfare recipients and full time mothers with a kid under 7 subject to a means test.

# CHILDREN

Our youth are our most precious possession and our most valuable resource. Or are they? Or are some of them?

Prime minister Bob Hawke famously said circa 1988 that no child will live in poverty after 1990. Well now it's 2017 and almost one child in 5, 20% of all children, are living in poverty.

Do we want to change this situation?

Do we really want to change this situation?

Who are we?

We includes you and me.

Are we asleep at the wheel?

We are empowered. The most powerful force in the world is an idea at its time.

When you finish this chapter you will have graduated to Local Leader status.

Nothing happens until you make it happen.

We have just suffered 35 years of never-ending greed, starting with Reagan and Thatcher in the eighties. Deregulation instead of adequate regulation, and privatisation instead of pride of ownership of our shared monopoly utilities.

We can immediately stop the unconscionable theft by multinationals with a 10% turnover tax on all sales in Australia, or a 30% income tax with no fancy concocted deductions allowed (the Buffett rule), and a 40% withholding tax on all cash leaving the country.

We can immediately bring in a wealth tax as in France, inheritance tax over $5mil. and tax on trusts and foundations both here and overseas.

We can immediately outlaw tax havens, where prime minister Turnbull has his $500 mil.

We must immediately abolish the lunacy of negative gearing and compulsory superannuation.

We can immediately raise the tax free threshold from $18,200 to $75,000 and lower the tax rate on the Middle class. Of the 3 mil. in poverty, 30% are working poor.

The big old parties are feeding us the big lie about the need for austerity, when the need is to get back to the quaint old-fashioned Australian idea of raising taxes based on the ability to pay, and borrowing where profitable to do so to build needed public infrastructure, adding to jobs and skills. This is classical Keynesian economics which saved us in the Global Financial Crisis under Kevin Rudd.

Our children could be given the best start in life by letting mothers be mothers. Pay mothers with kids under 7 the minimum wage subject to a means test. This would free up jobs for men.

#  AUSTERITY IN EDUCATION

The one thing of which the Finns are most proud is their education system, which is 98% state schools. It is illegal for private schools to charge fees and only 2% of schools are private. Private schools must be significantly trimmed down in size and funding.

Fifty years ago AUSTRALIANS were proud that eduction was free. Since then inequality has exploded in every possible way. Chip, chip, chipping away in every possible way.

The rich are too good at what they do and the big old political parties agree with them.

The then treasurer, Joe Hockey, in the fascist Liberal government said in parliament in 2013: "I require GMH to write to me telling me of their intentions" goading them out of the country with the loss of 200,000 jobs, instead of supporting a modern manufacturing economy.

Now there's a buzz for you. Joe Hockey standing over a multi-national.

Later he helpfully explained that he didn't think they would go.

He was rewarded with the job as our ambassador in Washington.

In Germany qualifying apprentices exceeded the number of university graduates, and the universities are free. In three years the Liberal government has reduced apprenticeships by 100,000.

The wealthy get a discount of 25% for paying cash up front for university courses. This means that the poor pay 33.3% for the course, plus interest.

Families unable to afford STATE SCHOOL FEES have been publicly shamed and their children excluded from extracurricular activities. The Age 20.9.2016. So much for free education.

The Victorian Auditor-General has exposed a severe lack of transparency around parent payments, and a lack of checks and balances to supervise school practices.

Some schools charge to secure a place for the child. These people are exceeding their authority and the money must be refunded. How dare they? How would you feel as a poor parent?

Save Our Schools says that education should not be provided on a user pay basis, claiming this ran contrary to the principle of free public education.

The education department has implemented a parent payment contact person to assist low income families or waive payment.

Victorian parents forked out $310,000 in 2013 to state schools, $558 per student.

State school in wealthy suburbs collected up to $3,243 per student. By contrast, poorer schools collected as little as $92. All a function of stagnant government funding and a lack of democratic oversight.

In 5 years to 2014, government funding rose just 1.5% in the state school system, compared with 6.5% in the private sector. Time to rebalance.

The Australian Scholarship Group said the cost of laptops and tablets had put enormous pressure on families.

Education expenses have increased at twice the rate of inflation over 10 years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

All governments must recognise the urgency of snipping it off the rich and assisting the poor, and also the urgent need for 30% more teachers in the public system. This would be the best investment we ever made as a community.

We need free tertiary education and a boost to TAFE.

#  PROTECT INNOCENT CHILDREN FROM RELIGIOUS HOGWASH

AN IDEA AT ITS TIME

You are not an uneducated goat herder living thousands of years ago. In your short time on the planet you can make a difference. Join a political party and force all schools to stop teaching ridiculous religious dogma from thousands of years ago to children under 18.

Decades ago two top medical specialists advised against teaching young children religious dogma.

Three weeks after a youth drowned in a farm dam, his younger brother died the same way. Did the younger one expect them to meet in heaven?

Some 40 years ago an 18 y.o. woman fell from a first floor window to her death at a Catholic convent at Albert Park, Victoria.

Some say Islam promises certain men 72 female virgins in paradise. Is this true? It is of course totally bizarre, as is the concept of life after death. Are certain women promised 72 male virgins?

Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson said it is a function of mis-interpretation : they actually get 72 raisins.

There was a debate between two Secular Party members and two Muslim academics. The Muslims defended the dictum of marriage to 9 year old girls, and said it wasn't child rape. The Secular Party put the debate on the Internet and the named Muslims copped abuse at work and at home. They requested the item be removed from the net and the Party acquiesced.

As Professor Richard Dawkins said in his 'The God Delusion' : children are not Christian children or Muslim children, they are the children of Christians and the children of Muslims. He said that anyone who believes in a big fairy in the sky in this day and age is 'barking mad.'

The late Christopher Hitchens felt that a person who believed that a big fairy in the sky was interested in their petty problems had a self-centredness problem.

#  EDUCATION EQUALITY

More than 150 private schools in Australia are being overfunded by hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars each year at the expense of other needy students, according to an analysis by Fairfax Media. The Age 1.10.2016.

Some wealthy schools are overfunded by $7m a year while many public schools are significantly underfunded.

Federal and state governments would have more than $215m extra a year to distribute to needy schools if they stopped funding the wealthy above their entitlement. And yet Tanya Plibersek told us: "There's not a lot of money involved."

Schools deemed to be overfunded by the federal government receive more than $1 billion a year in taxpayer funding.

Private schools in NSW received $129m above their entitlement in 2014.

Melbourne Grammar School, which charges fees of up to $32,520 a year, was the most overfunded school in Victoria in dollar terms. It received a whopping $7.3m over and above its entitlement of $5.1m.

Daramalan College in Canberra, which received $14m in government funding in 2014, is the most overfunded school in the country in dollar terms. It received 198% of its funding, which means it should have received only $7m according to the Gonski formulae.

It was closely followed by Oakhill College in Sydney which boasts an indoor swimming pool and gym, recording studio, photography lab and a farm with livestock. It received $15.7m in taxpayer funding in 2014, $6.8m more than its entitlement.

There appears to be no logical reason why some schools receive 280% of their entitlements and others just 60%. It's all about special deals, some going back decades.

In the Gonski report, the biggest funding increases would go to low-income government schools, especially in the last two years from 2018. But the last two years of Gonski aren't going to happen under Liberal/National parties. However, Gonski minus $22bn looks like being the disgraceful conservative alternative.

We have some of the highest University charges in the world and we are among the lowest in results. Melbourne University is the largest export income earner in Victoria. Time to look long and hard at our primary mission, helping Aussie kids or embracing the cash of foreigners.

Glibly saying taxpayers don't want to support universities (ABC Radio National 22.6.2017) is just one more excuse of conservative ideologues to screw the poor. Just one more evil lie like the 'debt crisis'. These people will never say ' Tax the rich - the Australian way.'

The chap on the radio said he recommended that the threshold for HECS repayment be dropped from $55,000 to $42,000, and the government has accepted that.

Screw, screw, screw. It's never-ending.

Incredibly he said we are suffering high skills shortages which can only be solved by immigration! 300,000 a year stealing workers' homes and jobs when we have:

\- 3m in poverty,

\- 2.56m unemployed or underemployed,

\- stagnant wage growth and soaring business profits,

\- A ridiculous housing bubble caused by tax-dodging investors and foreigners,

\- Never-ending tax cuts for the wealthy,

\- A pathetic youth allowance causing students who can rely on their parents to be fortunate, and the rest - bad luck, and

\- Traditional part time jobs for students taken by backpackers (the more hours worked, the lower the grades).

There are models of smaller specialist universities all around the world. Tuition should be free and we must home in on Aussie kids, especially the poor. Tertiary students should get the minimum wage. As they are 80% less likely to go to jail, the savings in the booming incarceration system would be considerable.

Fairer, simpler needs-based funding is needed, and the rich won't agree to that whilst their snouts are stuck firmly in the trough.

Not that we need to beg for their consent on one knee; they have a tiny number of votes.

Why is the tail wagging the dog?

Why is the never-ending story of our lives the rich robbing the workers in every conceivable way?

Time to find a political party which is not part of the reactionary, conservative, ossified donor class.

#  RELIGIONS, PEDOPHILES AND TAX

Why should workers pay extra taxes because religions and the businesses they own pay no tax?

Religions are avoiding $31 BILLION in tax every year in Australia, which, when added to the tax holidays of the super rich, means that the poor and working families are paying hugely exaggerated direct and indirect taxes, keeping people in poverty.

Religious propaganda is a pack of lies and should not be exempted from truth in advertising legislation, as they have been since the 1970s. I am a very fair-minded person and will believe anything with irrefutable proof.

As decent honest fair-minded members of our community in 2017, these religions must volunteer to pay all taxes, and actually pay it, like anyone else. I call on them to ignore religious exemptions and pay up right now. They exist here enjoying all the benefits of our plural democratic society, and they should be bound to follow the rules like anyone else. They should not be a millstone around the neck of hard pressed workers. They could actually do something useful like being normal, free and equal instead of bludging on workers.

Why should they be exempt from discrimination in employment laws. The fact that they argued for this is proof that they had every intention of discriminating against Australians.

CHURCHES MUST BE FORCED TO OBEY MODERN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS

It should be against the law for them to deny women and gays the opportunity of working as priests and vicars.

These people are parading around the countryside with a holier-than-thou attitude, actually telling us what to do. They tell us that they are special and that God has chosen them over and above us lesser mortals to pass on Her/His instructions for us to follow. This might be very helpful or very harmful if you are a simple-minded person or going through some crisis. But wouldn't it be better to have help from a qualified psychologist? Get a referral from your doctor today if you have been unhappy for over a fortnight.

In our fabulous egalitarian land in 2017 we have a two step process.

Step 1. A problem is identified.

Step 2. We solve the problem.

You are an educated person living in a legal rational democracy in 2017, and not an uneducated goat herder living 1,000 to 5,000 years ago. Tell kids the truth. There is no proof of a big fairy on the sky and there never will be.

In this day and age, anyone who believes God is watching them and keeping a record of their good and bad deeds is barking mad, to quote Professor Richard Dawkins in his book "The God Delusion." Such people also appear to have a self-centredness problem.

He also says the church groups in the UK and Australia are social groups and no-one takes the bible literally. That's fine. It's still a free country in many ways. Some Christian churches told their followers forty years ago that they don't have to take the bible literally, a confession that their mantra has no basis in truth.

Decades ago two top medical specialists called for young children not to be taught religion. A nine year old lad died in a farm dam. Three weeks later his six year old brother went the same way. Children rely on adults. When you are a child the adults are all powerful - like gods. Kids believe what they are told by adults. It's not good to tell lies to children.

,

A CHURCH THAT CAN'T BE SUED? - YOU ARE JOKING, AREN'T YOU!

Our magnificent legal rational court system ruled in the Ellis Case that the Catholic Church can't be sued. One more loss in the fifty year fight against pedophilia. In a democracy all entities can be held responsible for their actions, be they natural persons, companies, trusts, churches, co-operatives, etc., they can sue and be sued. As a committee member of a local non-profit community group both you and it can be sued. Why is the Catholic Church different from the rest of society?

I call on all governments to correct this lunacy without delay. In a legal rational society people are responsible for their actions. No-one should be able to hide behind churches, trusts and foundations. It's a given that every entity can sue and be sued. Are they scared of the Catholic vote?

WORLD WAR THREE

In 1976 a 23 year old mentally ill shearer was in a mental hospital in the outback of New South Wales. In the wee small hours he listened to an American Hot Gospeller helpfully advising that his family would be one of the few special ones to rise to paradise and sit at Jesus' side after the forthcoming apocalypse.

He went to the third most important mosque in the Middle East and burnt it down. He poured kerosene from a water bottle onto the candle-lit alter. He was arrested and six Arab countries met and considered whether he was an Israeli spy. It nearly started world war three.

Intolerant religious fanatics are a danger to world peace. They do not believe in diversity, respecting the rights of others or living in harmony. They do believe in power and money.

THE INFALLIBLY INSANE

In 1959 one man declared that Mary's body went physically up to heaven, with no evidence whatsoever. That man was the then Pope. Should he have been treated in a facility for the insane?

I was watching TV in a backpackers hostel lounge with about 12 young adults from around the world, when it was announced that the Pope authorised priests to forgive women who had abortions. Nearly everyone laughed out loud.

How dare these people set themselves up as holier than thou, oppressing, robbing and lying to the weak and feeble-minded of our community.

One in six of us has a mental issue at any time. One in five will have a serious mental problem during our lifetime.

PAEDOPHILE PRIESTS AND CLERGY - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

START - JUST IMAGINE

Just imagine that over the last 60 years 10,000 children had come forth and complained that they were the victims of pedophile new and used car salesmen, office staff and executives in the motor car industry. The children of car buyers were emblazoned with company clothing and feted at car races, taken to the pictures and given peaches and ice cream.

The wealthy would boast that they live near Fred Nerk, prominent car-yard owner.

Their complaints were ignored because we are a car based society and we need the hallowed multinational car manufacturing companies to support our economy, and their employees enjoyed considerable prestige. If a complaint were made, head office would simply transfer the perpetrator to another town, state or country. These activities were of course known about or practised at the very top of the food chain. The brand must be protected.

The word was out there. If you are a pedophile, the car industry is the place for you. Who needs a wife when you have a smorgasbord of children at your disposal? FINISH

How do you react to the above scenario? How do you think we would react as a legal rational society?

All religious leaders are either liars or barking mad. Many have lied over decades to protect their brand and their low evil criminal colleagues, and indeed themselves in many cases.

Look at the disgrace over paedophilia.

These evil, evil criminals must be punished. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Such evil lying thieving criminal organisations must be punished. The 2,000 paedophile priests identified may be only the tip of the iceberg. The government could legislate to take half of the wealth held on 1.1.2017 of offending churches as a penalty for decades of deceit and destroying the lives of innocent children and their families, those who trusted them and paid the price. Half of their cash, jewels, art, property, everything. The proceeds will go to general revenue for schools, hospitals, tax cuts for workers etc. Part will go to the rehabilitation of victims, even those who were bullied into accepting inadequate settlements.

Governments should expropriate their schools and run them as part of the world's best state system. Many millions of taxpayers' money have been spent on building classrooms on church land.

If we take half, they are getting off lightly. Their vast wealth is a function of decades of untaxed earnings on shares and real estate and soaring capital gains. Actually we should take the lot as proceeds of crime. The Catholic Church may the world's largest criminal organisation, telling ridiculous lies to children and vulnerable people, and protecting their criminals for decades so they can strike yet again and again and again.

We are Australians and we are entitled to know the extent of their wealth, their assets at current value, their income from all sources and amounts sent overseas, which should be restricted and taxed.

That barrister who forcefully denied any hanky panky and called victims liars for so many years seems to have gone very quiet lately.

Where's Cardinal George Pell these days?

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WE LOVE FAIRY TALES

In 2017, with modern day science and education, it is entirely appropriate that religions get real and come out and confess that it's all a fiction, that we are clearly primates and mammals, and that when we inevitably die our so-called spirit does not go on living in some other place, well at least not until someone comes up with irrefutable evidence. All mammals are our cousins; do their spirits go to paradise?

Will the religious leaders come down to earth and call themselves Mr and Mrs, or will the population decide that equality is important and everyone can choose her own title.

Often you are presented with the option of ticking the box as Mr, Dr, Professor, etc. I tend to go for the most high-falluting. Right now opted for Sir, but Lord, Professor, hmmmm one day. Maybe His Divine Grace. What's your choice? HRH Prince Frederick?

SURFACE MAIL TO LORD .....(insert your name here).....of Bloggsville NSW

If you reckon you have suffered enough, you can and should self-knight yourself. All tenants should immediately self-knight, and of course 3m Australians in poverty through no fault of their own, and of course 2.56m WORKERS now unemployed or underemployed through no fault of their own. Many men are dying from suicide. 67% of all suicides are men. In the USA for every 1% rise in unemployment there are 40,000 more suicides. Don't put up with it. It's not your fault.

Stand up and fight right now. Join a political party. Tax the super-rich and not the battlers. This should be the idea whose time has come - the most powerful force on earth.

You can save what's left of the environment.

You can doorknocking shops and houses. You meet good people. You have a huge amount of fun.

In three months I have put up 1,759 posters for the Australian Conservation Foundation in 950 shops in Melbourne and Brisbane. The acceptance rate from shopkeepers was a staggering 85%. The urgent need to stop burning coal and save the Great Barrier Reef is an idea whose time has come. We have won in the court of public opinion. Everyone knows except certain politicians.

Clearly the workers and unemployed workers can make their democratic choice right now. As we live in a police state where your hard-earned wage is taken off you at the point of a gun and called compulsory superannuation, citizens must fight every day to retain our rights, including the right to choose our own title. No need to fight - just do it. After all, you are paying for it all, not the super rich. Women too needless to say. They have slaved long and hard and been rewarded little. Examples:-

Lady Vickie Cox EM (Extraordinary mother)

Baroness Barbara Barrett MP - (Mighty Powerful)

Princess Chelsey Smith

Lassie Edith Gore

Virgin Helen Cutayer

Countess Mary Spiteri MM (Meaningful Matriarch)

Gentlewoman Kylie Armstrong

Femme Nora d'Angelo

Empress Rhonda Ng

Queen Samantha Blake

You get my drift. The thesaurus is a wonderful invention. This should take off like wildfire. Every neighbourhood will have Duchesses and Baronesses by the score.

THE AFTERLIFE

Most believe life after death to be a ludicrous concept. An oxymoron. Some claim to be agnostic for whatever reason. Wishing to avoid an argument or protecting the feelings of believers, who are generally of lower education and intelligence. Agnostics must be counted as non-believers as they have not said loud and clear that they actually do believe.

When there is irrefutable evidence to the contrary, I will be a believer. I swear I will grovel impressively. I will give money, everything.

In our plural society people should have the right to join a church if they so choose. This is their personal private business which should not impact on non-believers in any way. If people form the Flat Earth Society, or the Unidentified Flying Objects Society, it shouldn't follow that those societies can own multi-million dollar businesses that pay no tax. I defend a citizen's right to worship fairies at the bottom of the garden, do basket weaving, fly model aeroplanes, or learn Swahili.

Religion is the family's personal private business and it has no place in our schools. Governments are obliged to protect children in our secular democracy from manipulation by those who choose to believe. This is the whole basis of the three pillars of democracy - separation of church and state. And the three pillars - the monarchy, the parliament and the courts.

The fact is that like modern democracies, Australia's constitution is secular, meaning free of religion. But that's not how it works in practice.

YOUR TAXES USED TO BUY VOTES

Our government is not secular in practice. Both "sides" of parliament want to hang onto their share of the religious vote. This involves showering wealthy private schools with more taxpayer millions prior to each federal election.

Politicians these days appear to be salespeople for their unworthy self interested donors, instead of statesmen and stateswomen.

The only way we can correct the sins of the big old conservative parties is for you and me to step up and demand Citizen Initiated Referenda. If we wait for the parties to act against the interests of their bloodsucking unworthy donors, we will be waiting forever.

I was shocked to hear Labor's Tanya Plibersek come out and say that we should keep giving unwanted millions to the wealthiest private schools because there's not much money involved. Every government dollar is precious trust money. Meanwhile state schools are not properly maintained.

I am assured that there is better individual pupil support in the private schools than the state schools. This is discrimination and an absolute disgrace. This must cease right now. Struggling workers with record high household debt are paying for feather-bedding the children of the elites, whilst their kids get a less than optimal education in state schools. They are pressed to pay money - in our free state system!

Private school funding must be slashed and state school funding boosted. Gonski Plus Plus Plus.

Many private school kids get hours of religion every day. This is child abuse. This is why our kids are two years behind Singapore in science. Telling ridiculous lies to kids and conning us into dodging all taxes and claiming to be "special" in a modern legal rational democracy in the twenty-first century is plain wrong.

If people apply to our government for a permit to teach kids, the government must acknowledge it's crucial obligation to protect these young immature Australians. These people must be obliged to teach the all the approved basic subjects, including music, art and sport, for six hours a day. Any religion must be their personal private business in their own time, and the kids must be advised that they can walk out at any time without reprisal. Kids must be required to opt in, not opt out.

All the snouts in the government trough are in your pocket. Religions, Murdoch, Packer, winemakers, hotels, pokies, private schools, etc.

All Finns will tell you the number one item of national pride is their education system. It is illegal to charge fees and the private schools account for only 2% of pupils. We must invest in our state schools and stop the pork barrelling. We must take pride in our state schools, making them the best in the world. We can make them grow and the private schools shrink. We only get one chance to give a kid the best education. The pass numbers of the private schools are boosted because they cherry pick the best kids from the state system and offer them scholarships.

In Australia, where education is supposed to be free, even state schools are pressing parents to pay fees, which impacts harshly on the poor. This must cease.

Albert Langer was a university student who was jailed for a year for encouraging others not to vote. The Exclusive Bretheren doesn't allow its members to vote, and yet they had a meeting with then Prime minister John Howard for 1.5 hours and they donated $365,000 to his election campaign. They were given $48m to build a nutty Christian school in the Sydney hinterland. Oink Oink.

A priest wrote in The Age newspaper : Pokemon Go : augmented reality or demented escapism?

The latter is my opinion of religion. I can understand people wanting to escape, or wishing for something at certain times as their lives unfold. A prayer is just the expression of a wish, and we all have our wishes.

There are hard-working business owners who pay taxes who are

suffering hardship because it's impossible to compete with similar untaxed businesses owned by religions. Please write to your elected representatives. Enough is enough. All Australians should stand up right now. As with the widely-known mistreatment of Aboriginal children and adults in custody, time is the essence. Justice delayed is justice denied. 97% of incarcerated youth in the Northern Territory (the Wild West) are indigenous.

Come on Australia. We can only emerge from the Dark Ages if you lead the way.

NEOLIBERALISM - THE ECONOMICS OF THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Ultra-conservative neoliberal parties are pushing their austerity agenda all around the world. This is the economics of the downward spiral and the flavour of the month in certain places. Small government, cut back essential government services to workers and the poor, cut back on infrastructure spending, cut back on welfare, tax cuts for the super-rich and million/billion dollar grants to big business. All of which accelerates the downward spiral.

Oops, I forgot a hidden high tax : privatisation.

In the UK the conservatives sold the Royal Mail to their mates who resold it for double the price within 3 months. In its manifesto for the June 2017 election, British Labour will clawback privatised transport and energy bodies.

With 3 million in poverty and 2.56 WORKERS unemployed or underemployed today, the conservatives are bringing in 300,000 immigrants a year based on the ludicrous excuse that there are shortages of workers in certain occupations. We know who these conservatives they are. We know what their game is. They want workers to have no bargaining power whatsoever. On top of this multinationals are replacing workers with robots apace. The upper class approves immigrants with plenty of cash as they want to sell them stuff. It doesn't matter to them if Aussie workers are kicked out of jobs. 102,000 Aussie kids died in wars so we can be ruled by multinationals and their local neoliberal lunatic hard Christian Right racist fascist bigoted puppets. I assume you required an accurate description.

These unneeded cashed-up immigrants, many criminals with black money, and the upper class with their negative gearing and capital gains lurks, have combined to exclude Australians from jobs and housing, young Australians in particular.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN THE UK

Owner of 47 cathedrals, 16,000 churches in 13,000 parishes, about 3,000 houses and £7.9bn financial assets returning 17.1%. That's $AU2,329,137,931 a year TAX FREE. That's over $2.3 billion Aussie Dollars.

Church attendances are declining and the cash pile is soaring. The conservative government is excusing the upper class from some inheritance obligations, whilst pressing austerity upon innocent families in poverty. Privatisation goes on apace.

DON'T WORRY - THERE IS A PLAN (Back to Australia)

The plan is for 40% of manufacturing and office jobs to be done by robots within ten years, and for the vast majority of workers to be pauperised. And of course to continue bringing in wealthy immigrants at the same rate, 3m within ten years. Right now there many more overpaid and underworked police being employed, 2,800 in Victoria, a rise of 20%. Isn't it comforting to know that they are there to help us when we are paupers? I knew you would agree.

Wouldn't the desperately needed 30% more teachers be a better investment? Psychologists too?

PLEASE ACCEPT that we are going to Hell in a Handbasket right now, day by day, and you must act today. Join a union. Join a political party. Speak up. Join several environmental groups and fundraise.

PLEASE ACCEPT that our planet is damaged beyond repair by 250 years of industrialisation and wars, and we can only work hard at limiting further damage as far as possible.

PLEASE ACCEPT that the racist, bigoted, lunatic, climate-change denying hard Christian Right is running Australia and it is of course impossible to have an intelligent conversation with them.

We must get organised and mobilise and face the two biggest moral challenges of all time, and never take one backward step. They are of course:-

1. Climate Change.

2. Inequality.

Don't get depressed - get focussed. Get there. Smile. Approach people and introduce yourself. We can do it. You are Australia's Bernie Sanders. Nothing happens until you make it happen. Start today. Find candidates and hammer out the Vision for Australia. You could be the candidate.

In an election work full-time for your chosen candidate, phone bank, doorknocking, letterbox, hammer up corflutes, posters in shop windows. You are empowered. Celebrate! You'll never have so much fun.

#  BAN SMOKING NOW

EXPOSED - THE WORLD'S LOWEST SCUM BECOME A CIGARETTE COMPANY EXECUTIVE AND KILL KIDS

Just imagine. You too can zip around the world in a Lear Jet with the world's top legal brass, lying, thieving and killing. Donating to both USA political parties and the conservative National Party in Australia.

Joyously sing your theme song - " and another one bites the dust."

Cigarette companies are criminal organisations, deliberately, wilfully and corruptly setting out to kill and rob their victims.

They must face the music and be run out of town.

Cigarette Companies know that their growth market is children, and also the poor masses in the Third World.

If they have kids smoking at 19 there is a 60% chance they will be smokers for their entire shortened life.

If the kids get hooked at 16, there is a 90% chance they will smoke for their even shorter lives.

They die a few short years down the track, say from 38, which is a great sadness to cigarette company shareholders and management, as one gravy train, a fellow citizen and innocent victim, has come to a screeching halt. On the positive side they can reflect on all the money they have extorted from her during her shortened life which enables them to live in the luxury they enjoy today.

In the 1970s the cigarette companies had tall slim models in long silken gowns with trays of cigarettes around their necks, giving them away to a large crowd at a musical event at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia.

Smokers have below average intelligence.

Smokers have below average education.

29% of smokers believe public health warnings about cigarettes are overblown.

Over 10% of smokers do not believe, or do not know, smoking causes illnesses.

Smokers die on average 10 years before their time. The odd one may very well hang on into their eighties, which only goes to prove that we are talking about averages here.

When we are young we believe we are bullet proof will live forever. But when we are old we lament that life is so short.

Young men have a propensity to take stupid risks, showing off, driving too fast, etc. One was dancing close to the edge of the cliff when he slipped over the edge. He was hanging on to a tree and his mate went down to help him. The mate died and the show-off was saved. They are a danger to themselves and others.

People over 50 marvel at the number of things that have happened twice or more. Twice 3 or 4 young men have perished in whirlpools trying to save each other.

Don't believe that it can't happen to you. Crap happens to us all over time. Don't take risks.

After WW ll, 70% of Australian men smoked. Now 13.3% of all adult Australians smoke.

If you smoke you must immediately recognise : -

1) you have a serious life-ending mental illness, not life threatening, life ending,

2) you are a victim of crime, as the cigarette companies are trying very hard to rob and kill you, and a crime against you is a crime against everyone,

3) you are a valued member of society and it is urgent that you stop smoking and try to regain as much good health as possible as quickly as possible,

4) smokers say it's an addiction, but after they give it up they say it's only a habit,

5) it's not good to give your hard-earned money to the purveyors of death, when it can be used for your loved ones for food, clothing, housing, education , holidays and transport,

6) you must give up today because tomorrow never comes,

7) if you don't give up today, go to a doctor and get a referral to a psychologist who will help you,

8) your first responsibility is to yourself, to attain optimum health and not be a victim of the lowest scum on earth, those who want to kill and rob our kids,

9) in 2005 Laurence Springborg, the conservative Shadow Minister for Health in the Queensland Government, to his credit, said smoking should be banned by 2010,

10) I applaud his moral stand, especially as the conservatives are accepting donations from criminal cigarette companies via the National Party, the Liberal's coalition partner,

11) like religion and boxing, smoking is just a hangover from the bad old days of ignorance. I wonder what the social norms will be in 100 and 500 years. What will they think of us?

12) 10 out of every 11 who die of lung cancer are smokers, the 11th is a non-smoker murdered by their filthy evil second hand or slipstream smoke,

13) kiss a smoker today - it's like kissing an ash tray,

14) if you smoke for 10 years the cells that line your throat will be altered forever, and some 99% of people coughing are smokers, (my estimate - a little tickle of course -ho, ho, ho).

15) smoking causes 17 cancers and alcohol causes 7 and probably 10.

16) causing others to suffer your filthy evil murderous smoke is an attack with a deadly weapon, and it is wrong for you to inflict great harm on innocent others,

17) in 1960 the USA Surgeon-General said smoking causes lung cancer, but the Governor of Mississippi, a large tobacco-growing state, said it's a load of hogwash. I remember the announcement on a news report. I was 19. I wondered how a Governor would dare contradict the Surgeon-General.

18) in the 1930s German scientists found that smoking causes lung cancer,

19) In 1604 James 1 of England said in his "Counterblaste to Tobacco"

that he blames North Americans for bringing tobacco to Europe. Bloodsucking Yanks and Canadians again!

"Have you not reason to bee ashamed, and to forebear this filthy noveltie, so basely grounded, so foolishly received and so grossly mistaken in the use thereof?

"Is your use thereof sinning against God, harming yourselves both in person and in goods, and raking thereby the markes and notes of vanitie upon you, to be scorned and contemned? A custom loathsome to the eye, harmful to the braine, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black stinking fumes thereof, nearest resembling the hateful Stigian smell of the pit that is bottomless." Old Jim never pulled any punches.

20) be an example to others and persuade kids around 10 to 14 years old never to have their first cigarette,

21) be positive, optimistic and enthusiastic and present yourself to the world in good health. Take up swimming and cycling, and consume water and fruit when you are quitting.

22) count your blessings, older people would give anything to be as young as you. If it were possible, many people would pay $1,000,000 or more for an extra 10 years of life on our beautiful planet. Instead of receiving some benefit from smoking, addicts are losing 10 years of life and paying around $1,000,000 each, including compound interest lost on their money, to their bloodsucking killers over their shortened lives.

23) Cigarette smoke contains 4,300 chemicals, of which 43 were found to cause cancer a decade ago. Now the number would be higher.

NON-SMOKERS. - PLEASE HELP

Studies show that smokers work one hour less per day than non-smokers. They should be paid to work and not to smoke.

They are a burden to others and a huge cost to the health care system.

Smoking is a cry for help from a fellow citizen who is very, very sick. Who are these smokers? Our siblings, our kids our friends and neighbours.

They can and must be cured without delay.

Smokers are less responsible than the average.

Smokers are more inclined than average to take dangerous risks and be involved in more accidents.

Studies show consistently that between 58% and 70% of all pieces of street litter are smoking related.

If Singapore can have butt-free streets, so can everyone.

It's not easy being a smoker. Some were smoking in the womb. Mothers should be strongly supported during pregnancy. Women of child bearing age should not take any drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol. This is especially crucial in the early weeks of pregnancy.

Some kids steal money and smoke from 9 years of age.

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS - ARTICLE 3

Simplified version by Amnesty International : -

"We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety."

Of course that didn't stop 13 fine upstanding cigarette company CEO perjurers standing up and giving sworn testimony to the USA Congress that they had no knowledge of any harmful effects.

I ask everyone working in the filthy evil cigarette food chain to quit their jobs right now. Please stop killing kids, and go forth every morning with love and joy and help your countrywomen and countrymen in need. Be positive \- you can make a difference.

All levels of government should phase out smoking over 2 years and in the interim declare all footpaths in shopping centres to be smoke free.

Every baby born must be guaranteed air to breath for her entire life, and should not be forced to suffer a mentally-sick drug addict's second hand or slipstream smoke.

If a drug-user injects intravenously or drinks alcohol, they are harming themselves and not others, unlike a smoker.

Cigarette companies are bloodsucking drug dealers who are deliberately and knowingly robbing smokers of their money, and their precious and unique lives, badly affecting the lives of the smokers' loved ones and family members.

DON'T FOOL YOURSELF. YOU ARE A BLOODY IDIOT IF YOU SMOKE.

Excuses for smoking.

1. Our society/this job forces you to smoke.

Fact : you may be more inclined to reach for a cigarette after an anxious conversation. Every red blood cell is crying out for its next dose of deadly carbon monoxide.

2. Smoking is cool, mature, sophisticated and attractive to the opposite sex.

Fact : In our modern better-educated society, smokers are a tiny minority seen as idiots engaged in self-harm. They are largely poor or low income people. The sight of a teenager smoking is enough to make me vomit.

3. The law allows me to smoke. As I sit here blowing my filthy smoke all over you, you must acknowledge that my trip through life is really difficult. Love me, love my dog/smoke. I'm trying to kill myself and you too.

Fact : Just because the law allows it doesn't mean it's morally right or good for the health of you and your friends and loved ones. Forcing your filthy smoke on others is a form of rape and domination. Every decision is political, and politically anything is possible.

If we didn't have cigarettes and alcohol, and you invented them today, you would never got approval to sell them, as they are dangerous and deadly.

4. I'll stop when I'm 30.

Garbage. Be strong and self-confident. You're better than this. Stop right now.

You are empowered to stop smoking. The only time to reach out and give yourself the best chance for optimum health and more money is right now.

You owe it to yourself and your loved ones. Send evil cigarette companies to oblivion, where they belong.

5. "Come on, be happy," statement from a man at a party to a woman who had struggled to quit the filthy habit. He was insistent and she reluctantly took it and was then hooked once more. She smoked for at least another 8 years, which was 10 years after her doctor told her there were shadows on her lungs.

6. "I was driving from Sydney to Melbourne and I went into the Servo to pay for petrol and I saw cigarettes displayed and I thought that I feel like a cigarette." statement by a man who hadn't smoked for two years, and was hooked again. Murderous cigarette companies advertise because advertising works. They have the gall to tell government that their millions spent on advertising makes no difference.

7. After a family reunion lunch in the 1970s a man lit up, filling the dining room with deadly fumes. I opened the door slightly for some fresh air and I was attacked for letting in cold air. Both he and the other man present died of emphysema at around 60 years of age.

8. One died after a harrowing decade dragging around a bottle of oxygen. Twice he nearly died in hospital on days of high humidity.

9. Once I visited in his final months and his sons were smoking at the other end of the living room. At his wake his widow was telling a woman that his big strong heart just wouldn't stop beating. "Oh, that's wonderful." The woman said. WONDERFUL? WONDERFUL? WONDERFUL? WONDERFUL? Give me strength. Just imagine how WONDERFUL it would be if that person hadn't been given his first cigarette, or if he had professional help from a doctor or psychologist to quit.

He could have reasonably expected an extra 20 to 30 years of life.

Now that would be wonderful.

10. People smoke on sidewalk cafes where people are eating. Even if you sit inside there's no escape as the smoke blows in the door causing pain in your nose and throat.

ADVERTISING

It pays to advertise.

We can take the last step of emerging from the Dark Ages together, you, me, everybody. The public are putty in your hands. The only question is: what are you going to do?

SAY NO to filthy murderous cigarettes.

SAY NO to the brutal violence of boxing.

SAY NO to the lies and lunacy of religions.

SAY NO to the insidious poison of alcohol which is ruining so many lives.

SAY NO to the lure of gambling which is ruining so many families. You are better than that. Be determined that the shysters will never get one dollar of yours which is needed for good things. The key to happiness is ACCEPTANCE. Please accept that it is virtually impossible for regular gamblers to win, and that this particular self-inflicted misery will never darken your door.

Please acknowledge that smokers are way below par in physical fitness. Even walking up steps is harder. Most male smokers have heard of brewer's droop, smoker's droop is even droopier. Smoking attacks every blood vessel in your body, including capillaries.

Notice to male persons: You too can have smaller balls. Smoke your stupid bloody head off right now to be rewarded with SMALLER BALLS!!

I met a smoker called Greg who wanted to be friends and exchange email addresses. I sent him an early draft of this chapter. He replied :-

"Hey man I said I didn't want spam,,,really not interested in being lectured or being your audience,,,it's disrespectful and really bad email etiquette, I really despise politics and have no room for it in my otherwise fabulous life,,,so please don't send me any more....

Regards

Greg

PS I'm not your fuckin Comrade" END OF EMAIL

Mahatma Gandhi said there are 4 steps to truth :-

DENIAL

ANGER

RIDICULE

ACCEPTANCE

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE

All public and private organisations and people are hereby permitted to use the following suggested advertisements without breaching copyright.

ADVERTISEMENT 1

Print, Billboards and TV

Scene 1. Mounted bushranger sticking up a stagecoach saying: Your money or your life. Possible old black and white film. Driver with hands in air.

Scene 2. Businessman with cigar and top hat confronting 10 year old girl with gun and huge packet of cigarettes saying: Your money AND your life. Girl with hands in air.

ADVERTISEMENT 2.

Top CSIRO scientist saying: 'Cigarette smoking is the nation's number one drug problem, causing 15,000 Australians to die 10 years on average before their time. Cigarettes should be banned, as they cause 7 and probably 10 cancers and dozens of other serious diseases which you want to avoid. You only get one chance to do the right thing, and life is so short.'

Cut to top sportsperson saying: 'Come on Mates. Get real. Get fit. The only time to quit is right now. Crunch up those filthy murderous cigarettes and bin them right now. Make the decision that you are not a mentally-ill drug addict. You will no longer be a victim of the purveyors of death. You're better than this. Walk, jog and cycle. Devour those delicious sweet fruit and veggies. You have vast potential. Start by helping others \- the Australian way.'

ADVERTISEMENT 3

Hundreds of billboards 2m x 1m, possibly on railway land:

Background: red no-smoking sign,

Wording super-imposed: Don't Fool yourself - Smokers are Bloody Idiots.

#  DRUG COMPANIES

My Australian doctor will not meet drug company representatives.

Some doctors laugh that gifts and free trips to conferences in holiday locations amounts to bribery.

In his book BAD PHARMA, Dr Ben Goldacre sets out the shonky and harmful activities of the big pharmaceutical companies.

They have been conducting trials that are inadequate or too small, or failed to disclose details of trials to authorities. They have infiltrated regulatory bodies and have representatives bearing gifts who build relationships with doctors, who are graded, soft touches, etc. They have now turned their attention to lavishing largesse on innocent nurses.

Like some other large corporations, such as low greedy thieving tax fraudsters - Apple, Facebook, McDonalds, etc., drug companies pursue greed over honesty and morality.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid pain medication 100 times more potent than heroin or morphine.

Fentanyl reduces cancer pain in opioid-tolerant patients.

Fentanyl the size of 3 grains of sugar can be fatal.

Fentanyl is mixed with other drugs in counterfeit pills and killing thousands a year.

Fentanyl is killing two persons a day in British Colombia, Canada (in 2016).

Fentanyl is a safe surgical anaesthetic when monitored carefully, and has been used since the sixties.

Fentanyl has a high risk of abuse and severe, possibly fatal, breathing problems.

Fentanyl comes in lozenges (lollipops on sticks), mouth spray, tablets and patches.

Fentanyl killed a dozen young children in 2012 according to the USA Federal Drug Administration, and a dozen more seriously harmed, acceptable collateral damage in the pursuit of obscene profits. Let's blame the parents. The kids may have accessed the medical cabinet or got patches from the rubbish bin.

Fentanyl deaths follow improper medical use.

Fentanyl was in counterfeit pills which killed the musician Prince in April 2016. It is mixed with other drugs.

Fentanyl patches exposed to direct sunlight can cause death.

Fentanyl's brand name is Duragesic and is made by two subsidiaries of Johnson and Johnson. There were over a billion sales in 2003.

Fentanyl must be withdrawn from sale as the danger areas are too numerous and complex.

#  ALCOHOL \- START A TEMPERANCE GROUP IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Congratulations, dear reader. Now that you are a high-achiever with improved self-confidence you can start a temperance group in your community, a youth group or whatever. The point is that you have the golden opportunity to get involved - so go for it.

Make new friends. Give of yourself to your local community. But be very careful to keep a sensible balance. Don't go overboard.

*1st priority: Time with your family. This priority is a million miles ahead of the rest. Work out your weekly timetable and stick to it. Chasing money 100 hours a week may solve small problems now, but will give you bigger problems later. Spend time with your kids in the veggie garden.

*2nd priority: Time to earn a living. We need food on the table, basic shelter, a joyous frugal sustainable lifestyle. Plan never to work more than 40 hours a week. No need to show off. If the neighbours have better cars, it means nothing. They might be suffering from vanity and be in debt up to their eyeballs. You may have savings squirrelled away for a rainy day. Never waste one penny on the prime drivers of Cancer - alcohol and cigarettes. Don't be a victim or a gambler. From today YOU are in charge.

*3rd priority: Time with community. Start a resident's association. Instead of writing to your council and local press as an individual, talk to a couple of neighbours and call yourself the secretary of Bloggs Valley Residents Association. The council and local politicians will be desperate to know how many members you have. It'll drive them mad. Advertise public meetings. All politics is local politics. Campaign to stop Adani's coal mine. Warning: don't go overboard. Limit your involvement. Some have lost their businesses due to going on council and putting the community first.

Never forget: the most powerful force in the world is an idea at its time.

We have the opportunity of doing good and fighting evil every day.

At the setting of the sun the opportunities for that day are gone forever.

* Send press releases to the print and electronic media, and be interviewed face-to-face. Call yourself the secretary and write it in journalese: e,g.

PRESS RELEASE

"Billy Bloggs, secretary of the Harper Valley Temperance Group, said modern science has found that alcohol causes at least 7 cancers and cigarette smoke at least 17, etc." END

* Build a relationship with a local journalist. This is crucial.

* Advertise meetings in local papers.

* Ring and write to politicians. Also call in person and lobby their staff.

* Start a petition for sensible alcohol laws to protect our youth (buy grog at 21 instead of 18) and tax according to the volume of alcohol.

* publicise alcohol-free wine, beer and spirits.

The 1830s saw a tremendous growth in temperance groups in Britain, the United States, New Zealand and Australia.

As a child in the 1950s, I saw a large ancient black and white sign at Princes Bridge railway station, Melbourne, stating "ALCOHOL IS AN INSIDIOUS POISON. Melbourne Temperance Society." It looked as though it had been there a very long time. Up until the sixties there were temperance groups in many suburbs.

Now we have the irrefutable scientific evidence that it is an insidious poison, but how many millions have lost decades of their normal life expectancy due to alcohol? Many die in their forties and fifties due to massive stomach cancer.

A friend who was born in 1944, had a drunken father who regularly beat her mother. After he died she said she only wished he had died many years earlier.

Another friend was thrown into a brick wall at the age of 9 by his drunken father. He told his father that if he loved him and his siblings he would stop drinking. His father wept and said he couldn't stop. He drank a bottle of vodka every morning.

In 2003 it was a little hand poking out of the blankets that grabbed the attention of a community worker. It was a hand of a boy just 9 years old. He had fled onto Melbourne's streets to escape the bashings from his father. Today that boy is a man addicted to drugs and begging on the streets.

Most adults living on the streets have experienced extreme trauma, often while they were very young. That 9 year old boy bounced between foster care and the streets. When he was 10 men used to pay him to flash himself. That same year a Salvation Army major saw him thrown to the ground and handcuffed by two police officers after a safe custody warrant was issued for his arrest. "He just began to weep uncontrollably and he was then put into the back of a divisional van at the age of 10." The major said.

These citizens have a serious mental illness. Please, please, step up and urgently get them the help they need.

The filthy evil gambling and alcohol lobby donate millions to political parties and are invited to the White House or the local equivalents.

These donors know that they have no legitimacy, and indeed are causing great harm, and that therefore they have to buy influence from willing sellers. It's the best investment they ever made. Spend a few thousand, make a few billion.

