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Don't worry too much about the topic they were talking about (I'll get to that later, or you can follow the link above lol).
An ABC radio jock, Raf Epstein, had politicians from opposing parties present. Every time he chatted with the one who's viewpoint he obviously agreed with, Raf was laid back and relaxed.
But when he "interrogated" the other, there was the finger pointing and constant interruption. Had I not known any better, I would have assumed this guest had been a very naughty boy and deserved to cop a fair roasting!
But not so!
Seriously? This type of obvious bias, rudeness and lack of respect demonstrated during the interview, will do absolutely NOTHING to actually SOLVE the issue they were discussing.
And when THIS type of behaviour starts becoming regarded as "acceptable" in such a public forum, all it does is continue to...
in our community! And you, the taxpayer, are paying the wages of this radio announcer to do just that!
The same guy (Raf Epstein) pops up on the radar again! This time he was interviewing that poor ABC journo Yassmin, who is heading off to London because she got a social slap over the wrists for DISRESPECTING Anzac Day.
And he gave her a platform to accuse her accusers of "bullying" her because she is, apparently, "not equal to us".
Uhmm... Sorry darlin!
It's because you should have done what everyone else did on the day... and simply said: "Lest we Forget"... without adding the extra crap and dissing on the ANZACS!
But again? Seriously? What's happening with Aunty lately? Will we see Raf slapped over the wrists for THAT behaviour?
Even thought there is certainly NOTHING in the behaviours of these people "that contributes to a sense of national identity" as mentioned under the ABC's Charter!
But wait, there's more...
In a Sky News segment discussing that interview, a Sky News journo (Paul Reece) sticks up for Yassmin offering a range of reasons why she should be forgiven for her Anzac Day faux pas!
Even worse, in the following segment, he (Reece) rudely giggles like a schoolgirl while a different Australian Senator (Cory Bernadi) was speaking!
Where is the "RESPECT" here?
And the "professionalism" that is supposed to be displayed by the modern journalist/commentator?
What is going on Australia that we permit this behaviour in our Media?
How are the public supposed to get a "balanced" viewpoint on ANY issue these days, let alone the actual IMPORTANT ones?
It seems today that the moment anyone criticises anything, they are going to be howled down as being any/all/etc of "racist", "homophobic", "bully", "climate denier", "misogynist" (insert whatever other "ist" term you like here) when all they are trying to do is to express an opinion, which is different to yours.
This got on my "goat" last year with the Project! It's one of the reasons I turned the tele off then! I just do NOT like it when a supposed "news" program is allowed to obviously push a particular point of view, and ridicule anyone else who has opposing views.
IMHO, THAT show has done MORE to divide the country on the "Muslim/Islam" issue than anything else. Instead of presenting a "balanced" viewpoint, their obvious bias has turned off hundreds of thousands of people!
And it seems they are still very bad at doing their job... As exhibited by the treatment they dished out recently to Cassie Jaye, when she visited Australia to promote her documentary THE RED PILL
Even worse was the behaviour displayed when a "higher than Evan Almighty" Andrew O'Keefe showed (yet again) what a total unprofessional he is during Cassie's interview on Sunrise!
What is greatly annoying in all these cases is that these people:
"a lie, repeated a thousand times becomes a truth"
Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda
or if you like...
"Any message repeated a thousand times becomes a truth"
Me
I might as well jump from the frying pan into the fire here by mentioning "Men's Issues". And before I get labelled as a misogynist, I just have to ask...
Why can't men have rights too? Why can't men get a commensurate level of Government funding and support for all the various issues that affect them?
Just one example will do.
Why is there so much funding floating around for domestic violence against women? But not men? Especially when the premise/research for that funding seems to be flawed?
Then there's a recent campaign in Victoria, where male victims of DV (Domestic Violence) are conveniently left out!
Good spend of the state's money there Victoria, while the state itself reels under all sorts of other violence that, from this distance, doesn't look too damn good hey!
Sorry, but as two of "them" (a male, and a DV "victim") I do find the "message" in THAT offensive!
But that's typical of a generic "attitude" towards men from a lot of women... which is also not good!
I'll never forget when I rang Child Support last year about a "debt" they wanted to discuss. The "lady" I spoke to treated me like dirt for several minutes, until she realised the "debt" was just for $1.10, which I didn't even know about!