There are countries on planet earth that ban alcohol. The USA tried it in the 1920s. These countries made this decision in the public good, not to deprive citizens of a wonderful health supplement.

There is no recommended daily dose. Quite the opposite. A study of hundreds of studies over 50 years found that there is no benefit whatsoever.

The Australian government recommendation:

"For men and women, drinking no more than 2 standard drinks on any day reduces your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over a lifetime."

This is a classic case of political donations at work. Note the reference to reducing the risk of harm. They don't have the honesty or decency to tell us that it is a very harmful drug causing havoc across our wide brown land.

It further states that no more than 4 drinks reduces the risk of injury. Why not remove the risk of harm or injury altogether? Isn't that plain common sense? Of course the donor class wouldn't agree.

A standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.

There is a little person in your brain who regulates your necessary water content.

If you drink 200ml of beer, you will urinate 232ml.

Second 200ml of beer, urinate 232ml.

Third drink, urinate 232ml.

And so on up to six drinks of beer, after which your body will be deprived of 192ml of crucially-needed water and of course you will have a raging thirst, and headed straight for the bar for more beer which WILL NOT QUENCH YOUR THIRST. Indeed it will make you thirstier.

After the seventh, you will drink in 200ml and pee out 200ml.

See also Chapter 21 - Alcohol and Gambling Laws in a Loving Caring Society.

# SUGAR AND OBESITY

A healthy country is a wealthy one. The link between health and an efficient, productive economy mustn't be forgotten. This assumes, of course, fairness and equality in the distribution of the spoils, totally absent in Australia after 35 years of class warfare. The 1% continue to suck up an increasing share of assets from the 99% via every dirty trick in the book, including the back door avenue of transferring the taxation burden to the 99%.

The only current vision for Australia is our NATIONAL PLAN TO CONTINUE TO FAIL, as set out below in summation:-

1. We will continue to tax workers and the poor.

2. We will continue to excuse Malcolm Turnbull and other super-rich from the inconvenience of paying any tax at all.

3. We will continue to give our gas and minerals away for a pittance or nothing as long as the multinationals concerned donate to the old political parties.

4. We will continue to bring in 300,000 immigrants a year on the pretence that there are skills shortages, even though there are 3m in poverty, including almost one child in five, and 2.56m unemployed or underemployed according to Roy Morgan Polls, and manufacturing jobs are vanishing before our eyes.

5. We will continue the death by a thousand cuts of the ABC by both sides of politics over the last 20 years. And advertisements on our SBS.

6. We will continue the scare-mongering over our trivial government debt, and refuse to accept the deal of the century, which is to borrow virtually interest free hundreds of billions to build the most profitable infrastructure to serve the population for centuries, creating jobs and skills.

7. We will continue to bring in 300,000 wealthy immigrants a year who, along with foreigners and criminals with black money will steal workers' homes.

8. We will continue to allow the donor class to hide their backers, those pulling the strings, as the Electoral Commission found that 60% of the $80m spent by Liberal and $60m spent by Labor at the 2017 election was untraceable.

All major medical groups have called for all sugar-laced drinks to be taxed, and obesity to be renamed a chronic disease. ABC News 11.11.2016.

Medical Colleges, GPs and surgeons have set out a six point action plan to tackle "the most pressing health issue". Professor Nick Talley said that urgent action was needed.

1. Reclassify obesity as a chronic disease.

2. Introduce a sugar tax on drinks.

3. Better treatment: cost-effective medicine and surgery.

4. Training all health professionals to focus on nutrition and physical activity.

5. Lead by example in healthy food choices.

6. Expand early childhood prevention.

Why tax only sugar in drinks? Sugar is sugar. Wouldn't it be better to tax all sugar. Numerous foods are laced with harmful amounts of sugar and salt.

Reducing salt in foods may save 3,000 lives a year by lowering blood pressure.

Young people are consuming 23 teaspoons of sugar a day, and public opinion supports a sugar tax.

The World Health Organisation urges countries to bring in a sugar tax, to lower consumption and prevent obesity and tooth decay.

The sugar tax is 20% in the UK. The tax raised will be invested in health and sports projects for children. Obesity costs Britain's National Health Service billions of pounds a year.

There are 3 medications for obesity, but none is on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Only 12% of surgery was carried out in public hospitals.

Many suburbs are designed to produce obesity. We need improved environmental planning with denser settlements like Europe, with inviting green spaces and facilities within walking or cycling distance.

Unhealthy foods should be taxed and fruit and veggies subsidised.

A 50% meat tax would save thousands of lives a year.

In 2014/15, 11.2m Australian adults were overweight or obese, two thirds of the population. One child in four from 5 to 17 was overweight or obese.

We need education, tax measures and regulatory action to challenge the obesity epidemic.

The Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges has urged the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health to adopt the 6 point plan.

Australia has shown leadership in reducing deaths from smoking and road crashes. Good health and disease prevention are central tenets of our national values.

Urgent action is needed to improve our national health, and the federal government must lead the other levels of government to implement policy actions.

The New Daily reported on 7.4.2017 that a British Medical Journal investigation found that Coca Cola covertly funded obesity conferences seeking "favourable press coverage of sugar sweetened drinks." A CNN reporter reported that lack of exercise caused obesity and not sugary drink. Prostitution works!

You can generally tell who funded the research just by looking at the findings.

An expert from the USA helpfully told ABC Radio National that beer was beneficial. He was funded by the breweries.

Fairfax reported in 2015 that Coca Cola had spent $1.7m over 5 years funding Australian research into "nutrition and health", "physical activity" and "well being programs."

Bloomberg reported that Coca Cola was being sued by activists claiming its advertising was deceptive and similar to the tobacco industry's efforts to dilute concerns. How many have suffered illness and gone to an early grave? 1,260,000 Australians over 70 years.

Coke contains 16 teaspoons of sugar in a 600lt bottle. You would need to walk 4 kms to walk it off.

An academic who says climate change isn't real has received a huge grant from the oil and gas industry.

Coca Cola released a list of 120 experts in the USA and 13 in Australia who have been funded. In small print it states that others didn't want to be named.

Big Sugar, Big Tobacco, Big Pharma - you can't believe a word they say.

Will they ever be held to account for the harm they have done?

Answer : Yes.

And why is that?

Answer : Because we are empowered to do anything the majority of us want to do.

What are we waiting for?

Answer : That's a very good question and I thank you for asking.

#  ALCOHOL AND GAMBLING LAWS IN A LOVING CARING SOCIETY

In our legal, rational society all decisions are political, by and large.

In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, hotels had to close at 6pm and were not open on Sundays. There were, of course, good reasons for this.

Family life, health issues and the family budget.

A study of scores of alcohol studies over 50 years, reported on ABC Radio National found on the question of health benefits, that there are NONE.

REPEAT: no health benefits in alcohol.

Researchers recently announced that what they said was a long-held popular belief that a small amount of alcohol is beneficial to the brain was wrong. I don't know where they've been living all their lives, but I'm a 75 year old amateur scientist and I've never heard of such an insane idea.

A study in the scientific journal, Addiction, says that there is now enough credible epidemiological evidence to say conclusively that alcohol causes 7 forms of cancer. Drinking is a direct cause of the disease. Even people consuming low to moderate amounts are at risk. The Guardian 22.7.2016.

ALCOHOL CAUSES CANCER of the OROPHARYNX, LARYNX, OESOPHAGUS, LIVER, COLON, RECTUM and BREAST.

Growing evidence suggested that alcohol was also likely to cause SKIN, PROSTATE and PANCREATIC CANCER. A total of 10 alcohol-caused cancers that we know about at this point in the history of our branch of primates. For all of these there is a dose-response relationship.

Health experts have called on ministers to initiate more education campaigns to tackle widespread public ignorance, and for alcohol packaging to carry warning labels, similar to filthy evil cigarettes, which cause 17 cancers discovered to date.

Regular drinkers are advised to either give it up, or have two standard drinks a day on up to 3 days a week, and have at least 3 or 4 alcohol-free days every week. Even at this level you must accept that you are causing damage to your beautiful body and brain, and abstinence is far better. After all, who is in charge of your beautiful body, you or the beer barons?

Some decades ago at least some of our politicians were thought to be statesmen, making the best decisions for the people. Now they are seen as salespeople for their unworthy donors, as in the USA.

The alcohol and gambling lobby is very powerful and very destructive of citizens. It's huge political donations have made us a nation of pisspots. Liquor licences have been handed out like saveloys in Victoria for decades. In NSW only one application was refused in six months. The Age 19/11/2016.

Deakin University has found that inadequate regulations are a function of political interference by the powerful alcohol and gambling lobby.

Taking a leaf out of big tobacco, no pun intended, these low scum have submitted that :-

\- Regulation would be redundant because of self regulation.

What a joke! Self regulation means no regulation.

\- There is no evidence that marketing increases alcohol consumption.

What a joke! Another deliberate lie. They advertise because it works. They spend a fortune on advertising and get it back a hundred fold. If it were true, they would stop advertising immediately and save all that money instead of throwing it away for no return.

\- Regulation would be a negative to employment and the economy.

So more money for them is more important than saving families and people's lives. They leap out of bed and go forth and harm fellow citizens for the almighty dollar! With joy and enthusiasm!

\- Regulation is questionable legally.

They should be given a few years to reflect on whether perjury is a good idea - in jail.

How dare they! Threaten our elected representatives. Claim that they are so high and mighty that they are above the law. Parliament can make any law it chooses. They say our government is empowered to send 44 kids to an early grave in the Middle East, but not empowered to save the lives of the victims of these bloodsuckers.

These evil people who want to harm innocent AUSTRALIANS are sniggering down their snouts at us as though we are a bunch of kindergarten kiddies.

Of course the elephant in the room is political donations. Our politicians are salespeople for the rotten alcohol and gambling lobby.

The highest risks are associated with the heaviest drinking but a considerable burden is experienced by drinkers with low to moderate consumption. Campaigns should urge everyone to cut down or quit. Try swapping every other drink for soft drink or water, choose smaller servings, less alcoholic versions and not keeping a stock of booze at home. There is now a good range of alcohol-free wine, beer and spirits which tastes just the same.

In February 2016 Prof Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, told a parliamentary hearing: "Do as I do when I reach for my glass of wine. Think: do I want the glass of wine or do I want to raise my own risk of breast cancer? I take a decision each time I have a glass."

CANCER RESEARCH UK says that 9 in 10 people aren't aware of the link between alcohol and cancer. 9 OUT OF 10!!! IN AN ADVANCED EDUCATED SOCIETY!!! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

A recent CRUK study found that people who smoke and drink are at even greater risk of developing cancer. More positively, drinkers who give up alcohol have a lower risk of laryngeal, pharyngeal and liver cancer, and that risk reduces over time.

Regular drinking puts you at increased risk of some types of cancer, and can also increase your risk of heart and liver disease, strokes and pancreatitis.

Smoking and drinking together increases your risk of developing throat and mouth cancer more than doing either on their own.

A professor at Imperial College London, said the science showing alcohol's role in cancer was well-established, and "the main difficulty is communicating effectively with the public."

I'm amazed. What do we have governments for? Oh yes, to collect donations from the donors. Silly me.

Why should that be a problem? Governments are there to govern. They ran successful campaigns against cigarettes and skin cancer from sun exposure. At the stroke of a pen they can produce outdoor advertising hoardings, TV and newspaper advertisements and press releases. It can be featured in health education in all schools. Reduce the outlets and the hours open to the public. They are on every street corner. Governments have all these valuable tools at their disposal.

But then of course, the filthy hotel and gambling lobby could withdraw its funding of the two big political parties (who are going down the drain).

As your finite time is precious for the achievement of good things, you may consider abandoning all thought of benefits from alcohol right now.

Resveratrol is in grape skins, other fruits, nuts and dark chocolate. It may improve good cholesterol in mice in doses equivalent to a human drinking 1,000 litres of red wine per day.

In 2012 the University of Connecticut found Dipak K. Das Ph.D. was guilty of 145 counts of fabrication and falsification of studies of resveratrol.

It is preferable not to mess with your beautiful brain. Your brain is you. The repository of your unique life's story. Your most valuable asset and resource.

It has saved your life up until now, and if you look after it, it will continue to do so.

Keep it in optimum health, fluffed out like a cauliflower.

A drinking binge will kill 600,000 brain cells which have evolved over millions of years to give you the best possible life.

A serious alcohol imbiber has a shrunken brain which is less able to make the necessary connections. Their brains also include a few black diamond-shaped holes, and as their decisions are different, they are different people.

If the smart and expensive advertising tricks you into having one drink of this dangerous drug, your next urge is to have another.

Why is this?

Answer : because alcohol is a diuretic, like caffeine, stripping water needed in your system to maintain normal functions and making you feel thirsty.

If you must drink alcohol, have one glass only, with food, followed by water.

A night club in Melbourne refused to supply water, preferring to sell more grog to the thirsty. A new law required it to have water available, so unpalatable warm water was made available. Others will deny you tap water and make you buy a plastic bottle of water.

In Copenhagen a jazz club cafe (free entry - no obligation to buy food or drink) has clean glasses and a fountain of cool water available to all.

If you have 200 ml of beer you will urinate 232 ml.

After the second glass you will also urinate 232 ml.

And so on up drink no. 6.

Therefore 6 times 32 ml., a total of 192 ml., has been stripped from the hydration necessary to maintain all you systems in working order.

After a 7th drink of 200ml. of beer you will urinate 200 ml. and so on.

If you have one standard drink, your decisions will be different.

Please, please love your beautiful self the way you are. A drug-affected state means no benefit and a heap of negatives. You be in charge of your life, not the beer barons.

Be an example to your friends. You'll be sought after as the nominated driver.

Alcohol is involved in violence, accidents, property damage, murders, suicides, family breakdown, absenteeism, health issues and death.

Also the cost of police time and court time.

The number of people over 50 admitted to hospital due to drinking problems has trebled in little more than a decade. It is at epidemic proportions. We need higher and consistent alcohol taxes based on the volume of alcohol, a ban on advertising, restricted hours, and a massive government advertising campaign similar to cigarettes and sun exposure.

Putting gambling into hotels has been a disaster. Gambling and alcohol don't mix. Your decisions can be more reckless and less wise after ingesting alcohol.

Water and alcohol don't mix. In March 2017, two young men were drinking at Mill Park, Victoria, when they decided to swim across a lake. They both drowned.

POKIES - TAXATION ON SICKNESS

Pokies represents taxation on sickness. State governments have a clear conflict of interest in raking in billions from filthy evil pokies, whilst crying crocodile tears about helping problem gamblers.

Half of the ill-gotten profits come from problem gamblers. So another family loses its home and breaks up, or rents a house.

We claim to be decent, intelligent, advanced and fair-minded primates, and yet we have filthy, evil pokies on every street corner open 24 hours a day.

Exaggeration intentional.

A woman was loved by all and in several community groups in her town. She had a pokies problem and apparently set fire to the family home for insurance money but was trapped inside due to a deadlock and died. The whole town went to her funeral.

The local police sergeant said she was committing a crime - as though she got her just deserts. The junior footy club held a fund raising day for the widower and his 14 year old son. Problem gambling on pokies is highest in women 35 to 54.

Cowboys running the State Bank of Victoria lent hundreds of millions to spivs with plans for Blue Sky proposed shopping centres and broke the bank. The state government brought in pokies to raise revenue to cover the loss, instead of taxing the rich.

A bad decision by the Kirner government which also closed technical schools.

The head of the misnamed Liquor Control Commission, Phillip Nicholson, proudly told us on TV that he drinks 18 beers per day. Clearly a man with serious physical and mental problems.

It should have been called the Liquor Promotion Commission. Liquor outlets in Victoria have exploded since the seventies.

Hogan's Hotel, Wallan, applied for a pokies licence, which was opposed by the local Community Health Service and myself as the local councillor. Jim Hogan gave sworn evidence that he donated $50,000 to the local football and cricket clubs. I asked the split and he said $20,000 to the footy club and $30,000 to the cricket club. I said that I had a letter from the secretary of the footy club which said that his donation was zero, and that the club had bought $1,000 worth of alcohol and paid full retail price.

Hogan sent me a notice by fax banning me from his hotel.

Ian Dunn, the head of the three judges, said that the community was lucky to have a councillor such as me representing them, which is code of course for: 'piss off you idiot.'

The corrupt senior council officers said they support the application. Why is this? Hmmmm, good question. The CEO's braindead gang of 5 (out of 9) councillors voted for it.

In the adjoining Macedon municipality the council had the decency and intelligence to protect the vulnerable and vote down an application for pokies. They fought it all the way to the Supreme Court and won.

Ian Dunn said that they will consider their decision and make it in accordance with government policy, which was apparently to have filthy evil pokies on every street open 24 hours a day, in all residential areas including the outer suburbs where young families have been seduced with tiny deposits and huge mortgages. In other words the decision is set in concrete in government policy, and the hearing was a waste of time and a charade.

Pokies is taxation on sickness and leads to less money for food, clothing, housing, transport and education, according to the Australian Medical Association. Same as compulsory superannuation, the operators of which have their snouts so far in the trough they are fighting like Hell to cling on to every cent.

Regarding filthy evil pokies, John Pandazopoulos, a former gambling minister, told a breakfast meeting of adoring hotel owners that people should be able to make their own decision on how to spend their money, leading no doubt to more political donations. These are the pollies who take people's money at the point of a gun as compulsory superannuation to the great detriment of workers and families. Double standard there.

Come on mates, this is 2017 - we are better than this.

THE TACKY GLITZ OF AUSTRALIA'S POKER MACHINE DENS, cleverly designed with lights and noises to switch the brain to zombie mode.

No windows so you can't see the sun go down. No clocks. Indistinct signs with purple print on purple paper will warn of problem gambling, if you can find it in a dark corner. A victim who has been successfully targeted will be beavering away inside whilst her baby is dying in the hot car. The proprietors and their minions savour and love-bomb their hallowed problem gamblers, even sending them birthday cards. This is truly sick.

A pollie boasted that funding for problem gambling has been increased by 300%. From one peanut to four!

The so-called industry says it's all about entertainment. Good. We will require pokies to be entertaining without being toxic to families.

\- Open 2 - 11pm six days, closed Sundays.

\- Maximum bet 10 cents on slower machines without multiples. Present machines consume $8,000 to $24,000 per hour.

\- Only club members can play and only for an hour following at least 24 hours notice, as in some European countries.

\- Close down machines and venues in residential areas.

\- Phase out licences in casinos over five years, withdrawing permits to 2050, thus saving lives and families.

\- legislate NOT to pay the slated government penalty of some $200m to these bloodsuckers on Australians who happen to be mentally ill at this time, for such necessary common sense measures to save lives and families.

Incredibly there is legislation requiring future governments to pay such an amount if the rules are tightened. We can proudly stand together and repudiate this outrage which is, of course, a product of political donations. If that means foreign investors will not invest here due to legislative uncertainty, they can go and bloody well jump in the lake and take their filthy lucre with them. Foreign investment will be approved only when local capital is not available, and only for purposes defined in the Vision for Australia or approved by our elected representatives.

With 0.3 of a percent of world population, Australia has 20% of the world's poker machines. Come on Aussie, what are you going to do about that?

#  SUICIDE

Never commit suicide. Your life is the most fabulous gift and opportunity imaginable. Every year is so precious and so is every minute.

Shit happens - like the death of a child. It's an unfair world, but it's still a beautiful world with sky-high potential to do good and wonderful things.

We are told that one person in six has some form of mental illness right now, and one in five will have a serious mental illness in their lifetime. Suicidal people have a temporary mental illness.

Life has its ups and downs. Your brain is the repository of your life's unique and precious story, your loved ones and values.

This chapter will look at your self-talk and all options on the table.

You are the person in charge of your unique and fabulous life.

You will have achieved LOCAL LEADER status when you complete this chapter.

You are well on the way to SUPER HERO status, so stick with it.

You are positive and enthusiastic, and of course enthusiasm is infectious.

You will never surrender to the forces of greed and stupidity.

You will never cringe under the jackboot.

You are one of 24m true blue Aussies, and you are here because 102,000 fine fit Aussie kids died in wars for the rights we enjoy here today.

Please don't let them die in vain. We must leap out of bed, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and fight for our rights every day.

The Liberals/Nationals ran a lotto death ballot ; if your 18th birthdate was drawn out, your present could be death in Vietnam, where 521 innocent Aussie kids (who shouldn't have been there) took their last breath.

Conscious objectors were hunted down and jailed as criminals.

The government stupidly followed the USA in there to support the corrupt puppet government of South Vietnam.

Intelligent countries, like Germany, Britain and France, wouldn't join in. Indeed, France was defeated there after a war which lasted for decades.

Uncaring warlike conservatives has caused the deaths of 520 of our innocent young men. Those who survived were different people and a lot of misery was visited upon their loved ones in many cases.

We have been humiliated and beaten in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. When will we ever learn? In their wisdom, the brain-dead Middle East adventures of the conservatives have brought terrorism to our shores.

War criminals Bush, Blair and Howard ignored the biggest protest ever in London, one million people, opposing the attack on Iraq. Howard told us 13 major lies before going into Iraq.

YOUR SELF-TALK

Stand in front of a mirror and read this out every morning.

"My name is.................., mammal on earth at this time, a member of a family of primates, and currently residing in the fair land of Australia.

I am blessed with my beautiful life and current state of my health.

Every week 3,000 AUSTRALIANS die and so far I have been fortunate enough to survive by random chance.

Every day is a precious opportunity to make friends, help others and do good things. At the end of the day the opportunity is lost forever.

Money means nothing, apart from its usefulness in doing good things.

It has no value, apart from its value in solving problems, helping those less fortunate and building an egalitarian society.

I will actively engage in community groups, political activities, youth and sporting clubs.

I will attend special interest courses and extend my knowledge. I will write to politicians to make courses free to jobseekers and those in poverty.

I will be tolerant and understanding of others, but I will never waiver from gently expressing my point of view with beautiful words.

Naturally there are those with different political and religious ideas at this time, and I support their right to their beliefs.

I am blessed with a life in a plural diverse society, the basis of our freedom. END OF SELF-TALK

#  AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution costs the world trillions of dollars a year and impedes development in many countries, according to a study by the World Bank in 2013. China lost 10% of its GDP, and India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia 8%. The Guardian Weekly 16.9.2016. It kills 5.5m a year.

We must stop building diesel vehicles and stop the diesel rebate, which is pork barrelling, like the wine subsidy. The recipients of this political largesse are supposed to be running viable private-enterprise businesses in a free capitalist country and should not have their snouts in the trough.

Rich countries are losing tens of billions of dollars through lost work days, welfare costs and premature deaths.

Air pollution now kills 5.5 million people a year prematurely.

INDONESIA

Killer haze from forest fires that raged across Indonesia in 2015 have caused more than 100,000 premature deaths in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore - The Age 20.9.2016, quoting a report from Harvard and Colombia Universities.

Many of the fires were in Indonesia's South Sumatra province. Of the 103,000 deaths, 91,600 were in Indonesia.

Forest fires are an annual event in Indonesia caused in part by "slash and burn" agriculture techniques.

Dry conditions in 2015, exacerbated by the El Niño effect, resulted in the worse haze in the region since 1997. 43 million Indonesians were exposed to smog in Sumatra and Kalimantan alone, and there were half a million cases of respiratory tract infections.

Schools were closed in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, flights were grounded and warships were put on standby to evacuate people from the toxic haze.

NITROGEN DIOXIDE is an invisible gas produced by road traffic and linked to lung and cardiovascular disease. Diesel is 10 times more polluting than petrol and should be phased out, as should the subsidising of it. Incredibly diesel cars are made to be 10 times more polluting than trucks on a per litre basis. The sale of diesel cars must be banned today, and a scrappage scheme introduced as proposed by the Lord Mayor of London. Have we no respect at all for our grandchildren?

In Britain 40% of local authorities (169) breached air quality limits in 2015, largely due to heavy road traffic.

As a shire councillor I attended a briefing in the adjoining City of Hume. We were shown the plan for the future urban sprawl at Craigieburn West. To me it was sickening. Never-ending urban sprawl. Why can't we have dense villages in a vast green landscape as in the UK?

The vast urban sprawl is planned for cars and obesity.

Now that you are a leader, you can be the first in your street to sell your car and enjoy a much better quality of life by walking, cycling and using public transport. Lobby for a mini bus service every hour at 400 metre centres connecting with the main transport system. It's truly amazing what people can do when they want to do something.

Things do change. By and large we are in denial. You may be called insane today, but your ideas will be accepted wisdom in a few years.

As Mahatma Gandhi said: 'First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.

#  OCEAN WARMING IS OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE

We live on an ocean planet. Most of the Earth's surface is salt water, studded with land masses we call continents.

We congregate on patches of dry ground and the oceans are out of sight and out of mind.

New data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature shows just how profoundly we're messing with the seven seas. The Guardian Weekly 16.9.2017.

The study points out that 90% of the extra heat that our greenhouse gasses trap is actually absorbed by the oceans.

Just as deserts are expanding at 70 kms per annum away from the equator, fish are fleeing toward the poles.

This has disrupted fisheries that have lasted since the last Ice Age, 11,700 years ago.

The study found coral reef bleaching at an ever-accelerating rate ; it found maybe most ominously, that "the warming is having its greatest impact upon the building blocks of life in the seas, such as phytoplankton, zooplankton and krill". That is to say: we are profoundly mucking around with the very bottom of the planet's most basic chains of life, the foundation of everything. Half of all oxygen comes from plankton.

There is only one word for what we are doing, and that is "insane". On an ocean planet we are wrecking the ocean.

And we're doing it needlessly. Engineers have done the work to provide us with the tools we need. We have solar panels. We have wind turbines. We have good data to show that if we deploy them with great speed, we can affordable power the planet without wrecking it any further.

Because we live on an ocean planet.

LETTER FROM KELLY O'SHANNASSY, CEO, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION 24th May, 2017

Very Sad News

"We've just found out that half of the Great Barrier Reef's corals may have died in the last two years."

"The news was revealed in Senate Estimates yesterday by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority CEO Dr Russell Reichelt,"

"30% of corals died following bleaching in 2016, another 19% this year."

"Mining and burning fossil fuels \- like coal - is warming our oceans and killing the reef. This is a global tragedy."

" our government and coal companies are to blame. They knew this was coming and yet for years they chose to undermine action on global warming."

"We are heartbroken and furious. But we will not stop showing up and speaking out, and holding people accountable for their decisions."

Our reef is one of the most diverse and complex ecosystems on earth. It is home to 6 of the world's 7 types of marine turtles, 1,625 different fish species, 1,400 different types of coral. 30 kinds of whales and dolphins.

"The death of so much of our Reef was not an accident, it was a conscious choice. They laughed as they threw coal around in parliament." END

QUADRANT MAGAZINE

In the realm of ideas there has been no better publication in Australia over the last 50 years than Quadrant Magazine - former prime minister John Howard.

Quadrant Magazine. 9th May 2017

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF ISN'T 'FRAGILE'

by David Mason-Jones

"Those who have made sound-byte alarmism a career-enhancing skill swear blind that a 'fragile' reef is on its last legs - a condition only lots of additional research grants can remedy.

"They should study Eniwitok Atoll where the US tested its ABombs and today's coral couldn't be healthier." END

Oh Boy.

Over to you.

#  DON'T LET THEM WRECK YOUR ABC

The ABC is under attack as never before.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a shadow of its former self, after suffering decades of conservative and Labor governments hacking at it, in an effort to drive citizens to Murdoch, Fox, the Shock Jocks and their fellow lying, greedy bloodsuckers in the commercial world.

They have successfully placed advertisements on SBS which is a disgrace, and must be reversed by proper funding by the taxpayer, which is code for great big new taxes on the super-rich. Bring it on.

Australia is unique in the developed world in that one operator, Murdoch's News Limited, owns 70% of printed media. Murdoch and his commercial buddies succeed in further emasculating the ABC and expanding their media base every time a conservative government is elected. A pathetic Labor is limping behind, begging bowl extended, seeking support for the next election. In the U.K. A party supported by Murdoch has won every election since 1970.

In May 2016 the conservative Turnbull government appointed a former Murdoch employee, Michelle Guthrie, as ABC managing director. She in turn appointed two former Murdoch cronies to management positions.

Before the 2013 election the Liberals made numerous promises which were brazenly broken as soon as they won. These included : no cuts to the ABC or SBS. However $500 million has been cut and more cuts will increasingly affect the ABC's ability to compete with Murdoch and co. unless we stop them.

Nationally 400 staff have been retrenched, including experienced journalists and researchers. Overseas bureaux have been closed and we are denied an Australian perspective on world events.

The opportunity for talented writers, actors, composers, musicians and directors is being strangled, and has been strangled by both sides of politics for 20 years.

The conservatives won that election largely due to two and a half years of anti-Labor rhetoric from Murdoch and this is his reward - the destruction of your ABC. But wait - there's more - he has now extended his claw for jam and cream on top of the apple pie - he wants even more easing of media ownership laws.

Julia Gillard was an excellent prime minister who achieved a lot of good things. Murdoch brought out his chief head kicker from the USA who put out the headline in the Daily Telegraph: "Kick This Mob Out." This promoted loathing about changing leaders, (Julia replaced Kevin Rudd in a palace coup), making no comment on policy matters. Two years before the 2013 election, Murdoch told his lieutenants to destroy Julia Gillard and promote Tony Abbott.

Governments are about laws and not personalities. In contrast, when the Liberals changed leaders from Abbott to Turnbull, they clapped and cheered.

In her first major speech since taking over, Ms Guthrie said the ABC must ensure it is not affected by "unconscious bias." This means of course that she believes there is a left-wing bias which must be stamped out, the typical baseless wailing of the conservatives, who do not want AUSTRALIANS to know the terrible truth. In the event the ABC gives the conservatives every opportunity to put their propaganda without correction. They want their jobs and know who holds the purse strings.

She said she has commissioned "deep data dives" to discover what is driving the ABC's decision making, meaning she doesn't agree with the decision making.

Some of the questions she wants answered: "Do unconscious biases lurk in our corridors?", and "Are we making the right recruitment decisions?"

This means of course that she believes the ABC is not making the right recruiting decisions. Her comments are code and intended to give comfort to those who employed her, namely the racist bigoted fascist Christian Right which is in control of the Liberal Party and our nation. Her comments are code for: I will kick out the Communists and employ fine upstanding decent husbands, fathers, neighbours and Believers, just like the Gestapo.

Which goes to prove Godwin's law: that in any meaningful debate it is only a matter of time before someone brings up Hitler or the Nazis.

Sorry about that.

A study showed that of 21 people from the ABC who became candidates for parliament, 10 were Liberal and 11 Labor.

Investigative journalism is under serious threat, with the loss of hundreds of jobs at Fairfax, publishers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Without Fairfax, the ABC and the Guardian, we would be effectively a dictatorship.

We need our ABC. The ABC Four Corners program exposed the shocking mistreatment of our youth at Darwin's Don Dale Correction Centre, the death of a young mother at Ten Mile Beach in 2011 resulting in 2 men being charged

ABC Friends launched a National Call to Action and a National Fighting Fund.

You can help now - and it is urgent.!!!

Please ask 5 others to join or donate. Individually we are picked off like flies. Together we are unstoppable.

To join go to www.abcfriends.org.au

or phone your local contact.

Victoria 03 9682 0073

NSW & ACT 02 4751 6227

Queensland 07 3870 7718

South Australia & NT 0407 035 701

Western Australia PO Box 534 Subiaco WA 6904

or Email: fabcwa1@hotmail.com

Tasmania 0447 645 345

While China has rampaged around the world, we have ossified into a farm and quarry for the benefit of the super rich. The Liberals have cut back the ABC overseas service and slashed foreign aid when we should be leading the world by example.

#  NO MORE CAGED HENS

I July 2016, Luck Gavanagh, aged 14, in the UK, started a petition on Change.org calling for supermarket giant Tesco to stop selling eggs from caged hens.

She got 280,000 signatures and Tesco agreed.

She had a face-to-face meeting with Tesco's Head of Agriculture.

She has started a new petition calling on Asda and Morrisons to follow suit.

Caged hens spend 72 days restricted in small cages, unable to spread their wings. After this time many are barely feathered and close to death. Some in this condition were found on an egg farm's heap of rubbish in Wallan, Victoria, Australia.

This is cruel and unusual punishment of a sensory being, which has evolved over millions of years with the same lifestyle requirements as you and me.

My former home was a small poultry farm of 5 acres in the 1950s. It had a 40 x 20 foot galvanised iron shed with a quarter acre (1,000m2) fenced grassed yard with shade trees. Our 20 hens and the rooster, called Vicious, had a perfectly natural lifestyle and a daily routine which included a dust bath in scratched-up earth in the shade of a large gum tree.

As grazing animals they had plenty of grass, grain, water, sun, air, companionship and the opportunity for the pursuit of happiness, and sorting out their pecking order. Their sexual cycles which has evolved over millions of years were satisfied.

In small cages chooks pick each other to death out of stress and frustration. The industry responded by cutting their beaks.

What have we become?

Do we exist on earth only in order for the rich to make more money regardless of animal cruelty?

Remember mates, nothing happens until you make it happen.

Now that you have self confidence, ring and write to politicians today!

#  POLITICAL DONATIONS

I set out below List A and List B for your information.

A) List of persons who leap out of bed and help personkind. : -

\- fruit and vegetable growers and sellers,

\- innocent shopkeepers and other dreamers,

\- cleaners who look back on their good work with pride,

\- doctors, nurses and welfare workers,

\- tinkers, tailors and candlestick makers,

\- makers and marketers of solar panels and wind farms,

\- police, public servants, nurses, librarians and teachers who have the best job on earth,

\- innocent honest salespersons burdened with the responsibility of efficiently distributing necessary goods and services, thus maintaining employment in our nation,

\- innocent municipal councillors, estate agents, youth leaders and psychologists, and

\- volunteers in local community and sporting groups.

What is it that these people have in common? you ask..

Well I guess they have good hearts and want to help others, and also THEY ARE NOT KNOWN FOR DONATING MILLIONS TO POLITICAL PARTIES.

B) List of persons of interest who leap out of bed and deliberately and wilfully harm personkind. : -

\- makers and sellers of cigarettes and other deadly drugs,

\- producers and marketers of coal and oil,

\- advertisers, producers and sellers of alcohol who destroy lives, property and families,

\- the manufacturers and advertising of sugar products, especially to children,

\- the cartel of 4 big banks in Australia,

\- land developers who get $100m or $200m manna from heaven the day the planning minister signs a piece of paper. Such windfall profits on rezoning should be the property of government on behalf of all citizens.

\- climate change deniers, religious fanatics and others who are barking mad at this time,

\- the filthy evil gambling lobby and pokies operators who destroy families,

\- the privatised monopoly utilities with their outrageous profit gouging, impacting savagely on pensioners, the 3m in poverty and the 2,560,000 unemployed or underemployed.

What is it that these people have in common, you ask?

Apart from destroying the planet and robbing and harming innocent citizens, THEY DONATE MILLIONS TO TWEEDLEDUM AND TWEEDLEDEE, THE DUOPOLY, THE DISCREDITED OLD POLITICAL PARTIES, LABOR AND LIBERAL. THE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE, GREEDY, SELF-OBSESSED, REACTIONARY, OSSIFIED, BLOODSUCKING DONOR CLASS.

BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE

NEW BOY ON THE BLOCK

China is on the rampage.

It has government debt of 250% of its GDP (gross domestic product) and is buying agricultural land, resources and influence all around the world.

Australia's government debt is a trifling 35% of GDP and the OECD average is 111%. China is in danger of imploding.

Mr Huang has donated almost $3m to Labor and Liberal. His dealings re mentioned elsewhere in this book.

Mr Chau Chak Wing owns property development group Kingold Group in Australia and also a newspaper in China, where the press is tightly controlled by the Communist Party.

He has donated $200,000 to federal Labor and $860,000 to the Liberals:

\- $560,000 to federal Liberals

\- $200,000 to WA Liberals

\- $100,000 to NSW Liberals.

These parties are prostitutes, hawking their wares to anyone who will hand over the cash.

Reasons for them donating to political parties : -

\- they can write the taxation rules for the entire nation, CANNILY EXCUSING THEMSELVES FROM ANY LIABILITY IN ORDER TO BOOST CASH ON HAND TO "CREATE JOBS." We are still waiting,

\- blatant self-interest, less consumer rights, open slather,

\- the parties agree to accept the donations and the strings attached,

\- their greedy activities have little or no moral justification in a decent, modern, legal, rational democracy, and

\- the only way they can get undeserved political influence is to buy it from a willing seller.

If their wares were so beneficial, people would be queued up around the block waiting to buy.

In the USA the two big old discredited political parties direct their elected members to spend 40% of their day ringing wealthy donors.

Can anyone pretend that the donors simply hand over the cash with no quid-pro-quo?

When incompetent Liberal Minister for Immigration Amanda Vanstone approved the immigration of an Italian convicted Mafia criminal, $20,000 was paid to the Liberal Party. He then continued his career in drugs and violence and was jailed for a year. He then applied to stay in Australia on compassionate grounds, as he had a wife and kids.

When she was the minister responsible for the Torres Strait Islands she approved the purchase of five cheap boats , flying in the face of expert advice that they were unsuitable.

Five died in a storm when one capsized. Her administrator, a former policeman, was drinking at the golf club at the time."Let them drown." he said.

Political donations need urgent reform. On 2.2.2017 political donations for the 2015/16 financial year were released by the Australian Electoral Commission, up to 19 months after they were made.

Mining magnate Paul Marks was the biggest donor to the Liberal Party with $1.4m. He can influence tax laws to benefit the rich, leaving 24m children, workers and those in poverty at this time, out in the cold.

At the 2016 election Labor spent $60m and Liberal $80m. Democracy for sale to the richest. The authorities have found that 60% OF POLITICAL DONATIONS ARE UNTRACEABLE.

All citizens are entitled to know without delay exactly who is running our country. The top brass from the two parties should be placed under oath and grilled for hours or days until we get to the bottom of this.

Barnaby Joyce calls Gina Rinehart a friend. Well, well, well. A friendship made in heaven.

Malcolm Turnbull was criticised by Bill Shorten for dodging the question of the amount of his donation at the National Press Club.

He revealed to ABC's 7.30 Report that he and his wife donated $1.75m in the lead up to the last federal election to the Liberals. She is a board member of the right-wing think tank, the Grattan Institute., which is a disgrace, parroting the Liberals "all social classes will have to pay their share" (of the confected debt crisis), and "the GST should be increased and applied to food and everything" after we talk about it for 3 or 4 years.

"I put my money into ensuring we didn't have a Labor government" Turnbull helpfully explained. So there it is, out of his own mouth, a rich person can buy government in our broken democracy regardless of the wishes of the majority. 102,000 Aussie kids died in wars - for this.

He said that the amount was not disclosed because it was made in the current financial year. Now there's a piece of nifty footwork. The election was on 2nd July 2017 so he must have made the donation on 1st July, the first day of the new financial year.

Is that why we had such a long election campaign? But the pledge must have been made weeks or months before to allow for advertisements to be placed.

Our democracy is broken. There are Young Turks in all political parties. I call on them to rise up and challenge existing politicians as candidates in the next election. These people don't own the seats.

#  STOP PRIVATISATION OF COMMUNAL ASSETS

Privatisation is part of the 1980s Thatcher/Reagan/Hawke/Keating Neoliberal disease. Just one more example of spivs conning our elected officials. Maybe- maybe not. It could be a function of the self-aggrandisation of those elected officials. Getting elected is a really big buzz. It has been known to crowd out liberty, equality, fraternity and sisterhood in some at certain times.

"I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps,

And find I'm A number one,

Top of the heap."

Thanks Franky. Sinatra that is. Not exactly in the spirit of joy, love, sisterhood, brotherhood, caring, sharing and support for the humble sick and elderly citizens at this time.

One thing is for certain : the taxpayer gets sold down the river every time.

We were so proud of our communal ownership of our public goods, utilities, free education, Qantas, Telecom, etc.

If it's profitable for spivs and big smart foreign investors to own ports , roads, etc., then it's profitable for the citizens to own them.

All of these could be expropriated back to public ownership at current value, possibly on five year terms at 2.5% interest or cash settlement. If interest rates go up, their value would go down, making acquisition more attractive to we citizens. We would all like to be counter-cyclical buyers if possible. However it all comes down to luck.

No-one predicted a 25 year bull run in the Australian economy, with a glitch for the Global Financial Crisis.

We are not so down-at-heel and demoralised that we must hawk our ports and poles and wires to greedy investors all around the world, all in the name of the BIG CONSERVATIVE LIE that we are drowning in debt and pauperising future generations. As explained elsewhere in this book, our public debt is a pittance compared to other nations, and we should be handing future generations world-class assets.

The privatised assets are leased for decades and the investors have no interest in proper maintenance. The Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria killed 173 and SPAusnet had to pay $3 billion damages because they failed to replace a $10 insulator.

Consumers have to pay dearly for 20 items that the Victorian electricity supplier and the Gas and Fuel did for free. Electricity has doubles in five years and this impacts harshly on the poorest Australians.

Macquarie Bank is wallowing in gold by courtesy of those forced to use Sydney Airport.

UK PM Theresa May's new economic plan is for austerity-lite over a longer period. Over the next decade wages and living standards will drop for the first time in 120 years. She promised to stick up for "just about managing families", and then slashed taxes for multinationals.

She promised to scrutinise proposed takeovers by foreigners of strategic assets like water, energy and transport. The National Grid announced it will sell a majority of its gas pipelines, 61%, to a consortium of foreign investors headed by Macquarie Bank in Australia.

You've been Macquaried if you have left your car in a UK National Car Park, or flown out of Glasgow, Southampton or Aberdeen or if you're among its 14m customers in Thames Water. It was claimed recently that the lease of Sydney airport was lacking in detail, thus giving Macquarie a golden bonanza. I don't accept this. I'm a cynic and a realist and I believe very little is accidental. We taxpayers are paying politicians and lawyers to do a competent job. This stinks of corruption and political donations (60% of which are untraceable).

Charge and jail them. This is grand larceny.

The same has been said of the privatisation of Victoria's State Electricity Commission and Gas and Fuel Corp (errors in drafting the agreement). And power was promised to become cheaper. Ho, ho, ho.

While UK PM May was at her party conference talking about a country working for all, journalists were being briefed about the sale of the green investment bank to...... you guessed it, Macquarie.

Brexit voters were angry that their country had been sold out. They will soon realise that the change means more of the same - they are there to be ripped off by multinational capital.

We know what their game is........ screw the poor, the customers (who were citizens), the workers and the hollowed out middle class.

Transurban wants $90.40 cash up front for an eTag to drive on tolled highways. The 40 cents is for payment by credit card, even though there are no facilities for payment by cash. It is against the law to refuse payment by the Queen's currency (you can't pay a $456.55 bill in 5 cent pieces of course).

They want $40 cash up front for the use of THEIR eTag, which is refunded upon return. The eTag may have cost them $5.00.

They require $50.00 cash up front to be offset against any future trips you may make in the weeks and years ahead. When your balance drops to $20.00 they require it to be topped up to $50.00. So you are required to give them a permanent gift of the interest on $35, the average balance, for as long as you drive a car!!! Permanent interest-free loan - $40 plus $35 = $75 x by say, 3 million victim citizens who are forced to be robbed, and should be driving on roads owned by their government and paid for by loans over 30 years at 2.11% interest paid by inflation. See The Deal of the Century.

Oh yes, here's a lulu.... If you drive on a road or bridge and incur a charge of $4.35, and then open an account, they require a 75 cent matching fee. Pressing a button must be so tedious. The genius of our time who dreamed that one up must be given a raise and more usurious defined benefits.

So, regardless of her tight budget, the hapless innocent consumer must shell out $90.40 cash up front. Is this held in a trust account which pays her interest until a debt is incurred? Dream on. Does it immediately show as earned income, and therefore wrongly inflate the profit of the current period? Therefore bigger bonuses and a false higher share price?

We know their game, screw, screw, screw - drip, drip, drip. Yes they are in business - but no, they will not shoulder normal business expenses. Why not a staff toilet paper and XMAS party levy on motorists, including 3m in poverty and the 2.56m workers unemployed or underemployed at this time?

Say 14m motorists @ $90.00 equals $1.26billion around the nation. That was a bright idea, I'm sure you will agree. Assuming they would pay 5% interest on such working capital, that's a saving of $75.6m in interest charges a year. A cash gift from motorists to wealthy shareholders.

But wait. There's more. These people aren't sitting on their hands. They are busily stitching up another bunch of suckers for a 20% privatisation. 20% of the $1.26bn that belongs to you and me. But wait. There's more. ADD the 5% interest they don't have to pay for the use of our money, TOTAL a 25% advantage on our $1,260,000,000 EVERY YEAR. Yes, a gross profit of $315,000,000. Wow, $315 million every year. Not bad eh! Stand up now. Jail them now.

These people are out of all control. If there were a regulator, she would probably resign and get a job with a big infrastructure provider.

Energy providers have gone completely berserk with the gold-plating of poles and wires that may or may not be required a long time in the future, if ever. All with the blessing of a so-called regulator who may achieve a future executive position with a provider. Incredibly pensioners and consumers have had their power bills nearly doubled because of gold-plating. These thieves and conspirators should be in jail.

Look at Labor's Mark Abib and Stephen Conroy , resigned from parliament to join the family-destroying filthy evil gambling lobby.

Andrew Robb recently retired as the federal Liberal trade minister and took up a part-time job at $880,000 a year with the Chinese company to which he gave a 99 year lease on our Darwin Port. Oh yes, on the day he signed the China Australia Free Trade Agreement his private fund was paid $100,000. Are we a smart confident country preparing for a bright future for our kids -or a bunch of suckers.

These people are not statesmen. They are brazenly taking our money. They just don't get it. Whilst I would not support putting them up against a wall and shot, there should be meaningful rehabilitation, for example, 10 years of hard labour at an outback cattle station owned by aborigines. Parliament is now also a millionaires' factory. Politicians are now the donor class. We've been Macquaried and Parliamented.

These people are not statesmen, they are laughing in our face.

#  DEFENCE OR OFFENCE

Are we a war-like people?

102,000 Aussie kids died in wars in the last 116 years, including wars that were none of our business, or should have been settled by diplomacy.

Yes, we do have modern day education and technology, but we still have the emotions that evolved over millions of years in the jungle. Read "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli.

WORLD WAR 1

In WW l the government in the Australian government tried twice unsuccessfully to bring in conscription. Only 38% of eligible men volunteered. You read correctly, ONLY 38%!!!

On the western front our troops were incensed at what happened to their mates at Gallipoli, and they effectively won the war, in so far as they were the point of the arrow which smashed through the four lines of German defence.

There were so many acts of bravery, or lunacy, that the officers stopped giving out the Victoria Cross. Many worthy recipients missed out.

All a function of the brilliant tactics and latest technology used by General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD, a German Jew whose family came to Australia when he was 10. His parents had a general store at Hay, NSW, and they either did or didn't buy stolen horses from Ned Kelly, a well-known bushranger. Monash was a civil engineer from Melbourne.

A stalemate was broken when an Aussie wriggled along a slight depression and threw hand grenades into two German trenches. He nearly got a third, but a German turned around and saw him and shot him.

For 7 days Monash had a noisy plane buzzing over the Germans and dropping smoke bombs. On the eighth day he was blessed with a fog and he sent in the tanks and troops. With the noise from the plane, the smoke and the fog, the Germans first saw the tanks when they were 10 metres away. They could only surrender or be crushed.

After smashing through the first line of defence, Monash had to plead for permission to push ahead from the British generals. They thought that if these Aussies are so crazy, let them try it. The Germans refused to fight the Australians.

The victorious Allies treated the German people appallingly after WW1, thus sowing the seeds for WW2.

All decisions are political. It is crucial that you join a political party, or start one.

WORLD WAR 2

After WW2, a grandfather was working away with his grandson in his workshop. Life doesn't get any better than this. The man was Brigadier Arnold Potts DSO, OBE, MC, 1896 - 1968, who saved Australia because he deliberately and wilfully disobeyed orders.

Potts was a farmer and grazier from Western Australia, where a bronze statue of him stands at Kojonup.

He was the commander of our 600 rag-tag grossly depleted troops facing 10,000 Japanese on The Kokoda Track. The Japs thought he had 10,000. He was ordered to fall back to Port Moresby, a mere 2 or 3 days walk, but he refused. Australia was saved because of this refusal, which delaying the Japanese advance for a fortnight until our 6th Division arrived from the Middle East. At that time the Japanese supply line was cut and the order came: Advance to the rear.

Earlier the Aussies found the remains of two of their comrades who were tied up and used for live bayonet practice. After this disgrace no quarter was asked for and none was given. My Uncle Bill Gordon of the 2/2nd Field Engineers said Japanese prisoners were killed because "we had no facilities to hold them and they would do the same to us."

He said a Canadian interpreter would biff up prisoners to get information. Uncle Bill found the remains of his best friend who was eaten by the Japs, apart from his head, hands and feet. There are 240 documented cases of this. They were proud warriors and their supply lines had been cut as the USA controlled the shipping lanes North of New Guinea.

Like the German people, they were the victims of bad political decisions by their leaders. Read "The Other Japan" by David Suzuki.

Please, please join a political party. Never miss a meeting. Modern science has discovered that we don't make many new friends after 30. But you and I are different. You and I know what's important. Approach them with a smile. Extend your hand "Hi, my name's Freda."

When the fighting stopped, the late Trooper Kevin Moore of Collingwood was given the job of burning two stacks of printed money, to be used in Australia after a Japanese victory.

The only brutality he saw was an officer demanding that two prisoners punch each other.

Now, back to Potts.

He called it a fighting retreat, attacking from one flank, then the other, and then from the front and then fall back. The Japanese thought he had 10,000. He ambushed them at every creek crossing and every corner. Those fighting were relieved by fresh troops every 15 minutes.

"Kokoda" by Paul Ham is a must read.

Potts held up the Japanese for a crucial two weeks pending the arrival of our troops from the Middle East.

If he had followed orders, the Japs would have had Australia, as Port Moresby would have given them control of the air and shipping lanes.

The Japanese were starving, and they were ordered to head north, retracing their footsteps. There were examples of cannibalism. These are the proud warriors involved in the massacre of Nanking in China, in 1937/1938, who then swept through South East Asia. Read "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang.

A woman's remains were found staked out on the north New Guinea coast surrounded by 70 condoms.

Our troops in the Middle East were so good that Churchill wouldn't let them go. He was frantically pressing the U.S. to save Europe first and leave us to the Japs.

Churchill visited troops in the Middle East and about half of our troops walked 200m up the hill to see him, where one said "When are you going to let us go home, you fat old bastard."

The New Guinea campaign was blighted by the egos of USA General Douglas MacArthur and General Sir Thomas Blamey. Blamey sacked Potts to save his own hide, at the very point when Potts had fought the Japanese to exhaustion. The sacking was one of the most disgraceful actions of Blamey's military career.

Pott's fighting withdrawal was one of the most critical triumphs in Australian military history, and one that an apathetic nation still has to honour.

When the reinforcements arrived from the Middle East, Blamey visited New Guinea and Potts Heroes were lined up, thinking they would be getting medals. Blamey sagely advised them that they were beaten by an inferior force, that no soldier should be afraid to die, and that the rabbit that ran away is the rabbit that got shot. The whole brigade was almost molten with rage and indignation. That's their reward for saving Australia.

KOREA

In the early 1950s Australia responded to a United Nations request and sent 17,000 troops to help defend South Korea from a North Korean invasion. 339 Aussies died and 1,200 wounded. One country's civil war.

VIETNAM

Go and see the museum in Saigon, now Ho Chi Min City, and learn about the USA's war crimes. People there have tears streaming down their face. 3 million Vietnamese died. 550 men women and children were gassed in a tunnel.

US President Johnson visited Australia and helpfully told us that Sydney was closer to Vietnam than Los Angeles, trying to justify our involvement. Big red arrows on the map pointing straight at us. Reds under the bed. Manipulation by lies and fear. 520 Aussie kids died trying to prop up a crooked US client state for the benefit of USA multinationals. Victims of the Liberal Party death ballot, wherein their birthdays were drawn out of the lotto barrel. Happy Birthday kid!

Intelligent countries like Britain, Germany and France refused to join in.

58,209 young Americans died there.

It was one of many peasant wars in the twentieth century and we had no business being there. We were humiliated and defeated by peasants.

A US Indian tribe lived on their useless rocky land. Their 9 nineteen year old lads joined the army to protect "their" nation. This may have been their only job opportunity. Seven of the nine died in Vietnam and were buried in their settlement.

The sergeant conducting the funeral of the seventh was drunk. From 'Heroes' by John Pilger.

#  LABOR: THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

Or the day the light on the hill went out.

Labor was in federal government for 13 years from 1983 to 1996 under Hawke and Keating.

In the late eighties existing home loans were pegged at 6.5% interest by the federal government, whereas new loans were 13.5%.

There was a dramatic credit squeeze and thousands were thrown out of work.

Young families lost jobs and income and fell into default under their mortgages, and were being evicted and sold up.

I asked then federal Labor member Peter Cleeland why young families with small deposits and large mortgages were being screwed for a high rate of interest, 13.5%, when their older richer parents, with small mortgages and very large equity in their homes, were receiving government funding to keep their rate at 6.5%?

And his answer, wait for it, HIS ANSWER?

"Because there are 300,000 parents and only 100,000 kids!!!"

This is what 102,000 Australians, largely young men and boys, died for in wars. This is, of course, an absolute disgrace. I wonder who made that decision. Prime Minister Bob Hawke, at one time with an amazing 70% approval? A group of senior strategists? All 51 Labor federal pollies, and if so what was the vote? Obviously the decision was seen as beneficial to the ALP, but this was an error. Citizens expect their elected representatives to be stateswomen and men and make the best decision for the community, based on fairness and justice, and not blatant self-interest.

Peter Cleeland also said that workers should not be given that part of their wages taken off them at the point of a gun, called compulsory superannuation, in the event that they are in mortgage arrears and about to be kicked out onto the street. Goodbye Australian values, hello Hitler.

Understand this loud and clear: THESE PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SNOUTS INTO YOUR HARD-EARNED WAGES AND THEY ARE HANGING ONTO IT AND NOT GOING AWAY.

Indeed, they are demanding ever more, more, MORE. Pushing it up from 9.5% to 12% merrily on the way to 18%. Their greed has no bounds. It has been found to be very detrimental to low income earners, and manna from heaven for the upper class. Surprise, surprise.

The two big old conservative parties, Labor and Liberal, had close to their lowest votes of all time in the 2016 election. They are unfit to lead the country.

They have abandoned all principles out of a combination of cowardice and opportunism. They have lost their moral authority.

Labor and Liberal each received $345,000 the day the Regional Forests Agreement was passed in 1994, a possible breach of the electoral act. This was paid by the three companies that became Gunns Limited.

Invaluable old forests that have evolved in that soil and climate for millions of years have been destroyed forever for a pittance as wood chips for greedy investors.

In Tasmania a beautiful myrtle forest was knocked down and winnowed.

A local craftsman asked for some timber for furniture making and was denied. Then it was burnt and a worthless single plantation species planted.

The old parties are destroying families with rampant alcohol and gambling as required by their donors.

Queensland Labor member Joe Kelly helpfully has a 15 minute video clip on his website "the secrets of successful gamblers" - your taxes at work!!

In all fairness I must say that the liberals are worse, on one hand lying about our tiny government debt as an excuse to impose austerity on workers and the poor, and on the other hand abolishing two taxes, including the crucial carbon price (not carbon tax) planning to give $52 BILLION to wealthy company shareholders, many of whom are overseas, and gifting millions to those poor souls struggling with over $100 MILLION in their superannuation account. YES, the $10m plus earnings on those Super accounts with $100m plus are TAX FREE!

Curiously the intention of superannuation is for the tax-assisted fund to be spent on living expenses during retirement - some lifestyle!! $5 MILLION a year for food, clothing, housing and transport!! $100,000 A WEEK!! $14,300 A DAY!!

Our whole situation is beyond ridiculous, beyond grotesque, and 102,000 war dead AUSSIES must be turning in their graves.

As Gandhi said: We must make all injustices visible.

In the UK many politicians were outed for rorting the expenses system.

In Australia the politicians and public servants have combined to extort vast sums from hard working taxpayers with defined benefits on their superannuation. After 11 years a Victorian politician left with $2 MILLION in cash and went back to his previous job.

In 2016 four retired politicians went to the High Court over a small reduction in their obscene entitlements. They lost.

And their current arrangement you ask? A very good question. They have paid themselves ludicrous superannuation and retirement benefits.

These people are ordinary branch members who were tasked with knocking on doors. They are not gods. They should be leading by example.

In Aristotle's time the peasants tilled the soil and fought the wars, the Middle Class were the merchants and officers who robbed each other (what's

changed), and the upper class were the Philosopher Kings who wandered around in white robes from village to village resolving disputes. They were above money and received free board and lodgings.

THE UNIONS

The union movement has lost its critical mass and may well be doomed.

I hope all workers will join their union and vote for honest leaders with a passion for helping the disadvantaged.

Maybe the unions can regain the high moral ground.

Labor party rules give more votes and weight to unions than branch members, which is a perversion of democracy and should be scrapped. Similarly in the Liberal Party there is grassroots activism against the present arrangement wherein candidates for parliament are selected by a small number of officials.

Union votes caused Bill Shorten to be leader, even though 60% of members wanted Anthony Albanese.

With anyone else as leader, Labor would have won office in 2016. The Liberals were returned with a margin of only one seat. Arguably the most fascist, lying, cruel government in the nation's history, won because their leader, Malcolm Turnbull, was the preferred prime minster over Bill Shorten.

In the UK the preferred prime minister has won every election since 1970.

I doubt if Bill will ever be prime minister, as he has been exposed as a crooked Union leader who robbed his low paid Union members, received a large secret payment from employers creating a conflict of interest, and took $22,000 of it for his own election campaign, as discovered by the authorities 8 years later.

A few months before the 2016 election, a Roy Morgan poll showed support for Labor Pollies as prime minister to be:-

Tanya Plibersek. 30%,

Anthony Albanese. 22%,

Wayne Swan. 12% and

Bill Shorten. 10%.

Labor has announced that the senate place of Stephen Conroy has been given to Kimberley Hitching, a colourful union official who was recommended to be charged in the Health Services Union scandal, and a member of Shorten's Labor right wing faction.

In 1983 fighting was so severe in the Liberal Party that prominent liberals thought Bob Hawke was the only person who could save the country.

Kevin Rudd appeared competent on TV and won in handsomely in 2007.

Bill Shorten has not clicked with voters, and they don't want him as their prime minister. He should have, and should now, step down in the interests of the people of Australia. Fairness and equality is being ruined because of his ego.

The upper class is on track to increase their share of all assets to 54% in 8.5 years time - up from 45% 18 months ago, on the way to 99%.

I will devote my life to making sure this never happens.

NOTICE TO YOUNG TURKS AND MIDDLE-AGED TURKS IN POLITICAL PARTIES, ALSO ELDERLY TURKS:

Time for generational change. Move them on. These people don't own the seats. Throw your hat in the ring. Not against Albo of course.

#  HELLO NEW LABOR - GOODBYE UNIONS?

Welcome to the brave new world of 2017.

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Look at Brexit and Trump! Look at Pauline Hansen. Her voters are mainly white male employees. She has adopted CIR - Citizen Initiated Referenda, which is our only hope for getting the rotten greedy unworthy donor class off our back.

She announced in her budget reply speech in May 2017 a $10bn tax hit on the mining giants based on production and profits.

The industry replied that it would cost jobs and investments. They would say that, wouldn't they?

The Petroleum Resource Rent Tax returns next to nothing, and after the meter broke down on the North West Shelf, Chevron and its cohorts and cahoots stole our gas for 5 years.

For better decisions, all citizens should join and be actively involved in a political party. Unions play an important role and every worker should be actively involved in their union. Rome wasn't built in a day, and if you keep chipping away, you will have some wins over time.

Political parties should not be seen as representing employers or employees, but as facilitators to bring them together and negotiate an accord that works for everyone.

Unions only represent 17.4% of workers and are in danger of becoming irrelevant. Employee rights have been decimated by globalisation and unions are obviously needed at this time.

The Labor and Liberal parties have justly been given their lowest votes ever in 2016, as voters respond to their disgraceful lies, spin-doctoring and bare-faced self-interest. These people are not statesmen. Their rusted-on voters are dropping like flies. In the three years between elections 510,000 Australians die, and 950,000 turn 18 and are enrolled to vote.

Lex Borthwick of Burwood Victoria wrote in Letters to The Age on 7/1/2017:-

"OUR LONG HISTORY OF SPURIOUS TAX CUTS

".Not only is the Treasurer out of his depth but the former treasurer Peter Costello, shows some of the reasons for Scott Morrison's travails by calling for personal tax cuts. To top it off, the alternative Treasurer, Chris Bowen, shows high academic qualifications in the field are no guarantee of competence. We are one of the world's wealthiest nations and yet we cannot afford to fund proper social welfare, education and health systems, finance economy-boosting infrastructure projects, or employ sufficient people with sufficient skills to collect debts from the poor, let alone unpaid taxes from the wealthy and corporations.

"This is because of spurious tax cuts over the last 30 or so years, economically disastrous efforts to balance the budget that does not need balancing, and real income reductions reducing income tax earnings, potential consumer spending, and GST earnings. We can only hope Mr Costello and Mr Bowen wade out to share Mr Morrison's fate as he sinks for the last time." END

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017

This is our lot at the start. The key to where it ends is between your ears. You are empowered. Now is the time to use your great power.

***When Costello and Morrison earnestly recommend income tax reform, these are deceitful weasel words. They do not possess the honesty or decency to properly explain their proposal, choosing instead deceit and obfuscation. "Reform" sounds like a thoroughly decent and honourable thing to do. What fair-minded person would contemplate arguing against "reform"? They propose tax cuts for the super-rich, passing ever more of the tax burden onto the poor and the workers

Fair and equitable reform would be a great big new tax bracket of 55% on $1m plus, up from 45%, and the tax-free threshold raised from $18,200 to $75,000.

***Workers and poor people have been decimated by 50 years of class warfare, and Labor politician Andrew Leigh and others occasionally announce that inequality is getting worse, as though it's just been discovered. They must find it hard to keep a straight face. They never ever go on to say : .......and therefore we must......(tax the super-rich, raise the tax-free threshold to $75,000, whatever), or.......this is the result of 50 years of mean, greedy class warfare which has decimated the workers and citizens who happen to be poor at this time.

Every time McDonalds, BHP Billiton, Apple, Google, etc. transfer money overseas to avoid taxes, the poor and workers pay more. McDonalds recently transferred $515m to Singapore to avoid $172,000,000 owing to Australians in tax. Such transfers must immediately be declared illegal and tax demanded retrospectively. Now struggling workers and the poor must make up this amount.

Restrict overseas transfers, withholding at least 35% as per Buffett rule.

***Tanya Plibersek said that giving extra millions to wealthy schools that don't need it, whilst denying the basics to impoverished schools, is quite OK because there's not a lot of money involved. Every voter knows that this is political spin, a disgrace and a lie, and that even if the amount were "small", it's the principle that matters. Politicians should recognise that every hard-earned dollar of tax is precious trust money, and they are obliged to achieve maximum benefit from it and assist the needy in particular, as almost one child in five is in poverty. Her high approval rating is not guaranteed to be ongoing.

***Labor's Chris Bowen put out a statement of his five economic principles which amounted to meaningless waffle. They regurgitate the usual dribble, but never say the HOW! HOW! HOW! HOW! HOW! HOW! HOW! HOW! Get the message? Labor parrots the Liberal's stupid lies about a debt crisis.

***Pre-2004 federal Pollies claimed a narrow point that their ludicrous benefits should stand because that was the deal when they entered parliament. This is laughable, but self-interest is a powerful force among greedy non-statesmen who just don't get it. Politicians have an ego, which is fair enough, and see themselves as one of us when they are begging to be the candidate, but they can change into special people who are better than us. Winning an election is a real buzz, but that doesn't mean they have to steal a cash pot of $2m from citizens after 11 years. There is a theory that the same people would be there if the pay were zero, like Aristotle's Philosopher Kings.

Where is our Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, Nelson Mandela or Gandhi? Politicians are ordinary branch members who were tasked with knocking on doors. Decades ago the constant theme was that their pay was too low, and insufficient to tempt good people out of commerce. There needs are no different than yours or mine, a frugal sustainable lifestyle.

***A union official helpfully told us that the politicians will do as they are told, or be replaced with someone who will. This idiot is telling all voters that their votes are worthless, and that he is the dictator of Australia (or his particular state). This is the Australia for which 102,000 Aussie kids died in wars for, and many more had their lives ruined.

Is he one of Labor's senior strategists? In any case they must immediately step aside and give the junior strategists a go.

This is Labor's public face in the modern era. The donor class telling us what to do for their further enrichment. Time for democracy to step up and take control of capital. You readers are in control. The super rich will do exactly as you dictate. Don't fall for the lies and spin - 'They'll take their money out of the country' and 'Future governments won't have money for your pension' etc. etc. Half of all money leaving the country could be held by the tax office against any liability.

Both taxes on the rich, and welfare payments, are VERY LOW in Australia by world standards. Yes mates, way below the OECD average. The super rich and multinationals pay next to nothing while welfare recipients are demonised.

***No doubt unions have played a role in funding Labor's campaigns in marginal seats, including doorknocking. Undue influence is seen in some disgraceful decisions, like failing to join the central Victorian national parks to save the Leadbeater's Possum because of a handful of timber jobs, and increasing Crown's opportunity to destroy families with evil pokies until 2050 in exchange for 500 redundant workers being retrained. Spin, spin, spin. As suspected, it's a complete Furphy, with only 6 being retrained after two years. These people will say anything and do anything for a political donation.

***Where is the Left in Australia?

Labor is conservative, ossified and reactionary, without a shadow of a doubt. Self-styled progressive think tanks, Fabians, John Cain Foundation, Chifley Foundation, etc. will helpfully tell us now and then that inequality is increasing, but NOBODY, EVER, WILL GO ON TO SAY "AND THEREFORE WE MUST URGENTLY RE-BALANCE THE TAX SYSTEM AND TAX THE RICH, THE SUPER-RICH IN PARTICULAR, AND GIVE MEANINGFUL TAX BREAKS TO THE WORKERS AND THE POOR." Add in pay the minimum wage to all welfare recipients and mums with kids under 7 for good measure.

***Bill Shorten must be immediately replaced as Labor leader. Labor lost the unloseable 2016 election because it did not have a leader acceptable to voters. Shorten's dodgy union dealings were exposed on TV, and polls ranked him a distant fourth choice among Labor politicians, behind Plibersek, Albanese and Swan. Because of his ego, we are facing another three years of rule by the most bigoted, racist, cruel, lunatic hard Christian Right Fascist government in our history, based on a confected debt crisis and unnecessary austerity on many including children in poverty, whilst giving tax breaks and benefits to the wealthy and multinationals.

60% of party members voted for Anthony Albanese over Shorten as party leader, but 50 Pollies overturned that. How dare these people treat the members with such disdain. Factions are a disgrace.

Abbot was a disgrace when in opposition and labelled as Dr No by Labor, voting for the perceived benefit of the Liberal Party and not the nation. Liberals destroyed Labor's Malaysian solution for refugees, leading to the current outrage on Nauru and Manus Island, but now are talking to Malaysia. Liberals playing politics with peoples' lives.

Shorten is now a disgrace as Dr No in opposition. He master-minded the disruption of the Rudd-Gillard years for his own benefit, then made it harder for him to be removed. A statesman in his position would immediately resign for the common good, and be appreciated as a team player.

***Instead of early intervention and assisting the needy, we are following the American model of more jails and police. Victoria has just decided to hire another 2,800 police, when it should be training present police to be more productive instead of stringing things out forever in active job creation. Instead it should employ 2,800 psychologists and social workers, and support and rehabilitate and kick out of jail all non-violent prisoners for a start. Texas has stopped building jails and has closed two.

A further preventative measure would be the immediate employment of the urgently needed 30% more teachers.

Norway has a country settlement of 150 prisoners including murderers, in houses with their own bedrooms and showers and three guards. That is 3 for the 150. All people are treated with dignity and respect, and the focus is on rehabilitation. See Michael Moore's brilliant film "Where to Invade Next".

In Victoria a prisoner was locked in a cell with a murderer who murdered him. This is the model of a century ago. Our public servants must have qualifications in psychology and must not be knuckle-head morons like those in Darwin's Don Dale Corrections Centre or the pair who killed Mr Ward in WA. Human beings who are detained in your name and mine must be treated with dignity and respect. They must have their basic human needs addressed, especially HOPE, proper family and legal support, education and the pursuit of happiness, whether they are in Nauru, in jail or a child in Darwin's Don Dale Correction Centre.

Prisons should be work houses and training colleges, where prisoners pay their way and get further education to help them on the outside, instead of colleges of criminality that are a huge burden to taxpayers. Their days should be busy with activities like making garments for our defence personnel and vegetable growing. A positive growing experience including the opportunity for the pursuit of happiness, not mind-numbing boredom, violence and drugs.

LABOR HAS OSSIFIED

Labor has ignored the plight of the poor entirely, and is seen as acting on behalf of the super rich, its unworthy donors and overpaid union officials.

It pretends to arc up and get passionate about an occasional piss-farting fringe issue - weekend penalty rates for example. The judge who ruled for a minor reduction of those rates was appointed by Labor. Many people are happy to work on weekends and would do so with no leave loading. Many shopkeepers are just scraping by and can't pay someone an extra 200%.

Basically, Labor's policies favour the super rich every time - cementing in the capital gains enjoyed by the super rich and foreigners who stole workers' homes for example.

Basically Labor has no manifesto. It appears to be controlled by a handful of aspirational types who just want to get richer by any devious means. Defined benefits or a lucrative job after politics, usually with bloodsuckers - super funds, gambling/hotel lobby, public private partnership operatives of our monopoly infrastructure, etc. Wheels within wheels. Nod nod, wink wink. Money, money, money.

Liberal Andrew Rob negotiated the China Australia free trade agreement and immediately sold the Darwin port to a Chinese company, Landbridge Group, which employed him on $880,000 a year plus expenses. Wow. What a man.

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ANOTHER DAY IN THE PROUD HISTORY OF OUR WONDERFUL DEMOCRACY

Eric Roosendaal MP had a seat in the upper house of the NSW parliament. He quit politics to work for Mr Huang's property development company, which donated $500,000 to the ALP. The company either is or isn't owned by the People's Liberation Army, the Communist Party of China or it's proxy. Mr Huang's friend, Ernest Wong, was installed as the new member of parliament in Roosendaal's seat on 24th May 2013.

Disclaimer: The Hon. Ernest Wong MP In the NSW Upper House has an impressive record of helping the downtrodden in his local community, and has served on his local council for 15 years. There is no suggestion that he has broken any law - the author.

Since 2012 Mr Huang has donated almost $3m to both sides of politics. Mate, buddy, pal, come in and scratch your name on the piano.

The two big parties, Tweedledum and Tweedledumber, are broken and so is our democracy.

Labor and the unions should amicably divorce and no proposal should be elevated because it's the wish of a donor in any party. All decisions must be based on the interests of all Australians and team voting outlawed.

FACT: Australians are not bloody stupid and will address any challenge. We could fund candidates and stop using fossil fuel whenever we choose. Check out best practice in Northern Europe.

Roy Morgan Image of Professions Survey 2017, rated for ethics and honesty:

Nurses. 94%

Doctors. 89%

School Teachers. 89%

Police. 76%. I congratulate them. 60 years ago they were yobbos.

Lawyers. 35%

Ministers of Religion. 34%

Bank managers. 33% Remember when the priest/vicar, solicitor and bank manager were the 3 village gods?

Financial planners. 25%

Business executives. 18%

Union leaders. 17%

MPs. 16%. Wow. Whatever happened to statesmen and stateswomen, trust and respect?

Talkback radio announcers. 14%

Advertising people. 5%

Car salesmen. 4%. No mention of car saleswomen.

AND NOW - BY WAY OF CONTRAST - A LABOUR PARTY WITH A MANIFESTO

UK Labour's manifesto for the election of 8th June, 2017.

**Extra £37bn for the National Health Service.

**Abolish university tuition fees.

**More free child care.

**Boost infrastructure investment

**raise income tax on the top 5% and not on the 95%

**REDUCE VAT, the equivalent to Australia's GST

**Renationalise railways, post office.

**Create public bodies for water and sewerage management.

**Raise the minimum wage to £10 per hour.

**Create new local energy providers.

**Reverse conservatives' cuts to school budgets.

**Cap rents for tenants.

**Raise tax on companies and the top 5% of earners.

**Borrowing will be increased.

Young people came out in record numbers to support Labour's anti-austerity policies, and the conservatives lost their majority, forming a minority government with the Northern Ireland DUP.

BERNIE SANDERS AND THE PEOPLE'S SUMMIT

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has congratulated Jeremy Corbyn on Labour's performance: 'All over the world people are rising up against austerity and massive levels of income and wealth inequality.'

The People's Summit in Chicago USA 9-11th June 2017 brought together 4,000 left-wing progressives from many organisations, including unions, Our Revolution, People for Bernie, National Nurses United, Working Families Party, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, Reflective Democracy Campaign, Social Security Works, Greenpower, Common Defence, Washington Community Action Network, Food and Water Watch, United students Against Sweatshops, Knock on Every Door, MPOWER Change/Racial Justice, Democracy Spring and Young Progressive Democrats of America.

117 speakers included Bernie Sanders and author Naomi Kline.

I call on Labor and the Greens to run a People's Summit here.

OUTLAW FACTIONS IN POLITICAL PARTIES

Under the electoral act the votes of our representatives are sacrosanct and inviolable and cannot be bought. This is the law in our democracy, bought with the blood of 102,000 war dead. Money is of course not the only consideration. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. You can buy my Mercedes for a special price.

Systematic block voting is cartel behaviour and there should be stiff penalties, as there is in business for price fixing.

Better decisions come from a room full of independents. A private member's bill from an independent or small party would turn the spotlight on this disgrace and put pressure on Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

NOTICE TO POTATO RUSTLERS.

Wollongong man charged with stealing a bag of potatoes.

He got a good solicitor who asked him if he heaved the bag over the fence, or dragged it under the fence.

The man said it was heavy so it was dragged under the fence.

He was found to be innocent of all wrongdoing, as an old law said that taking potatoes is not a crime as long as they are dragged and the person is hungry.

CONGRATULATIONS

You are now a freedom fighter. This is a huge amount of fun. Our opponents are ignorant idiots who are on a hiding to nothing. Get focussed. We need high achievers. Climate change and inequality - here we come. This is the battle of the century and of a million years. This is a battle we must win. Only true disciples need apply. No more grog and smokes. Run, cycle, love, laugh and hoe into the fruit and veggies. What an opportunity to help others. We will all be dead for trillions of years. Smile. Give someone a surprise present today.

COOTAMUNDRA WATTLE

A song by John Williamson 1986

Last verse:

Don't buy the daily papers any more, woman

Read all about what's going on in hell

They don't care to tell the world of kindness

Good news never made a paper sell

There's all the colours of the rainbow in the garden, woman

And symphonies of music in the sky

Heaven's all around us if you're looking

But how can you see it if you cry.

Chorus:

Hey it's July and the winter sun is shining

And the Cootamundra Wattle is my friend

For all at once my childhood never left me

'cause wattle blossoms bring it back again.

GANDHI SAID:

A true disciple knows another's woes as his own. He bows to all and despises none.

SIR ROBERT SAID:

Greed is not good.

32 LETTER TO ANTHONY ALBANESE MP

To Anthony Albanese MP

Dear Comrade,

I would appreciate your comments.

Labor is going down the drain. The big parties are lackeys for their donors and a laughing stock. The Greens have stagnated, and been declared irrelevant by a journalist. Why is this? I see no defect in their policies. One Labor branch has voted for a Safe injection room and an inheritance tax over $5m which are Greens policies. The parties could enter a coalition agreement.

We need to haggle out a Vision for Australia with the Greens and possibly NXT in the tent.

Yours in Friendship,

Rob Gordon,

MOTIONS FOR MEETING.

1. As any organisation should be run by its members and be seen to be run by its members, we call on Comrades Shorten and Albanese to make Comrade Albanese leader and support a change of rules acknowledging the primacy of the members' votes.

2. As inequality is now described as beyond grotesque by Oxfam, we call on the nation to urgently bring in anti trust laws to dismantle the largest estates and a one off tax of fourteen point five percent on the wealth of the super rich, whether here or overseas, as mooted by Trump.

3. This branch calls on the party to support strongly progressive taxes only on the super rich to stop their share of all assets growing, and the increase of the tax free threshold from $18,200 to $75,000. All income and wealth held here or overseas in trusts or foundations or similar vehicles will be taxed as if it were in the hands of the beneficial owner, who must be named and not hidden by the criminal Swiss government supporting its criminal Swiss bankers.

The branch supports a wealth tax as in France, an inheritance tax over $5m and a great big new tax bracket of 55% over $1m (up from 45%) and raising the tax free threshold from $18,200 to $37,000 (approved some 9 months ago).

4. This branch supports a wealth tax as in France as follows:-

Net worth. Tax

$7m. - $10m. .7%

$10m. - $15m. 1%

$15m. - $40m. 1.25%

$40m. +. 1.5%

5. The party acknowledges :-

THAT all superannuation is a disgrace and a lottery as stated by Alan Kohler,

THAT compulsory superannuation was found by a university study to be detrimental to low income earners, marginal to the middle and a boon to the upper class,

THAT compulsory superannuation barely covered inflation in its first 25 years,

THAT it is not good to take people's money off them at the point of a gun according to Eva Cox, let alone the giving of it to cowboys to gamble with and charge outrageous fees by world standards.

THAT funds have mainly been used to acquire assets and this extra demand has caused an asset bubble to the benefit of the wealthy and the super rich, whereas the cash would otherwise be used by families for necessary consumption, food, clothing, education, housing and transport, and get some of the 20% of all children out of poverty, such consumption having a multiplier effect in the economy, whereas the purchase of assets are merely transfer payments which are not beneficial to the economy,

THAT superannuation has been found to only replace other forms of savings, especially the family home, dashing the dreams of many.

THAT compulsory superannuation has denied housing to many thousands or millions of families for decades, including a time when housing was affordable,

THAT demonstrably a large number of employees will die before collecting,

THAT the scheme is being run by greedy self-interested ideologues who won't give a family its money even if they are being turfed out onto the street,

THAT most families desperately need their earned wages for food, clothing, housing, transport, holidays and education.

THAT workers have a basic democratic right to get their earnings and make their own decisions, as Comrade Pandopoulos said about pokies,

THAT the intention of superannuation is and was always to give a person a fund to draw upon for living expenses during retirement, and not to be a gift from taxpayers to wealthy beneficiaries. This branch abhors the ludicrous notion of a person having over $100m in super and getting, say, $10m per annum profit from it TAX FREE which is beyond grotesque. No reasonable person would spend over $100m on her retirement (largely funded by the low income taxpayer),

THAT superannuation is only one of many forms of savings, which is nice for the tiny minority of families who are in the fortunate position of being debt free and having spare cash to save, and that such action is not so hallowed and crucially beneficial to all as to attract the support of taxpayers by giving them dollops of finite government cash. There are far greater priorities like eradicating poverty, employing an extra 30% of teachers who are urgently needed by our kids, or addressing the waiting list for urgent operations.

6. The party should drop negative gearing which, like compulsory superannuation, makes us look like a conservative party which entrenches privilege and beats the poor with a stick.

We live in a free democratic market and it is wrong to force first home buyers to compete with tax dodging investors and foreigners including criminals for the finite supply of new homes, thus forcing up the price of new homes.

All citizens have had to wear changes to laws forever and we do not agree to exempting existing rental houses from the end of negative gearing. These are

in the main very wealthy tax dodgers and they owe us, not the reverse.

75% of taxable capital gains are owned by the wealthiest 10%. - Leigh Sales - the 7.30 Report - April 2016.

7. The party should censure the member for Gellibrand for stating on Q & A that it represents the middle class. The party represents all 24m Australians in accordance with the values of egalitarianism, a fair go for the battler and the light on the hill. The party has actively maintained an accord between employers and employees for the benefit of all. Is Labor scared of change? Clearly we never address the important issues, preferring to home in on silly little issues like a slight reduction in ludicrous penalty rates. I met a cafe proprietor who said he is making NO MONEY after paying his rent of $5,000. We expect him to happily pay someone TRIPLE TIME. YES, TRIPLE TIME. What a joke.

8. As there are now 2.56m workers unemployed or underemployed (Roy Morgan) and 3m Australians in poverty, 900,000 of whom are working poor, and the conservatives have done away with over 100,000 apprenticeships in 3 years, Labor will introduce a "working nation" policy and significantly boost TAFE, apprenticeships and other training for the long-term unemployed, and bring back technical secondary schools.

9. The branch requests Comrades Shorten and Albanese and the National Secretary to promptly advise us of the true beneficial owners of the secret "untraceable" 60% of donations spent at the last election. We are the members and we have a right to know who's pulling the strings in OUR PARTY.

10. The party supports the disposal of the Future Fund to optimum advantage as it is unnecessary and a burden to citizens as our net government debt is trifling by OECD standards, and future governments will raise taxes based on the ability to pay. It is a burden on workers here today for the benefit of the wealthy of the future. The Fund has $120bn which should be spent right now on social housing, and part should be used for the most profitable infrastructure projects, for example the Brisbane to Melbourne speed and goods trains, ($114bn) which will add to jobs and skills, take 2,000 trucks off the road and make a second Sydney airport unnecessary, subject to feasibility. Like super, the fund gambles with a quarter of its funds in overseas share markets. What a disgrace!

Politicians from all parties should be statesmen and women who vote as individuals on the merits, and follow the recommendations of Infrastructure Australia instead of cherry-picking projects in preferred electorates.

The government should govern, and not aim to take money off workers at the point of a gun to make itself an investor getting a minimal return. Governments should be honest with citizens who should not be manipulated by ridiculous fears of debt and the future. Trickle-down is a big lie, and as Wayne Swan said, the debt crisis is confected, just one of many election lies. If debt were so horrendous, why did the Liberals abolish two excellent taxes? And now they propose a third, $50bn company tax cuts to benefit unconscionable wealthy banks and overseas shareholders (part approved by parliament April 2017 - $24bn of your money and mine given up, whilst welfare recipients are plundered, hounded and abused). We know who these people are and we know what their game is.

Their only interest is taking money off the workers and giving it to their wealthy mates. At this time when there are 20 jobseekers for every vacancy.

11. The party will respect the rights of citizens and adopt a bill of rights as in the USA, and Citizen Initiated Referenda (CIR) as in Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Russia, 26 states in the USA and all German states. It was recently announced as One Nation policy. A referendum could be held requiring a law to be enacted or repealed upon the petition of 100,000 voters. CIR will make voters more aware and counteract the current apathy and cynicism. Instead of being leaders and showing the way, the country is ossified because the old ultra conservative parties, Labor and Liberal, are constipated puppets acting for their largely anonymous donor's interests which are directly opposite to what we all know has to be done.

12. The party will move to censure the Australian Federal Police for deliberately refusing to honour its prime responsibility to protect 9 young Australians, known as the Bali 9, who were innocent until proven guilty, and present them to Australian courts, to be dealt with under Australian law, and for deliberately exposing them to the death penalty. Parliament will resolve that the Australian Federal Police are not the colleagues of any foreign police force. Parliament will demand full details of contacts between the Australian Federal Police and the Howard government in the lead up to the information being given to Indonesia, regarding the likelihood of them being fingered by Howard and Ruddock who can then boast "tough on crime" a la David Hicks.

13. The branch acknowledges the health problems caused by sugar, and supports a 20% tax on all sugar and mandatory reductions in its use by manufacturers.

14. The branch supports a 20 cent charge on all single use plastic bags with exemptions for raw meat and fish, prescription medicines, seeds and flowers.

In the U.K. the 7 main supermarkets handed out 7bn bags in a year, and that dropped to 500m in the first 6mths after a charge was brought in. The supermarkets gave the £29m collected to charity.

15. The party supports a fixed term of four years for federal parliament.

16. Because the planet is facing disastrous global warming and extinctions due to humans failing to live sustainably despite warnings, and indeed continuing to use resources at the rate of 1.5 planets, the party recommends a one child policy to all Australians.

END

Update: A Labor branch has passed a resolution banning single use plastic bags.

# CARTOONS BY SIR ROBERT GORDON

Harpa is a typical battle hardened Icelandic killer detected spying on our defence facilities. Note that these people are trained to keep their eyes closed at all times to avoid eye scanning technology.

#  SUPERANNUATION AND DEBT

According to financial journalist Alan Kohler, all superannuation is a gamble and a disgrace and should be abolished. Superannuation is just another name for an investment. But this investment is special - It comes with a big fat gift from wage earners to the lucky already-rich person via tax cuts.

Investments are made by wealthy people, a minority of citizens, with a surplus of cash after paying for the essentials of life, like food , clothing, housing, education and transport. All of the investment options are available to those fortunate enough to have surplus cash. It does not need to be tagged "superannuation." They could buy shares, property, treasury bonds, company debentures, etc.

Superannuation is a popular choice of these lucky people because of the huge unwarranted and undemocratic tax benefit, a gift from struggling working families. IT MUST BE ABOLISHED.

The bloodsuckers running it tell people repeatedly that they won't have enough for retirement and should be paying 18% of their wages, whereas the law requires employers to pay 9.5%. There is a huge tug-of-war between all financial institutions for control of workers' savings.

Introducing and enforcing such a draconian failed economic policy might be imagined in a dictatorship or a police state, but in a democracy our rights are supposed to be respected. The right to be given your hard-earned earnings.

It has only replaced other forms of savings, a home for a family for example, now renting because of compulsory super, when they could have bought when prices were lower. A family who now pay higher rent, and have seen property values soar thanks to tax-dodging investors, whilst their savings in the super fund, ripped off them at the point of a gun, have stagnated or effectively gone backwards after inflation. Of course those who live to collect this pittance find its purchasing power greatly reduced.

The highest income tax bracket is 45%, but high income earners can opt to add any amount to the compulsory 9.5% of their wage or salary taken as superannuation, and pay only 15% tax on it. This has been farcically distorted by the very rich who pretend to need over $100m for their living expenses in retirement, whereas the government's ASIC has found that a frugal lifestyle costs $24,000 a year if you own your own home, and a comfortable lifestyle, $35,000 a year (single person), once again if she owns her own home.

Large numbers suffered bad luck and are destitute pensioners through no fault their own. I am promoting the minimum wage, $36,108.80 a year for all welfare recipients. This is the amount determined by government processes for a very, very, frugal lifestyle for a person who doesn't own her own home.

To the ASIC frugal lifestyle, $24,000 for a home owner,

you can add rent of $15,600 per year ($300 a week)

Total. $39,600 p.a. for a frugal life for non-home owner.

According to the Association of Super Funds of Australia the costs for a couple owning their own home are : frugal $34,000, : comfortable $59,000.

Multiply these by life expectancy and of course the sum of $100,000,000 plus is ludicrous. But wait, there's more. These poor souls who are so concerned about their retirement are getting some $10m plus return on their super fund TAX FREE EVERY YEAR!! I kid you not. This is our brave new world under Tweedledum and Tweedledee for which 102,000 Aussie kids died in wars.

BRING BACK PUBLIC GOODS

Governments need taxes to pay for the public goods they provide, and the tax gifted to the wealthy is paid for by the low and middle income earners, partly in cash and partly by less health, education and welfare support. Public schools and hospitals across the land have been denied adequate funding since 2013, and hundreds of programs helping those in poverty have been cancelled. 100,000 apprenticeships have vanished since the coalition was elected four years ago.

Some 25 years ago compulsory superannuation was introduced. It will not stand the test of time. 9.5% of wages are taken at the point of a gun, possibly contrary to our constitution, and given to spins and Cowboys to gamble with. A university study found this to be DETRIMENTAL to low income earners, who are entitled to their money, and to make their own decisions.

Some politicians argued strongly that people are indeed entitled to make their own spending decisions when it comes to filthy evil pokies. They promote gambling because they are funded by the rotten evil gambling lobby. Because of both pokies and compulsory superannuation many families are further impoverished and denied money for housing, education, food, clothing and transport. Of 3 million in poverty, including almost one child in 5, 30% are the working poor. That's 900,000 Australians - the working poor.

In fairness, in equity and in common sense, there is no case whatsoever for democratic governments to take money off the poor and workers and give it to the wealthy. There is now $1.9 trillion in Australian super, $260 for every man, woman and child on earth, or $79,167 for every man, woman and child in Australia.

Of course for those with their snouts in the trough, no amount is ever enough. They are pushing for the 9.5% to be increased to 18%. HOW DARE THEY

. HOW DARE THEY.

I met a woman who supports compulsory superannuation because many workers would just spend the money on alcohol and cigarettes. HOW DARE SHE. HOW DARE SHE.

Every week 3,000 Australians of all ages die of all causes, including those cut down in the current epidemic of alcohol and cigarettes, on average 10 years before their time. Many will never collect the cash so cruelly and forcibly taken from them as super. Most of those who do collect get a pittance which goes nowhere, unless of course, you are a super-rich tax dodger.

* A study showed that returns on super barely covered inflation in the first 20 years of compulsory super (2.5%), whilst denying families housing etc.

* The fees charged to Australians by the Cowboys gambling with the hard-earned wages of the workers are outrageous by world standards - Alan Kohler.

* Compulsory superannuation is a rort for fund managers and very harmful for working families, according to a university study, which found it to be a boon for the wealthy. Surprise, surprise.

* It merely replaces other forms of savings like home ownership, which it denies working families, for the benefit of tax dodging highly-geared landlords.

* The claim that future governments will not have the money to pay us pensions is absolutely ludicrous and fear-mongering by some politicians. Future politicians will raise necessary cash at the stroke of a pen in the annual budget by taxing according to the means to pay.