Here's hoping that humble pie tasted nice LOL
But here's the thing...
Or are some "more equal" than others?
Yes, I will agree that there are a lot of "^%#$#%^" men (and women) out there... but strangely enough, our laws even give THEM equal rights too... supposedly.
Look... Feminist groups should be doing their thing if they feel it is "right" to do!
In fact, ANY group that wants to make a noise should be doing its thing!
But ONLY as long as they show "respect" to all the people they are dealing with.
And in the feminist case, I'm talking about the average, everyday guys who are NOT part of their actual problem, other than the fact that they are the wrong "gender" :)
I can certainly understand why nastiness and vitriol may have been warranted in Waves 1 and 2 of Feminism to get the point across!
But "society" HAS got the point now. And in my opinion, you continue to do your cause a disservice with many of the current methods being used :)
But let's forget about gender issues, and move onto more scintillating stuff.
Like...
This was the subject that started this article, where Raf Epstein was "interviewing" Senator Malcolm Roberts (One Nation) and Senator Richard Di Natale (Greens).
What it DID illustrate to me was that, as a nation, we don't have a chance in Hell of fighting our way out of a wet paper bag, let alone dealing with Climate Change, whether it is real or otherwise!
Because we are too busy bickering about it all the time!
Climate Change is one of "those" debates where either you are right... or I am "righter"!
Years ago, I saw the thick brown haze hovering over the Cumberland Basin when returning to Sydney via Windsor and thought "Damm... I live in that!"
And then, I'll never forget Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" video when I first saw it! Well, who wouldn't be disgusted to see all the pollution those factories were spewing out into the environment?
ANYONE with any sort of "reasonable" mind would be worried about the effects of that on the people, and the planet!
And, like most of the people on this planet, I can't comprehend the deeper details and science of the arguments for and against Climate Change sufficiently to decide whether it is "real" or otherwise!
But when Senator Di Natale and other Climate Change "activists" use emotive arguments like:
"Are you willing to bet the future of your children on it not happening?"
I DO recognise I am being manipulated!
Of course, I'm not prepared to "bet" their future... on anything!
But here's a hint Senator...
At this point in time, wind farms can't keep my kids warm, or run the hospitals when they are sick, especially when the wind doesn't blow!
But as long as you feel really, really good in yourself, because you've already demolished that horrible, nasty, smelling, black/brown coal burning power station, well that's all that matters!!! (sarcasm by the way)
Have you ever thought about a sensible BACKUP plan (other than a giant battery) for TODAY? For RIGHT NOW?
Maybe that would involve these technologies working alongside one another for a little longer so things don't go south when the "system" fails?
Sorry, but the solution is so simple guys! And you've all missed it entirely in your quest for argumentative, political point scoring!
And I'll get back to that shortly when I finish this article off...
Which brings me to the NEXT thing that (obviously) ticks me, and most other "true blue" Aussies, off...
Where do I start?
They are supposed to do what is BEST for their CONSTITUENTS (that's you and me), and NOT what is best for their own pockets, career, self-image, ego, whatever!
So Senator Di Natale, AND EVERY OTHER POLITICIAN IN AUSTRALIA...
I simply ask you...
What are YOU actually going to DO about ALL THE ISSUES which face the Australian Constituency?
Look, arguing whether Climate Change is real, or otherwise, doesn't concern me. All that arguing is just a waste of time!
To be blunt, Australia's total "contribution" to CO2 in the atmosphere is not good by any standards. Globally, we are one of the "filthiest" nations on the planet on that score - on a per capita basis (which means per person) - and we are all grots! :)
Thank goodness there are only 24+ million of us and not a lot more, or else we WOULD be contributing some real damage to the world LOL
But Senator, Minister, MP, whoever... Do you REALLY think that the solution is taxing the crap out of the piddly 24+m citizens of THIS country, in order to raise whatever money is needed to reduce our emissions to a point where WE will actually make bugger all real effect on GLOBAL Climate Change?
Then stand down right now!
Among other things, I am concerned about:
But I am also concerned about lots of other things too... Like, oh heck, I am now an "old fart", so you might as well throw PENSIONERS in there as well, and give them the good old Aussie "fair go" for a change!