* Current politicians are surprisingly reluctant to tax the rich for some strange and unknown reason. If you and I show leadership right now, they will follow.

We know all about Group Think. Time to stand up.

* The supposed benefit of superannuation is taking "pressure" off the pension budget decades from now. These canny manipulators are purporting to stand in the shoes of elected representatives decades from now and make decisions on their behalf in the here and now. How insane is that? HOW DARE THEY. HOW DARE THEY.

There never has been, and never will be the dreaded "pressure" on the pension budget. Future politicians will represent their constituents, raise taxes based on the ability to pay, and pay adequate pensions without a second thought.

* Revenue forgone to wealthy tax-dodging superannuation account holders is now $33 BILLION EACH AND EVERY YEAR, which is almost the cost of giving them all the pension. This is a cash payment every year from the poor to the rich. This tax loss is growing at 13% a year, whereas the aged pension is only growing at 3% a year.

* Such tax breaks distort investment decisions away from more efficient use of capital.

* According to the OECD, inequality has worsened markedly around the world in recent decades, exacerbated by such tax breaks. It's actually worse than at any time since the French Revolution.

* The income of our top 10% is now 9 times that of the bottom 10%, up from 8 times 20 years ago, and inequality in household wealth is getting a lot worse. Household debt is at record levels, but the super rich are almost debt-free, owing just 4% of their assets.

Just imagine those poor souls suffering the awesome responsibility of investing their $50 million plus. Spare a thought for those burdened with $500 million or several billion.

AND THE VISION- CONTINUING GREED AND THEFT

In 2016 and 2017 the political parties are tinkering around the edges. Minor changes proposed by the Liberals affect the top 4% marginally. The situation is now so perverse that we hound the poor for income tax on earnings over $18,200 a year, from the sweat of the brow, and we have citizens with well over $100 MILLION in their superannuation account, and earning around $10 MILLION THEREON EVERY YEAR TAX FREE!! No need to work - just sit back and watch the cash roll in.

Labor wants to tax them a pathetic 15%. In my view it should be 75%, which was the highest marginal tax rate in the time of the Liberal's founder, Robert Gordon Menzies.

75% of the profits from negative gearing and capital gains rorts goes to the 10% most wealthy people.

The aim of superannuation is to increase your lifestyle options in your dotage years, not to leave a tax-free windfall to your beneficiaries. It is ludicrous to argue that a person wants to spend over $100 million on reasonable lifestyle necessities during retirement, and that poor taxpayers must further subsidise this, after already tipping in a sizeable portion of that nest egg. Just one more gift from the workers to the super-rich.

In the UK pension funds suggest that retirees draw out 2.5% to 4% per annum from the capital in their fund for spending, gnawing your way through it all, if you can manage to hang on that long. Good luck.

We are harangued ceaselessly about the annual budget deficit and the need to hang austerity on the poor and the workers. All part of the neo-liberal insanity that started in the eighties. Privatisation of our communal monopoly utilities, small government and tax cuts for the rich. We need, AND ARE ENTITLED TO, adequate government. Not big, not small. Right now our government is very small by OECD standards.

* There is no debt problem because our government debt is a trifling 4% of GDP, after deducting the Reserve Bank and the Future Fund, compared with 120% in 1936 and 1946, OECD average 73% and Japan 200%.

* Remember the debt crisis and budget repair needed in the 2013 election, to urgently address Labor's irresponsible debt? Remember the Liberals/Nationals telling us that all social classes must shoulder their share of the hardship, and that the adults were now in charge?

Two months after the election the Grattan so-called Institute helpfully told us that all classes must shoulder their share of the hardship.

As this book is all about snouts in the trough, I must say that these geysers sit up there in their Ivory tower in Melbourne University, living on the profit from a $34m, mainly government grants, led by barrister Allan Myers who is worth $673 million parroting the austerity mantra. Poor people are not represented on the board. Malcolm Turnbull's wife is on the board.

Of course this talk of all classes etc. etc. is code for NOT raising taxes based on the ability to pay, and is unAustralian. We are no longer proudly an egalitarian nation which helps the battler. What do we want to be? You are part of we. What do you want us to be?

We no longer provide a free education to all. The Liberals helpfully advised us that we are either lifters or leaners, designed no doubt to increase national love and togetherness.

There are now between 20 jobseekers for every vacancy, wages have flatlined for a decade and home ownership has fallen, and yet immigration is running at 300,000 a year, compared with 200,000 in the nineties. When did we vote for this? This is putting more pressure on the housing market and the job market, driving up unemployment and driving down wage rates.

The conservatives have rained tax cuts and benefits on the super-rich, whilst increasing charges and cutting benefits to the poor and workers. A farmer with 2,000 acres of fertile land was given a grant to fence off 25 acres and plant Tree Lucerne. Oink, oink.

Hundreds of crucial community programmes assisting the sick, the elderly, the disabled, the jobseekers and those in poverty for no fault of their own have been denied renewal of their funding.

Well now it's four years later and the conservatives are strangely quiet on the debt crisis. Under them the debt has grown by 700%. YES, GROWN BY 700%. Of course it was always a lie and a beat-up. Even now our government debt is chickenfeed by historical and OECD norms.

We are a low tax country. Repeat: WE ARE A LOW TAX COUNTRY.

Our government debt is miniscule.

We are being manipulated by fear. Our aged pensions will be $50bn in 2050, so they say.

So what! Who cares? It is a tiny fraction of government income. It's none of our business. We must relax and have a good life here today and TRUST future elected governments to make the best decisions.

We are not empowered to make their decisions for them.

VICTORIA POLICE ENTERPRISE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

Victoria police are better paid than the federal police. Why is this?

Just imagine you are a fly on the wall at a meeting to negotiate an EBA between the state and the police union.

My father got two weeks annual holiday from Dunlop Rubber. Police get 9 weeks, up from 7, if they work 40 hours a week instead of 38.

The meeting is between the minister and the head of the police union and their advisors. Taxpayers are represented by a bottomless pot of gold, which unfortunately can't speak for itself.

The law states that employees are entitled to compulsory super of 9.5% paid by the employer, on the police wage of over $65,000, the shift allowances, the overtime, the holiday pay and the weekend loading of up to 250%.

As a statesman or stateswoman the minister is obliged to get current market value for every dollar of tax, and pay 9.5% and not one cent more.

1. The police union asks for 18% super if their member pays a further 7%, bringing it up to 25%. They walk away with over $1m.

This is not money for jam. It's far worse than that. This extra 8.5% is money for nothing. A gift. A great dollup of taxpayers' hard earned money; and what did we get for that money? Nothing.

If a state employee opts to pay an extra 7% into a super fund, or an extra 77%, it's on no consequence to the taxpayers at all, except of course the woeful tax

dodging arrangement in place.

2. The minister agrees, which is theft from the public purse that she is employed to defend. Why give away 8.5% of our money for nothing in return? Nothing. Zilch.

If the employee chose not to pay the extra 7%, we would not have to pay the extra 8.5%. There was no statesman in the room protecting taxpayers. Does she have a conflict of interest? The donor class are rooting for super which greatly enhances their super rich donors at the expense of the 90% due to outrageous tax give-aways. There is a huge battle for control of workers' savings. She could be in line for a job as a board member of a super fund; up to $264,000 a year for attending 10 meetings.

We can reasonably expect that 100% of police pay the 7%.

WE ARE OUR SISTER'S KEEPER

The message of this book is: Let's look at the tax mix confronting us today, and let's correct the lies and greed of the decades, and let's return to Australian values of a fair go for the battler. We are our sister's keeper.

We must bring in half a dozen taxes on only the super-rich, raise the tax-free threshold to $75,000 and borrow billions at 2.11% and build our most profitable infrastructure projects and social housing. Just like any normal decent democratic nation.

* The deficit is caused by governments refusing to tax the rich, by abolishing the mining super profits tax and the floating carbon price, by giving billions from the poor to their rich mates every year as tax breaks.

* Now it is proposed to give the banks and rich shareholders, many of whom are overseas, $50 billion in company tax cuts, such a loss to be made up by the poor and workers. If we don't agree, we are told, the companies may leave. The manipulation is never-ending. If the present 30% rate was so horrendous and unacceptable, the companies would have left long ago.

Come on Australia. In any case the real tax rate actually paid is 16.5%. There is no need for us to join the race to the bottom.

We are all in a train heading at breakneck speed towards an ever-more unequal society for our kids and grandkids, and towards the devastated remains of a post-industrial overpopulated planet. At breakneck speed!

As we are empowered, the next logical step is for you and me to use our power.

The upper class in Australia is on track to increase its share of all assets from 45% to 54% within 8 years. I will devote my life to making sure this doesn't happen.

DEMAND THAT THE SUPER RICH BE TAXED RIGHT NOW!

#  TAX HAVENS AND ETHICAL INVESTMENTS

Australian share funds using environmental, social and government (ESG) factors have beaten the average returns of mainstream share funds over one, three, five and ten years.

Increasingly people are choosing not to invest in fossil fuels, mining companies like BHP or Rio Tinto, or the big banks that provide finance to them. Tobacco, alcohol and gambling are to be avoided. Woolworths owns liquor outlets and is the biggest owner of filthy, evil poker machines which destroys families and deprives them of desperately needed cash, and Wesfarmers, the owner of Coles, has extensive coal interests.

Some funds adhere to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and have signed up to the goal of the Paris Convention on Climate Change in 2015 to keep global warming below 2 degrees (which is a total disaster and probably an impossible dream, but we must give it our best shot). We have already heated the planet by over 1 degree and the disaster is all around us every day.

It is frustrating that compared to the US, there is much less disclosure of investment holdings among both super funds and managed funds.

Many large super funds now allow fund members to invest directly in Australian shares.

No-one knows if shares will go up or down. The odds are 50/50. So-called experts are no different than anyone else. Compulsory superannuation returns barely covered inflation in the first 20 years.

It is a disgrace that working families have their desperately needed, hard-earned wages taken from them at the point of a gun, compulsory superannuation, for no good purpose. Families are deprived of cash needed today for food, clothing, transport, education and housing in particular, as it has produced a rapidly growing number of impoverished pensioners in the private housing market.

TAX HAVENS

"Tax havens are at the heart of financial, budgetary, and democratic crises." - - the The Hidden Wealth of Nations by Gabriel Zucman.

Tax havens came into existence between the wars, set up by the UK upper class for their own benefit, contrary to their obligations under the social contract to support their democratic nation whose laws have granted them extraordinary financial advantage.

Tax havens have grown to be a major threat to equality, global justice and democracy. Correction is critically and urgently needed.

Zucman estimates that offshore wealth has increased by 25% from 2008 to 2014. Since 2009 Swiss banks have focused their attention on their ultra-high net-worth clients, those with more than $50 mil. in assets, whose fortunes are rising rapidly.

Zucman estimates that the global loss to tax fraud is $200 billion a year.

The upper class in Australia will increase its share of all assets from 45% to 54% within some 9 years. These events are a function of weak or non-existent taxes on the upper class and especially the super-rich.

The matter is urgent and critical and you and I are empowered to tax the rich and stop hounding the poor to an early grave. Encouragingly, the Green's policy is for inheritance tax on estates over $5mil. We also need wealth tax as in France, a great big new high income tax bracket of 55% over $1m and the abolition of negative gearing and capital gains benefits.

We can help eradicate poverty by raising the tax-free threshold from $18,200 to $75,000.

In October 2016 3,000,000 Australians are in poverty including almost one child in five. 2,560,000 WORKERS are unemployed or underemployed: Roy Morgan Polls.

Ironically, one of the most enthusiastic cheer-leaders of tax havens is Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia, whose prime task is supposedly to promote fair and transparent tax collection and democracy. His hundreds of millions are cycled through tax havens including Panama and Cayman Island.

The huge annual profits from his investments would be lowly taxed in Australia, but he refuses to pay, contrary to his obligations under the social contract. His funds in the Cayman Islands would be invested through companies and trusts into hedge funds in places like Luxembourg where the tax is zero. Returns have been over 10%, giving him a neat little $20m to $50m plus a year tax-free.

He was challenged in parliament and declared that his investments were legal, but he omitted to add that this was his opinion. He has not faced court so we don't have the court's decision on his tax fraud.

Never forget that you are empowered, and that the most powerful force in the world is an idea at its time. Demand justice now. We will not cringe under the jackboot.

Turnbull has one vote, whereas those disadvantaged by this tax fraud and are paying more direct and indirect taxes to make up the shortfall, are the poorer 90% of the population.

Nations are now considering setting up a worldwide register, recording who owns what in stocks and bonds, allowing them to fight tax evasion. There are private registers in Europe and the US of those who benefit from tax evasion that are not open to governments at this time.

A global financial register would identify the actual owners of all assets.

Previously there was a social contract that everyone has to pay taxes in a fair and transparent way, so as to finance public goods and services.

The social contract, at the very core of modern democracies, is at an end, repudiated by the super rich and the large corporations who use tax havens to pay almost no tax at all.

The pitchforks are coming. You can only rob and abuse people for so long.

The naked greed and immorality of some have stoked extreme inequality and the politics of hatred in this fair land, formerly known for a fair-go for the battlers. This is class warfare and the 90% must urgently rise up and say enough is enough.

Possibly some of the super-rich have yet to learn that money doesn't buy happiness, and the only value of money is the value of good things it can be used for right now. Saving what's left of the environment, paying fair taxes, eradication poverty and helping others would be a good start.

There is no nirvana at the end of a rainbow. This is your life here today. Your life is a function of what you did yesterday and last week. Change is urgently needed and nothing happens until you make it happen.

The share of all assets owned by the upper class is soaring due to ineffective taxation, and this can be corrected at the stroke of a pen.

You are favoured to be in a participatory democracy, so celebrate your good fortune and PARTICIPATE. RIGHT NOW.

Step up and be an example to others. Have a balanced day, a balanced week, and a balanced year. Quality time it's called these days. Celebrate your good life and your good fortune.

Almost 3,000 Australians die every week, all ages, all causes. Celebrate that you weren't one of them. Take great care. Don't believe "it only happens to other people."

We will be dead for many trillions of years, but we are capable of doing good things today. Nothing happens until you make it happen.

Over 8% of the world's wealth is held in tax havens. The figure in developing countries, Africa, Russia and the Middle East, is much higher due to rampant corruption, which is severely retarding equality, justice and development.

Banks in Ireland and Cyprus were almost bankrupted within the last 5 years, throwing thousands into poverty.

Apple has avoided tens of billions in taxes by unilaterally channelling sales through offices remote from the countries where the goods were sold.

LOBBY NOW TO DECLARE TAX HAVENS PARIAH STATES

Tax havens and the tax fraudsters have conspired to defraud the innocent victim countries of needed and necessary revenue for public goods like schools and hospitals. This has placed an intolerable burden on the poor and workers in the victim countries.

Tax havens must make good the losses they have visited on the poor and workers in victim countries.

Tax fraudsters can bring the money back and pay the tax avoided, plus fines and interest, or the whole sum will be confiscated by their nation.

LUXEMBOURG offers tailored tax deals to multi-national companies.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS allows money launderers to create anonymous companies for a penny.

PARIAH STATE No. 1. SWITZERLAND, which keeps the wealth of corrupt elites out of sight, the stolen revenue of foreign nations. The Swiss will tell you that their country is run like a police state, but at least the crime figures are low. Street crime that is, not corporate crime.

However such repulsion to crime does not extend to the upper class, as Switzerland is the world's no. 1 financial criminal, wallowing in corruption and cronyism, joyously partnering in crime with some of the super-rich from around the globe including African dictators, Russian oligarchs and Malcolm Turnbull, the Prime Minister of Australia.

The certainty of being able to hide the profits of crime can only give encouragement to the black market, drug trafficking, bribes, false billing and others.

The Swiss cozied up to the Nazis during the Second World War. The international Volcker commission investigated the wealth held on behalf of the victims of the Nazis in the 1990s.

During the war a flash hotel on the lake at Zurich had a sign on the front lawn "No Dogs or Jews Allowed."

Swiss banks partnered up with wealthy foreigners to commit tax fraud. They collect dividends and interest on behalf of the foreigners which are never reported to other countries. The banks hold financial securities for other parties which are not reported anywhere.

Between the wars off-shore wealth held by Swiss banks soared to 125 billion Swiss Francs in a period of economic stagnation.

BIG LIE No. 1

After WW 2 America suspected Switzerland of kowtowing to the Axis powers, and froze the USA assets of the French held anonymously through Swiss banks. Before handing over billions under the Marshall Plan, the USA demanded that Switzerland disclose who really owned the funds, and that France declare that all these hidden fortunes had been disclosed and taxed.

Swiss bankers and authorities conspired to create a vast web of lies and deceit and have truly earned their Pariah State status, and should suffer the harshest sanctions right now.

They falsely certified that French assets invested in American shares were owned by Swiss citizens or companies in Panama.

Swiss bankers used this same fraud again in 2005 so their customers could avoid a new EU tax. This is Criminal Grand Larceny.

THESE CROOKS MUST BE FINED AND JAILED AND FORCED TO MAKE REPARATIONS.

Relying on the goodwill of these crooks to achieve justice is idiotic. Under the Rubik agreement with the UK in 2013, the banks agreed to collect UK taxes.

True to form the criminal Swiss banks claimed to have no or very few British customers and very little tax was collected.

Common sense suggests there must be laws, obligations and verification.

A cartel agreement of the Swiss Bankers Association more than doubled fees between 1940 and 1983, meaning that the proceeds of crime were shared between the defrauders and the banks to the applause of the Swiss government.

In the 1980s new centres of wealth management emerged: Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, Jersey and the Bahamas, offering the same services as Switzerland: probable tax-free dividends, interest, capital gains, wealth, or inheritances.

In 2015 foreign wealth invested worldwide was some $US7.6 trillion, including Switzerland $US2.3 trillion, of which $US1.3 trillion was held by Europeans.

Off shore depositors use their nest egg to anonymously invest in shares and hedge funds in other countries for the purpose of tax fraud.

By and large the Swiss control the other tax havens, with Luxembourg leading in mutual funds. Hedge funds are more speculative and are located in the Cayman Islands because of soft laws, and Ireland is the chosen land of monetary funds. In those countries no tax is paid on dividends paid into the funds.

These countries, along with Panama and the Virgin Islands, have a beggar thy neighbour policy, and prosper at the cost of workers in the victim countries.

Today more than 60% of accounts in Switzerland are held by shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, trusts registered in the Cayman Islands, or foundations based in Liechtenstein. This global system is designed so that the true owners of the wealth are hidden. The Pariah State is the puppet master, pulling the strings in all tax havens.

BIG LIE No. 2

For 70 years Swiss bankers have claimed that wealth they held was on behalf of Jews fleeing persecution pre-war. However the Volcker commission found that of the 2.2 million accounts opened between the wars, only 1.5% were by the victims of the Holocaust. These lying fraudsters must be charged and punished.

Gabriel Zucman suggests that a customs duty of 30% on all goods imported from Switzerland would force it to disclose all the assets held there.

All of this theft of course causes higher taxes to be raised from the law abiding citizens of the victim countries, by and large the poor and middle classes.

All of this theft is a function of the rich and powerful in the victim countries, who have consciously chosen to avoid their proper tax contribution and handball it to those less able to pay, causing further hardship and child poverty.

Tax havens will soon die out as many countries have promised to abandon banking secrecy and force multinationals to pay what they owe.

The known thieving nations will be blackballed, ostracised and penalised if they continue with lies and delays.

The automatic transfer of information from tax haven banks to taxing authorities will be mandated.

Multinationals like Google, Apple and Amazon could be forced to pay a consolidated worldwide tax on profits, or alternately a turn-over tax in the countries where the sales take place.

Most Swiss bank customers are Europeans who anonymously control their assets through the British Virgin Islands. Their investment of choice is Luxembourg funds on which they pay no tax.

WHY ARE THERE TAX HAVENS?

During the nineteenth century some European families accumulated vast wealth due to low or no taxation. Why was this? Was there a social contract? Were the masses asleep at the wheel? Were they allowed to vote?

In France the tax on dividends was 4% in 1913. However, to pay for the war, the top marginal income tax rate rose to 50% in 1920, and 72% in 1924.

Swiss banks formed a cartel in 1912. The big 4 banks in Australia are effectively a cartel today.

Switzerland enjoys the guarantee of perpetual neutrality since the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

VICTIM COUNTRIES HAVE A CLEAR CHOICE, EITHER. : -

A) Bring their elites to heel, or

B) the austerity death spiral: public debt up and government spending down, which reduces demand and growth leading to more debt.

In Australia for example, the conservatives came to power in a blaze of publicity over a confected debt crisis. The debt was one of the lowest in the developed world, only 4% of GDP after deducting the Reserve Bank and the Future Fund. The net debt is now 16.9% of Gross Domestic Product.

After 3 years of austerity, slashing government spending and cutting welfare, the debt is 700% higher!!! Even that is very low compared to other nations.

Shockingly 100,000 apprenticeships have been lost and 2,560,000 workers are either unemployed or underemployed.

THE END OF TAX HAVENS

Laws can mandate the return of hidden assets. The tax authority can treat each case on its merits and impose fines based on the amount of tax defrauded and the duration of the fraud.

It may consume the whole of the hidden wealth. Billions would be raised which could be used to reduce public debt and build schools and hospitals.

Spain has adopted laws potentially taking more than 100%, and fraudsters could have their house seized.

We must now move beyond trusting the untrustable bankers. Swiss bankers will not co-operate of their own free will, in good faith. Look at their track record. Wake up to reality.

In the US HSBC bank was fined $1.92 billion, a fraction of its $22.6 billion profit. It gave up 4,450 names.

The Swiss bank Credit Suisse pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to defraud the IRS, for hiding the assets of Americans behind shell corporations, and was fined $2.6 billion.

Wegelin & Co entered into a plea agreement with US authorities after helping wealthy Americans avoid tax on $1.2bn. It paid $57.8m in fines and went out of business after 270 years. A partner Sid "Wegelin was aware that this conduct was wrong."

BSI was indicted for money laundering through its Swiss and Singapore offices. It assisted the 1Malaysian Development Fund, thought to have been milked by Malaysia's prime minister of many millions. BSI was sold to EFT in 2017. No BSI executives were appointed to EFT.

Australia must take similar steps to ensure compliance with our laws.

AND THE SOLUTION, ACCORDING TO GABRIEL ZUCMAN....

1. An international financial register, and

2. Concrete sanctions placed on tax havens proportional to the damage they have inflicted on the victim countries.

Tax havens get fat fees from fraudsters generating jobs, profits and taxes at the expense of their neighbours. Tiny Luxembourg has directly benefited its elites for decades, enabling some of them to occupy key positions in European institutions.

Tax havens can be induced to co-operate by further expansion of the USA FATCA laws, already adopted by some other countries. FATCA, Foreign Account Tax Compliant Act, taxes the interest and dividends paid by US businesses to tax havens.

GLOBAL CRIMINAL ORGANISATIONS

a) SWITZERLAND and its network of lackey tax havens around the world. The government and the banks it protects who profit from the proceeds of crime and welcome corrupt dictators and tax fraudsters.

b) RELIGIONS that perpetrate their ridiculous lies to the less educated and intelligent, refuse to empower or employ women, protect their criminal pedophiles for decades and pay no tax on their business profits.

The values of ancient goat-herders are interesting to historians, but have no relevance to life in the 21st century. In this day and age believers are barking mad and have a self-centredness problem. Church groups in Australia and the UK are social groups that don't accept the dogma.

c) THE MAFIA AND SIMILAR. All under the pump thank goodness due to better trained and equiped police.

d) MULTINATIONAL TAX FRAUDSTERS like McDonalds, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, BHP Billiton and Google, must be forced to pay tax in the country where the sales are made. Australia must make these laws immediately.

As a nation, which survived because of the sacrifice of 102,000 war dead, are we now a prostitute or a rape victim?

Step 1. We allow multinationals to come here to fleece the locals.

Step 2. Instead of complying with our laws, we allow them to cherry-pick a thieving low tax country to transfer their profit to, robbing all citizens of billions.

Step 3. These billions have to be made good by the citizens.

This is outrageous. A worker can't transfer her wage overseas to pay tax of a pittance to a bloodsucking thieving regime which conspires with criminal tax dodgers.

e) BIG TOBACCO Cigarette companies going forth every day with joy and enthusiasm and killing innocent kids. The West is belatedly wising up, so the companies are plaguing the third world. Hey kid, try this. So much for decency, respect, love, the duty of care and good wishes.

#  THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM AND OXFAM

Get aboard mates. Take my advice. Promote the Vision for Australia. This is a winner. This is an idea whose time has come. The most powerful force in the world. The writing is on the wall.

Amazingly, the World Economic Forum, the voice of the global ruling class, has slammed the shift of wealth to the top 1% since the 1980s, AND CALLED FOR THE RADICAL REFORM OF CAPITALISM!!

Their annual Global Risks report was published on 12.1.2017. The key hazards to their heavenly paradise include:-

\- rising income and wealth disparity,

\- the importance of identity and community, including environmental protection, and

\- "more fundamental reforms to market capitalism may be needed to tackle an apparent lack of solidarity between those at the top and those further down."

This seems to infer that the 3m in poverty don't regularly participate in drinkies on the superyacht.

The WEF has previously been pushing the neoliberal agenda:-

\- corporate tax cuts,

\- free trade,

\- weaker unions,

\- deregulation of the financial sector, and of course

\- privatisation of public services.

They are alarmed at the "popular disenchantment" exemplified by Brexit, Donald Trump and the result of the Italian referendum.

The ruling class must consider "the rewriting of capitalism itself."

Would you believe it? The arrogance! We are supposed to sit here like passive recipients, while the ruling class, a handful of greedy tax-dodgers, writes the rules for our world and its 7bn citizens, based on the best of all possible worlds from their point of view!!

Will someone please tell these people that they have 1% of the vote and we have 99%.

WE, THE PEOPLE, WILL REWRITE CAPITALISM AS WE CHOOSE, STARTING TODAY!!

They helpfully tell us:-

\- more people should benefit from technology, (inspirational stuff eh! - author),

\- better public goods will benefit the middle class, (wow - the awesome perception of these people, any mention of the workers and 3m Aussies in poverty?), and

\- there should be "more responsive government systems to empower individuals at the local level WITHOUT SACRIFICING THE MANY BENEFITS OF GLOBALISATION."

Well they sure said a mouthful there. What does it all mean? Waffle, waffle, waffle. These are the people who robbed governments and workers all around the world of taxes needed for public goods, schools, hospitals, water, clean energy and environmental repair.

These people are the main beneficiaries of their precious globalisation.

The message is clear: they are fearful that unless the benefits are distributed to the less well-off, there will be more Donald Trumps to upset their apple cart.

They helpfully tell us that inequality has risen since the 1980s. Well, well, well.

They took a swing at high CEO pay. Well, well, well.

They criticised world governments for not kick-starting economic growth. They would say that wouldn't they? As though gobble-gobble economics can go on forever. We are now using 1.5 planets.

These are the people who are robbing governments and workers of over $200 billion a year.

They sagely advise that automation causes deteriorating job prospects without the hint of a solution.

And that technology change brings on "challenges to social cohesion and policy makers' legitimacy." Jackson Stiles, The New Daily 12.1.2017.

Here we go again. Like Labor politicians, the WEF says "Shucks - ain't it awful," but never goes on to tell us the HOW. HOW! HOW! HOW ! HOW!

HOW will we radically reform capitalism?

HOW will we address gender, race, sexual orientation and environmental protection?

HOW will reforms give us solidarity between those at the top and the rest?

HOW to curb the big CEO heist?

HOW to calm the popular disenchantment?

Exactly WHICH new economic systems and policy paradigms will give us better public goods and widespread benefits of technology?

WHICH responsive government systems to empower individuals at the local level? Suggestion: don't hold your breath.

So here we go again. More spin, more weasel words, but no plan of action.

The WEF is meeting in Switzerland, which must be declared a pariah state for greedily aiding and abetting the world's greatest criminals, and profiting from conspiracy and the profits of crime. They lie to countries seeking to identify the accounts of their criminal countrymen.

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, told the WEF meeting urgent action is needed to tackle the "middle-class crisis" hitting working people, as inequality, distrust and a lack of hope were fuelling growing populism. She said she had first highlighted the dangers of growing inequality 4 years ago but had been ignored.

That's not good enough. That's a confession that she has been sitting on her hands for 4 years!! Why wasn't she campaigning - press releases - billboards - backing candidates with a plan - marching - burning her bras???

She recommended a mix of policies designed to stimulate growth and ensure the fruits of growth were more evenly spread. The Guardian 18.1.2017.

She and others will never address our present situation which is beyond grotesque according to Oxfam. They can only suggest trying for more growth and giving the people a few crumbs. How weak is that!!

They will never say HOW to stimulate growth, HOW to spread the fruits more evenly.

We, the 99%, must take half or more of their ill-gotten wealth off them by way of new taxes, old taxes, penalties and forced 100 year interest-free loans to government, for general revenue in our democracies under command capitalism. This will allow for infrastructure building including clean energy, job creation, tax breaks for the poor and workers, free universities, etc.

THEY WILL NEVER GIVE A PENNY, WE MUST STAND UP AND TAKE.

OXFAM

Oxfam is a development charity which reported that the world's eight richest billionaires control the same wealth as the poorer half of the globe's population, warning of an ever-increasing and dangerous concentration of wealth. The Guardian 16.1.2017.

Oxfam said it was "beyond grotesque" that a handful of men headed by the Microsoft founder Bill Gates are worth $426bn, equivalent to the wealth of 3.6 bn people.

Oxfam calls for a new economic model to reverse inequality, which it blames on aggressive wage restraint, tax dodging and the squeezing of producers by companies. It added that businesses were too focused on delivering ever-higher returns to wealthy owners and top executives. Just look at the cartel of 4 big banks in Australia for example - author.

Oxfam said the number has dropped from 62 to 8 over the last year largely because poverty in China and India was much worse the previously thought.

So, Oxfam calls for a new economic model - the World Economic Forum comfortingly tells us that "rising inequality is not an iron law of capitalism", but a matter of making the right policy choices - but no-one ever tells us WHAT IS THE NEW ECONOMIC MODEL? - WHAT ARE THE RIGHT POLICY CHOICES?

Oxfam said one in 9 people on the planet will go to bed hungry tonight, and that the fact that a super-rich elite are able to prosper at the expense of the rest of us at home and overseas shows how warped our economy has become.

The Oxfam report added that since 2015 the richest 1% has owned more wealth than the rest of the planet. Yes, read it again.

Oxfam called for fundamental change to ensure that economies worked for everyone, not just a privileged few.

Sorry folks, here we go again - EXACTLY WHAT FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE? HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW?

Never forget: you are empowered, and nothing happens until you make it happen.

The conservatives won't broach the subject of inequality at all, choosing to push their interpretation of income tax reform, meaning more obscene tax cuts for the rich, while harassing 1.7 million for alleged welfare overpayments.

We will never succeed unless we can imagine success. Get enthusiastic. Get out there. Find candidates who support the Vision for Australia.

Surprises happen in politics - all the time.

Encouragingly the bloodsuckers are getting nervous. They see the writing on the wall. Sharpen your pitchforks mates. Fun and games ahead.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

DEMOCRACY MUST STAND UP AND TAKE CHARGE OF THESE EXTREMES OF CAPITALISM RIGHT NOW.

THIS MEANS YOU.

#  TAX THE SUPER RICH AND ERADICATE POVERTY

One vote, one value. Let's make it mean something.

The inexorable march to the concentration of wealth has been going forward for 500 years.

However, inequality was reduced in : -

\- THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,

\- THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION,

\- WORLD WAR I,

\- THE GREAT DEPRESSION, and

\- WORLD WAR II.

Can a fair and equitable world be had by the right political decisions in the democratic process, without the necessity of wars and revolutions?

Why not?

Come on mates, give it a go!

Studies have shown irrefutably that the upper class are much better off in a more egalitarian society. Some of them may not accept that of course, based on the greedy habits of a lifetime, but that is beside the point. We all have one vote and one vote only. Some are showing leadership and giving huge gifts to universities, which is laudable.

They have only one vote each. In a democracy the majority rules.

Whether they are worth $15 million or $755,000,000, is immaterial as their lifestyle will be the same. Please, please, don't tune out and say the rich were always rich. TODAY WE ARE LOOKING AT EXTREMES OF WEALTH "BEYOND GROTESQUE" to quote Oxfam.

Today we are looking at the ugly, ugly, ultimate logical end of open-slather capitalism under current rules and practices. Rules made by human beings, us, the majority, in our democratic nations.

AND THE GOOD NEWS - THE GOOD NEWS.....

These rules made by us human beings can and will be altered by us human beings, starting right now.

We must stand together right now. Today, you and I are suffering the ludicrous ultimate extremes of unfair laws. In a short time one man may own the same wealth as the poorer half of humanity. It's only a question of simple arithmetic. Today it is eight men. Yes, 8 men own as much wealth as the poorer half of humanity - Oxfam.

Step 1. Bring in taxes only on the super-rich, with broad-based tax relief on the poor and workers. Blackball the tax havens and force them to cough up the names of the beneficial owners of the hidden bootee. Require the beneficial owners of all funds held overseas to confess or have those funds taxed or confiscated. Put a 35% tariff on goods from Switzerland. Their criminal bankers will soon yield and give us the names of the beneficial owners.

Step 2. Use those taxes and fines, plus borrowed funds to build the most profitable infrastructure, OWNED BY OUR GOVERNMENT - BY YOU AND ME, creating jobs and skills. Borrow billions immediately for those projects ranked by Infrastructure Australia as most profitable for the whole community, at the top of the list of 120. See the Infrastructure Priority list on their website.

Step 3. Bring in laws restricting the amount of money a person can take out of the country. If some super-rich are so unpatriotic as to remove large amounts, this will be good as the price of assets will decrease and be affordable by the workers.

Impose a turnover tax of 30% on all outgoing funds to bring multinationals including churches to heel. If any person or company makes money on trading within Australia, surely taxes are due to be paid here under existing laws, not .0005 of profits to be paid to a tax haven. If not, immediately bring in new retrospective laws. You will be truly amazed at what people can do when they want to do something.

Step 4. Aggressively pursue all funds transferred to tax havens and freeze all accounts and assets until the avoided tax and penalties are paid and those responsible are jailed. The whole amount could be confiscated by dodged taxes and fines.

Step 5. Boycott all tax havens and ban certain dealings with them. Impose import duties and tariffs.They will yield, as did South Africa under apartheid. They will regurgitate the beneficial owners of those trusts and foundations, who have refused to confess. The super rich have been getting 10%to 71% pa TAX FREE from Luxembourg hedge funds for example on their anonymous accounts. With all that obscene tax-free cash rolling in, no wonder their borrowings are only 4% of assets.

Malcolm Turnbull for example may have some $500m in a trust or foundation in the Cayman Islands, which in turn invests that amount anonymously in a Luxembourg hedge fund returning $50m plus a year tax free. Now there's a nice little earner. Small businesses owners and workers must feel warm inside whenever they pay their taxes, knowing our democracy to be so jolly and fair.

When pressed by the opposition, he helpfully explains that his taxation arrangements are legal, (note: it hasn't been tested in a court), and investment decisions are done at arm's length. This is a well-known joke, as only a trusted like-minded friend would be used as an investment manager under a confidentiality agreement, and there is no official vetting of all their communications.

When pressed further, trapped like rats in a corner, Turnbull and his ilk start screaming "class warfare" and "the politics of envy." I kid you not. This is the long-established tactic of the conservatives to try and close down the debate. This is the bottom of the barrel. They have no answer, so they start screaming CLASS WARFARE and THE POLITICS OF ENVY. Remember: our situation is beyond grotesque and we suffer it every day. US investor Warren Buffett has said that there has been class warfare for 20 years and his class has won.

Step 6. We may be going through the death throes of laissez-faire capitalism on a daily basis. That is rampant unbridled greed without a care for the harm done to others. Rule by the psychopaths. We must put in place sensible democratic measures to protect the people from this deceitful, duplicitous, insidious enemy within. Bring on democratic capitalism, the rule of the majority, and a return to an egalitarian Australia.

ONLY YOU CAN MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK.

WE NEED A COMMAND ECONOMY LIKE CHINA'S. COMMANDED BY POLITICIANS AS PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW, WHO AGREE WITH THE VISION FOR AUSTRALIA, AND BY THE PEOPLE VIA CIR.

Kick out the donor class and bring in CIR - Citizen Initiated Referenda - to put an end to disgraceful pork-barrelling.

All incomes over $1m should be taxed at 55%, presently 45%. The highest tax rate 50 years ago under the conservatives' cherished prime minister Menzies was 75%. Menzies spoke of the importance of home ownership for poor families.

To help eradicate poverty, the tax-free threshold should be raised from $18,200 to $75,000.

Extra money for the super rich only gives them more money to invest. To snap up bargains from, or outbid, the poor and the battered and depreciated middle class for the rapidly dwindling stock of assets they own.

In Australia the upper class will increase its share of all asset from 45% to 54% within 9 years unless YOU join a political party and stop it.

I have devoted my life to ensure that we are never blighted by this disgrace.

The notion that giving tax cuts to the rich will create jobs is a cruel private joke. AS THEY HAVE GOT AWAY WITH THIS LOW EVIL THEFT FROM STRUGGLING FAMILIES FOR 40 YEARS, IT IS ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE FOR YOU AND ME AND THE 99% TO STAND UP AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Demonstrably the tax cuts for the rich over the last 70 years have massively increased inequality and not created jobs.

In March 2016 Roy Morgan Polls found the true rate of unemployment to be 10%, and the underemployment to be 8.8%, that is 18.8% of all workers. YES - 18,8% OF ALL WORKERS! 2,480,000, WORKERS ARE EITHER UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED IN AUSTRALIA TODAY! And yet Gina Rinehart was allowed to bring in 1,700 from overseas, under Labor??? She helpfully hinted that we should be on $2 a day like others on our planet. With automation our labour will soon be next to worthless, and there is no plan B.

Bill Shorten said at the Victorian State Labor Conference that we must bring in overseas workers to address skills shortages. What a joke. 960 job categories are listed as shortages by the government. Boost the supply of labour, and the price of labour comes down.

With 2.48m workers either unemployed or underemployed, why has immigration been boosted to 300,000 a year? When did we vote for that?

Does the super-rich want to sell them stuff? Like land, houses and furniture?

In January 2017 a young German cabinet maker landed in Brisbane, got his white card to work in the building industry, and within a few days got a job at $25 per hour. Doesn't our 2.48m unemployed at underemployed workers include any cabinetmakers?

Why are backpackers working in jobs that should be done by Australians? Our uni students can't get part time work because hundreds of backpackers are working in restaurants. Or is it thousands?

Why are we spending taxpayers' money educating foreigners who then want to stay here and compete with Australians for the handful of jobs?

Why can't our public servants, with their outrageous defined benefits, control the shonky private education providers who have ripped us off for billions?

Why are foreigners here doing Mickey Mouse courses like hairdressing, with so many Australians out of work? Then they want to stay here. Don't we have unemployed hairdressers?

And yet the Liberal/National Conservatives want to give $50 billion, yes $50,000,000,000, in company tax cuts over 10 years, mainly to the banks and foreign shareholders.

In February 2017 Ken Henry, head of NAB, called for "tax reform" meaning tax changes to rob the poor and enrich the rich. He parroted the lunatic Right's call for a higher GST. He wants state stamp duties scrapped and a quicker drop in the company tax cuts. Stamp duty is a huge boon for state governments, collecting vast amounts from multimillion dollar sales. All owner occupied houses under $650,000 could be tax free, and then a low rate rising steeply.

If company tax were so onerous, there would be no companies here.

Henry said that because of the budget deficit, the pensions should not be increased to compensate for the increase in GST. Where have all the decent fair-minded Australians gone? The deficit is mainly a function of the Liberal giving up the mining super profits tax, and the floating carbon price, which is not a carbon tax, and the deficit is less than chickenfeed in any case, as is our government debt (18% of GDP, down from 120% in 1946).

He called for business to have a greater role in government. When did we vote for that? Whatever happened to the responsibility to govern for all and not cave in to greedy sectional interests?

BUY A FERRARI - TODAY

Inequality is the second largest moral challenge of our time, after climate change. Australia now has more first time Ferrari owners than any other country in the world, being 61% of all new Ferrari buyers. The Australian Financial Review 18/11/2016.

This is probably fuelled by the property bubble and, of course, by the neoliberal utopia of taxing the poor and the remainder of the devastated middle class, but not the rich.

THE LIMITS TO WEALTH

There are anti-trust laws requiring monopolies to be broken up.

There must be similar laws limiting the extent of wealth. There must be effective taxes and laws which overtly makes certain that the wealth of the super rich will not grow, not by one cent!

There must be laws limiting the power which presently comes with wealth.

Countries must address tax fraud and bring their elites to heel. Financial Review 18/11/2016.

There must be a wealth tax, as in France (which taxes estates over US$1.6m), say on net worth of over AU$5m, with rates rising steeply, and a reduction of $650,000 for the family home. Now there's the answer to little old pensioners rattling around in a mansion. The family home is tax free for the first $650,000 of value.

Inheritance tax on estates of over $5m steeply progressive, the fairest of all taxes. This is Green's policy. It works along-side gift duty.

Tax the multi-nationals and close the tax havens right now. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the leader of the pack, has his $500,000,000 approx. in the Cayman Islands. These people just don't get it. Give them 30 days to return the cash and pay the avoided tax and fines, or declare it confiscated or treated as terrorist finance.

In 1982 the USA brought in the Alternative Minimum Tax to catch high income people and corporations using tax havens to submit zero tax returns. 30% of all such overseas transfers should be held by our government against tax liability. That was 35 years ago. Why are we asleep at the wheel?

Every politician should have to put their tax return on the Internet.

In Australia almost one child in 5 is languishing in poverty, which is a disgrace in this day and age.

Raise the income tax-free threshold from $18,200 to $75,000 in Australia to reduce poverty.

Bring in a great big new tax bracket of 55% on income over $1,000,000 a year, (75% as per the example of the cherished MENZIES).

30% of the 3,000,000 in poverty are working poor who are pursued for tax and disadvantaged by ludicrous compulsory superannuation, and deprived of housing by negative gearing and superannuation. That's 900,000 workers. They are even taxed on the $16,780.40 difference between the minimum wage and the tax free threshold.

Minimum wage as declared by the government. $34,980.40

less tax free threshold. 18,200.00

Workers are taxed on. $ 16,780.40

On the other hand those with over $100 million in superannuation get an annual profit of some $10 million tax free. Seriously, this is your beautiful Australia today. The legal rational democracy we fight and die for.

YES! $10 MILLION OR MORE EVERY YEAR TAX FREE - IN A SO-CALLED LEGAL RATIONAL DEMOCRACY WHERE TAXES ARE LEVIED BASED ON THE ABILITY TO PAY!! - or so we once thought.

Superannuation is clearly intended as a nest egg to be spent on normal living expenses during one's retirement, not as a massive tax dodge by the wealthy or a block of capital to generate an income and be left intact for the next generation. Some have well over $100,000,000 in their super account, partly gifted by struggling workers.

The reasonable woman test: Super accounts MUST be limited to a maximum that a reasonable woman would spend on a normal lifestyle in her retirement. Say $40,000 a year for 30 years, total $1,200,000, plus the interest thereon, for a comfortable lifestyle. You can reasonably assume that a person with $1,200,000 in super owns her own home.

That's a long way short of $100,000,000, which may be growing by $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 a year!!! TAX FREE!!!

It's a long way above the meagre $26,520 aged pension paid to an unpropertied recipient who has to face the rental market. All welfare recipients should be getting the minimum wage - $34,980.40 - the government's own assessment of the most frugal lifestyle.

The super rich are not gods - they are mere mortals who just got lucky, mainly by inheritance. They have the same human problems as you and me.

The old conservative parties have lost the plot and are a disgrace.

I refer to the Republicans and the Democrats in the USA, and Liberal and Labor in Australia. They represent their unworthy shonky donors and not the bulk of the population.

There are reasons for everything, including the following three events. The occurrence of these events is not merely co-incidental.

EVENT A: Brexit.

EVENT B: Trump.

EVENT C: Historic low votes in July 2016 for Australia's old conservative parties, Labor 30%, Liberal 33%.

AND THE REASON FOR EVENTS A TO C INCLUSIVE -

Voters are sick and tired of the spin - the ridiculous obvious lies, and the low evil greed.

It's a young person's world. Yes, indeed, those old parties do have rusted-on voters. But they are dropping like flies.

Labor may have acted on behalf of the workers and the battlers a long, long time ago, if ever, and boasts of The Light On The Hill. The light's gone out. The Labor member for Gellibrand said on the ABC's Q and A that Labor acts for the middle class, which is contrary to its historical charter. Will he be publicly rebuked? Who authorised him to say that?

Who acts for the 3m in poverty? Including 900,000 working poor and almost one in 5 of Australia's children.

Who acts for the 2,560,000 unemployed and underemployed WORKERS as per Roy Morgan Polls?

The Liberal Party is so proud of its founding father, Robert Menzies. Under him the highest marginal tax rate was 75% and company tax 45% with no dividend imputation.

According to Oxfam in 2017, the 8 wealthiest people on earth have more wealth than the poorer half of humanity, all because of unfair tax laws. Each of them is worth as much as 875 million citizens. In 2010 it was the richest 388, now reduced to 8!

The 1,810 billionaires own US$6.5 trillion, more than 70% of humanity owns.

46% of global income growth from 1988 to 2011 went to the top 10%.

The $16.1bn wealth of Australians Gina Rinehart and Harry Triguboff is more than the poorest 20%.

SUCKING UP

Oxfam observes that far from trickling down, wealth and income are being sucked up at an alarming rate, threatening political stability.

RIGHT. OK. BRING ON POLITICAL INSTABILITY RIGHT NOW!,

We, the people, have been decimated by the class war. Evil greedy bastards have robbed us in many ways, all via disastrous political decisions. Unintended consequences - ho, ho, ho.

The devil is often in the detail, and we must all be in political parties and become expert in the detail.

Tricksters are trying to trick us all the time.

PM'S WIFE IS ON THE BOARD!

The ultra conservative Grattan so-called Institute is set up in an Ivory tower at Melbourne University and is living off the proceeds of $34m, mainly grants of our taxes. What a life! Turnbull's wife is on the board. Do they fight for the underdog? Sadly no, they promote austerity and a bigger GST.

In September 2013 Abbott came to power and declared that all social classes must contribute to the 'Labor debt crisis' (confected), turning on its head over two centuries of our proud history of a fair go for the battler.

In November 2013 the Grattan Institute declared the same.

Their John Daley said in The New Daily 16.1.2017 that Australia has fared reasonably well in income equality levels compared with the US where income levels for many people have not risen for 30 years.

"In Australia the top 20% of income earners saw their incomes rise 40% in the last 15 years. For the bottom 20% it has been a 30% rise which is significant."

See how these tricksters work!! The top 20% get 40% of, say, $1m, $400,000, whereas the bottom 20% get a lousy 30% of $20,820.80 which was the minimum wage in 2001 - $6,246.24, an amount which probably would not cover price rises over that 15 year period.

High income earner gets an extra $400,000 a year on $1m - 40%

less Minimum wage earner , extra. 6,246 p.a. on $20,820.80 - 30%

DIFFERENCE TO MILLIONAIRE $393,754 a year.

And John Daley is telling us that Australia has fared reasonably well in income equality!!!!!!!

Do you call that income equality?

He wouldn't compare our bottom 20% with those in Norway or Sweden. He casts around the western world to find the the most downtrodden paupers (in the glorious US of A) and tells us that "many people" there haven't seen an income rise for 30 years.

He says the top 20% saw a 40% rise. (That is 40% of their vastly inflated incomes). And the bottom 20%, a 30% rise. (That is 30% of their mere pittance).

He believes the 3m in poverty and 2.56m unemployed or underemployed should celebrate their fantastic good fortune!!

He cannily picks the top and bottom 20%, as he knows full well that the top and bottom 10% would paint a different picture entirely, showing the stark reality between the tax dodging bloodsuckers and their victims.

Same again for the top and bottom 5% and 1%.

I call on John Daley to apologise and resign in disgrace. In the absence of that I call on the Grattan Institute to sack him and wind up the Institute and give the relevant governments back their $34m. Or the governments that set it up to pull it down.

At a John Cain Foundation luncheon, Mr Daley helpfully told us that he and his neighbours are on $200,000 p.a., he doesn't know what it's like to be on a low wage. He called for a higher GST. He said in the press that the GST should be on everything. Anything, except taxing the rich.

Labor Pollies Andrew Leigh, in an obfuscating ramble about inequality to the mining industry, gushed that all in the room would be on $180,000 a year or more. Wow. We are the big boys. Anything, except taxing the rich.

TAX DODGED ON OFFSHORE $7,600,000,000,000

Redistribution through taxation is not happening because of the use of tax havens by the super-rich, who hold $7.6 trillion offshore, costing workers around the world well over $400bn a year. Developing countries are losing $100bn. Africa is losing $14bn, enough to save the lives of 4m children and provide teachers to all children. The USA is losing $130bn and Australia $6bn.

This has been a gilded age for the super rich, with their wealth growing 11% annually in recent years. 76% of their wealth comes from inheritance or cronyism.

The power of corporations is rising because of tax dodging. In 2014 Apple paid a tax of 0.005% on its European profits. Such outrageous thefts must be made a crime.

Inequality has soared in Australia due to capital gains from asset price rises, the lack of an inheritance tax, superannuation concessions, negative gearing and the refusal of governments to tax the rich.

NOBLESSE OBLIGE

Up until the 1960s the rich were thought to practice noblesse oblige - the notion that power entails responsibility. A barber said at that time that if he won the lotto, he would be sad to lose his friends as he would be dining at Government House, that sort of thing.

The rich appeared as gentlemen and gentlewomen and were genuinely respected as they were seen to be doing the right thing. Just look at the taxes - income tax up to 75%, company tax 45% with no dividend imputation and federal and state death duties.

Then in the sixties Menzies applied for the pension, opening the floodgates to all millionaires, in the seventies Abhorrent Canberra Man wrote in the Australian that he will not pay taxes to feed other people's bastards, the eighties gave us the neo-liberals Hawke and Keating, who gave to the families but gave ten times more to he rich, and then the nineties where Howard and Costello gave 1,000,000 times more to the rich and screwed the workers and the poor. 'Australia needs a broad-based tax' - Howard. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit (the GST). Australia needed a tax based on the ability to pay, like any legal rational modern democracy. Now it's 2017 and we have had the racist, bigoted, lunatic hard Christian fascist Right in control for 4 years giving the rich 10 million times more and imposing austerity.

This madness must stop. Only we can stop it, and we are empowered. What are we waiting for?

Not Oxfam, not the World Economic Forum, not the Liberals, not Labor, not the John Cain Foundation, not the Fabian Society, not the Chifley Foundation, not the ultra-conservative Grattan Institute, NOBODY HAS SAID WHAT MUST BE URGENTLY DONE. NOBODY HAS SAID THAT WE MUST:

\- REBALANCE AFTER 75 YEARS OF INEQUALITY,

\- RAISE GREAT BIG NEW TAXES BASED ON THE ABILITY TO PAY,

\- PAY THE MINIMUM WAGE TO AT-HOME MOTHERS OF UNDER 7 Y.O.s SUBJECT TO A MEANS TEST, WORK FOR THE DOLE RECIPIENTS, WELFARE RECIPIENTS AND STUDENTS.

# THE FUTURE FUND AND COUNCILS

The Future Fund is a function of the never-ending manipulation of the population by fear and lies. There is no need whatsoever for the federal government's financial position to be "strengthened" as stated by the Chairman of the Future Fund Board, Peter Costello, former Liberal Party treasurer. Why? Because government is government - it can raise money whenever it chooses, by taxation, necessarily on the rich in any fair society, at the stroke of a pen.

This is the basis of democracy, tried and true over the centuries.

Furthermore, governments are blue-chip borrowers, and have the opportunity of borrowing billions at a low rate of interest, virtually interest-free due to inflation, by the issue of treasury bonds, at any time, at the stroke of a pen.

Our shares and property in the Future Fund can and should be sold off to advantage in the present bubble market, as should all the non-core properties and hidden balances in government bodies.

Many councils are little empire builders, contrary to the interests of ratepayers. There should be a compulsory register of ALL government assets on the internet. You will be surprised. All non-core assets must be flogged off, and added to cash reserves, and given to taxpayers in the form of reduced taxes, or used to build infrastructure, like urgently needed social housing.

The Future Fund contains $127.6bn of your taxes and mine which can and must be better spent. That's $AU127,600,000,000. Governments are supposed to govern, not to take our money off us at the point of a gun and become a passive investor getting a chickenfeed return and providing jobs for the boys, while 3m wallow in poverty and 2.56m WORKERS are unemployed or underemployed, whilst being screwed for unconscionable rents as the wealthy and foreigners steal their homes.

****It amounts to $5,316 for every child, woman and man. It could go towards bringing all welfare recipients up to the minimum wage of $694.40 per week. This would solve a lot of immediate problems for the poorest citizens at this time, providing food, clothing, education, transport and housing, and getting children out of poverty. Spending on such items would have a multiplier effect of some 300% and boost the overall economy.

****As our money should be in our country, working for you and me, (15.2% of it is in overseas shares). It could fund the most profitable infrastructure from the perspective of the whole community, e.g. Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Speed and Goods Trains, at $114bn. could be high on the list along with social housing. This would increase jobs and skills and also have a multiplier effect of 300% in the economy, sorely needed at this time with 2.56m WORKERS UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED.

****It could pay off a third of our minuscule government debt if that were a priority, which it isn't, quite the reverse. The best infrastructure projects return a profit of around 90% to the whole community, and the government is paying 3.4% on its overall debt. It obtained a recent loan at 2.11% interest. Do the maths.

****A tiny fraction of it could reverse the funding denied to our scientists and re-employ them. Our current leaders are of course bigoted, cruel, racist, hard Christian Right climate-change deniers.

****It could reduce child poverty, now almost one in five of all children. How would you end poverty?

****It could be used to boost STATE schools to accommodate the needed extra 30% of teachers, or build 440,000 social housing dwellings, so desperately needed.

The Future Fund is run by Peter Costello, a former Liberal treasurer. He sold all our gold at the bottom of the market. It then went to $1876 an ounce, causing us to suffer a loss of $6.5bn.

He was at the forefront in the granting billions of dollars of tax cuts on capital gains and superannuation to his wealthy mates, whilst imposing austerity on working families. He goes ballistic at any suggestion of taxes on the rich.

Government is government, it has the monopoly on force. You cannot contract higher than the law.

There is no need whatsoever for a myriad of government bodies at all levels to see themselves as little empire builders, gambling with your money and mine in local and overseas share markets, in cash investments and sitting on rented property. Pretending to need money for future events. Any excuse will do.

Council CEOs are glorified clerks, many getting more than the PM. Senior council officers should be paid at the rate of teachers and headmasters. About ten councils should be amalgamated into a super-efficient regional council and unnecessary assets flogged off. Your annual rate bill would halve.

YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL

A municipal building surveyor supervised the closing of a tip for $250,000. A few years later the council set up a sinking fund of $3m to close a tip in future, costing ratepayers a large amount annually. Just pluck a figure out of the air. The CEO wanted an outdoor pool demolished, saying it would cost $800,000 to repair. The cost to repair was $5,000. A rubber ball was stuck in a pipe.

Mitchell Shire sold the former Seymour offices for conversion to a cafe with pokies and provided a very secure second mortgage of $400,000 to the buyer who had a colourful history. The borrower "required " the council to give priority to a new lender, the Commonwealth Bank.

Council's solicitor said no, as any sane person would. However the CEO a member of the Liberal Party's state executive, ignored that advice and recommended that the brain-dead councillors agree. Why would he do that?

The bank loan blew out, the property was sold at mortgagee auction, and ratepayers lost their $400,000.

A smash repair business applied to build new premises 1.2 metres under the flood line in Seymour. This was opposed by the water authority. That letter was hidden from councillors who followed the CEO's recommendation and issued a permit.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Hidden balances must be exposed and clawed back from all levels of government for general revenue, schools, hospitals, tax cuts for low income workers or given to the owners of the money as cuts to council rates, or for capital works.

#  JOBS JOBS JOBS

Letter in The Age newspaper 17/11/2016:

"Both parties to blame for inequality.

Both the Liberal and Labor parties while in government have contributed to the inequality being deeply felt by many in our nation. It is hard to believe we have a shortage of chefs, lorry drivers and metal workers, which are just a few of the skills we are told we need to bring here. It is time to tighten, if not close, this loophole. "END OF LETTER

Another letter says that neoliberal ideology is implicitly racist and socially corrosive, pitting groups against each other, and yielding Trump, Brexit and global instability.

Section 457 visa holders and the doubling of immigration are being used to increase unemployment and house prices, and depress wages.

Aussie kids are now not going to university because there are no part time jobs for them.

The racist bigoted Christian hard right Liberal government wants us crawling in the gutter begging for $3.90 a fortnight.

Neoliberalism holds that competition is king, but unfettered greed is the real king.

Labour is a commodity which is for sale to the highest bidder in our capitalist system. Its price is a function of supply and demand. If there are two job vacancies chasing every job seeker, the price will go up. There are now 17 jobseekers chasing every vacancy, and the price is going down.

Some decades ago the two most powerful unions were the doctors and the airline pilots, based on refusing to attend the sick and the grounding of expensive planes respectively.

The professions largely work at restricting the supply of qualified people and pushing up their fees. Some time ago the then premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks, successfully stared down the College of Surgeons in order to train more of them.

Welfare recipients should not have to wait for 15 months to see a dentist who, like doctors, should be on every street corner at reasonable prices, affording them an average income. Instead of aspiring to own the world, they could be relaxed and confident and thankful that they are not among those below the average. There is no greater privilege than serving the people.

Professionals should stop looking down their snouts at us, if that applies in a particular case, and be thankful to struggling taxpayers for educating them. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank those professionals who are just happy to be here at this time, and feel privileged to serve their fellow Australians.

OK. We've suffered the neoliberal greedy economic hogwash for 30 years. The past is the past. Time to move on. We are now living in the Teens. The most powerful force in the world is an idea whose time has come.

As you are so empowered, how do you wish to use this power?

After the humiliation of defeat in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, we might find someone we can actually thrash. Now there's job opportunities for our 18 year old babies! Hundreds were killed without the opportunity of being married and having kids. Idiotic/illegal and unnecessary adventures at great cost to struggling taxpayers, in lives and dollars, that has put the homeland in danger.

LIVING IN THE TEENS

If you choose, the Teens could be remembered as the decade of love, joy, family, frugal lifestyle, relaxation, exercise, fitness, saying no to drugs (especially the two most dangerous: cigarettes and alcohol), education, helping others, walking, cycling, public transport (sell that car), environmental sustainability, local community and sporting groups and participation in the political process. Relax and accept this over and above neoliberal values and you will be happy. The key to happiness is acceptance.

#  CHILD EQUALITY AND JOBS

Australia has slipped in a global child welfare ranking report which shows a poor record on the environment and determination in education and employment standards. The Age 22.7.2016.

In Australia almost 1 child in 5 are in poverty, in our so-called egalitarian nation for which 102,000 defence personnel have died in wars. Kids who never met their kids or saw them grow up. Victims who died in Vietnam and the Middle East due to the warped values of conservatives, including the war criminals Howard, Blair and Bush.

Child health and welfare in the top 20 economies are rated by Save The Children. The best countries were Germany, France and Japan. Australia performed poorly on the environment (13th).

Germany has free universities and 7 car manufacturers. Germans believe in making things. For the first time the number of apprentices graduating has exceeded the number of university graduates.

The government in Australia is taxing the poor and middle and spending far more on the wealthy private schools than the state system.

The education isn't much different between the two systems, and the private schools only show better results because they cherry-pick the best students from the state schools and give them scholarships.

Our precious youth need the full Gonski Report implemented and free universities as in Germany. And 30% more teachers urgently.

There have been donations of up to $100m to universities, and this is laudable, but governments must face the fact that educating our precious youth is their birthright, and a public good, not a private good. State schools should be boosted to world's best practice and private schools wound back.

In Australia the present conservative government wants to bring in $100,000 degrees, and their treasurer goaded car manufacturers out of the country causing 200,000 job losses. Later he helpfully explained that he didn't think they would leave (after cutting government support).

The U.S., Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia have the highest per capita carbon emissions. The four dirty persons on planet earth.

Australia was also singled out for inequity in education across race and regions. Only 60% of indigenous young people finish high school compared with 90% of non-indigenous children. About half the children in the Northern Territory complete high school, compared with almost 100% in the ACT.

In our current circumstances a child's life chances are determined before they are born.

Conservatives are elitists, blatantly promoting a divided Australia with two levels of health and education. They are promoting $100,000 university degrees and private health cover, which is overpriced on international standards.

Like the USA, many students now have lifelong tuition debts, in our former egalitarian nation where education was free.

The Ultra-conservative Turnbull government is considering linking welfare payments to school attendance. The Age Newspaper 21/9/2016.

This is based on its successful "no jab, no play" policy which requires parents to ensure their children meet immunisation requirements to continue to receive childcare and family tax payments.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter said more had to be done to ensure people did not spend a lifetime out of the workforce and on welfare.

The federal government is now looking at trials of linking welfare payments to school attendance.

Dr Mark Zirnsak of the Uniting Church said this is warped logic. "It is bizarre to say that taking away a family's ability to pay the rent and put food on the table is designed to improve the lives of children. Instead of throwing children into desperate poverty for not attending school, the government would do better to support children into school and identify the barriers keeping them out of school."

Mr Porter said the situation wherein half of households are drawing from the system is like a snake eating its own tail.

FACT: Virtually every decision of the Liberal racist, bigoted, Christian right government over the last four years, has sought to persecute and impose austerity upon the poor and working families, and enrich their rich mates. This is contrary to our proud history as a fair-go, egalitarian nation.

FACT : The jobs aren't there. There's 18 jobseekers for every vacancy. 19.5% of workers, 2,560,000, are either unemployed or underemployed (Roy Morgan Polls). We are not required for cannon fodder or factory fodder.

FACT : Jobs are threatened by the rising use of robots and dwindling tax collections from wealthy citizens and companies, who stand to gain greatly from new technologies

FACT : As in the US, they are seeking to blame the victims. Well, we are AUSTRALIANS, we are REFUSENIKS, we don't have to wear it, and we won't wear it.

FACT : Youth unemployment is high and of course our precious youth should be given every encouragement to continue with their studies, instead of being on the dole. Every day wasted is lost forever. It's education that keeps them out of jail - Professor Mirko, Swinburne University.

FACT : Our youth and battling families have been priced out of the home market because overseas crooks looking for a safe haven and investors have been paying ridiculous prices. This is due to greedy pathetic government in cahoots with the upper class.

FACT : Immigration is running at 300,000 a year, compared with 80,000 five years ago, and now the true unemployment is 10.5% and underemployment is 9%. There is a points system that rewards those with buckets of money.

FACT : Gina Reinhart and others have brought in thousands of low-skilled overseas workers to do jobs that could be done by AUSTRALIANS.

The workers are brought in under Section 457 temporary worker visas.

When a regional business has sponsored a migrant, he or she can apply for a class 187 visa which offers permanent residency with the ability to bring in family.

Businesses are offered $5,000 by shonky immigration agents to falsely paperwork, and never need to meet the applicant.

Similarly there is a long list of shonky training colleges effectively selling citizenship, and churning out highly ?? trained ?? professionals ?? in areas of dramatic shortage, hairdressers for example (joke).

All designed to increase unemployment and reduce the price of labour, and keep workers grovelling in the gutter. The laws of supply and demand never fail.

#  THE FUTURE OF WORK

In the Sixties, if you had nowhere to go upon your release from jail, there was always the army. Food, clothing and shelter for you, in one fell swoop (not one foul swoop).

Furthermore, you may very well home in on something. Nobody ever honed in on anything.

As a 15 year old female person in Mother Joseph's class in South Melbourne you may have given an incorrect answer. Often this would cause her to make picking and moving gestures with her right index finger and right thumb. This signified to the class that if you didn't raise your game, you could end up at Bryant and May's adding two matches to every box on the production line.

I saw dozens of men with picks, shovels and wheelbarrows digging out the basement for ICI House in Nicholson Street, East Melbourne (since demolished). If you were being gently chided at any time you may have been informed that you'll "end up on the pick and shovel".

There were always jobs available. In 1970 the unemployment rate was half a percent.

My mother, sister and ex-wife never went to work. The neighbouring mothers never went to work. For a mother to go to work was almost unthinkable. She already had a very important and satisfying full-time job. Bringing up the kids is a very close time in the family. Time with your child is mutually important and a fleeting opportunity every day. It shouldn't be diminished or contracted out.

A mother has time to breastfeed, cook, sew, do gardening, study, go to playgroup and bond with her toddler as necessary based on millions of years of mothering. Some are breastfed on demand for over 4 years. A very satisfying lifestyle. All brought to an end at a stroke by neoliberal claptrap.

Governments and businesses served the needs of the citizens.

AND THEN. AND THEN. A new species, ACM, emerged. Abhorrent Canberra Man. Thought by scientists to be a throwback to Neanderthal Man.

Disclaimer: the author has no intention of unfairly criticising innocent Neanderthal Persons, whom, he sincerely believes, lived blameless lives.

ACM wrote in the Australian newspaper in 1973, three months after the election of the Whitlam Labor government, that he will not pay taxes to feed other people's bastards.

Then the elites decided that they hate human beings (apart from the nice ones in their gated villages on the west coast of the US).

One multi multi declared that he is seeking business opportunities, but will not be in anything involving human beings.

Then the greed and insanity of the Eighties. Degrading motherhood. Separating mother from child. Reducing breastfeeding. Mothers taking the jobs of men and teenagers. Reducing the price of all labour by adding to supply. Deregulation - the abdication of the responsibility to govern. Compulsory super - the theft of workers' wages, hugely detrimental to low income workers, barely covering inflation for the middle class and a boon for the upper class. Negative gearing - our young as tenants for life. The wealthy and foreigners, including criminals, allowed to buy homes over the heads of workers and the young.

Denial of services. Profit instead of serving valued citizens with pride.

Telstra stopped giving addresses to enquirers, causing inconvenience and delay. The ending of an important public good, all in the name of providing less jobs and more profit - money, money, money. For the benefit of whom exactly? When were the public consulted about this, or other reductions in services?

Telstra admitted to a lengthy recorded pre-amble in the hope that enquirers after phone numbers would hang up. Where's the passion for serving citizens with pride?

Westfield Doncaster Shoppingtown of 420 shops has no public phones: "Everyone's got mobiles". Everyone except the poor, the pensioners and the young. They kicked me out for handing out brochures for Whitlam after the Dismissal. So much for the village square.

Telstra now wants to abolish payphones, which is a crucial public service, to save a lousy $44m.

Melbourne City Council circulated ratepayers boasting that it had culled 200 jobs some 20 years ago. I now challenge them to create 200 jobs a year.

200,000 immigrants were let in annually in the Nineties and Naughties. When did we vote for that? That's 4m people, less children, say, 2m jobs taken off Australians.

300,000 immigrants are let in annually this decade. When did we vote for that massive increase? That's 1.5m jobs taken off Australians EVERY YEAR! Some jobs are created servicing immigrants of course, but the notion that this is beneficial overall is just one more neoliberal lie and economic claptrap. Those with money are let in because the elites have stuff they want to sell to anyone with cash, also to boost demand and increase the value of their assets.

Now that young mums and dads are both rats in the rat race, the cartel of 4 big banks wants to keep bringing in more cash than needed from overseas to prop up the housing bubble and keep ahead of smaller competing banks and credit unions.

The bride and groom can get 99% finance for a house much larger than they need, including a usurious $15,000 mortgage insurance premium. When she falls pregnant and the bank sells as mortgagee, the insurer pays the bank any shortfall, AND THEN SUES THE PENNYLESS YOUNG COUPLE!! Which great brain of our time dreamed that one up? Give her a $1m bonus!!

That insurer must be the most profitable business on earth. What's your definition of unconscionable conduct?

UP UP AND AWAY

The overclass of mega-rich and super-rich increasingly feel no loyalty to their country of origin. Life is a permanent holiday in super yachts and gated villages around the world. Assets are transferred to trusts, shell companies and foundations at the click of a mouse to dodge taxes.

The poor and the middle class are the true patriots, and they rely on jobs and welfare. In earlier years capitalism may have enriched investors and exploited the masses, but at least the masses WERE INCLUDED. There was a social contract with understood bounds.

Now with global capitalism and technology replacing jobs, the masses will be EXCLUDED AND PAUPERISED. LITTLE OR NO DEMAND FOR LABOUR MEANS NO OR LOW WAGES FOR LABOUR. "The Super-Rich. The Unjust New World of Global Capitalism" by Stephen Haseler. 2000.

Haseler laments that all this potential pauperism may come at a time when the welfare systems in the West are under acute pressure. I beg to differ as I believe voters will support candidates with a vision which includes taxing the rich, easing taxes on the poor, and paying realistic pensions.

The Australian Investment and Securities Commission, an arm of the federal government, helpfully tells us on its website that a single person who owns her own home needs $457 per week to live modestly, or $828 per week to live comfortably.

The very same government is paying a single pensioner WITHOUT her home some $430 per week. This amounts to a confession out of its own mouth that pensions in that circumstance should be at least $320 per week higher to allow for rent. The insufficient minimum wage is $672.70 per week, and I suggest this be paid to all welfare recipients. The 3m in poverty includes 900,000 working poor WHO GET THE MINIMUM WAGE!

Roy Morgan Polls estimate the true unemployed in November 2016 to be 1,199,000 and the under employed to be 1,100,000.

The true unemployed figure will increase by approx. 150,000 adults a year unless immigration is cut. Well over 200,000 jobs will go when Holden closes in 2017.

The government could consider paying transport and accommodation for fruit pickers.

In the eighties the Liberals stupidly allowed an aluminium plant to be built at Portland, a small coastal town, for their own political advantage. Aluminium production is so energy intensive that it has been described as blocks of electricity.

Taxpayers had to build massive power lines 500 kms from the LaTrobe valley to Portland at huge expense and have subsidised the cost of power for the last 30 years. The loss of power over that distance is immense. The wet brown coal at the LaTrobe valley is the most polluting electricity source.

A break in transmission has caused aluminium to solidify in pots causing millions of dollars damage. Who will pay for that?

People starting businesses should have a plan regarding viability without expecting handouts from struggling taxpayers. Anyone has the opportunity of asking for a handout, but governments must think long and hard before jumping in.

Using the hard-earned taxes of citizens to buy votes from vineyard owners and winemakers to support their non-core and extremely harmful industry is a disgrace and could be nullified by Citizen Initiated Referenda. They have made their investment decisions and may flourish or struggle like any other business. In 1988 the Victorian government viticulturist said vineyards can expect to break even after 16 to 18 years. Then exports boomed and fruit went from $250 to $2,000 a tonne. Then massive overplantings in the nineties, and now an oversupply of grapes.

Buying votes in grape-growing areas has caused a glut of wine and huge health and law-enforcement problems.

If Citizen Initiated Referenda, CIR, becomes a reality, the people can vote to undo the most damaging political largesse and pork barrelling.

Now is the time for Portland to start building solar panels and wind turbines with joy and enthusiasm.

Time for democracy to stand up and control capitalism.

#  THE PEOPLE'S FEDERAL BUDGET

IN OUR LEGAL RATIONAL DEMOCRACY, WHY AN ELECTED GOVERNMENT WOULD SEEK TO INCREASE POVERTY AND GIFT THE RICH IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION.

What does it mean to be a dinky-di Aussie?

Why did 102,000 fine fit Aussies lose their lives in wars?

For a fair-go egalitarian supportive community, or for 35 years of greedy selfish uncaring neoliberalism?

The conservatives openly seek to persecute the poor in every conceivable way - and boast about it. They have blatantly broken election promises, now seen as deliberate lies. This is serious - usurping the people's right to a truthful democratic election. It is unconscionable should be a punishable offence. Misleading and deceptive conduct is against the law in business.

If you are in poverty at this time it is not your fault, and you are not alone, as 3m Australians, including almost one child in 5, are in poverty.

SHOCK! Our government is MUCH TOO SMALL!

Of the 34 countries in the OECD, we are the 6th lowest taxing country.

SHOCK! Our spending on social security is MUCH TOO LOW!

Our spending on social security is 9% of GDP compared to the OECD average of 12.4%. That's a massive difference, $AU61 BILLION a year being ripped off poor Australians a year. That's $7,620 per welfare recipient per year, or $146 per week. And that only brings them up to the OECD average.

As the self-styled 'fair-go' country that helps its battlers, why aren't we leading the OECD on helping those in need?

For the nation to be competitive in the modern world, we must proudly be a high taxing country - taxing only the rich to take us back to historic Australian norms. Small government is brain-dead. There are so many good things which need to be done. The excuse is always that we can't do such-and-such because it may "harm Investment" or "scare investors".

You and I, the people, voted for the government, not foreign and local investors.

The government's prime responsibility is serve the people, not investors.

30% more teachers and teachers' aides are urgently needed. Why are our kids two years behind Singapore in science?

Of course this is of no concern to our bloodsucking rich. Their kids in the elite schools have teachers doting on their every need, in stark contrast with the underfunded state schools. I mean it. If a kid in a private school is a bit sad or lagging in her work she is attended by a battery of concerned adults. All by courtesy of the taxes of the workers, not the missing billions dodged by the super rich.

The private schools are an albatross around our neck. We CAN bring our state schools up to standard. We only have to want to do it.

Private school funding could be reduced by 10% a year over 5 years, based solely on not wasting taxpayers' money. Not to mention fairness and equity and their precious austerity. At the same time pump much more into the state schools. Finns are proud that their education system is the world's no. 1. It is illegal to charge fees and only 2% of schools are private and 98% public.

The debt crisis was always a big lie by the conservatives to scare little old lady voters, but instead of telling the people the truth, and laughing it out of court, a constipated and ossified Labor agreed with it, criticising the liberals for increasing it. Labor is Liberal Lite, but not very lite, playing the game by the Liberal's bunkum rules.

Our Gross Domestic Product, GDP, has generally risen over time, as you would expect. But nay, under the conservatives, our current leaders, those racist bigoted hard Christian Right fascists who boast about their beliefs, incredibly, our GDP has fallen.

Australia's GDP. 2013. $US1.5639 trillion

2014. $US1.4547. "

2015. $US1.34. "

This is a direct result of the lunacy of small government in our modern world of 2017.

The conservatives are in the pockets of the super rich and a gutless Labor appears to be there too.

* The conservatives hate jobs and necessary infrastructure spending.

* They hate Manufacturing.

* They hate unions.

* They hate workers and are making them powerless by high immigration.

* They hate educating your kids.

* They hate the 3 mil in poverty through no fault of their own, as thought blame was a subject in need of investigation.

* They hate the 2.56 mil workers who are unemployed or underemployed through no fault of their own.

* They hate pensioners who need medical attention. Just die at home to save money.

* They hate you having access to your earnings. These fascists steal your wages as Super to gamble with in overseas share markets, and usurped $120 billion of our money for Peter Costello to gamble with in a so-called Future Fund, for no benefit whatsoever. Spend it now on AUSTRALIAN infrastructure.

* They hate our planet and want to destroy what's left with fossil fuels.

THEY ALSO LOVE

* They love giving taxes from the poor and workers to their rich mates.

* they love lies and scare tactics.

* They love needless austerity on jobseekers, the sick and the elderly.

* They love giving unneeded millions to private schools.

* They love attacking coloured persons overseas for obscene profits and a khaki election.

The Australian Council of Social Service, ACOSS, has put forward its suggested federal budget for 2017/18 and 2018/19, saving $9.4bn and spending $4bn on "social infrastructure" to reduce poverty and inequality.

It urges the government to focus on increasing revenue and not on spending cuts. Why won't it say the obvious - that support for those in need must be substantially boosted. It's as though the poor are asked to wear the mantle of original sin - forever.

It is tinkering around the edges, and fails to address the urgent rebalancing of the system needed to stop the super rich soaring to dizzying heights at their present rate of 1% of all assets every year. Yes siree, the super rich are increasing their slice of our finite pie of all assets, and this will continue until you and I decide to do something about it.

This means, of course, that the remainder of the pie, your assets and mine, are shrinking every year and every day. They are sucking up the assets of the poor and middle. Forget about trickle down - it never existed. It was always an evil lie and a private joke.

ACOSS fails to call for a realistic rental allowance for pensioners who don't own their own home.

How many poor people are on the board of ACOSS?

This is the organisation which announced that it will fight for the poor to retain their share of income, as did Labor's Jenny Macklin. Entrench poverty! Don't fight to eradicate poverty! This is an absolute disgrace.

After 50 years of class warfare, the upper class have clearly won. Now is the time to rebalance.

Taxation based on the ability to pay.

In Europe there are trials giving everyone a basic wage. Giving ever more it to the rich reduces the value of it to the poor. Giving ever more to the rich is a function of clever manipulation, class warfare and deliberate lies.

1. The government has ascertained that the amount necessary for basic life support is the minimum wage, $694.40 per week.

2. The government has ascertained that the current welfare recipients are qualified according to the means test.

THEREFORE all welfare recipients should receive the minimum wage, based on the government's own criteria.

It is also the approximate amount ASIC has declared necessary for a pensioner to have a reasonable life, IF SHE OWNS HER OWN HOME!! In other words, it should be $320 a week more if she doesn't own her own home.

It is also the sum of the current pension plus a realistic rent allowance.

We are not talking about manna from heaven here - just one tiny step forward for humankind.

The minimum wage itself is grossly inadequate, as 900,000 AUSTRALIAN WORKERS are included in the 3 million living in poverty. The government should stop punishing the poor and recognise that there are 20 unemployed for every vacancy. Work for the dole should be brought in as a massive training program for teachers' aides, gardeners, pre-apprenticeships, etc.

The 3 mil. innocent Aussies includes almost one child in 5, and they need urgent help, as justice delayed is justice denied.

"Welfare dependency in Australia is historically low. More cuts will only hurt the needy." The Guardian 25.7.2017. Around 4.8m Australians receive welfare - 27% of the working population.

There are trials overseas of the latest wonderful new idea of the chattering super rich: give everyone the minimum wage. I suggest it be given only to welfare recipients, tertiary students and at-home mothers with kids under 7 subject to means test.

Working age 18m x $36,108 = $649,944m Their proposal.

Less Welfare/students/mothers, say 35% of population 227,480m My proposal

SAVING A COOL. $422,464m a year.

Pretty nifty Eh! But wait. That's not all.

Their proposal to pay out. $649,944m

Less existing welfare payments. 158,000m

Extra cost to taxpayers $491,944m

My proposal to pay out. $227,480m

Less existing welfare payments. 158,000m

Extra cost to taxpayers only $69,480m

Their cost. $491,943m

Less my cost. 69,480m

They want to spend an extra $422,463m WHILST IMPOSING AUSTERITY ON THE NEEDY AND NOT TAXING THE MULTINATIONALS AND THE SUPER RICH! Much of this will be handed to the rich and super rich but we are comforted by the big fat lie that they will immediately disgorge this amount as taxation. To live in Australia in 2017 you really need a sense of humour.

As any economist will agree, increasing welfare payments to the minimum wage makes economic sense, as poor people immediately spend any extra money on the necessities of life, causing a boost to consumption and business, which has a multiplier effect of 300%. As the extra money is spent on food, clothing, education, housing and transport, it is spent again on stock, staff, plant and machinery.

It costs our government nothing, as governments are there to govern, and with one wave of the magic wand they can claw a busload of cash from our decent fair-minded super-rich and pass it on. Wealth tax, inheritance tax, extra tax on high incomes and raising the tax-free threshold to $75,000. The government is only a half-way house. And another busload to go towards the long-overdue building of profitable infrastructure, creating more jobs and skills and multiplication. That's the name of the game.

#  REQUEST FOR PARDON

Letter of 8th May, 2017

The Honourable Linda Dessau AC,

Governor of Victoria,

C/- Mr Joshua Puls MVO,

Official Secretary,

Office of the Governor,

Government House,

Government House Drive,

Melbourne Victoria 3004.

Dear Governor,

REQUEST FOR PARDON FOR STEPHANIE MAHER

By way of introduction I advise that I am a retired estate agent in good standing for over 50 years, and a Mitchell Shire councillor for 9 years to 2009.

I read about the plight of Stephanie Maher, who is a nurse and mother, in The Age. I do not know her or any of her connections.

Since last August I have written several letters to her and a couple of barristers. She has written to me 3 times. A few weeks ago I wrote to The Hon. Martin Pakula MP, Attorney General, enclosing her second letter.

In her third letter, a copy of which is attached, she says she thought something hit her car, and as she could see nothing in the rear vision mirror, she panicked and left. She says that if she knew it were a person she would have stopped. An instantaneous decision made in shock. She was demonised in the Herald Sun.

My brother in law, Les Smith, was turning right into Mitcham Road in his sand truck at 10 kph, when he had a glimpse of the back of a kid's head as he went under the front near wheel. He said that the impulse to drive on is overwhelming. Shock.

In Stephanie's case the wife and children of the victim of this traffic accident, not the victim of any crime, gave heartfelt evidence of their understandable grief and devastation.

The judge was reported in The Age to be emotional, which is understandable, and sentenced her to 11 years. This appears to be an emotional response based on revenge, with no consideration of this unintended traffic accident, or the needs of this innocent young mother and her 3 year old son.

Capriciously separating them harkens back to the Stolen Generation. Like Stephanie, they had committed no crime.

Jake, my younger son, died in India in 2005 from a heroin overdose. I sympathise with the bereaved family and the judge. It gets easier with time but not better.

Last October The Age reported on a study by Melbourne and Deakin universities which found the suicide rate among nurses to be 200% higher.

A young man of 18 was walking along a footpath in Kings Cross holding his girlfriend's hand, when a violent murderer punched and killed him. The murderer got 4 years.

Our cyclists will continue to be killed until we get walled bike paths as in China.

The two monsters who murdered a man in a 50 degree van for 6 hours without water or a toilet break got a small fine.

Two tradies went to the home of a Bundoora builder and shot him and got 7 years.

Texas identified that a third of prisoners are unlikely to offend again and put them on parole. Another third were given meaningful education and support. The program was so successful that instead of building two more jails, two were closed.

In many ways we need to emerge from the Dark Ages.

In this case I believe the interests of justice have not been served.

As her self-appointed advocate, I ask that you please, please, give her an immediate pardon and release.

Yours truly,

Robert Gordon,

Copies :

The Hon. Martin Pakula MP

Attorney-General

Level 26,

121 Exhibition Street,

Melbourne Victoria 3000.

And to Ms Stephanie Maher

END OF LETTER

I note that in the film 'The Consolation of Joe Cinque' and the book by Helen Garner, the woman who deliberately murdered Joe got 4 years and was allowed to complete her law degree. Stephanie got 11 years following an unintended motor accident and is working in the prison garden for $8.50 a day.

A tired 30 y.o. nurse going home to her 3 y.o. son and drifting off behind the wheel. We have all done that. She wrote to me that she was aware that something hit her, but could see nothing, and panicked and kept going.

My heart goes out to the family of the deceased, having lost my son Jake when he was thirty. Punishment by revenge on Stephanie will not bring him back.

UPDATE: The Governor replied on 1st June 2017 that she has asked the Attorney-General to give consideration to my letter.

#  THE VISION FOR AUSTRALIA

Now is the time for voters in all countries to stand up and say loud and clear: "We are citizens with the important right and responsibility of running our own country; we will not dance to the tune of the unelected, greedy, lying multinational corporations, or the tiny handful of super-rich for that matter."

Time for all fair-minded Aussies to stand up and say that Abhorrent Canberra Man, who wrote in The Australian in 1973, that he "will not pay tax to feed other people's bastards" is not running our country, and indeed is a low bastard himself.

THE DISEASE OF THE EIGHTIES

All decisions are political. The Liberal/National coalition and the Murdoch Press have sold the voters down the river, based on the disease of the eighties. For over 4 years we have suffered the most cruel, bigoted, racist, ultra-conservative, hard Christian Right, fascist federal government in our history. They narrowly won a second election in July 2017 because the Labor leader, Bill Shorten, is not acceptable to voters as their prime minister, because the Liberal's had the cunning and nous to change leaders, and because the Liberals spent $80m and Labor only $60m. Democracy for sale.

Hawke, 70%, and Rudd had high approval ratings and were seen by voters as having the vision and integrity to be prime minister. Shorten is on 30% as preferred prime minister. He was fourth out of 4 Labor leaders at 10% some months ago.

In the U.K., every preferred prime minister has won since 1970.

THE GOODS AND SERVICES TAX

John Howard said Australia needs a broad-based tax, when he introduced the regressive Goods and Services Tax. (GST).

He was wrong. The GST, the superannuation changes, negative gearing and other measures furthered his obsession with transferring the minimal tax liability of the super-rich to the endangered embattled middle class, and those of us who are poor at this time.

Look at the damage inflicted on innocent millions. The middle class is losing its assets to the super rich at an alarming rate. The debt of the super rich is a mere 4% of their assets. Those with a billion would get about $100m a year without the inconvenience of paying taxation, so they could snap up the assets of the struggling middle class without giving debt a thought. If they desired a huge acquisition they could borrow $500m. With that equity they could buy assets worth a billion with a 50% loan. The loans would be at a low rate as they have half equity and the interest would be a tax deduction. Not that taxation is a problem of course, as Turnbull and his ilk currently favour hedge funds in Luxembourg returning 10% to 71% a year and there is NO TAX! This is our leader, leading by example.

Many shopkeepers are working long hours for the privilege of breaking even. They are gnawing through their diminishing capital whilst hanging on for a miracle. They are an uncounted part of poverty. One cafe proprietor in Collingwood said he is making no money after paying the rent of $5,000. And you ask him to pay 200% penalty rates to weekend staff. What a joke.

Right now we have :-

***record household debt, 135% of GDP compared with 69% in 1977.

***17 quarters of dropping private investment in new plant and machinery,

***a federal government which refuses to pick up the slack, as per classical Keynesian economics, and build profitable infrastructure, due to its idiotic obsession with small government instead of adequate government, and its wish to continue give our money to its wealthy mates,

***a cruel unnecessary austerity ripping money off the poor and workers, and abolishing two taxes on the rich and reducing a third.

***3m in poverty including almost one child in 5,

***2.56m WORKERS unemployed or underemployed,

***landlords screwing workers and shopkeepers, and

***increasing shop vacancies.

The GST and income tax are taxes on economic activity. Increased consumption of goods and services are a boon for the economy and jobs.

Instead of taxing these, (apart from taxing high incomes), Australia needs taxes on wealth and inheritances to address rampant inequality, and to stop the super rich from gaining an ever increasing share of all assets, and to pay for tax relief for the needy and workers.

INDEPENDENTS

Better decisions come from a larger number of people. The best parliament would be one of independents.

Peter Andren, the independent member for Calare, NSW, from 1996 to 2007, wrote a brilliant book, The Andren Report. From 2004 to 2007 he was a member of the House of Representatives with two other rural independents, Tony Windsor and Bob Katter. He won with 75% of the vote on a two person preferred basis, the second safest seat in the country.

He attempted to alter politicians superannuation and opposed genetically altered crops. He was a vocal critic of the policy on asylum seekers and the Iraq War.

The 3 independents negotiated the deals with the political parties.

In 2007 he announced that he would stand for a seat in the Senate, which he was sure to win.

Five months later he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died after 3 months at the age of 61.

Tony Windsor mentioned several times on TV that the following parliament would be different had he not died.

CITIZEN INITIATED REFERENDA - CIR

The first step in intelligent reform is for candidates with believable promises to be elected. For any other matters of concern, we should have access to CIR.

CIR is a form of direct democracy in which a given number of voters, say 100,000, has the power to require a referendum on whether a law should be enacted or repealed.

Direct legislation by the people was first introduced by Switzerland in 1874, and has been adopted by 26 states of the USA. It operates in Italy, Russia, all German states and at a local level in Canada.

CIR was proposed in Queensland in 1998.

In 2013 Senator John Madigan proposed CIR, but it lapsed at the end of the parliament in November 2013.

In February 2017 Pauline Hansen of the One Nation party announced it as their policy.

CIR would make citizens more aware and counteract the current apathy and cynicism. Hopefully at the next election, we will have the opportunity of voting for candidates who will bring in CIR.

FAIRNESS AND EQUITY

Laissez-faire capitalism and neoliberalism mean greedily grabbing all the money without a care in the world for the harm you are doing to others. The damage done especially since the eighties is well known. These people are psychopaths.

Sadly politicians are acting like greedy lurkpersons and not statespersons. They are representing their filthy evil donors like the super rich, the banks, oil and coal interests and the filthy evil hotel and gambling lobby which is destroying families, and not the people. The donors are only donors because their wares are toxic and they have no legitimacy whatsoever.

60% of Labor Party members voted for Anthony Albanese as leader, but caucus gave the job to the unelectable Bill Shorten - a denial of democracy.

OUR FUTURE - A COMMAND ECONOMY

I cherish my most valuable asset, my vote, bought with the lives of 102,000 kids in wars. I do not support a one party state or a dictatorship, and have no desire to be kicked by the police of the extreme left or right.

Governments in China and some other countries are empowered to govern - to efficiently take necessary action for the common good. The US is a police state with 2m in jail, the same as China, but with a quarter the population of China.

Victoria recently announced an extra 2,800 police jobs, a rise of 20%. The 60% anonymous donors to Tweedledum and Tweedledee must be hollering WOOPPEE! Do they fear a forthcoming French-style revolution? Why do we have to bribe police with a retirement gift of almost a million? Is this a recognition that they prefer to pervert the course of justice. 60 years ago police were yobbos. Heaps of evidence will be provided if required.

Why not 2,800 teachers and mental health professionals, working to prevent crime? My younger son died of a heroin overdose at 30. The support for these sick kids is just not there.

Why not the desperately needed 30% more teachers?

China has almost totally replaced polluting motor bikes with electric scooters, unlike Vietnam, where the "air" in the cities is unbreathable, especially Hanoi.

China brought in a one child policy decades ago, and the west should have followed suit at that time. A baby born in the self-styled "advanced" world is bad news for the planet, compared with a birth in the "non-advanced" Third World.

Former treasurer Peter Costello, who sold all our gold reserves for a pittance, only to see it rise by 600%, a loss of over $5bn, sagely advised young families to have one for dad, one for mum and one for the country, because the upper class wants limitless customers to sell stuff to, as per immigration now up to 300,000 a year persons with money to buy their stuff, and taking the jobs of 2.56m WORKERS unemployed or underemployed. Who did he sell the gold to? Foreigners and investors are stealing workers' homes with impunity, and rewarded with government cash gifts.

On top of about 1.5m of 3m immigrants taking the jobs of Australians every decade, we have 1,986,420 foreign workers in Australia taking the jobs of Aussies, plus many young women forced into the workforce who would have formerly been full-time mothers.

According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the foreign workers include :-

\- students who can only work 20 hours a week. 517,000

\- temporary skilled 457 visa. 160,000

\- working holidays. 155,000

\- bridging visa. 111,000

\- New Zealanders 635,000

BRING BACK ARISTOTLE

Our elected politicians could be like Aristotle's Philosopher Kings, above the economic scramble, and revered as statespersons. No secret deals at the Melbourne Club.

Australia needs your vote and your active participation in a political party.

Labor and Liberal have evolved into a one party dictatorship of moribund ossified inertia, focussed on self-interest and that of the donors, 60% of whom are untraceable by you and me and the Australian Electoral Commission. I'll bet the senior strategists know who the secret donors are, and are writing policies accordingly. That's $84m of secret money spent by Liberal and Labor at the 2016 federal election. Who is running Australia?

Liberals have aggressively punished the middle and poorer classes for the last four years, scrapping over 100,000 apprenticeships and TAFE funding.

NEGATIVE GEARING

Negative gearing was designed by Keating to enrich the rich and destroy first home buyers. 75% of taxable gains profits go to the richest 10%.

Now, instead of scrapping negative gearing, Labor wants to shield the upper class from market forces, and isolate and enhance their position of advantage, as owners of 25 or 166 workers' homes, by scrapping negative gearing on existing houses bought from now on, and entrenching it for existing acquisitions, thus exacerbating the 50 year yawning gap between the haves and have nots.

If only the rich could find happiness with the wealth and privilege they have, they might abandon the relentless plunder of the embattled poor and middle who are suffering death by a thousand cuts.

Many of the rich will be jailed and/or fined for tax evasion, and their rehabilitation will include physical fitness opportunities being hard labour in boot camps, compulsory courses on Australian values, fairness and equity, our obligations to citizens who may be poor, humble, sick, old, mentally ill, broke or homeless at this time, and the teachings of Gandhi and Bernie Sanders.

Scores of people on a million plus pay zero tax after paying for taxation advice which is a deduction. This must cease.

Surgeons have an average TAXABLE income of $377,044, that is after deduction of losses incurred on negatively geared houses and other lurks.

132 of the good burgers of Bulyeroi NSW had an average tax loss of $8,832. How did they survive? They should be paid the minimum wage, along with all welfare recipients subject to a strict assets test.

After all, it is our government which has decreed that the minimum wage is necessary for the basics of life.

Seven of the ten poorest postcodes are in Queensland and three in NSW.

SOME OF THE JOB CATEGORIES USING NEGATIVE GEARING - ATO

Anaesthetists. 29%

Surgeons. 24%

Police. 22%

Psychiatrists. 23%

Judges. 22%

Factory workers. 5%

Checkout and office cashiers. 2%

Architects and planners. 1%

Labourers. 0.25%

Cleaners and laundry workers. 0.53%

Factory production workers. 0.67%

Fork lift drivers. 4%

School teachers. 2%

Sales assistants. 0.15%

Livestock workers. 3%

Cafe workers. 2%

Painting trade. 6%

Hairdressers. 4%

Isn't it interesting that 22-24% of police and surgeons are into it, but only 1-2% of architects and teachers. Why is it so?

Labor wants negative gearing retained on new houses, so you can buy 100 new homes and never be taxed on any capital profit, forcing up demand and values out of reach of first home buyers.

Labor should leave house values to the free market. Taxpayers owe nothing to landlords, who made their bargains when they bought, partly with cash gifts from taxpayers, in the full knowledge that values go up and down. There's no thought of compensating those who sold to investors only to see values soar.

The obvious answer is to abolish negative gearing on the SAME DAY that ALL home buyers are given their entire super balance, and investors and foreigners are prohibited from buying dwellings.

Labor Federal MP David Feeney bought a Northcote rental house for $2.5m and failed to report it to parliament as required. Liberal federal minister Michaelia Cash did the same. Do such members have a conflict of interest?

OUR DEMOCRACY IN TATTERS

Our democracy is in tatters, with the two big parties angling for benefits for themselves and their anonymous donors over and above the common good. Incredibly three former Pollies argued in court that their ludicrous post-parliament benefits can't be altered for pre-2004 members. Bugger 3m in poverty. Bugger 2.56 workers unemployed or underemployed.

These examples show the current mentality : our parliament refuses to rule for the common good, or to eradicate poverty, and will support, indeed enhance, existing privilege every time. And to entrench poverty.

HELLO YOUNG LOVERS - BUY THIS

Is there an important moral and legal principle that nothing can ever be altered? Our political masters are very relaxed that injustices can roll on from week to week and generation to generation.

How is it that a young inexperienced couple are stitched up by your friendly neighbourhood Bank for a loan at 6% and the lender can up it to 17.5% at will and increase the payments beyond the bank's stated limit of 35% of income, which guarantees that they will fall into arrears and be kicked out and pursued for any loss on mortgagee sale?

By law lenders must be mandated to extend the term of the loan and not deliberately increase repayments.

By law lenders must pass on the full drop in interest rates, and raise interest by the amount stipulated by the Reserve Bank and no more.

Parliament must mandate standard mortgage conditions as in the US, non-recourse, where borrowers can hand in the keys without further persecution.

BRING ON COMMAND CAPITALISM

The only hope for our broken democracy is for the people to throw off their apathy and cynicism and stand up and take control. This is our only hope of defeating the greedy factions in the big parties and their unworthy donors with their toxic wares, pokies, coal, Murdoch, Packer, etc. etc. This is our only hope of defeating the bloodsucking sectional interests, religions, private schools, winegrowers, diesel users, alcohol, etc. etc.

Now is the time for a COMMAND ECONOMY under COMMAND CAPITALISM, commanded by the votes of the people for candidates supporting the Vision for Australia, and on any question at all, under CIR, Citizen Initiated Referenda, for example :-

*Voters command those with a net worth of over $20m including trusts and foundations, to pay a great big new 14.5% wealth tax now, as per Trump, plus 1% annually after 12 months.

*Voters command a great big new estate tax paired to a gift tax of 40% as in the U.K. and the USA, on net worth at death over $20m including trusts and foundations.

*Voters command that no taxpayer will avoid any tax via trusts or foundations,

or responsibility of conflict of interest by appointing a so-called arms-length representative.

*Voters command those earning over $1m a year to pay a great big new income tax bracket of 55% on that part over $1m, up from 45%. Also that there will be no deductions at all on incomes over $300,000 as proposed by Labor's Left.

*Voters command that the tax-free threshold be lifted from $18,200 to $75,000 to add to consumption and jobs and help eradicate poverty. The minimum wage is $694.40 a week or $36,108.80 a year, which is a confession by the government that this has to be the absolute minimum tax free threshold. How dare any government tax those getting less than the minimum wage! Cannily the tax free threshold isn't indexed. Kick the needy - today!

*Voters command that funding to the ABC and SBS be fully reinstated and that advertisements be banned from the SBS.

*Voters command an end to pokies and tax lurks to winemakers and subsidies of diesel. People going into business expect to have expenses. Alcohol and gambling are a curse and a blight to many families. Liquor and gambling outlets and their hours and advertising must be restricted.

Diesel is killing many and shortening lives. If it is good for the taxpayer to pay part of the diesel bill, would it not be better to pay the whole lot? (Joke). Instead of propping up these historic pork-barrels for the wealthy, taxpayers could subsidise beautiful, healthy, nutritious sweet fruit and vegetables that are bursting with natural sugars and energy. Fruit should be free in schools. Also art, drama and sport should be in every school. Modern science has just discovered that 10 serves of fruit and vegetables a day is much better than 5, for a longer healthier life. That discovery was a long time coming.

*voters command an additional 20% diesel tax and a tax of $20 upon a diesel car entering a city and a diesel scrappage scheme as proposed in the U.K.

*Voters command parliament to grab the deal of the century and borrow billions at 2.11% pa set for 30 years and build the infrastructure most profitable to the community, for example Brisbane to Melbourne Speed and Goods Train $114bn (subject to feasibility), as commonwealth assets, not public private partnerships. This adds to jobs and skills and has a multiplier effect of 300% in the economy.

*voters command that the government borrows $100bn to build top quality 9 star social housing dwellings.

* Voters command a ban on smoking in 5 years and the sale of tobacco by doctors' prescription through pharmacies.

*Voters command a ban on gambling advertising, internet gambling and severely limit the number, hours and severity of poker machines., and that the damages slated to be paid by the government to the operators be withdrawn, as it is disgraceful blackmail designed to prevent future governments from acting in the best interests of the community.

*Voters will expropriate PPP assets back into public ownership on fair terms and will not be bullied by threats of "sovereign risk".

*Voters command that the windfall profits from land rezoning must go to all citizens via their government. As in Milton Keynes, 45 miles from London, the government will compulsorily acquire farmland at rural prices and rezone it and put in services and sell the blocks to owner occupiers.

*Voters command a ban on compulsory superannuation and indeed all superannuation, as it is a disgrace, and require employers to pay the amount with wages to the employee who can make her own investment or family support decisions.

*Voters command an end to negative gearing and capital gains tax lurks, as 75% of capital gains go to the top 10% of income earners. Leigh Sales - ABC 7.30 Report April 2016. (Turnbull said:"Leigh, that's beside the point.") Some people just don't get it. Or maybe they do get it, and they choose to be cruel, bigoted, racist, uncaring and unAustralian climate-change deniers.

*Voters command that all money earned overseas including trusts and foundations be taxed in Australia, as in the US, whether it is brought back into Australia or not.

*Voters command that the age of legal liability for contracts be re-instated to 21 to protect our youth. Also that cigarettes and alcohol can only be bought by those over 21 as in the USA.

*Voters command that welfare recipients can earn up to a total of the minimum wage in any financial year (including benefits) without needing to report those higher earnings to Centrelink for adjustment, saving considerable public expense.

*Voters command that the states be abolished for greater fairness and efficiency and that one set of laws apply to all Australians.

* Voters command that the army will accept all fit volunteers of any age and provide full time training and a wage. Those under 30 will not be put in harm's way.

* Voters command that all long term jobseekers be conscripted into the army or TAFE colleges for full time training and paid a wage.

*Voters command that all international transfers by corporations for any reason to associated identities be charged a 55% tax.

*Voters command that conditions in owner occupied home mortgages allowing lenders to pursue borrowers for any shortfall after the sale by mortgagee, and the increase of repayments after an interest rate rise are voided. Lenders must increase the loan period in the event of an authorised interest rate rise, if any rises are to be allowed at all after a detailed examination and debate.

*Voters command that insurers of loans to low deposit home owners are unable to pursue borrowers for any shortfall, after paying a shortfall to the lender. The borrowers having already paid a premium of some $15,000 to the insurer.

*Voters command an end to negative gearing, another trick to transfer wealth from the poor to the rich. It is immoral to own a worker's home. Politicians need the courage to do this according to Harold Mitchell in The Age newspaper 24.2.2017.

*Voters command that petrol tax be increased by 5 cents a litre every year up to the OECD average.

*Voters command that religions pay taxes on businesses they own and comply with truth in advertising laws and laws regarding discrimination in employment, meaning gay and women vicars and priests.

LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES - RELIGION TODAY

In our diverse and loving democratic society, churches must stop telling ridiculous lies to children and the less well-educated.

For example : Calathumpiams believe that only Calathumpiams go to heaven, not : Only Calathumpians go to heaven.

Of course adults are entitled to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of the garden. The question is to what extent can they infect innocent children and other vulnerable citizens with their ridiculous nonsense.

Children are not Muslim children or Christian children, they are the children of Muslims or the children of Christians., as noted by Professor Richard Dawkins.

A bishop who has possibly spent decades covering up the crimes of pedophile priests, has helpfully announced that the church is based on love, and that celibacy is not an issue. Well, well, well. Love indeed!

With over 2,000 pedophiles employed and their devastating crimes covered up for decades, it's a strange kind of love. Celibacy IS the issue, along with mental illness.

The Australian government has set up a Royal Commission on these crimes which is due to report late in 2017.

4,444 victims have accused one Catholic clergy in 14 of abuse, and that's only the tip of the iceberg of course as many victims have not come forward. In some orders a staggering one clergy in 5 have been accused. The Guardian 25.2.2017.

Of course the chief Protectors of Pedophiles have been the Popes over the last 50 years. We must protect the brand!

As everything affects everything else, any person who declares that celibacy is not an issue is plain wrong. It's contrary to the highest and overriding set of statutes - the laws of nature. It's a grab for power by people who want us to believe they are special and represent god by some method we are too dumb to comprehend. In our modern era, a celibacy requirement on employment or anything should be outlawed. No-one believes priests are celibate and no priest is celibate.

When our troops in Vietnam asked a chaplain to reconcile the tasks demanded of them by their conservative government, with the bible's 'Thou shall not kill', he had no answer.

We all face death inevitably, and some find it more scary than others. The vulnerable are promised that if they leave their millions to the church, they can sit at Jesus' right hand. Bring on gift duty and estate duty, and an end to lies, misleading and deceptive statements and obtaining a financial advantage by deception.

Governments should act to confiscate half of the wealth of deviant churches to properly rehabilitate all victims, and also as punitive damages for decades of institutionalised corruption. And of course the jailing of those responsible for the cover-up, right up the food chain.

MENTAL ILLNESSES - PEDOPHILIA

Pyromania appears to be a mental illness suffered by young male persons. Of course they must be caught, locked up to protect the citizens and cured, assuming a cure is possible.

Their crimes cause serious property damage and death. If they are mentally ill, to what extent are they culpable? Even though they feel an overwhelming urge to light the match, they know it's the wrong thing to do and must be brought to book.

A similar situation may apply to pedophilia? Many believe the condition to be permanent and incurable, but is this the case?

Sufferers may grow out of pyromania, but pedophilia could require an extended occupancy of the psychiatrist's couch and a supportive domestic and community situation.

Any adult who is sexually attracted to children has an illness and must seek professional help. They could be your relatives or neighbours. Many wrongly believe that the condition is permanent and they should be burned at the stake, or be bashed in prison for ever.

Sexual attraction is an interesting subject. It's not always mutual. If two people are falling in love, they give off body odours which are attractive to each other. Involuntarily casting a spell. The love bug. It is rare to see that pink glow on the other side of the room when you are middle aged.

Those perverts who are attracted to, and abuse children must face the full force of the law, like any criminal.

A man in his thirties had a relationship with a 15 year old girl, got her pregnant, and was ignored by Victoria Police. He left her and repeated the performance.

Canada is addressing the question of rehabilitation, with offenders meeting weekly with a support group of 8 in local communities to discuss their progress.

WELFARE BLUDGERS?

In 1970 unemployment was half a percent. All men prefer to be employed. A job means necessary cash, social contact, a home and lifestyle. Most young women had one of the two equally most important jobs in the world - a mother.

With more women in the workforce since the eighties, globalisation and employers chasing slave labour overseas, the price of our labour has plummeted due to oversupply and lower demand.

It's unAustralian not to give a battler a fair go, and it's unAustralian to call jobseekers insulting names and make them jump through ridiculous hoops. It's not their fault.

There are some people out there suffering depression or other problems, who need professional support, not insults from greedy pigs. I cast no aspersions whatsoever on innocent four trottered pigs, who I am sure are living blameless lives. It is an insult to fine upstanding animals, who have an inalienable right to run, to jump, and to root at will, to love and be loved and not to be incarcerated without a trial before an independent judge with adequate legal aid, and I apologise to them. Like all mammals, pigs are our cousins.

Attacking jobseekers with derogatory names, and forcing them to run around like blue-arsed flies and jump through hoops, is a low evil tactic of blaming the victim and hiding the fact that THERE ARE NO JOBS!!

It's all part of the plan. Drip, drip, drip. A liberal minister got on TV and declared that we have to get more people in their seventies into the workforce. But hang on -THE JOBS AREN'T THERE!! If they were there, they should go to more needy younger people. Also those in their seventies have the right to choose - AND THEY HAVE LARGELY CHOSEN NOT TO WORK!!

Drip, drip, drip. Then a minister will get on TV and say women with babies and children should be back in the workforce much earlier. She has no right to be a mother!! Her baby has no right to have a mother. And, of course, THERE ARE NO JOBS!!

These people are ideologues who want a pool of millions of Australians crawling in the gutter begging to work for $3.90 a fortnight.

PEOPLE PREFER TO HAVE A JOB

Calling struggling innocent Australians, who should be supported, "dole bludgers" is a low evil act. Demonstrably the jobs are not there. Battling families don't deserve to be insulted by the super-rich and their cohorts, cahoots and owlhoots. Pretty nifty eh! I saw that phrase in a Mad Magazine 60 years ago. Proof again that we are copycat mammals.

Three million are in poverty and 2.56m are unemployed or underemployed (Roy Morgan Polls). I haven't mentioned that, have I?

A RESPECTFUL, DIGNIFIED AND COMPASSIONATE AUSTRALIA?

Liberal Social Services Minister Christian Porter told Channel 9: "We'll find you, we'll track you down and you will have to repay those debts and you may end up in prison."

Who have we become exactly? Listening to this arsehole sitting up there in his Ivory tower looking down his snout at struggling families?

Beating the poor with a stick will not solve their problems.

At the same time McDonalds, Apple, Google, Microsoft, BHP Billiton, Malcolm Turnbull et al. are dodging billions in tax at a huge cost to workers.

And of course the snouts in the trough keep steadily wallowing away with impunity:-

*Ludicrous parliamentary pensions and superannuation gifts, called "defined benefits" which also go to fat cats and trickle down to your friendly neighbourhood policeman who collects almost $1m on retirement.

*A minister claiming $13,000 in charter flights between capital cities is let off the hook, but welfare recipients are left to prove their innocence while being threatened with jail and are forced to repay the so-called debt while the amount is in dispute.

*Health Minister Susan Ley used a Comcar to buy an investment property for $795,000 on the Gold Coast, while her conservative government fought tooth and nail to keep negative gearing and failed to address housing affordability.

*Thanks to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop for giving us the best example of an out of touch government: incredibly she claimed benefits for attending a polo event.

*"Porsche Patients" have their trusts pay them a low income so as to qualify for free medical benefits intended for poorer Australians, to the chagrin of doctors.

THE MILITARY

John Howard + co told us 13 major lies before illegally attacking Iraq, causing the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis, and innocent young troops of the Coalition of the Willing to Lie. He has brought terrorism to Australia which will play out for years to come. I doubt if he will be charged with war crimes next week, along with Blair and Bush.

Blair acted in the face of a march of two million in London, the greatest protest ever in the history of our planet. 179 British troops died.

Howard acted against the wishes of the vast majority of Australians. Only 6% of Australians agreed that our troops should go in there without a UN resolution. Even with a UN resolution, IT'S NOT OUR WAR? And now: THE PAYBACK. Australians are being killed in Australia. If two parties are having a fight, it's better to step back and see what happens. But Iraq wasn't having a civil war. It was an illegal invasion.

BRING THEM HOME NOW

Our troops are wasting their young lives in the Middle East right now. 44 have died needlessly, while we are too squeamish to kill Martin Bryant, Julian Knight and the monster who killed 6 in Bourke Street. Turnbull may shortly boost those numbers as the trade-off for the US taking the refugees he is deliberately brutalising offshore. But of course there is no connection. Ho, ho, ho.

As soon as our troops arrived there, we were urged to support "our young soldiers", as though they went there on their own free will to do an important job.

The innocent young troops are public servants carrying out their cock-eyed instructions.

If John Howard felt so strongly, he could have snuck in there disguised as a court jester, and his performance would have driven Saddam to depression and suicide.

With hindsight, we should have set up a boxing ring in the desert and matched up Saddam and Bush.

War-mongering conservatives have followed the USA and forced our kids into various wars since WW 2, looking for a khaki election result, AND LOST EVERY ONE OF THOSE WARS. 521 Aussie kids died in Vietnam, a local peasant war. Many of them had their birthday drawn out of the Liberal Party Death Ballot, a lotto draw. 18 year old babies who deserve our SUPPORT, to get a life, to mature, to marry and love their kids. 356 died in the Korean War. Only older people should be put in harm's way.

When the Viet Cong tanks went into Saigon, they stopped and asked the directions to the People's Palace. It was only a change of government. They did not kill babies. The Murdoch media said babies would be murdered and 100 emotional women waited in a queue to adopt them.

When will we ever learn?

Causing the deaths of 521 mainly working class boys is a serious error. Aren't those responsible for mistakes supposed to be brought to account?

Australia has suffered 44 military deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. We had no business sticking our snout in there and we will continue to suffer the backlash of this idiotic political decision for years to come. We all know that it is not good that these young innocents got it in the neck. But what can we do? Howard acted illegally with the support of only 6% of Australians to go there without a UN resolution. Will he be charged with the killing of the 44 innocent kids?

And yet we fight to stop the death penalty for evil murderers including mass murderers. Go figure.

On any matter of concern never forget that you are empowered.

1. Demonstrate. As a nation we must throw off apathy and cynicism and get out there on the streets.

2. Join a political party. Just do it.

3. Write, ring, media, politicians. Drive them mad. You are empowered to do good today and you will be dead for trillions of years. This is our number one priority and the need is urgent.

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull had difficulty convincing Donald Trump to stick to the deal of taking 1,200 asylum seekers from his cruel and inhuman prisons in Nauru and Manus Island. Someone in the press asked how many troops we will have to supply to one of the USA's wars, as though it's a given - automatic. Sure enough within a week our defence minister is on TV increasing the 1,000 we have in the Middle East. So another 44 Aussie kids get it in the neck.

I recommend the film "The Bentley Effect", an inspirational and emotional story of how 5,000 locals under canvas faced down 1,000 police and caused the fracking permits in the NSW Northern Rivers to be revoked. In politics you must have the numbers AND YOU CAN GET THE NUMBERS.

TAXATION

Australia must act right now to re-balance the tax grabbed over decades from the workers and confirm its proud egalitarian values. At the same time the super rich have been excused from paying billions.

1. WEALTH TAX AS IN FRANCE. ADD TO BUDGET $. billion

Note: One Euro = .71AUD (Australian Dollar) as at the time of writing.

Fraction Taxable. Rate of Tax

€800,000 to €1.3m. .5%

€1.3 to €2.57m. .7%

€2.57 to €5m. 1%

€5 to €10m. 1.25%

€10 million plus. 1.5%

In France all assets must be valued at their realistic market value as at the first of January each year. These include all cash, property, cars, jewels, furniture, shares, fine wine, etc. Mortgages are deducted of course, and there is a 30% discount for the main residence, meaning that the wealth tax is payable on 70% of the value of the person's house.

Now here is the possible answer to Australia's disastrous, inefficient and uneconomic ownership of the largest houses on earth on average, built to rob the people of needed tax revenue for schools, hospitals, housing, defence, public transport, etc. A 30% discount on the value of the home instead of 100%. Alternately a deduction of $650,000 from the value of the house. In other words wealth tax would be payable on that part of the value of the house over $650,000, which is more egalitarian.

We have a limited quantity of land, building materials and capital, and we have 3m in poverty including almost one child in five, 2.56m WORKERS unemployed or underemployed and a burgeoning number of homeless citizens. 30% of those in poverty are working poor - 900,000 - unbelievable!

AND YET, AND YET, we have one or two little old pensioners rattling around in mansions because THEY WANT TO CHEAT on our fair and reasonable taxes and pension laws. Taxation isn't a shocking unfair penalty - it's the joyous purchase of world-class public goods, which will hopefully one day include a helping hand to get 880,000 innocent children out of poverty.

Please help them to understand that it is the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia, for which 102,000 have died in battle, that require them to pay for our necessary communal services. Decades ago most would say with pride that they would never apply for a pension, and that it is immoral to own a worker's home. Now we have millionaires on the pension. Their home could be worth $5m. And yet, if a pensioner's only asset is $450,000 or more in cash, her pension will be reduced. Go figure! The meagre assets of the poor are generally held in cash. One third of Australians have an average of $1,000 in the bank. That's 8,000,000 people by $1,000 which equals $8,000,000,000, $8bn, which is lent largely to the very wealthy to buy another 10 workers' homes.

WEALTH TAX FOR AUSTRALIA

Suggested wealth tax in Australia on net assets including overseas trusts, foundations and hedge funds.

A one-off 15% charge as a token to past taxation failure, to build the most profitable infrastructure, creating skills and jobs. Trump proposes 14.5%.

Fraction Taxable. Rate of Tax

$4m to $7m .5% annually

$7m to $10m .7%

$10 to $15m 1%

$15m to $30m 1.25%

$30m to $50m 1.5%

$50m to $80m 2%

$80m plus 2.5%

As some wealthy French have fled over the border, overseas transfers must be limited.

2. TAX OVERSEAS INVESTMENTS.

Taxpayers must be forced to declare all assets held overseas and pay the tax dodged and penalties.

We must join with other countries and blackball tax havens until they yield and cough up the names of the beneficial owners and the annual profits they have made. These people must be brought to book. For too long they have been ducking their important responsibility and forcing low and middle income earners to pick up the tab.

If citizens make money overseas, they must pay tax in Australia, which is the law in the USA.

3. RAISE TAX-FREE THRESHOLD.

The top 20% of income earners pay 64% of income tax, $128bn, and this would continue, and indeed be increased as set out in 4, below.

The bottom 80% pay 36% of income tax, $73bn, and this would be cut out by raising the tax-free threshold from $18,200 to approximately $75,000.

Yes mates, I propose that the bottom approx. 80% of income tax payers pay NO INCOME TAX.

This is not fairyland. This is merely a return to a decent, fair, sensible situation where tax is levied according to the ability to pay, on the wealthy and the super-wealthy in particular.

Income tax is an unfair burden to low and middle income earners, and a major driver of poverty. As the taxes waived will all be consumed on the necessities of life, food, clothing, education, transport and housing, this additional consumption will have a multiplier effect of 300% in the economy.

It is a disgrace that 3m AUSTRALIANS are in poverty, 30% of whom are the working poor, because of the greed of a few. A more egalitarian society benefits EVERYBODY, even the super-rich.

Income tax and GST punish economic activity and have increasingly been imposed on the poor and working families, whilst the super rich have been excused from the inconvenience of coughing up.

Time to re-balance and return to the days when taxes were based on the ability to pay. We've had decades of listening to their lies that they will create jobs. The obvious answer is taxes on wealth and estates. We need taxes that not only stop their race to own everything in the world, we must actively trim them back a notch or two.

It's dangerous to generalise of course, but some of the super rich are haranguing their innocent estate agents, demanding that the weekly rent be transferred to the on the day it's paid by the tenant to the agent, in order to collect overnight interest. These people are bloody sick.

Billionaire bankers in New York are pressing their children to delay the evacuation of the bowels to extract maximum energy from their breakfast.

4. THE GREAT BIG NEW INCOME TAX BRACKET

ADD TO BUDGET $8bn

SWEDEN has the highest marginal tax rate in the world at 57%. The next 9 highest tax rates, from 50% to 55%, include Israel, Japan, Denmark, Austria and The Netherlands.

A Great Big New Income Tax Bracket of 55% should apply to incomes over 1 million.

The proposed new scale :

up to $75,000. 0% (raised from $18,200)

$75,000 to $87,000. 19%

$87,001 to $180,000. 32.5%

$180,001 to $1m. 45% existing rate

$1,000,001 plus. 55% (raised from 45%)

5. ESTATE TAX OVER $7m.

Estate or inheritance taxes are the fairest of them all, according to Bertrand Russell. This tax is Green's policy - on estates over $5m, to be paired with a gift tax to stop gifts prior to death.

Japan has the highest rate at 55%. Australia could consider joining the U.K. and US on 40%.

On second thoughts, why not 55%? Inheritance is the major driver of inequality and is the prime source of the wealth of the world's wealthiest.

All citizens should recognise the important necessity of raising taxes based on the ability to pay, correcting the errors of the past, and moving towards a more egalitarian society.

GOOD MORNING WARM FROG

Apparently a frog will stay in water which is being heated until it has been boiled to death.

Our situation is beyond grotesque here today because, as a species, we are warm frogs.

We failed to stop burning fossil fuels by 1990, the tipping point, despite warnings.

We failed to be politically active, demanding that taxes be levied based on the ability to pay, decades ago. The upper class has won the class war handsomely, like a walk in the park.

We failed to resist the harm done to millions by the Milton Friedmans, the John Howards and the Peter Costellos of this world.

The Hawke Keating policies helped us through the 1982 recession, helped families and reduced child poverty from 16% to 11%. Zero would be better. However negative gearing and compulsory superannuation have crippled millions of workers and enriched the super rich beyond grotesque. They were neoliberal wolves in sheep's clothing, laying the foundation for Howard and Costello to make it ten times worse.

And now, in January 2017, the Australian Electoral Commission tells us that of the $80m donated to the Liberals in the last election, and the $60m donated to Labor, 60% of that, $140m, is UNTRACEABLE!

That is $84,000,000 in political donations in one year which is untraceable!

JUST WHO EXACTLY IS RUNNING AUSTRALIA?

JUST WHO EXACTLY IS RUNNING AUSTRALIA?

Just one more time for emphasis:

JUST WHO EXACTLY IS RUNNING AUSTRALIA?

THOSE PARTIES KNOW THE SOURCE OF THOSE DONATIONS, AND THEY ARE OBLIGED TO TELL US RIGHT NOW.

I mean to say, it's such a pleasure living here in our modern, open and accountable democracy, isn't it? I knew you would agree.

Nothing happens until you and I make it happen. Starting today we will ring, write, demonstrate, form a residents' association and start a petition on Change.org.

Just as we will force the criminal tax havens to disgorge the beneficial owners of the hidden billions, we will force the political parties to own up to their true backers.

Who benefited from the scrapping of our excellent mining super profits tax?

Who benefited from the scrapping of our excellent carbon pricing scheme, commonly called the carbon tax by its critics? And now they are giving wealthy overseas shareholders and our unconscionable banks $50bn over ten years whilst screwing the poor, the sick, the elderly and the jobseekers at a time when there are twenty jobseekers for every vacancy - and the innocent underemployed.

The Liberals, true to form, falsely declared a debt crisis and budget emergency to scare little old lady voters, SHOCK, HORROR, and then proceeded to scrap two excellent taxes (and most of their election promises, which were deliberate lies).

Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer spent $22m in advertising against the mining tax. What part of 'no' don't they understand? Is this how government works, the epitome of modern democracy? Government by the people for the people? Statesmen? Stateswomen?

Politicians 2017: Passionate representatives of the people, fighting for fairness and equity, or weak-kneed lackeys of the donor class?

On one hand we have tens of thousands of qualified scientists all around the world co-operating on matters environmental, and crunching data on the large hadron collider, and on the other hand, an oaf like Tony Abbott or a cruel elitist like John Howard, can send young Aussies to die in unnecessary wars, tax the poor and enrich the very rich. How would we react if 22 of the 44 killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 were young women soldiers? Or the next 44 to needlessly die there are young women soldiers?

ADVERTISEMENT

DO YOU SUFFER FROM INDIGESTION, STRESS, HEADACHE, ANXIETY, CORNS, SCIATICA, AN UNEASY FEELING THAT SOMETHING ISN'T QUITE RIGHT, OR LUMBAGO?

You need marvellous modern-day G R O U P T H I N K

Here's how it works :-

Step 1: Keep repeating "The rich were always rich, so it doesn't matter if they pay no tax."

Step 2: Wake up every morning and look out the window.

Step 3: If you observe that the burning of fossil fuels wasn't revoked, terminated, expunged or extinguished overnight, go forth once again and burn fossil fuels.

Step 4: Leave it all to "them" because they know best.

Step 5: If fighting for an egalitarian Australia for which 102,000 Aussie kids have died in wars is too difficult, go and have a BBQ at Hanging Rock.

Step 6: If your friends are apathetic and cynical about politics, become apathetic and cynical.

Step 7: Instead of wasting your valuable time grappling with problems, head for the TV with adequate alcohol.

You too can enjoy the warm togetherness and the self-congratulation of life in the GROUP-THINK HERD, IN THE CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE THAT ALL IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD.

END OF ADVERTISEMENT

ACTION

1. Join a political party.

2. Go to the monthly meetings. Warning: modern science has discovered that if you don't turn up, they will start saying that you are a so-and-so.

3. Smile, introduce yourself to your Comrades.

4. Move motions at every meeting. It doesn't matter if they are defeated. It doesn't matter if you don't get a seconder. This is only the first step. You are never going away. You will never surrender. You are empowered. You speak for 102,000 war dead Aussie kids. It might take time, but believe me -YOU WILL HAVE A NICE LITTLE WIN NOW AND THEN.

5. Australia desperately needs its Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbin, and that person is YOU. Speak out. Throw off the shackles of Group Think. As one person said "Yes we can", which of course leads to the question "Do what?"

6. As you and I are responsible for traffic and pollution, we are empowered to make them history. Walk, cycle and use public transport. You and yours will be fitter and happier. Reclaim the streets! Over 600,000 Australians will buy a new car every year. Stop. Think. Don't do it. If you must have a new car, get an electric one. Use your existing car on rare occasions.

OPTIONS FOR THE LEFT IN AUSTRALIA

SCENARIO 1

Step 1: Labor appoints Anthony Albanese as leader in accordance with the votes of the membership, abolishes permanent factions, and requires all members to vote on issues on merit for better decisions. As we have seen, Labor has lost its way and insulted its history by entrenching privilege and ignoring the masses.

Step 2: Labor and Greens get on the front foot, addresses the concerns of voters, adopts an agreed version of the Vision for Australia as herein, and enters a coalition agreement. NICK XENOPHON TEAM INVITED INTO THE TENT.

Step 3. The Labor/Greens coalition wins the next election, or at least they agree to fight the Liberals and not each other.

SCENARIO 2

Labor sticks with its laughable broken discredited conservative program of entrenching privilege and continues to go down the drain with the disgraced, lying, racist, bigoted, lunatic hard Christian Right, climate change denying Liberals. Voters are fed up to their back teeth with the ridiculous lies and greed of the (largely anonymous) donor class, who are the puppet-masters of these old conservative parties.

Greens continue to stagnate as their policies are motherhood statements that could have been written by anyone. A journalist described them as irrelevant. Why is this? Climate change is the greatest moral challenge of our time.

Greens' policies are more attractive to many of the 450,000 first-time voters. 450,000 mainly rusted-on Liberal and Labor voters have passed away in the preceding 3 years electoral cycle.

Nick Xenophon Team and/or right-wing crackpots to have the balance of power and rule the roost.

AND NOW, DA DAAAHHR, THE ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS, INCREDIBLE EXCITEMENT........A UNIVERSAL WAGE.......DING DING DING DING

Time and again a universal wage has been proposed to be given to everyone. As we know the dirty tricks never stop. These people will never say "tax the rich and especially the super rich very hard, and adequately support needy Australians and over-taxed workers, by raising the tax free threshold to $75,000."

Over 50 years Australians have been suffering a slow death by 1,000 cuts. "The rich will give the money straight back as taxation." Bullshit. You know that and I know that. Look at their track record. It's ludicrous to go to the trouble and expense of giving money to people only to try and drag it back again.

We are told that we have the most targeted welfare system in the world, which is code for "we have thousands of public servants inefficiently probing every aspect of the lives of welfare recipients, hounding them and victimising them."

These people could be hounding the super rich and multinationals, or digging swimming pools for us with pick and shovel. Be positive - outdoor workers are happier.

I SUPPORT THE MINIMUM WAGE OF $694.40 A WEEK BEING GIVEN TO EVERY WELFARE RECIPIENT.

It is our government which has declared this to be the bare minimum for existence in 2017. This is the entitlement of every recipient and we owe them no less. Another government body, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, ASIC, has declared that every pensioner needs $658.00 a week for a reasonable existence ASSUMING THE PERSON OWNS HER OWN HOUSE. Mates, you have to agree, that's a mighty big assumption.

Every non-propertied recipient should get an additional $280 per week.

The economics of the universal wage concept are good only in so far as giving money to poorer people increases the consumption of the basics, food, clothing, housing, transport and education, and this has a multiplier effect enabling businesses to spend more and invest in stock and equipment. You get the same benefit by giving the minimum wage to the poor and not the rich. Tax cuts and gifts to the rich only gives them more to invest, hoovering up more shares and properties from the embattled middle class.

Giving money to everyone reduces the value of it to the poor, as stated by the president of NSW Pensioners Association 35 years ago.

#  A CALL TO ARMS

This can be achieved by 2 steps in tandem : -

1) introduce great big new taxes aimed squarely at the super rich, and

2) give immediate effective tax relief to low income earners.

These measures will be a big step towards the eradication of poverty.

MESSAGE TO THE RICH

Stand up now and be a true Aussie, or a true citizen of whichever country you happen to be a citizen of at this time.

Demand equality. Don't put up with inequality. Enough is enough.

Don't flaunt your wealth, gained by inheritance or good luck.

Show leadership. Be a volunteer youth leader in a deprived area. They will be the most rewarding years of your life.

Relax and share. Time with your kids before it's too late.

Be admired for the content of your character.

INEQUALITY IS WORSE NOW THAN AT ANY TIME SINCE THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

According to Australian Labor politician Tanya Plibersek, the gap between the rich and the poor has been widening for 75 years.

I have heard people talking about the yawning chasm between the haves and have-nots for the last 45 years."Shucks. Ain't it awful."

Well, the time for talk is over. The disparity is the worst it has been since the Sun King, Louie XIV, just before the French Revolution of 1798.

We need a meaningful global wealth tax extracted every year PLUS tax relief and support for the poor to make poverty history.

Right now there are 8 persons on our planet who own 50% of all assets, largely obtained by inheritance.

They have 8 votes, whereas the rest of us voters have billions of votes.

In a relatively short time they will own 60% of the world's wealth. A function of simple arithmetic and tax laws that have gone missing.

The richest 10% own 85% of the all assets, whereas the poorest 10% have less than $2 a day.

Half the people on earth average $6 per day.

On earth there are 700 million cars and 1,400 million bicycles.

In Australia the wealthy are on track to increase their share of all assets from 45% to 54% by 2025, and thereafter the sun, moon and stars.

Once again, largely a function of inheritance and deliberately skewed taxation which places the tax burden squarely on the poor and wage earners.

Sadly our planet has been largely infected with the 1980s epidemic of Reagan/Thatcher disease \- neoliberalism.

Deregulation and privatisation are an abdication of the responsibility to govern, as I said at the Eltham branch of the Australian Labor Party in 1980.

Clearly we do not need small or big government - WE NEED ADEQUATE GOVERNMENT.

Negative gearing, capital gains tax discount and compulsory superannuation have been a total disaster for the vast bulk of the population.

Greedy politicians whose primary responsibility is the protection of the battlers and the young, have dragged in obscene billions from foreigners and criminals to boost the value of the assets of the super rich. Any such increase in the money supply will flow mainly to real estate, causing a bubble.

In 1972 Prime Minister Bill McMahon increased the money supply by 26% in a desperate effort to be re-elected, causing house prices to treble in a year.

This has not only pushed the battlers and the young out of home ownership, but caused rentals to be unaffordable to most.

PUBLIC GOODS AND PRIVATE GOODS

There are public goods, monopoly utilities for example, and there are private goods, the house you own and live in and your bicycle for example.

Under privatisation the charges for services like gas, electricity and water have soared. Surprise, surprise. It is a capitalist's dream to own a monopoly and tweek up the prices, push down the costs and reduce services. Every reduction in service is an unauthorised price rise.

The private owners of the gas and electricity utilities in Victoria are charging for 20 items that were free.

A private bus company bought the government bus service from Melbourne to Doncaster. Now Balwyn residents have to go past Balwyn to Doncaster and catch another bus back to Balwyn.

These people just don't get it.

I had 13 good years in 2nd Northcote Boy Scouts and my first priority is helping others. I was a Mitchell Shire councillor for 9 years to 2009.

Many large companies in Australia are run by self-serving psychopaths who don't give two hoots about the old, the sick and the poor. They pay themselves a wage of $15 million per annum and tell us that this is necessary to attract and keep the best people, whilst keeping a straight face.

This is the world that 102,000 Aussie kids and adults died for over 116 years.

We pass by this place only once.

INHERITANCE TAX: THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL

Some 50 odd years ago we had the fairest tax of them all: death duties. Under conservative prime minister Bob Menzies the highest income tax bracket was 75%.

Under the conservatives at that time there were women with four kids living in garages in the inner suburbs getting an allowance of $5 per week.

Menzies stressed the importance of battling families having home ownership - and he was a Liberal!

The Bolte Liberal government awarded an honour to a woman cleaner working in Parliament House because she was forced to work two jobs to look after her disabled daughter. An example to all Victorians. Liberals proudly boasting that it's good for the poor to suffer. Keep them in the gutter.

We need inheritance taxes on estates over $5m according to the Greens policy. The rate of tax should rise steeply to hit the super rich hard. After all, the loved one could have left it all to the Lost Cats' Home! An inheritance is unearned manna from heaven for the beneficiaries.

There should be an equivalent tax on trusts and gifts to ensure there is NO ESCAPE.

WEALTH TAX AS IN FRANCE

To be paid every year on estates over $7m at a rate that rises steeply. Come on mates: get focused. The upper class have won the class war over the last 75 years. They are increasing their share of all asset DAILY, from 45% in 2015 to 54% in 2025, on their way inevitably to 99% UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Enough is enough. YOU ARE EMPOWERED TO STOP THE ROT.

GREAT BIG NEW HIGH INCOME TAX BRACKET OF 55%.

Say, on incomes over $1,000,000 per annum. Now there's an amount that should see you adequately fed, clothed and housed. You will be relieved to know that there would also be sufficient for adequate transport and education.

ABOLISH NEGATIVE GEARING AND COMPULSORY SUPERANNUATION

The majority of the benefits of these go to the 10 most wealthy electorates. They have been a disaster for low income earners and the shrinking middle class.

Super tax concessions cost $33bn a year. This is a gift to the wealthy. Working poor should not have their wages taken from them as compulsory super in a "free" country.

THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX DISCOUNT on the taxpayers' home costs $61.5bn.

The average discount of those who actually paid capital gains tax in these electorates:-

Malcolm Turnbull, Wentworth NSW $66,798

Kelly O'Dwyer, Liberal Higgins Vic $40,620

Andrew Broad, National Mallee Vic $2,327

Bob Katter, Independent Kennedy Qld $2,699

Amanda Rishworth, Kingston SA $2,719

CAPITAL GAINS TAX DISCOUNT per person:-

* in Malcolm Turnbull's electorate $5,387

* in all Liberal electorates. $672

* in all Labor electorates. $297

* in Amanda Rishworth's Kingston SA. $66

* in Mark Butler's Port Adelaide, Labor $73

* in Bob Katter's Kennedy Qld $82

\- The Australia Institute reported in The Guardian 16.5.2017.

We are now a nation of tenants and tax dodging landlords. Right now. Today.

And don't be fooled - these landlords are not innocent struggling police and nurses, they are the Super Duper Rich.

RAISE THE TAX FREE THRESHOLD

One of the best things we can do right now to alleviate poverty is to raise the tax free threshold from $18,200 to $75,000.

This could remove the 30% of those in poverty, the working poor, 900,000 workers, out of poverty in one fell swoop. Note: not one foul swoop. Train the brain : fell swoop, fell swoop, fell swoop.

And furthermore: no-one ever honed in on anything, however many have honed an axe or knife. Train the brain : homed in, homed in, homed in.

Raising the threshold will put cash in the pockets of workers, which will be spent on food, clothing, housing, education and transport, and have a multiplier effect of some 300% in the overall economy.

Whilst on one hand all AUSTRALIANS can and should have equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness and the necessities of life, on the other hand we must immediately live a much more frugal lifestyle. As we are currently consuming 1.5 planets, gobble-gobble economics, never-ending growth, must stop.

1. Politicians and parties have had the opportunity of telling the people the truth and showing leadership.

2. Politicians have stubbornly refused to do so, preferring to believe that voters are greedy and brain-dead.

3. Minute by minute we are digging ourselves into a deeper hole and our children and grandchildren will shake their heads in disbelief.

4. The planet is stuffed beyond repair and we can only aim to save what's left and the key to success is YOU.

5. This is an idea at its time and the most powerful force in the world. You will love walking, cycling and using public transport. Sell the car; buy an electric one if you must. Join a couple of environmental groups and a political party. You will have a huge amount of fun. Get focussed - Melbourne's water useage has dropped by 40% since the last drought.

Q. Why is this?

A. People power.

THE GEOGRAPHIC RELOCATION OF YOUR PERSON

Modern science has discovered that the most efficient method of moving one kilogram one kilometre is owned by salmon. Six times more efficient than walking.

And the second most efficient : a primate riding a bicycle. Three times more efficient than walking.

Good advice is at your fingertips. Be open to it. Advice about diet, smoking, exercise and helping others. Actively pursue happiness. It's good. It's not in the USA constitution for nothing.

Organise to be in happy places with good people.

If I gave you a gold watch as a present, that would give you pleasure for an amount of time. However modern science has discovered that much more pleasure comes from experiences. Take the train to the end of the line and walk in a national park for 5 or 10 kilometres. You'll be over the moon.

A CALL TO ARMS

Our situation has become so obscene and grotesque after 40 years of class warfare, that it may very well come to pitchforks and madam guillotine.

As the super rich are unlikely to mildly acquiesce to taxation based on the ability to pay, it is incumbent on you and I to stand up and take. Does our Australianness mean anything?

We must stand up and TAKE.

#  BRING ELITES TO HEEL IN UK AND AUSTRALIA

THE QUEEN'S WEALTH IS HIDDEN IN SMOKE AND MIRRORS

The late Gerald Grosvenor, the Sixth Duke of Westminster, was the richest Briton, worth £12.3 ($US17.2bn, $AU21.2bn) and the owner of over 300 acres of central London including Mayfair and property in Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and Europe.

He said that he would rather not have been born rich, but he has never thought of giving it up as it's not his to sell.

This was his big mistake, locking himself in a life of misery and passing the curse to his son. This burden caused a life-long fight with depression. At one time he couldn't get out of bed. He died in August 2016 at the age of 64 after suffering lung cancer for 4 years. A smoker I presume. Do depressed people find relief in a cigarette?

Why was he depressed? Isn't financial security supposed to give you a fabulous quality of life, and the opportunity to pursue your passions, your hobbies, to explore the world and to help others? Giving is said to be more rewarding than receiving.

The Duke did support a lot of charities, but like some other super-rich, the support is a tiny fraction of the tax avoided.

I met a man who declared the Duke's financial trusts to be perfectly legal - as though that's the end of the story - no tax payable there. He said the said Duke only managed them and received the profits. Well, what's your definition of ownership? Were these trust arrangement tested in court? Does anybody on planet earth really believe that the trusts were set up for some reason other than tax avoidance? Do all citizens have a moral duty to support their nation and pay the taxes levied on them by their democratic government, based on their ability to pay? Would you expect the super-rich to be thankful for their privileges, and have the decency and intelligence to pay their taxes with pride, as an example to all. But no, their greed and stupidity has placed the tax burden on the poor and working families. Payment of tax is the purchase of public goods, hopefully quality public goods, of which we can all be proud

Ratting on their fellow countrywomen and men is a low evil act which obviously should never be considered. These people must be brought to book. Look at the war dead, the injuries and deaths from industrial accidents and the millions in grinding poverty through no fault of their own. Innocent children denied food, shelter, clothing, housing and transport. Why? So the parasite class can live in their Ivory towers and snigger down their snouts at us while we shoulder their tax burden.

Make no mistake about it - this is total class warfare - world wide. It is immoral to own a worker's home. I will devote my life to REVERSING the rush to increasing inequality.

Back to the Duke.

This further confirms that money does not bring happiness. Some devote their lives to money only to find that if they get there, there's nothing there. If you were given a present of a gold watch, that would give you a degree of happiness for a certain time. However, experiences give us much more happiness, like a day in the woods with your grandchildren.

The late Duke is wrong in saying it's not his to sell. He could have sold or given it away to charity at any time. He could have sold the properties to his tenants on generous vendor terms, instead of raising the rents by 40% to 90%. Now there's a charitable man for you.

By not disposing of the assets, he has passed the curse on to his son, based on some misguided notion that there is some unknown obligation and benefit in holding it all together. Did he feel oppressed by the expectations of the five dead dukes, his forebears. Wrong thinking. Them and their values are dead and buried.

Studies show that all citizens including the super-rich, are better off in a more egalitarian society. The share of all assets owned by the super-rich is soaring beyond the obscene, leaving a smaller share of the assets for the rest of us, including the permanent underclass.

The current Duke, Hugh Grosvenor, 25 years old, dodged the 40% inheritance tax, saving a cool £5bn, whilst important hospital operations are cancelled and needy children are denied an adequate education and equal opportunity. This amount could build 37 hospitals and 37 schools. These people are wrongdoers with no conscience whatsoever. The point is that these people DON'T WANT TO PAY THE TAX. All around the world citizens are empowered to bring their elites to heel. The most powerful force in the world is an idea whose time has come.

The Lib Dems are pushing for strong anti-avoidance laws.

Charles Cadogen, the eighth-generation Earl Cadogen, is worth £4.8bn with 90 acres of prime central London property.

Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder, is worth £50.5bn.

The Queen is said to be worth £340m, the 302nd richest person on earth, but this is a sleight of hand. She has £22bn of assets including the 775 room Buckingham Palace, 12 other Royal residences, the Crown Jewels and the Royal Art Collection, the ownership of both is under question.

These are said to be held intrust for future generations. Who said that? Why are we bound by that? Exactly when did you vote for that?

You and I living here today we are the future generation of decades ago.

By what authority are we holding onto this old junk? Future generations haven't voted on it. If they could vote they would say flog it off and use the money for the advantage of all, creating beautiful infrastructure to serve the community for centuries ahead. In our present straightened circumstances hanging onto it is an albatross around our communal neck, whilst millions are punished by a totally unnecessary austerity.

No other country's citizens are so burdened by the outrageous elitism visited upon them back in the Dark Ages. No other country keeps beating its poor and workers with a stick in order to support such a huge demographic of tax-dodging blood-sucking parasites.

A democratic adjustment is long overdue. Sadly the French Revolution did not cross the Channel.

We the people are empowered to vote on this question right now. The Royal assets could be sold to advantage in the present asset bubble, and may fetch £50bn if disposed of at staggered auctions. This could build 375 schools and 375 hospitals. Some of it is said to be priceless, and the world's filthy-rich would pay any amount for the prestige of ownership.

The Queen would be left with a reasonable support base, say £5m, after we delve into the smoke and mirrors. The reasonable requirements of tourism could be retained.

The world is awash with money at almost zero interest rates, and the deal is on the table, and it's the deal of the century, to flog of this old crap to advantage.

Dear reader, this is merely my value judgement. Every voter has the opportunity of reflecting on this question and arriving at their value judgement. When is enough enough? When do you release the arrow?

Every day this old crap is gathering dust, when it could be used to massively advantage present and future generations by building necessary infrastructure. Quality public housing, swimming pools in deprived areas, public transport, removal of taxes on the poor, new cities like Milton Keynes, which are self-funding, etc. etc.

Such expenditure would create jobs, increase skills and have a multiplier effect of 300% of the cash unleashed in the economy.

In Milton Keynes the government amalgamated 3 towns and 11 villages into a city of 240,000 45 miles from London. It compulsorily acquired farms at farming values. This was in the seventies, prior to the lunacy of neoliberalism, the eighties disease which has been beating us around the head ever since.

I have written to Her Majesty proposing all of the above.

As a fair-minded loving caring person, Her Majesty will hopefully agree that enough is enough, and too much is too much. When will we sell these public assets? When 1m have died of starvation? Or 5m? Or 10m? Million that is.

She should stop the rot, cash out the obscene extravagance within her power, and hand the loot to our elected government with strings attached. She should flog off the horses, the £48.8m stamp collection, the art and jewels and most of her properties.

The government should act to dispose of investments and useless assets in its power for the programme of building and justice for citizens presently disadvantaged.

Remember: you ARE empowered, and nothing happens until YOU make it happen.

The Duchy of Lancaster is a private estate of the Queen with assets of £472m held in perpetual trust for future generations OF SOVEREIGNS. Yes, you read correctly, FOR SOVEREIGNS. Why is this? Won't they be capable of looking after themselves? When did you vote for that? Why should anyone be so massively advantaged by the mere accident of their birth. Let's focus on justice, fairness, respect for all and advance by merit.

These public funds must be given to, or taken over by, the government.

Similarly the Duchy of Cornwall supports Prince Charles and other hangers-on with assets of some £900m and an annual profit of around £22m. We suffer this lunacy because we are fearful that future monarchs and their ilk may be short of food and shelter at some time. I can see the furrow in your brow and the bead of perspiration right now. It's a worry!

The bill for food and drink is £25,000 a week at Buck Palace whilst millions go hungry.

Incredibly all of the above is generally exempt from all forms of taxation. This will only cease when YOU START MEANINGFULLY AGITATING.

In all fairness I must say some Royals voluntarily pay a small tax, but proper taxes must be mandated, not a few crumbs.

Crown Estates produces some £300m a year for Treasury, with properties worth around £10bn, a piddling 3% return. These assets include lease income from offshore wind farms, a back donor method of increasing power charges on the workers and the poor. These assets should be auctioned off over time to reduce property values and make homes affordable to first home buyers, and to build the the most profitable infrastructure for the whole community.

The Royal Collection includes 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, 150,000 old master prints, historical photographs, tapestries, furniture, ceramics, books, gold and silver plate, arms, armour and jewellery. It includes the Crown Jewels and is spread around 13 Royal residences. Income therefrom is received by a charity.

Britons are citizens and should not be in the gutter begging for charity. See the film "I, Daniel Blake," a story about a carpenter who had a heart attack, and his battle with welfare bureaucracy.

You and I will never see the 47,000 paintings and watercolours, the gold, silver, armour and jewellery. Here are our valuable hidden assets gathering dust when they could be used to hugely advantage millions of innocent voters.

In 2009 the Queen requested an extra £4m annually from the government for repairs.

In 2010 she requested a further grant from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, but was knocked back as the scheme was "aimed at schools, hospitals, councils and housing associations for heating programmes which benefit low income families." I guess she felt the need to boost the heating in the 13 castles.

The monarch pays wages to 431 of 1,200 Royal Household staff of £18.2m a year. In 2013 The Guardian newspaper reported that Buck Palace was using zero-hour contracts for its summer staff.

The Royals are in the top 20 of global rich with assets of £22.8bn.

Britain's Ministry of Defence owns around 600,000 acres and the monarch owns almost as much, that's 1,200,000 acres British workers can eyeball to take the most suitable sites for 350 schools and 350 hospitals, for example.

All such hidden assets in all government bodies, hidden balances and knick-knacks must be investigated, and non-essential items flogged off to reduce inequality and make the community's finite store of capital work to optimum efficiency.

We need a comprehensive audit of all assets held by all government bodies. We could be amazed at the result. Once we have the complete list, we, the people, can decide in co-operation with our elected representatives, which assets are essential to the workings of government and which ones are surplus to requirements.

There will be expert reports on proposed new train lines, tram lines, roads, bridges, cities, universities, sports stadia (see how professional I am - that's the plural of stadium!) and marinas. Some projects will return £1.90 for every pound spent, others will return £1.25. We should build the most profitable for the whole community, not the most desired by a political party in a swinging seat. This is far more beneficial, especially to working families and those who happen to not be in funds at this time through no fault of their own, than the lousy 3% we are getting now from our ten billion pounds (£10,000,000,000) invested in Crown Estates.

All non-core assets must be flogged off. These arms of government get an annual budget, and only exist to serve the citizens, to stand in their shoes and act in their interests. They are not little empire builders who are mandated to inefficiently squirrel away taxpayers' hard-earned pounds and new pence.

Back to the Dukes of this world.

Whatever happened to taxation based on the ability to pay?

Many of these unconscionable tax dodgers received their riches because a forebear was a friend of William the Conquerer or someone, who criminally gave away public lands for political and military support. The proceeds of crime.

In our legal rational democracy we will be waiting forever for the super-rich to do the right thing. The people must rise up and take.

If elected governments can take workers' wages off the at the point of a gun, and give it to idiots to gamble with in share markets, they can expropriate 75% of the wealth of the wealthiest 1,000 for social housing and a whole range of needed infrastructure.

CHARGE!

#  SUPER RICH?

NOTICE TO PERSONS WHO HAPPEN TO BE SUPER-RICH AT THIS TIME

1. The age of entitlement is over.

2. The adults are now in charge.

If you are super-rich, you are a member of the overclass. This is an accident of history and not a criticism of you personally.

This is your to-do list, necessary right now for the survival of you, (on your way to super-hero status), all the rest of us mammals, insects, flora and the liferaft we are rapidly destroying.

We only have one chance of saving what remains of this tiny planet, and clearly the need is desperately urgent.

1. Be smart. Get your money out of the tax haven before it is confiscated in taxes and penalties. The writing is on the wall.

2. Pay your taxes with pride. No more shifty deals. Be an example to others. Do the right thing that your fellow citizens expect of you. Many tax-avoiding measures are thought to be legal, but are they? Have they been tested in court? The authorities are homing in on arrangements where the INTENTION is to avoid tax, and these have been declared illegal in recent court cases. Today you have the opportunity to pursue happiness and step up and do the right thing.

Tax dodging was yesterday's discredited and mistaken values. When we pay tax we are purchasing public goods, not being robbed or penalised. We need our schools, hospitals, roads, defence forces and national parks. Taxation will hopefully be levied based on the ability to pay - the Australian way.

3. Give generously to charities that support kids in poverty, the Smith Family for example. They foster 33,000 kids in poverty across the land (7,000 in Victoria) from birth to 18 or older if at university. Of course this is a drop in the ocean with almost one child in 5 in poverty, 810,000, and they are doing the work governments should be doing.

4. Recognise the ostentatious display of wealth for what it is - a mental illness. Are you doing this because deep down you believe that you are worthless - not good enough? If you are an innocent sufferer, don't put up with it. See your doctor and get a referral to a psychologist TODAY. Why do some people feel the need to show off their pretty precious plumes to those who happen to have less at this time?

We are all a product of our life and times, and yesterday's values are just that.

Seven billion members of our primate family get out of bed every morning and put on the uniform they want the rest of us to see. We see bikies, bishops, military, police, fashion models and business uniforms. I saw a clerk in the outpatients department of a hospital dressed like the Governor of the Bank of England - dark blue suit, blue and white striped shirt and bright red tie. Interesting isn't it?

5. Why waste your finite cash on building a mansion to impress others? Sell that mansion now before the price plummets and use the money to do good. A 19 year old university student in the USA said he wants to have an engineering business and a big house and plenty of kids. I understand that at that age he is unlikely to say: I want to be a good bloke with one child, an average energy-efficient house, and time for further studies, family holidays and my hobbies. A balanced lifestyle.

A big house and babies born in the Western World are bad news for the planet. A person in the West uses 160 times more energy than an indigenous person in New Guinea.

6. The West needs a one child policy.

In the fifties houses were double-fronted. It became fashionable for those who felt a need to impress to have triple-fronted. At 20 I pined for quad-fronted model. Dream on. At 35 I envisioned a spacious two storey 40 square mud brick home on 20 acres with an entrance foyer with massive book cases, and drinking red wine with bearded academics.

Now at 75 I favour a tiny autonomous cottage in the bush with wifi, and the promotion or establishment of politically active groups to solve our problems NOW.

And Boy, do we have problems. Innocent voters should not have to put up with rampant inequality, alcoholism, gambling, smoking, education fees and high taxes due to the super-rich dodging their responsibilities under the social contract. Even so-called state schools are oppressing the very poorest with demands for school fees.

7, Do you need to be seen as Mrs or Mr success? Why is this? Relax, enjoy life, prioritise.

No. 1 priority: time with your kids and loved ones. Help others. Experiences are much more rewarding than gifts. Someone met a very enthusiastic teacher who was 55 and an accountant in a previous life. He was happy. You can be happy. Just imagine those kids soaking up his enthusiasm.

Count your blessings. Your wealth gives you increased OPPORTUNITY to do good. Ninety per cent of us are rats in the rat race. Chuck made a fortune in Duty Free shopping. He kept $5m and gifts the rest to charities and universities, especially in Queensland.

8. At one time I thought I would solve my then current problems by working 7 days a week. I was wrong.

I met a trainer at a gymnasium who didn't see much of his CEO dad. If you don't see your old uncle today, the day is gone forever.

9. Don't worry about leaving an extraordinary amount to your kids in your will. Have confidence in them. They are capable of looking after themselves. We only need a basic house with a roof that doesn't leak and 3 meals a day. Sufficient is as good as a feast.

10. Donate land for public parks to enhance the health of the community and reduce obesity. No more fancy cars. A car is a piece of metal for moving to another location. Not everyone regards it as a status symbol. Have confidence that people will admire you for the content of your character.

Donate to environmental groups and make them prominent in your will.

Walk, cycle and use public transport. Buy an electric car.

11. Revegetate degraded land. We are the termite people. Buy vast areas of degraded land in a trust and plant millions of trees. Try to re-create the original environment. Plant wildlife corridors. What do we have to do to bring platypus back to Diamond Creek? Oops, platypuses.

12. Invest in solar panels and wind turbines. One branch of primates got clever with tools which led to the industrial revolution, greenhouse gases and thousands of extinctions. Much worse is unavoidable, but we must act immediately to keep what's left of the natural world in the best possible condition under these dire circumstances.

THE DOGS OF WAR

Look at the environmental cost of wars over the last 100 years. Now we have ridiculous wars brought on by the American Military Industrial Complex for its own benefit. After 580,000 illegal bombing raids over LAOS in the Vietnam war, greater success in their eyes would be 980,000 raids. How many were jailed for this massive crime against humanity? Just one more way of transferring cash from the poor to the super-rich. The USA and its lackey, Australia, have lost every war since WW2.

ONE TINY PLANET

Saving the planet is the greatest moral question of our time. The only time to stop the rot is today.

All the oil could will be gone in due course. In any case we must leave fossil fuels in the ground.

The greenhouse gases will raise the temperature by up to 7 degrees centigrade within 1,000 years. The Age 27/9/2016.

Please stop and think about this for two minutes. All we can do is stop this madness right now and hope it peaks under 4 degrees instead of 7.

This has never happened before.

What is the best course to take?

What is the maximum and minimum amounts of misery we choose to inflict on innocent generations of our fellow mammals?

This includes of course your offspring in 30 years, 300 years and a mere 3,000 years.

A four degree rise is a disaster which is almost upon us, causing thousands of extinctions. The suggested 2 degrees is political fairyland foisted upon us by oil and coal interests and political conmen.

THAT LUCKY OLD SUN

Our sun is a middle-aged middle-sized 3.9bn year old star. In another 3.9bn years it will expand and vaporise the earth and the other tiny nearby planets, before collapsing into a black hole. Sorry about that.

OOPS, BACK TO NUMBERS

13. Sell any investment house you own to the tenant or a poor family on 10 year vendor terms, interest free on $100 deposit. Inequality right now is outrageous and everyone benefits from a more equitable society. It is the second greatest moral challenge of our time.

14. Join all green groups and fund their projects. Every day of inaction is a day lost forever. For the benefit of the nation and its people, ideally everyone should be actively involved in a political party, or supporting a good independent. A family donated a $9m 3 storey low energy office building at 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria to the Australian Conservation Foundation.

15. Lend your money interest free to a housing co-operative or association to fund social or affordable housing, in the full knowledge that it's value may depreciate over time due to inflation. Alternately, build the world's most energy-efficient top quality social housing and give the government a 20 year lease and purchase option to the poor family at today's values. This will give families security of tenure during the schooling of their children.

16. Where fair common-sense taxation based on the ability to pay has failed, it is an opportunity for you to show leadership, step up to the plate and give to charity. Many US billionaires have bequeathed half their wealth to charities upon their death.

Media billionaire Ted Turner gave $1bn to the United Nations. He put on notice.....every rich person in the world.....'that they're going to be hearing from me about giving money'. The Guardian 23.9.1997.

I have no knowledge of the UN being showered with billions.

Some charities do a good job. Some are inefficient. Some are a complete rip-off. In Australia religions dodge $31bn in tax every year, causing this amount to be paid by working families.

Support your state National Parks Association, Oxfam, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Smith Family.

The Smith Family found that addressing crises in poverty didn't work. They provide for the needs of 33,000 children from birth to maturity, including their education. The results are astounding. Why not 350,000 kids, or 1,000,000? It's all possible if YOU decide to act.

17. Celebrate every day. Every day is an incredible opportunity to dance and sing on this beautiful planet. Every day is also a day less that we all have to do good things. You will be dead for trillions of years but today, opportunity knocks. And furthermore, embrace the pursuit of happiness - today. Surprise someone with a gift or an act of kindness.

Be realistic. Bad things happen all the time to those of us who are unlucky by mere random chance. But it's still a beautiful world. This week 3,000 Aussies will die by random chance, the same as last week and next week.

I was electrocuted to death in 1988 and revived by my 86 year old uncle, which doctors described as miraculous. They put it down to me being a fit cross country skier. He punched me on the heart and gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

My younger son Jake died in India in 2005 of a heroin overdose, leading to my depression and the loss of my business and life's work. As a 75 year old pensioner and bankrupt, I am now happier than at any time. Old people look with sadness upon those still in the rat race.

Forty years ago I owned 23 inner-suburban terrace houses which were renovated and tenanted. I lost the lot because I borrowed and bought tracts of subdivisional land at a time when interest rates doubled and values fell. Broadacre holdings for subdivision are the most volatile of all property, falling 60% to 70% in a recession.

Today those houses are worth $50m and the annual profit about $5m. I seriously don't give two hoots, except that money is a tool to be used for good things. We are learning all the time and by the time you are old you have learnt what's important.

We will all be dead for trillions of years, but TODAY we have the OPPORTUNITY of fighting for justice.

I once met a man who had approval for 200 home units, but was bankrupted because of a Liberal Party credit squeeze. These are designed to shake out the assets of the aspirational for the benefit of the aristocracy at bargain prices.

18. Be one of Aristotle's Philosopher Kings. Celebrate that you have the time and means to solve people's problems. Wander from village to village by all means, the white gown is optional. I hereby anoint all readers as valued Philosopher Kings or Philosopher Queens. From now on you require all communications to you to be addressed: Philosopher Queen Karen Cox (for example). Alternately you may self-knight to Sir, Lady, Lord, Duke, Duchess, Prince, Princess, Viscount, etc.

SUMMATION

By dire necessity governments around the world must to face up to their responsibility to tax the rich, remove taxes from the poor, and bring their elites to heel. For this to be achieved by all citizens coming together in a social contract would be a turning point in the nation's history.

In the USA, the richest half of a percent own more wealth than the bottom 90%, and it's growing, largely by the clawing of assets from those in the 90th to 99th percentiles.

The debts of the 90% are a high at 43% of assets. The super-rich's debts - a mere 4% of assets. The 90% have a huge 78% of their net worth in their home, and 13% in the car. Super-rich: 7% and half a percent.

Their wealth will continue to soar, throwing more families into poverty, until YOU decide to do something about it. It is the same in many countries.

Our troops fighting and dying in wars over the last 115 years never imagined they were being sacrificed for the ludicrous undemocratic world we suffer this very day.

ACTION:

Join a political party and environment groups. Lobby your elected members. Drive them bonkers. They need to hear from you because they will never lead - they are followers. Only you can save your planet, and you are empowered.

Notice to all Readers:

Read on to achieve Super-Hero status and many other awards.

Never forget : The 1% has 1% of the votes. The 99% has 99% of the votes.

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE. THIS IS A CLASS WAR THAT THE 99% MUST WIN.

Notice to the Super Rich:

You are lucky. Count your blessings. You are rich due to inheritance, good luck, minuscule or zero tax and gutless corrupt politicians. Time to step up and do the right thing. Relax. Put your shoulder to the wheel. When you see a homeless person, recognise that 'there but for random chance go I.' Help lawmakers plug the tax loopholes.

#  YOUR IMMEDIATE PLAN - WIN. WIN. WIN.

This book is all about you. Read this book and your life will be enriched with many important truths and the plan of action to achieve what must be done.

Count your blessings. You are empowered.

The past is the past. We learn from it, and in particular we learn not to repeat some of it. Alternately it has been said that we go through life playing the same record.

Because you are empowered, we are empowered. You are a crucial part of the nation. Stick around and have some fun.

OUR SURVIVAL PLAN

1. Get enthusiastic.

2. Stay enthusiastic. You will never surrender.

3. Learn the truth. You will no longer be hoodwinked by bloodsuckers.

4. List the matters of concern, the things we all know must be done.

5. Draw up the battle plan. Enlist your friends, relatives and neighbours.

6. Get them enthusiastic and keep them enthusiastic. Keep them updated with regular emails and information from The Guardian, the ABC and Fairfax Media (Age, Sydney Morning Herald).

7. Join the Greens or Labor with your friends and promote a coalition, or that they hammer out their agreed Vision for Australia. Alternately actively support a good independent or other party. If you join a party, fight for CIR, Citizen Initiated Referenda, to disempower their greedy ossified donors.

8. Join the Australian Conservation Foundation, telephone: 1800223669 Address: 60 Leicester Street, Carlton Victoria 3053

With you on board they will stop Adani's Carmichael disastrous coal mine. We can transition to renewable energy within a decade, following Canberra's lead of 100% of renewable energy by 2020. It can be done. They are building solar farms at a furious pace under contracts awarded by reverse auction - the bids keep getting smaller.

9. Join your state branch of the National Parks Association:-

* ACT. 02 6229 3201

* NSW. 02 9299 0000

* Queensland. 07 3367 0878

* South Australia. 08 8204 1910

* Tasmania. 0427 854684

* Victoria. 03. 9347 5188

* Western Australia. 08 9370 5901

10. Self-knight right now, if you genuinely believe that you have suffered enough, in accordance with the supreme, paramount and unsurpassable law of natural justice. After careful unbiased consideration, I decided to self-knight as I have suffered enough, I call on all tenants to self-knight, also those in poverty and the unemployed and underemployed. Do you prefer Lord, Lady, Duke, Duchess, Baron, Baroness, Her Devine Grace Amanda Cutayer, etc? Add it to all your letters - today!

11. Demand CIR, Citizen Initiated Referenda which is One Nation's policy. This is how we can defeat the corrupt donors in the corrupt parties.

12.Demand that factions be banned from political parties. Concerted team voting is contrary to the Electoral Act as it impinges on the member's right to decide the issue for the public good. Collusive behaviour must be punished as is collusive tendering and price fixing in the commercial world.

AND THE GOOD NEWS....

You are all powerful right now. Why? Because the word is out there. Everyone knows what has to be done. It only needs you to stand up and show people the way.

Only people power stopped fracking in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW. 5,000 passive protesters living under canvas for weeks stopped a drilling rig and changed the law at Bentley - see the film "The Bentley Effect." The NSW conservative government yielded because 1,000 police could never drag away 5,000. Politics is a numbers game.

As a volunteer for the Australian Conservation Foundation I have put up 1,759 posters against coal mining and for the Great Barrier Reef in 950 shops in Brisbane and Melbourne - a staggering 85% acceptance rate. A steady 10 to 11 shops accept per hour.

Tell the people the truth about government debt. Our government debt is peanuts. Horrendous government debt is the biggest lie of our time, pushed every day by Murdoch and the Liberals. Labor is too gutless to tell the people the truth.

Whilst it may seem a large number of dollars, it is truly peanuts and must be viewed alongside government income and assets, and the nation's annual GDP, Gross Domestic Product, the sum of all economic activity.

We are the 13th largest economy on earth and government debt is 4% of GDP according to Kenneth Davidson of The Age newspaper, after deducting the money we have put in to the Future Fund and the Reserve Bank.

By comparison the OECD average debt is 75% of GDP and Japan's 200%.

The Future Fund is an absolutely useless exercise in bureaucratic empire building, and an opportunity for Peter Costello to play monopoly with the big boys around the world. It's $120bn should be applied to social housing, and hundreds of billions more should be borrowed at record low interest rates for the most profitable infrastructure, possibly including the Brisbane to Melbourne speed and goods train.

Infrastructure Australia gave its priority list of 120 projects to Labor, Liberal and Greens, and instead of picking the top 4, they selected less worthy projects in electorates they want to win or retain. Our democracy is broken and we are ruled by the donor class, 60% of whom are anonymous.

Demand CIR, Citizen Initiated Referenda.

You are an Australian and you will never be silenced.

# BE A TRUE AUSSIE

Hang on. You are here today and that means you are a true Aussie.

Come on mates, get real, get the bullshit out of your life. Don't be a victim. The world needs YOU.

Help others. Join a political party TODAY.

Stand up and speak the truth today. You are entitled to : THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.

You will be dead for billions of years, but you have the opportunity to do good things TODAY.

Spend time with your kids. Australia is said to be the land of the absent dad.

You are a citizen and you employ public servants to carry out their important work on behalf yourself and of us all.

Always be doing a course to further enhance your special interests and meet fellow students.

Don't suffer liars and thieves. Complain in writing to the Grand Poobah and keep the pressure on. Get on social media. Write letters to the press.

Visit your aunts and uncles on a regular basis. Put up with their idiosyncrasies. One thing leads to another. Talk to old people. They have been there and done that.

As we go through life we are learning all the time.

NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Greed and meanness have risen in a world that needs empathy and hope.

Live in a basic house. We have little old pensioners rattling around in huge mansions built to dodge tax. This is a major inefficiency which the nation can't afford. A millstone around our collective neck. Those funds could be working somewhere to help people or save the environment.

Your short time on this planet is not for the purpose of showing off to others that you are a big success story, in my view. Relish every day on this beautiful planet and embrace the opportunity you have of helping others.

Winning respect and true happiness comes from helping others and being an example to our valued youth. Volunteer at a youth club or old folks home. Teach English to illiterate adults. Be enthusiastic about your fabulous life. Enthusiasm is infectious.

You will meet self-centred people who will verily say "I've paid tax all my life and now I want it back." This often refers to pensions or capital gains on their mansion, which are currently tax-free, but should be taxed. The first $650,000 of the sale price could be tax-free. They need to understand that government budgets are an annual event, wherein taxes are supposedly raised based on the ability to pay, to cover necessary expenditure in that year. Those taxes were the purchase price paid for public goods which they used - roads, defence, schools, hospitals, libraries, etc. It is not a loan tied to a piece of string.

Industrial psychiatrists are employed to get inside your head and create unhappiness and feelings of deprivation. Spend, spend, spend. borrow, borrow, borrow. Never watch commercial TV.

The nation's household debt is at record levels, and 2,560,000 are unemployed or underemployed, according to Roy Morgan Polls, but the wealthy conservative shareholders don't give two hoots as long as we keep spending on their filthy evil pokies, cigarettes and alcohol.

Well mates, the most powerful force in the world is an idea at its time, and now is the time to tell them they're glory days are over.

Crank up the publicity machine.

Have meaningful conversations with kids.

Cigarettes, alcohol and gambling are UNCOOL, the habitat of losers, the mentally ill, the fools, and those with less intelligence and education.

Taxes on these things should go up, and access to them severely restricted.

Do we see our youth as our most precious possession, or a bunch of suckers to be ripped off regardless of the consequences?

The age of contract liability should be put back up to where it was, from 18 to 21, in a loving caring society the kids need protection.

Male persons could be authorised to operate dangerous machinery, to wit a car, upon achieving the age of 24.

Up until then they would have a fabulous life, with cycling, walking and public transport. It doesn't get much better than that.

Education is the answer. Swinburne University has found that men who commence a University course are 80% less likely to go to jail. Let's bring back TAFE.

Let's imagine that we are in the shoes of people living here in 2065, or 2516.

What human rights would they have?

What's their health and lifestyle like?

How do they rate on fairness and equity?

What will be their opinion of us, living here in the 2017, the Dark Ages?

Deliberately ruining THEIR BEAUTIFUL PLANET for all time, because we are suckers for propaganda from conservatives, Murdoch and the super rich.

#  SAVE YOUR PLANET

Books are a wonderful invention. As you read this book you could be a resident of the highlands of New Guinea, of the industrialised world or elsewhere.

Most of us in the industrialised world describe ourselves as advanced, self praise indeed. Sadly we are not sufficiently advanced to heed the warnings about global warming, first noticed in 1895, 122 years ago. We continue to advance into unchartered territory and disaster at breakneck speed, dragging every other living thing along with us.

We are primates struggling to survive in a concrete jungle, in pursuit of greed and self interest to a large extent. On the other hand many are increasingly turning to using less energy, solar panels, recycling, public transport and helping others. An idea whose time has come? Albeit a tad too late.

We are consuming one and a half planets right now. Will we change our polluting ways and live within our means right now? This is the greatest moral challenge of our time.

Is there anything we can learn from our fellow primates and the cave person?

About family, quality time, walking, fresh fruit and vegetables, exercise or sharing with the neighbours. About caring for what's left of the environment.

You residents of the New Guinea highlands use a certain amount of energy and I congratulate you as your lifestyle is sustainable.

As you industrialised persons use 160 times more energy than the Highlander, you are clearly the problem. Please consider having the honesty, decency and intelligence to acknowledge your personal culpability and change your ways right now. We urgently need a one child policy.

BE A LEADER

Join a political party. Ring, write to the media and politicians. Letterbox your suburb. Get enthusiastic. You will never surrender.

Yes mates, 160 times, 16,000% more energy. Why is this? You can only eat so much. As my beautiful old Dad used to say, "Sufficient is as good as a feast."

He was born in 1900 in Earsden, England and went down the coal mine at the age of 14.

The highlands lifestyle has the proven track record of thousands of years of sustainability, as did all human lifestyles prior to the industrial revolution.

Industrialisation has poisoned our planet beyond repair in minutes on the celestial clock.

Many of us suffer from "group think" some of the time. It only takes one person to speak out, and that one person is you.

Whilst technology has changed the workplace over the last 50 years, and automation is descending upon us, the basic lifestyle back in 1900 was in many ways similar to our lifestyle today, and may be much the same in 2117.

It's all about family, schools, a meal with friends, fresh food, exercise, holidays, sporting and community groups, a night at the movies or a dance, meaningful employment, which is under a dark cloud, and political involvement. Religions may continue to shrink due to continuing improvements in education and respect for diversity. Ridiculous chastity rules in some religions and discrimination against women and the married, contrary to the laws of nature have clearly led to pedophilia.

40% of our manufacturing and office workers will be replaced by robots within 10 years, maybe, but who can say. More millions will be pauperised if the Liberals have their way.

Machines have replaced labouring jobs over the last 40 years.

Technology has replaced jobs over the last 10 years.

Predicting the future isn't easy, look at the changes over the last 20 years. A professor with several degrees told a conference in 1985 that there will never be more than one conversation at a time going down a wire. Within two years there were hundreds. Now a movie can go down a wire within minutes.

In Australia in 2017 there are 2.56m WORKERS unemployed or underemployed - Roy Morgan Polls. Yes, 2,560,000. They say the true unemployment rate is 9.2% of workers, 1,186,000 workers. In 1966 90,300 were unemployed, basically workers in transition to a new job. There may have been two vacancies chasing every jobseekers.

Having a job is not a basic human right under capitalism. Under Keynesian economics governments are supposed to keep us on an even keel, hosing down the booms and supporting citizens in a recession, a good example being Rudd's boost to government spending in the Global Financial Crisis which kept us out of recession.

Throughout the sixties unemployment was below 2%. Now we have 20 jobseekers chasing every vacancy. Employers are laughing all the way to the bank, with profits up and wages down.

Some kids aren't reaching their potential in homes with alcohol, drugs, violence or marriage breakdown. Working class kids are three years behind the middle class kids at five years of age and will never catch up. More support is needed for playgroups and kindergartens.

We need to make the best guess as to how our grandchildren or their children will be living in 2067, AND LIVE THAT LIFESTYLE RIGHT NOW - ESPECIALLY REGARDING ENERGY USEAGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

*Stop building freeways.

*Sell the car or use it much less. 2.4m Australians intend to buy cars in the next 4 years. That's a lot of cars and a lot of pollution in the manufacture and use of them. As our poisoned planet can't speak for itself, please drop the idea, or if you must buy, buy an electric car.

A large housing development of 2,500 dwellings for 4,800 residents in Alphington, Melbourne, is providing Tesla battery packs, inverters and solar panels for every home. There will be porous pavements and electric car charging points.

*Walk, cycle and use public transport. Yes mate, I mean you, right now. You are empowered. It's a much more enjoyable lifestyle. You will come to prefer a trip to the country by train. Seriously. You will be more relaxed and happier, and less involved in debt and car crashes.

*Minimal use of power and water. You can save 10% of Electricity by turning off switches at night. We can survive on less water. In Melbourne, water use dropped from 247 litres per person per day in 2000/01 to 147 litres in 2010/11, a drop of a massive 40%. Melbourne's total use of 500bn litres in 2000/01 dropped to 343bn litres in 2010/11, a drop of 31%.

*Grow your own veggies.

*Lobby to pay the minimum wage to all welfare recipients, and tertiary students as it is the bare minimum for a frugal life, and mothers who don't work of children under 7 subject to a means test.

*Boost TAFE and adult education.

*Be active in community and political groups. We owe it to our war dead.

BE HAPPIER

Put yourself in places where happiness happens. Modern science has discovered that a present will give happiness for a certain time, but an experience will give you much more happiness.

Take your kids and grandkids on a train to the end of the line and walk in a national park. E.g. Belgrave or Upper Fern Tree Gully stations in Victoria.

VOLKSWAGEN WAS CAUGHT - WHO ELSE IS AT IT?

Volkswagen fudged its figures on diesel pollution from its car engines tested in a laboratory. This is a low evil act based on greed for more profits and a complete disregard for the extra people who will die due to increased diesel pollution. Almost 40,000 die prematurely in the U.K. every year, due to nitrogen dioxide and other oxides from diesel, which exceed EU safe levels.

Firstly, let me say that any government body which accepts reports on the environment or anything else from an applicant, is knowingly dodging its obligations to citizens.

To ask the applicant in any large development to hire a consultant to produce an environmental impact statement is naive and potentially corrupt. All such studies should be done by public servants with suitable scientific qualifications. She who pays the piper calls the tune.

Volkswagen deliberately had software installed in 600,000 VW, Porsche and Audi vehicles in the US which passed government tests, and then turned off allowing poisons to spew out up to 40 times the legal limit. 40 employees destroyed evidence. It paid $US15bn in civil damages and a fine of $5.7bn.

The fraud ran for 7 years, involving 11 million cars.

EXTREMELY POLLUTING NISSAN AND RENAULT CARS STILL ON SALE - The Guardian UK 26.5.2017

Diesel cars that emit 16 to 18 times the legal limit for toxic pollution are still being sold 20 months after the emissions scandal erupted. 80% of new diesels on the market fail to meet the limit when on the road.

There are 5.3m dirty diesel vehicles in the U.K. that fail to meet the limit. Across Europe the number is 35m, an increase of 6m in the last year.

The vehicles pass lab tests, but systems switch down or off when on the road to save money or servicing costs resulting in high levels of toxic fumes.

Incredibly, current laws allow diesel cars to be ten times more polluting than trucks per litre of fuel. They are built that way because the laws made by our Pollies, the representatives of you and me, have allowed it to be so.

We should follow Europe and keep diesel cars out of cities. We should follow the mayor of London and push for a diesel scrappage scheme of cars as a matter of urgency. We must stop registering new diesel cars IMMEDIATELY.

Professor Stephen Barrett of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that in Germany alone 1,200 people will die 11 years before their deaths would be expected, due to the VW criminal software.

If Volkswagen recalled and fixed the vehicles, 2,600 European deaths would be avoided, saving the EU 4.1 billion Euros in medical costs, in the life of those vehicles. Why isn't VW required to do this immediately, by legal means or public pressure? Hundreds die from diesel fumes in Australia. How many more will die because of VW?

Are we automatons, passive recipients, wandering around on the crust of the planet, waiting to be killed by criminal multinationals?

The question is: How many of us will we decide to kill right now per annum by diesel fumes, and for how many years into the future?

KILLERS - THE BIG RISK FACTORS Dr Karl Kruszelnicki ABC Science 26.4.2017

No.1 High blood pressure.

No. 2 Smoking.

No. 3 high blood sugar.

No. 4 Cholesterol.

No. 5 Air pollution.

59% of Britons, nearly 40 million people, live in cities where illegal levels of diesel pollution, nitrogen dioxide, breaches the European standard of 40 microgrammes per cubic metre of air.

This is damaging to health and is a national scandal. The Guardian 22.4.2017.

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE

We are in the middle of massive global warming and extinctions, and can only hope to ameliorate the situation by stabilising global warming at maybe 4 degrees within 1,000 years instead of 7 degrees as predicted. Focus right now on working for a terrible disaster instead of a total disaster. 4 degrees is possibly a realistic minimum according to Santos Mining. 2 degrees may well be a nice fairyland story, as they gently hold our hand and guide us to the next election.

We are roaring into unknown territory at breakneck speed and recklessly harming future generations, all creatures, oceans and plants.

If we were normal, serious and intelligent, we would stop burning coal, oil and gas right now, to give our planet a fighting chance of surviving in a half decent state. But nay, we are emotional and greedy, straight out of the jungle, and being led by morons from the Dark Ages.

Every day we are digging ourselves into a deeper hole and laughing in the face of future generations. Already unprecedented weather is destroying crops. Wine grapes now ripen over 60 days instead of 100.

Global average temperatures have already risen 1.1 degree C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, as the world's climate enters "unchartered territory at a frightening speed", scientists at the UK met office have said. The Guardian 10.11.2015.

2016 was the hottest year on record, as was 2014 and 2015. The hottest 15 years on record are within the last 16 years.

The World Meteorological Organisation announced that 2016 would be the first year in which the average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be above 400 parts per million, because of the continued burning of fossil fuels. A rise of 43% since pre-industrial times and a permanent burden on all flora and fauna including us.

Climate change is the most serious threat we face, not just to the environment, but to our economic prosperity, poverty eradication and global security.

The industrialised person is lit up like a Christmas tree at a never-ending energy party - from "Confronting The Future - Australia and the World over the next 100 Years." - the late Prof. Charles Birch, biologist at the University of Sydney 1975. He said that unless we stop polluting by 1990, the planet will be damaged beyond repair.

Come on mates, get focussed. Luckily the most powerful force in the world is an idea whose time has come. The key to success is YOU, and YOU are empowered.

Walk, cycle and use public transport. You'll love it. You'll never want to look at a car again. Public transport is fantastic.

Fly less.

Recycle everything.

Install solar power.

Lobby your elected representatives.

Don't put your head in the sand. Give it your best shot. Be an example to others.

Promote a one child policy.

This is very, very alarming, but having the honesty, decency, love and intelligence to tell the people the truth is not being alarmist. Or maybe it is. In any case \- bring it on. This is the fight we should have fought and won from 1975 to 1990.

The cartel of the big 4 banks have lent 700% more to oil and coal projects than renewables in 2016. Give them the message. Close your account today.

The conservatives are financed by the banks and fossil fuel interests. Incredibly they are dragging us back to the Dark Ages, promoting oil and coal, and actually attacking scientists and diminishing renewables. What happened to honesty? What happened to statesmanship?

In the middle of this most dramatic emergency of all time, they have sacked 350 CSIRO scientists, with more sackings to come.

Incredibly, in our modern open and accountable democracy, 60% of donations to Labor and Liberal for the 2016 election cannot be traced, according to the Electoral Commission. That is $84m out of $140m. I call on Labor and Liberal to immediately tell us who the puppet masters are, and how much cash they put in. One thing is for certain, the senior strategists in both parties know the source of the $84m.

Malcolm Turnbull boasts that his donation of $1.75 million, kept secret for a year, saved Australia from a Labor government. Our democracy is broke.

The ONLY reason the said $84m was paid was to disadvantage the community and to skew policy towards bad decisions which GREATLY ENRICH the donors. To think that the Big Whigs in those parties don't know is naive and laughable.

The vast majority of Australians want to step up and lead the world in urgently reducing our carbon footprint. But nay, the conservatives are doing the exact opposite, based on the mighty dollar, with no regard whatsoever for our kids and grandkids. A constipated ossified Labor is no better.

They argue that India and China create more pollution, and we should wait for them to make a move. This is sheer insanity. We must be seen to be pulling our weight to have any international credibility whatsoever. We should be leading by example, as is Northern Europe.

Let's say there are 47 people walking across a desert in 50C heat, pulling a cart with a finite volume of water in a tank. The cart also has three plush seats with canvas shades, occupied by 3 people. It is probable that these travellers will run out of water and perish. Their future looks very, very, dangerous. 47 people take one cup of water per day, but the 3 sitters, who are gorging themselves on steak and whisky, hold the keys to the tap, demand 8 cups a day because they have always had 8 cups per day.

Consider 50 people in a sinking lifeboat, each with a bucket. 47 people are bailing out water at the rate of 6 buckets a minute. 3 refuse to participate because they believe that they are special, and have never had to bail water in the past. They are enjoying their sea trip and don't want to hear about any negativity. Besides, they are busy enjoying their roast turkey and ham salad champagne lunch and don't want to be interrupted.

Of course the 3 represent Australia, Canada and the USA, a small percentage of earth's population. In all fairness I must congratulate Germany and the Nordic countries for leading the world in renewables and recycling. There are wind turbines throughout the countryside. There were separate recycling bins in Switzerland for brown glass, green glass and clear glass.

Tony Abbott, yesterday's man and a well-known oaf, said he didn't like wind turbines. Comforting words, no doubt leading to more political donations from coal and oil interests. Investment in renewables dropped 88% in a year.

Australia, Canada and the USA are the three dirty men on earth, on a per capita basis. I never said dirty women because I'm a coward. A baby born in those countries is bad news for the planet, and they should consider a one child policy. Greedy morons say Australia produces only 1.4% of global pollution which is no problem and the other countries should get their act together. The world doesn't owe us a living. We have no right to pollute - quite the opposite - we have an obligation not to pollute. We should show the world that we are decent and intelligent and are actively doing what we all know has to be done. Our recalcitrance means that never to be repeated opportunities are slipping away every day.

PURPLE AND GREEN PRIMATES?

A Brief History of Easter Planet

Green primates, known as Greemates, were living blameless lives on a tiny planet orbiting a star. They were part of a diverse ecosystem which had evolved over many millions of years.

Each tribe had Philosopher Kings, merchants, soldiers and commoners. Of course there was no-one to fight, the tribes respected each other and were happy with what they had, music, food, art, water, dances and sporting groups. The Philosopher Kings were poor but highly respected and they were welcomed wherever they went with food and lodgings.

Their culture hadn't changed in thousands of years. They lived blameless lives. They weren't hassled by Christians or capitalists with guns.

The soldiers were basically community workers, helping little old ladies across the road, building bridges, performing acrobatics, marching around in unison, being an example to young Greemates, that sort of thing.

They had statues, icons and ancient rituals. Their tribes and boundaries had been stable for thousands of years. They believed they were part of their planet, along with the trees, the rocks, their fellow mammals, the plants, the flowers, the birds and the insects. They were not a pack of drongos; they knew that if they went forth and over-populated they would upset the balance of nature to the detriment of their beloved grandchildren.

All families had a representative in the forum which made laws and solved problems. These representatives would come from far and wide and meetings would last for up to 6 days and everyone's right to speak was respected without interruption, even dippy persons who rambled on.

One Thursday afternoon they were surprised to see purple primates arrive from another planet. These purple primates, called Purmates, had things called guns, killed many Greemates, and took control of all the land and oceans on Easter Planet. They enslaved the Greemates, 2 million were doing hard labour in jails, but after a few decades a loyal Greemate could be granted her freedom.

They damaged icons and knocked over statues.

They cut down all the trees to build ships and houses and for firewood. This massive burning of carbon caused the air to be poisoned, global warming and species extinction. The Greemates called them the Termite People.

As the trees were removed, pastures were planted for sheep and cattle which eventually covered all the land on Easter Planet.

They discovered oil, coal and gas, which had been formed over millions of years, and used it abundantly for cooking, heating, light and heavy industry and transport.

This caused global warming and a dramatic increase in species extinction.

They fished all the fish out of the oceans which were polluted with plastic and deadly industrial chemicals. One small inhabited island had 38m pieces of waste plastic.

Due to global warming and climate change the pastures became less productive. The gap between the haves and have-nots soared as the elite Greemates were winning the class war by increasing taxes on the lower classes and Greemates and imposing austerity, forcing them to sell their meagre assets to the Purmates at bargain prices. The small savings of the poor were cobbled together by the banks and lent to wealthy Purmates to acquire more assets of the poor, whilst knocking back loan applications by the less privileged.

The upper class spent millions advertising trickle down, which was a big lie, as assets were being sucked up. They brought on regular credit squeezes to hasten the process.

The Purmates introduced compulsory superannuation which further impoverished the Greemates and lower-cast Purmates, effectively taking their meagre cash from them at the point of a gun, leaving less for food, clothing, education, housing and transport.

Inevitable all assets on Easter Planet were owned by the Purmates.

Crop failures meant that the permanent underclass suffered epidemics, famines and cannibalism, because they were pauperised and many were jobless. They lived in shanty towns outside the walls of the haciendas, and in remote camps, in caves and in the small remaining patches of scrub and jungle on steep inaccessible land. Many tribes were nomadic.

The Purmates owned the whole planet and lived in 17 vast haciendas on hilltops. They bred prolifically and their kids intermarried thus concentrating wealth and power.

Murdick owned all media except the ABC. The Purmates appointed Murdick cronies to run the ABC, then appointed Murdick as Global Propaganda Master in charge of all media including the ABC.

He renamed the ABC the JOSEPH GOEBBELS TRUTH CENTRE and introduced advertising and programs which specialised in alternative facts. Viewers were plagued with advertisements, helpfully offered a choice of alcoholic drinks, "gaming" opportunities, superannuation, sweet fatty products thought to be edible, and plenty of soap.

Religious leaders in silver and gold spoke from their silver and gold palaces on TV every day, comforting viewers that if they were obedient in this life they will live with god in the after-life.

The police and the military were the largest employers. They were well-equipped and well paid, retiring with a million through "generous", read bloodsucking, 18% superannuation plus defined benefits, paid by the taxes on the impoverished. They started on $63,757.00 plus shift penalties and overtime. They received 15 days sick leave, study leave, that's important, maternity leave, paternity leave, and 3 months long service leave after 10 years. Oh yes, up to 250% loading for overtime. Oh yes, and 9 weeks annual leave instead of 7 because they slaved away for 40 hours a week instead of 38. Yes, 9 weeks: your taxes at work! Two weeks off on full pay to attend interstate or international sporting events. They had many sporting clubs and were encouraged to bring along their friends and family and to build their professional and social networks. They employed "good blokes" who savoured the instant wealth and self aggrandisement and would never think of pursuing a complaint against a fellow officer. It was a big happy "professional network" and club atmosphere and any complaints by the lower classes were fobbed off for years. They entered an enterprise bargaining agreement which was a sweetheart deal with weak politicians who also had their snouts firmly gorging in the public trough. It's only taxpayers' money. Ho, ho, ho.

They would string out any small job to get overtime and victimise anyone with a complaint with false charges. They convinced a weak government to increase police numbers by 20%, whilst the children of the less well off desperately needed 30% more teachers.

They would kick women lying on the floor of a cell, stand on their ankles and deny them water and medical treatment, but would not be sacked. Any officer from head office who called to check on standards at any police station was called a rat.

Rebellions by the Greemates were brutally repressed.

Easter Planet was heating up to a dangerous level, at 4 degrees on its way to 7 degrees within a thousand years. The polar ice caps had melted and sea levels risen 7 metres, inundating islands and vast agricultural lowlands.

Nearly all the native flora was gone, replaced with pasture which was now wilting due to searing global warming events.

Ninety five percent of native fauna was extinct due to habitat loss. Crops failed due to unprecedented heavy rain, extreme heat for extended periods, fires and hurricanes.

The staple diet of the Purmates became the Greemates and the lower classes of the Purmates, and the police and army went on regular hunting excursions to replenish supplies. Escape-proof pens were built to house both breeding stock and fattening stock.

There were regular raids on the camps of the poor to steal children who were graded for slaughter or fattening. Well-conformed young of breeding age were also stolen for breeding stock. The flesh of small children was sweeter and a great source of protein, and preferred by Purmates for special feasts on their super yachts or at their haciendas.

A highlight of the year for the Purmates was Easter Planet Annual Show, and they would come from near and afar in their $200 million super yachts. The haciendas competed by parading Greemates around the arena on a lead to a ring in the nose. Greemates were fattened, polished and hair platted.

There were prizes for the best conformed (male and female), most clear-eyed, best teeth, best sire, best breeding female with offspring at foot, best sprint (male and female), best jumper, best in show, etc.

Prizes for the exhibitor included trophies, sashes, garlands, and sterling silver custom-made hand-crafted pins to the value of $5000.

A wonderful day was had by all - upper class Purmates.

AIR POLLUTION NOW KILLS 5.5 MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR PREMATURELY

In the fifties and sixties the small triangular lawn in the Albert Park, Victoria, shopping centre was known as Red Square, as communists gave speeches there.

On Sundays the bank of the Yarra, known as Yarra Bank, was well known as a place where anyone can get up on a box and volley forth. It was rumoured that two police were there in case anyone said anything against the Queen.

In 1955 I heard an old man telling us that car exhausts would be a huge problem in future, an unimaginable concept. A young man with a wife, toddler and baby laughed and called out "What kind of car did you drive here today mate?"

As one branch of primates, we have infestered this planet and poisoned its air, water and soils beyond repair.

Air pollution costs the world trillions of dollars a year and severely impedes development, according to the World Bank.

Don't buy a diesel car as they are 10 times more polluting than diesel trucks per litre of fuel. They are banned in Paris and other European cities. Diesel pollution, nitrogen dioxide, kills 40,000 every year in the UK. It is over the "safe" limit in a quarter of London's parks.

Tens of thousands of children at 802 London schools (25%) are in areas where nitrogen dioxide breach EU legal limits of 40 microns per cubic metre of air. You guessed it - they are the poorer schools. The Guardian 25.2.2017.

These measures are somewhat arbitrary and can be reduced at the stroke of a pen as science progresses. Obviously a safer limit would be zero microns.

This is also a social justice issue as the poorer schools bear the brunt of the air pollution crisis.

INNER CITY TRAFFIC POLLUTION

Decades ago there were high readings of lead in the air at a kindergarten in Hoddle Street Collingwood, Victoria, from leaded petrol. Those kids also suffered the poisons from diesel exhaust. I wonder how they are getting along today.

The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for a diesel scrappage scheme to get polluting vehicles off the road quickly. I have asked the health minister to consider this. Surprisingly 50% of new cars sold in Britain are diesel.

Children are particularly sensitive to air pollution, and lung damage has life-long consequences. They are getting repeated chest infections and asthma and the situation is getting worse. A 12 year old boy died at a Victorian school from an asthma attack.

Double the number of cars are expected to be on the roads in 25 years and double the trucks in 20 years. Now is the time to invest in electric cars, trucks and buses, also public transport.

Please, please, as we are empowered, try living without a car. It's great! If you must, buy an electric car and certainly not a diesel one.

In February 2017 Mayor Khan announced that older more polluting cars will have to pay £10 to drive in London from October.

But Paris, Athens and Madrid have announced car free days and bans on diesel cars. Other cities have bans.

The UK government has committed more than £2bn since 2011 to increase the uptake of low emission vehicles and support greener transport schemes. A further £290m will support electric vehicles, low emission buses and taxis and alternative fuels.

HOW 5 PENCE BOUGHT A 6 BILLION BAG SUCCESS STORY

In October 2015 England brought in a 5 pence (6 US cents or 10 Australian cents) charge on single-use plastic bags.

The seven main supermarket had handed out 7bn bags in the previous year, but this figure fell to 500m in the first 6 months after the charge was introduced, to reduce litter and protect wildlife.

The charge also triggered donations of £29m ($US38m) from retailers to charities and community groups.

The law applies to retailers with over 250 employees, but smaller shops and paper bags are not included. There are exemptions for raw meat and fish, prescription medicines, seeds and flowers.

About 8m tonnes of plastic make their way into the world's oceans each year, 8 million, threatening the marine environment. Plastic is eaten by 31 species of marine mammals and more than 100 species of sea birds.

Imagine an 8 ton stack of plastic - a truckload.

Imagine a field with one hundred such trucks.

Imagine a field with a thousand such trucks.

Imagine a field with a thousand thousand trucks.

That's the plastic dumped into our oceans EACH AND EVERY YEAR!!

Imagine a field with 40 million trucks. That's the plastic we all have dumped into our planet's oceans over 40 years.

Other estimates of plastic dumped into oceans every year :-

Ocean Crusaders : 6.4million tonnes, or 3,200 kilometres of trucks, each loaded with garbage.

Institute for Sustainable Communication : 7m tonnes.

India is covered with rubbish which is thrown into drains and rivers. There are huge piles of it rotting away in plastic bags built up over decades, and it is increasing every day.

Please consider undertaking this little project :-

*find a government in India to manufacture 240 litre wheelie bins in six colours for metal, glass, plastic, paper, food scraps, etc. and place them in every neighbourhood in India after a trial run,

*create jobs for people at $5 a day to replace them daily and take the full bins to a central processing point where the contents can be sorted on bicycle powered conveyor belts,

*food scraps can be composted for methane gas and fertiliser and the recyclables sold to finance the operation,

*unusable rubbish which may be only 10% of the original can go to landfill and be covered every day.

* the existing historic piles can be dragged out of the waterways and buried, get the army on the job,

*skimming devices can be placed along rivers to stop rubbish going into the sea.

India's vast pool of cheap labour is a valuable resource which could be utilised for many worthy projects. $5 a day is petty cash to the super-rich, but a living wage to an impoverished Indian.

This project is low energy, sustainable, creates jobs and turns up to 90% of rubbish into valuable materials. It also cleans up the environment.

When you have done that, you may turn your attention to India's tax-dodging billionaires, the largest group with billions hidden in conspiracy with Swiss lying, consorting, criminal bankers. They must be taxed and fined and the funds returned and used for public goods like proper sewerage systems and an education for every Indian kid.

Lobby for all tax havens to be boycotted.

Has any other species caused such damage to the air, soil or water of our beautiful little life raft?

And we call ourselves the cleverest little primates in the whole jungle. Self-praise indeed. I wonder what our fellow mammals and the birds and animals of the sea think of us.

In our diverse plural democracy, we are privileged to have the opportunity to pursue happiness, love, health and to vigorously defend the right of others to have views different from our own. We are only free if we are diverse.

Taking 6bn plastic bags PER ANNUM out of circulation in England means that future generations won't be saddled with mountains of plastic taking hundreds of years to break down in landfill sites.

There is always more we can do to reduce waste and recycle. The number of plastic bags given out by the 7 supermarkets in the U.K. rose by 200m in 2014 to more than 7.6bn - the equivalent of 140 per person, amounting to 61,000 tonnes of plastic.

Today in Australia, more than one in five households capture sun on their rooftops. Some 23 million solar panels are harvesting sunshine, right across our big brown land. That's a panel for nearly every single person in the country.

Over the past few years, the lunatic, racist, bigoted, hard Christian Right fascist, federal government has senselessly attacked wind farms, solar energy, the laws that make polluters pay, the Renewable Energy Target, agencies created to help investment and even science itself.

In 2014 large-scale investment in renewable energy dropped by 88%. Jobs in renewables plummeted. We led the world in renewable technology until it was gutted by the conservatives, and we may never recover.

In March 2017 the federal environment minister said an Emissions Trading Scheme was being considered. Within days the lunatic climate-change deniers running our country knocked it on the head.

While energy use across the USA has skyrocketed, by using energy wisely California has avoided building 30 large power plants.

I spent 9 months travelling around Europe on foot and public transport. It's a wonderful healthy lifestyle and you soon get to love it. You will be fitter and more relaxed. It's a relief not to have the hassle of finding a car park, paying the fees and being fined. I enjoyed walks in the hills around Zurich, Switzerland and Oban, Scotland. I stayed in backpacker hostels for about $20 to $30 a night.

Whilst the planet is going to hell in a hand-basket, we must urgently pull together to limit the damage as far as possible. IMMEDIATELY.

It is a disaster that car manufacturers are pulling out of Australia, because they should be here producing electric cars, electric scooters, and electric push bikes, and jobs and skills are obviously needed.

We now have the precious and immediate opportunity of showing leadership and GIVING YOUNG AUSTRALIANS HOPE.

**Promote a one baby policy or zero.

**Boost recycling to the highest European standard and better.

**Put massive resources into science, wind, solar, hydro, batteries and renewable energy manufacturing.

**Increase import duties on motor vehicles, ban motor bikes and two stroke lawn mowers and increase all motoring taxes.

**Build the most profitable infrastructure, e.g. Brisbane Melbourne speed and goods rail $114bn. to get 2,000 trucks off the road. Cancel Sydney's second airport as Sydney will be three hours from Melbourne and Brisbane by speed train.

**Increase fuel by 5 cents a litre each year to the OECD average plus 10 cents.

**A massive boost to public transport.

**Build separate bike paths away from car doors, and immediately allow bikes on footpaths.

**Seal dirt roads to reduce dust pollution.

**Run for parliament or vote for candidates who support the Vision for Australia. A parliament of independents would give us much better decisions. Send yesterday's men, the conservatives, back to where they belong, the Dark Ages.

**Encourage Labor, the Greens and Xenophon to hammer out the Vision for Australia.

**Tax the most polluting petrol lawn mowers and subsidise the use and Australian manufacture of one woman powered hand lawn mowers. One hour behind a roaring lawn mower produces as much deadly nitrous oxides and organic compounds as 11 cars being driven for an hour - USA EPA.

**Build massive renewable energy projects instead of freeways.

**Ban the import and use of filthy polluting leaf blowers, banned in over a hundred towns and cities in the USA.

**Subsidise councils to employ teams of multi-skilled persons to get a living wage and training instead of the dole. One day a week sweeping footpaths with a broom, another learning office work, another sorting rubbish for recyclables, another washing outdoor public furniture as done in Brisbane (park tables and stainless steel rubbish receptacles), another pushing a one person powered non-polluting lawn mower. You get my drift. We will be the multi-skilled capital of the world.

If politicians fail to introduce the above measures, they could become law if we had Citizen Initiated Referenda (CIR).

STOP PRESS The Guardian 21.1.2017

###Scotland aims for 66% emissions reduction in 15 years. The Scottish National Party is brilliant. I have great faith in politics. Politicians need the guts to do the right thing. Permanent factions in parties are toxic to democracy. Have vigorous debates by all means, but vote on the issues by merit, not as a brain-dead follower doing what she's told.

In fact we can achieve 100% emissions reduction in 10 years - we only have to want to do it. Canberra will have clean energy by 2020. The awarding of contracts to build solar farms is done by reverse auction.

STOP PRESS The Australian Financial Review 7.2.2017

The Federal Clean Energy Finance Corporation has invested $20m in a major Queensland Solar project. Palisade Investment Partners has a 50% equity in the 142 megawatt, $225m venture, which will sell electricity to Energy Australia for 13 years.

STOP PRESS Your ABC 19.4.2017

Australia's biggest solar farm planned for Gympie, Queensland.

800 Mega Watt to power 315,000 homes, 15% of SE Queensland. 4,000MW hours of storage in batteries. 3m solar panels on 17ha site. 450 jobs during construction.

Why can't WE be leaders. What we have to do is obvious to all, except those who don't want to see, and of course the greedily insane and the donor seekers.

###Over half of the world's primate species are facing extinction. I am sure you will be ecstatic to learn that human beings are not on the current list. Koalas are slipping away.

###Oslo, Norway, and other cities ban diesel cars from the city. It's all happening - week by week.

###China builds world's biggest solar farm, aims to be green superpower. Also building 30,000kms of speed train tracks. Why are we sitting on our hands? Too moribund and ossified to grab the deal of the century - borrow $240bn @ 2.11% and build the most profitable infrastructure. Interest free, (paid by expected inflation). Build 400,000 quality 9 star low energy social housing dwellings for $100bn. Create jobs and skills. BUILD. BUILD. BUILD.

#  AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Our servants or our masters?

David Hicks, the Bali Nine and Yoshe Taylor, mother of 2 and Queensland kindergarten teacher.

INNOCENT AUSSIE TORTURED IN GUANTANAMO BAY

Britain negotiated the release of 9 Britons from Guantanamo Bay within two months of their incarceration. They walked away from Heathrow Airport.

A young Australian man, David Hicks, was locked up and tortured for over 5 years with the blessing of Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Phillip Ruddock, contrary to their obligation to protect Australians, and for their political advantage. David was the fall guy, proof that they were tough on terrorists.

David's father said David had "done nothing."

David was released after signing under duress that he had helped terrorists - since annulled.

The court put a condition on his release that he not speak to the press until after the forthcoming election - proof of conservative interference in the judiciary and an absolute disgrace. That's the end of the separation of powers and judicial independence. I suppose the deal was done at the Melbourne Club. Their blatant arrogance is breathtaking. These elitist tough-guys are brazenly laughing in our faces. Challenging us. Comforted in their belief that they are born to rule and we are too bloody stupid to challenge them.

The Mighty and Powerful at work \- stomping on our rights with impunity.

Why did 102,000 die in wars? For this?

TWO AUSSIES KILLED BY INDONESIAN FIRING SQUAD

"WE WOULD DO THE SAME AGAIN" - AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

A TRUE DISCIPLE KNOWS ANOTHER'S WOES AS HIS OWN. HE BOWS TO ALL AND DESPISES NONE - GANDHI

Nine drug mules, stupid inexperienced young Australians, were arrested in Indonesia after a tip-off from the Australian Federal Police - AFP.

The AFP only knew of this because of information from the father of Scott Rush, one of the 9, who wanted them arrested on Australian soil.

Dobbing in Australians to foreign police forces is not in the job description of our national police. I believe they would never do this without instructions from John Howard and Phillip Ruddock.

The lives of 9 dopey inexperienced young Aussies were deliberately and wilfully placed in mortal danger. Two were barbarically killed by firing squad. The whole 9 could have been killed.

REPEAT: the whole 9 could have been killed.

Indeed, our leaders and public servants are crucially obliged to do the exact opposite - to protect Australians at all times.

I call for a Royal Commission into this sordid affair. How dare public servants deliberately and wilfully place the lives of young Aussies in danger.

Have you ever heard a public servant say - I was wrong. I apologise?

No, no no. However Chief Commissioner Kealty has resigned.

Step 1. They deliberately and knowingly place the lives of 9 young Australians in harm's way for the political advantage of the conservatives, tough on crime.

Step 2. Instead of fessing up they arrogantly brazen it out - "We would do the same again," said senior Australian Federal police.

Step 3. Chief Commissioner Mick Keelty resigns and hopes it will all fade away.

I wonder if the outcome would have been any different if the two killed were 21 year old white women. How would we react to that? Any differently? How do you react to that scenario? If the 9 were killed, the AFP would of course say: "We would do the same again."

Our national police referred to "our colleagues in Indonesia." WRONG AGAIN.

They are not colleagues of any or all of the police in foreign countries. On the contrary, they are obliged to see that AUSTRALIANS are complying with AUSTRALIAN laws.

They are guilty in this case of deliberately and wilfully, and with malice aforethought, of exposing 9 young AUSTRALIANS to death. They should be charged with recklessly exposing the 9 to unlawful killing, and the unlawful killing of the two. Reckless killing is murder, and they must be charged. Heads must roll.

If it is so good to kill two of us this way, it must be better to kill 22, or 222. Isn't it curious (now there's a good word for you) that we shrug our shoulders at the death of these 2, the 44 in the Middle East, and the 521 including conscripted babies in a bullshit war in Vietnam and yet we have "moved on" from killing the evil murderers of 13 innocents in Hoddle Street, 36 in Port Arthur and the 6 in Bourke Street.

Martin Bryant is costing us $200,000 a year, $10m over his expected life, and yet we are saying to these people: "You have obviously forfeited your life, however, after spending a few million on your court case, we have decided to spend another $10m looking after you for the rest of your days."

Life in jail is no life at all. Living means the ability to ride in a train when you so choose. To stroll through the National Park at Belgrave or Upper Fern Tree Gully. Walk to Aldi at your whim. Meet a friend at St Kilda for fish and chips whenever you feel like it. Having the opportunity of pursuing happiness and the love of your life. Not being cooped up like a caged hen forever.

Let's say 500 Aussies were executed in 2016 in foreign jails, would those of us remaining dance and sing and be so grateful that our wonderful Australian Federal Police were doing such a good job looking after us?

Of course there's no place in a healthy happy community for filthy evil drugs. You must get them young. Convince that 9 or 10 year old not to have that first filthy evil cigarette.

If you invented cigarettes and alcohol, you would never get permission to sell the filthy rotten stuff, a hangover from the olden days of ignorance.

The guilt of the Australian Federal Police, and the near-certain involvement of the Howard conservative government, in the barbaric killing of two of our citizens, are further confirmed by the recent case of an Australian woman charged in Indonesia with murdering her friend. Before the hearing the Australian government obtained an assurance that she would not be killed.

Well, well, well. Fancy that now. Double standards. Discrimination against the Bali 9.

THE POLICE AND POLITICIANS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DILEMMA OF THE BALI 9 MUST BE CHARGED AND PUNISHED

Why wasn't the assurance given to the woman obtained for the Bali 9? Racism? Sexism? Consider the difference in the alleged crimes - the deliberate brutal killing of an innocent citizen, as opposed to the import of drugs. The two killed were sacrificial lambs in the conservative's bullshit tough on drugs and crime publicity machine. The 9 were poor kids who may have grown up and voted Labor or Greens. The sentences of the Bali 9 in Australia would have been a fraction of those imposed in Indonesia. We need Portugal's drug laws.

The woman was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in jail. The Bali 9 never killed anyone and two of them were executed.

As a side issue, if murderers are likely to be killed in Indonesia, and the same laws apply to all without fear or favour, how could such an undertaking be given about a particular case? Proof that the Indonesian judiciary is not independent. A political promise before the evidence is even heard. If the same law applies to all, then no-one would be executed.

Answer: Many judges are in the pockets of the government of the day, who appoint them and pay them, all around the world. Jobs for the boys.

EXAMPLE : After David Hicks agreed under duress to something he didn't do, in order to be released after 5 years of torture, a puppet court of the Howard government ordered that he can't speak publicly for 10 months, i.e. after the forthcoming election!!!

How blatant! The all-powerful boys!!! No thought of the right of free speech and association!!! This is the Australia that 102,000 kids died for in wars.

Who were we?

Who are we?

Who do we want to be?

Ms YOSHE ANN TAYLOR, 44 year old mother of two, a Queensland kindergarten teacher, was the victim of a love-scam who went to Cambodia to meet her boyfriend. She was jailed for 23 years in Cambodia on information provided by the AFP, which has folders of information suggesting her innocence.

She was the victim of an international drug smuggling syndicate which continues to operate from within the Cambodian prison system. The boyfriend said he was a businessman who wanted to set up an arts and craft business in Brisbane. On her third trip he asked her to give some samples to his Sydney associate. Police swooped at Phnom Penh airport. Within a few hours the boyfriend was arrested.

Another love-scam drug mule victim of the same man was arrested at Melbourne airport with 2 kg of heroin. She collapsed to the floor. She faced a committal hearing in 2014 where the AFP confirmed it had passed information to Cambodia. After 18 months the Commonwealth Director of Prosecutions dropped the case, accepting that she had been duped.

In June 2016 AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin was in Cambodia to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Cambodian National Police.

That must have been a nice little jaunt at taxpayers' expense.

Who told him to do that?

Under what section of our constitution is he authorised to do that?

Isn't his primary responsibility to protect all Australians and to bring wrongdoers to account in Australia?

Has he joyously surrendered the basic human rights of AUSTRALIANS?

I have complained to the Attorney General George Brandis and requested a copy of the agreement with Cambodia.

The AFP a was given documents in 2014 suggesting Taylor is innocent.

Taylor has crucial information about the man's business partners in Australia, but has never been interviewed by the AFP.

Another victim of the man operating from jail, was found to have 2 kg of heroin worth $2 million in a saxophone at Melbourne airport.

Charges against her were dropped when she provided an 18 page statement. Again, the prosecutor could not find criminal intent.

Yet another drug mule, conned by the syndicate, had their case go to trial but was found not guilty.

Taylor is furious at authorities in her own country. On 6th December 2016 the Cambodian Municipal Court rejected her appeal and her solicitor said it is an injustice and she may appeal to the Supreme Court in Cambodia.

Please start a petition on Change.org, calling on the prime minister to resolve this situation and bring those responsible to book.

How dare the so-called Australian Federal Police deny Yoshe Taylor her basic right to justice. She is an Australian citizen and mother of two Aussie kids. Like Victoria Police, they may have been too busy working on their "professional network", dreaming of their 9 weeks annual leave, defined benefits and 18% superannuation paid for by you and me.

Read: SNOUTS IN THE TROUGH by Andrew Fraser

A true story of the underworld and the brotherhood behind the badge. Andrew was a barrister who was jailed for drug offences. He was approached by a former drug squad detective in the Victorian Police (who was jailed) to write the book, which was banned in Victoria.

#  AND NOW, THE END IS NEAR...

Or is it?

Yes, the tipping point was 1990.

Yes, our planet is damaged beyond repair by our actions and lack of actions over the last 27 years.

I mentioned previously the breakfast meeting with Racing Minister John Pandazopoulos and adoring liquor/gambling/land development Labor donors. I asked a property development executive who was building high-rise apartments at Docklands, whether they take account of rising sea levels.

I thought that was a reasonable question.

His answer floored me: "Do you take account of rising sea levels?"

It has just been announced that Docklands and many other places will be flooded with 2 metres of water by 2100. Maybe 1 metre in 2057.

That conversation was 9 years ago.

There are voters who don't care about the environment and flooding in 2100 because their grandkids will be dead by then. But the grandkids will love their grandkids just as much.

THE PARTY'S OVER

As far as gobble-gobble economics is concerned - the party's over.

No more land clearing. No more fossil fuels.

Inequality is the worst it's been in centuries. For the nifty super rich and the criminal tax dodging multinationals - the party's over.

Give them the message, loud and clear:

"We know who you are.

We know what your game is.

We are coming after you.

We will hound you and we are going to get you.

We will not take one backward step.

There is no escape." - from Christian Porter, Minister for Social Welfare. TV interview on his plans for Australia's welfare recipients.

BUT WAIT - IS THAT THE CAVALRY I HEAR?

Joining together and defeating a threat is at the core of the Australian character. Mateship.

Australians are generous in supporting those in need through charities. I call on rich persons to donate any dodged tax to charity.

I thank Twiggy Forrest for tipping in $400m in May 2017, on top of $250m already donated for health and education.

Australians are free-thinkers who always were cynical of those in power. With very good reason, especially now that the results of 35 years of class warfare are obvious to all.

Australians do the right thing and will step up to correct any injustice. They are not the greedy self-interested automatons required as customers by big business. They are citizens who respect the history of their young and old nation.

SINCERE THANKS FOR THE $400m TWIGGY. WHO WILL BE FIRST TO DONATE $1bn?

Australians are known for their decency and intelligence and for doing the right thing. We will rise to the occasion. The planet is stuffed beyond repair and we are faced with two choices:

\- Continue polluting as we slide further into a Hell Hole, or

\- Stop polluting today and hope the planet is bearably occupational for our kids and grandkids.

Frogs, crabs and numerous species have vanished from their habitats of tens of thousands of years. If we stop burning fossil fuels today, we can slow the destruction and lower the maximum temperature rise, thus limiting the damage.

Just as we cut our water use by 40% in a drought, we can cut our energy use TODAY. Celebrate - we are empowered. Use 10% less electricity simply by turning off appliances at the power point.

Recycle every scrap of paper.

Harvest rainwater for your veggie patch.

Ask anyone who drops a cigarette butt to please put it in a bin.

Some are resistant to change. In the U.K. a man making such a request was punched on the nose, which is of course a police matter. The whole population must ask these litterbugs to desist. We will never cringe under the jackboot.

Stop building large houses.

A union leader stated that if politicians don't do as they are told, they will put someone else in the job. This is the sad state of our democracy in 2017. The donor class at work and play.

What must be urgently done couldn't be more clear.

We must act to save what's left instead of digging ourselves into a deeper hole day by day.

* Work towards getting fossil fuels out of your life. Public transport, walk, cycle. Turn off the switch.

* Great big new taxes only on the super rich, wealth, inheritance, income and a one-off Trumpian tax of 14.5% of ALL wealth.

* Make poverty history. Tax free threshold up from $18,200 to $75,000. Minimum wage, $36,108.80 to every welfare recipient, tertiary student and mother with child under 7 subject to a means test.

* Join environmental groups. Start a local energy co-op (ubiquitous in Germany). They're everywhere, they're everywhere.

* Join a political party. They need to hear from you, and your impartial opinion. Givvem buggery. Promote CIR, Citizen Initiated Referenda, one way of defeating the donor class.

* Never give up. The consequences couldn't be more dire. You need stick-at-it-ness. You will have some wins over months or years if you persevere. After existing for 3.8 billion years, it is on our shoulders today to either destroy planet earth or save its depreciated remains.

I've made my decision. What's your decision?

AN END TO THE HOUSING CRISIS

* ON THE SAME DAY bring in measures that reduce the demand for housing, pricking the bubble, and measures that increase demand to soften the fall.

REDUCING DEMAND

\- as the first salvo, a buyers' strike right now.

\- dwellings can only be sold to owner occupiers, not investors or foreigners,

\- all foreigners must put any dwellings they own on a register for legal scrutiny, houses which have been empty for a period and illegal acquisitions

forfeited to the state as social housing.

\- foreigners will have to prove the funds were taxed and not the proceeds of crime, otherwise the property will be forfeited to the state to reduce taxes on the less-wealthy.

\- cut immigration from 300,000 to 40,000 a year based on family reunion or asylum, not a pile of cash,

\- an end to negative gearing,

\- all landlords must sell at least 10% of their dwellings by value every year,

\- over 100,000 8 to 10 star quality social housing dwellings to be built each year, PLUS 100,000 similar affordable homes.

INCREASING DEMAND

\- all persons buying a dwelling (being exclusively owner occupiers) to be given their whole superannuation balance upon application,

\- an end to compulsory superannuation.

As a Nick Baldi once said:

"I came into this world with nothing.

If I leave with nothing - then I've lost nothing."

LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES

A song by Ethyl Merman in the Great Depression, 1931. Rudy Vallee version 1931. Later versions by Judy Garland, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis.

People are queer, they're always crowing, scrambling and rushing about

Why don't they stop someday, address themselves this way?

Why are we here? Where are we going? It's time that we found out

We're not here to stay; we're on a short holiday

Life is just a bowl of cherries

Don't take it serious, life's too mysterious

We work, we save, we worry so

But you can't take your dough when you go, go, go

So keep repeating it's the berries

The strongest oak must fall

The sweet things in life, to you were just loaned

So how can you lose what you never owned?

Life is just a bowl of cherries

So live and laugh at it all

END

Dear Superhero,

Congratulations on reaching the end of the book, which is, of course, only the beginning of the fun. More fun than you have ever had. As we have seen, the world is a big game of manipulation.

The super rich and multinationals are unlikely to lie down and surrender. The 99% must stand up and fight and take. This is an idea whose time has come - the most powerful force in the world. And one of life's sweetest pleasures - tasting the blood of the bloodsuckers who want to rob and kill you, and listening to them whinging, whining and thrashing around.

And your self-talk: stand in front of the mirror, looking into your beautiful face, repeat:

"My name is...insert name here....mammal on earth, Australian citizen, voter and taxpayer. I am strong and determined and I will fight for my rights and the rights of others. I am not a bloody mungus and I will not be had by anyone. With respect, I believe the purveyors of murderous cigarettes and alcohol, the pokies barons destroying families and their political lackeys, are the lowest most evil scum on earth, and I say that with great respect.

I will fight for Australian values with my dying breath; for justice, fairness, equality and the preservation of the environment."

Good luck Comrade,

\- The Author

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

I pay respect to their elders past and present and to the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait people continue to play in caring for country across Australia.

#  OSSIFIED OR ON THE RAMPAGE?

GOODBYE AUSTRALIA?

GOING.......GOING.......

Unless you join a political party today, Australian values will be a distant and diminishing memory. Over the last 40 years we have effectively handed over sovereignty to unelected multinationals and the super rich, due to weak leadership and no vision whatsoever.

According to the Electoral Office 60% of the $140m spent in the last election is untraceable - i.e. $84m. Labor spent $60m and Liberal/National $80m. Who is the puppet master? One thing is for certain - the parties know.

A serious mental illness swept the UK, USA and Australia in the Eighties. It's name is neoliberalism. Historically you could look to Labor to protect the people, but Hawke and Keating were leading the neoliberal charge in the land of the 'fair go'.

A TALE OF THREE COUNTRIES

1. GERMANY

Germany has 7 car manufacturers.

Germany has free universities.

Last year for the first time ever more apprentices graduated than university students.

For at least 50 years unions have worked with employers for the business to be profitable to maintain jobs, in sharp contrast with the numerous strikes of the 1950s and sixties.

Workers are on company boards.

Manufacturing has not closed down or transferred to lower wage countries, as is the case with Australia. Why is this? After the devastation of WW2, I suppose there is a consensus to pull together and build the nation.

Unlike Australia, with 19% OF WORKERS either unemployed or underemployed, Germany has many guest workers from Turkey and elsewhere and has recently accepted a million refugees.

2. CHINA

In December 1978 Deng Xiaoping introduced 'Reform and Opening Up' or 'Socialism with Chinese Characteristics'.

Agriculture was decollectivised and foreign investment was allowed.

In the eighteenth century China was one of the most prosperous and urbanised countries in the world.

After 1978 most of the industry was privatised, but not banking and petroleum.

Poverty has been reduced but income inequality has grown.

In a village 10 hours out of Shanghai by train and car, there is a tiny co-op store and a narrow winding concrete lane paid for by the village and the government. A young man went to the city and made some money and was fined and jailed for not supporting his parents. Pensioners get about $200 a year. There is a lush veggie garden with the strong stench of human organic material. Are we using that valuable resource to best advantage?

Headline "CHINA'S DEBT 250% OF GDP - SHOCK HORROR - START TO WORRY - NOW"

Fact: That figure is China's total debt, corporate, household and government. The government gross debt is 92% of GDP and net debt of 65%. The corporate debt includes many local government businesses with considerable debt. The OECD average net debt is 69%, Australia 17%, Japan 134%, US 87%, UK 82%, Euro area 89% and Germany 57%.

OK? The Chinese borrowed all that money, and you could reasonably ask: How did they spend it? Did they give everyone peaches and ice cream?

A good question. And the answer: They invested it.

Yes my friend - in 1978 they decided to become canny investors and take on the capitalists at their own game. Right now they're 10 lengths in front and drawing away impressively.

Their borrowings are $10.1 trillion, but they have the highest foreign currency reserves in the world at $2.99tn.

China is buying assets, companies, property, football teams and political influence all around the world. They spent $53.9bn in 2016 in the US, a rise of 359% over 2015, in 75 deals. 150 members of Congress have written to the Department of Treasury expressing their concern at the perceived threat.

In 2014 my 90 year old uncle rang, wanting to go to China. For $1,600 we got return air fares to Sydney, 11 days in 5 star hotels and bus travel from Beijing to Shanghai - a bargain.

On most days the bus stopped at huge local government sales barns, selling jewellery, silk, tea etc. One couple complained that 2 hours was too long to be in a huge barn of silk.

On a tea plantation we were offered tiny boxes of tea tips picked at 5am for $50.

One day we were sat down and our feet put in warm water. We were told the professors were very busy and may not be able to see us today. Later, excitedly, 'They can come, they can come, they are coming'. Six people in white lab coats then came out and gave us individual advice about herbs we should buy at $50 a box. One chap looked at the palm of my hand and said I had an enlarged prostate. I begged to differ, telling him it was reamed out 3 years ago.

I'm not complaining. It was great value and I thank them. From Shanghai I extended the trip and went with the guide to her town of 1.2m some 5.5 hours west by train. I spoke to university students and joined in a couple of their English lessons. One teacher was a young Canadian man who was amazed at the difference between Germany, castigating itself over the Holocaust forever, and the Chinese who don't want to talk about the Cultural Revolution at all.

I went with the guide and her family and friends in a cable car to a new hotel in the mountains where there is no vehicular access. All the supplies are trekked up the mountain by teams of 4 men with a stretcher made of two bamboo poles. They struggle with heavy loads. Two people tired from the walk uphill had to be stretchered out.

The mountains were sheer rock walls, up in the clouds, just like the popular sketches and paintings.

Some people in Oz had a vision and were on the rampage in the sixties, buying 20 houses on next to zero deposit.

Did you see the film 'The Founder', the story of the early years of McDonalds? That guy had a vision, he was on the rampage.

In 39 years China has built vast railway networks, both at home and in Africa, adding to jobs and skills. She built a huge dam in Africa with 25,000 prisoners, giving them a pick and shovel and instructions to 'start digging'. Never waste one day's labour. She has bought farms in Africa, Australia and elsewhere. She buys UN votes from Pacific Island nations and others, and buys houses there, tripling prices.

A year after my China trip, 35 died in Shanghai from Bird Flu, and the trip from Oz was advertised for $895. In a controlled economy the big picture can be organised for the best overall results.

Like China, Singapore is a huge borrower, but the money is invested. This is called Good Business. Singapore is robbing Australian workers of many millions as one of the unconscionable tax havens, serving wealthy tax dodgers.

In Shanghai the trains come every two minutes and a glass wall keeps people from going too close. I rode in a train at 437kph.

China has a vision and she has been on the rampage for 39 years.

3. AUSTRALIA

In the 1950s prime minister Robert Gordon Menzies (no relation) stressed the importance of battling families having the opportunity of home ownership. Veterans could get a war service loan at 3.25% fixed over 45 years on a very low deposit. A Maltese war widow bought a house in Esplanade East Port Melbourne for £2,950 subject to war service loan approval. The loan was knocked back because the house was built with side walls flush with the neighbours and they couldn't be painted. I felt racism could have been involved. The house is now worth $1.2m.

Housing co-ops had 90% low interest loans as did the Home Finance Trust, where you would put down your name and wait 18 months.

State Bank loans were 3.75% fixed for 30 years.

Neoliberalism infected the US, UK and Australia in the eighties with the insane idea that monopoly utilities proudly owned by the people should be sold to the super rich, and that tax should be paid by the poor and not the rich.

I recall gently hinting to a woman that we don't need the likes of Alan Bond running Melbourne Water for example, and she replied 'If only he would'.

Bond was charged with impersonating an Electricity Commission employee and stealing from an old woman in Perth. He had a vision and was on the rampage. He graduated to stealing $1.2bn from Bell Resources and suffered the inconvenience of a few years behind bars. A Darwin aborigine got a year for stealing cordial and biscuits.

Labour and Liberal/National are constipated and ossified and so has Australia been for 35 years. There is no vision except to reduce or flog off the remains of our public goods. Every decision benefits the super rich.

We were told privatisation meant cheaper electricity, but wholesale prices have doubled since the Liberals came to power.

When I worked as a sales cadet for new house and land packages, at the age of 17, I would stand in front of the mirror every morning and repeat:

"And there came through the gates of the city a salesman from afar,

and it came to pass as the day went by that he sold plenty,

and there were those who were the order-takers and those who verily sat among themselves in the back office verily saying one unto the other 'How is it that this stranger hath accomplished the impossible',

Whereupon a soothsayer came among them and he spoke and verily said 'He of whom you speak is a hustler, he ariseth very early every morning and goeth forth full of pep, he complained not, and neither does he know despair, and I verily say unto you - go and do likewise."

I had a vision of making a lot of sales. I was on the rampage. The first rule of selling is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is infectious. You must stand in the customer's shoes and speak in terms of her interests. The second rule of selling is knowledge of the product.

Get on the campaign trail. Whatever seems unlikely right now could be the norm in 5 or 10 years.

By pretending to be mortified at our piss-farting tiny government debt, the donor class duopoly has missed the deal of the century - adding to jobs and skills by building world class speed and goods trains, electric trams, wind and solar farms, battery storage facilities for electric cars and other infrastructure.

They pretend that our government should be smaller, when we are well below the average of tax collections in the OECD. Clearly our government is too small right now. We must legislate to get our monopoly utilities back in public ownership, as in UK Labour's manifesto.

We are also way below that average in support for those needing welfare, those who are vilified whilst the super rich and multinationals pay no tax. Who voted for multinationals making billions in sales to cherry-pick a low tax country to transfer the profit to?

Liberals pretend that our citizens needing welfare are thieving swine who should be hunted down and persecuted.

They pretend that the super rich and multinationals will create more jobs if we give them ever more tax cuts and upper class welfare.

The Police Association endlessly bleats for more police. They are a powerful voting block and the Victorian government has caved in and is seeking 2,800 more police. See Andrew Fraser's book 'Snouts in the Trough' on the culture of corruption. It was banned in Victoria.

Victoria is repeating the values of 200 years ago, hiring more police and building more jails.

Professor Mirko of Swinburne University has found that young men with a tertiary education are 80% less likely to go to jail. Our best teachers should be teaching the kids in jail to curtail further offending. We urgently need 30% more teachers. Small government eh?

All non-violent offenders should be released on community orders as in Texas, where two jails were closed. Alas no, we are building more of them.

While we are sitting on our hands watching the untaxed super rich suck up all of our assets, other countries have a vision and are on the rampage.

According to Goodyear Tyres, the oncosts of making tyres in Australia are 600% higher than India.

At a conference of municipal councillors, former conservative politician Tim Fischer was a speaker. I asked 'As the last two factories making tyres in Australia have just closed, might we go to war one day without tyres, boots, socks and underpants?'

He replied that a factory in country Castlemaine made taillights for a model of car that were sent to Cambodia for assembly.