Or how about the SICK, or DISABLED? Or any other disadvantaged group in our country, who seem to be put through the wringer every other day.
Ask why are they being disadvantaged when it seems we can easily spend MILLIONS (or even BILLIONS) of dollars on stupid things which don't provide any REAL benefit to anybody!
A recent example of this is the promise of some $13m to rip up the Murwillumbah Rail line for a rail trail that only a handful will ever use! Yet that same community IS STILL DEVASTATED after the March 2017 flood! That money could be used right there, right now, and help thousands of people in ways that politicians just can't seem to fathom!
Why can't we have a PLEBISCITE ON THAT ISSUE and ask the locals what they want?
And in the mean time, we'll also spend millions on OVERSEAS AID in "dubious" countries, while Aussies at home are starving and homeless?
And don't get me started on WATER STORAGE, or RAIL TRANSPORT, or OVERSEAS INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIA, or the NBN and INTERNET IN AUSTRALIA, or ....
I certainly don't want mention all those people suffering from PVS (Poor Victim Syndrome) who prefer to play the VICTIM CARD all the time, and think they have a right for Government handouts!
Need I go on?
It seems there are many, many things that annoy the "true blue" Aussie! And you blokes (and shielas) in government at all levels are really doing bugger all about them!
And I still have a couple more to chat about before this article is done!
One of them is
It's a strange word for many, but basically, it means that companies (and governments) take projects OUT of the country to get them done, mostly because they are "cheaper". Two examples, and then the problem...
First up - Telstra's overseas "call centres". Well, we all know how IMPOSSIBLE it is now to get service from them! If what you want is not in their "script", forget it. Just give up and go to the local Telstra shop, talk to an Aussie, and you might get what you want!
But for what purpose? Save even more money on wages by sacking Australian staff? Yep... so the SHAREHOLDERS can get bigger profits!
Well as long as you look after them! And don't you worry about your current "customer experience" now LOL
How's that working out for you Telstra?
Then there was the NSW Government's decision in August 2016 to send a $2.3B contract to South Korea to replace the state's trains. Why? Because they "saved" 25% on the whole project, but sent 2.3 BILLION DOLLARS out of the country!
Apparently, it's all OK because some locals (Aussies) will be used to "maintain" the trains.
Really? It's OK?
When we DO have quite capable Aussie firms who could build the damn things!
Neither of those "offshoring" scenarios (nor many others) are OK in my books!
Think about that 2.3 BILLION DOLLARS for a second or two...
Think about ANY MONEY that NOW goes overseas to pay for something that USED to be done, or COULD get done, right here in Australia!
It is money we will NEVER see again!
Note... I am NOT an economist, but I can see the economic benefit of this to Australia as a whole, IF the call centres were still here... IF the trains were built here...
It might be a little more expensive, but...
The whole "money go round" stays IN THIS COUNTRY!
ALL of us get a benefit from the work staying in the country!
Not just shareholders.
But that's not the ONLY stupid decision the NSW Govt has recently made either, which cost the state a small fortune that did NOT need to be spent!
So much for saving the money on those trains, when you blew it on that little coal problem with the Chinese!
Or are they more and more (as perceived by the public) concerned with:
Do you ever wonder why the Australian public is getting ticked off with our
which practically guarantees that EITHER the Labour or Liberal/National parties will govern?
In most electorates, it really doesn't matter who you (compulsorily) vote for, because at the end of the day, your preferred vote DOES go to the person you DON'T want it to!
Apparently this system "promotes a strong two-party system, ensuring stability in the parliamentary process" (source)
Stability?
HAH!!!
I don't think we see much of that in Australian Politics lately, not even WITHIN the major parties!
But let the public decide that they have had enough of the Liberals, and then they'll elect the Labour party... And then when they decide they have had enough of them, they'll give the Libs another crack at the top job...
And so on... Ad nauseam!
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Albert Einstein
Well, I won't say much here, except I AM old enough to remember when people who were elected to LOCAL Councils had NO "party" affiliation. And I vaguely remember things getting "done" for the community :)
But now?
Well, it seems like it's all self-interest... and Party! Party! Party!
There's so much "nonsense" going on across the country at Local, State and Federal Level, that Australia is often regarded (by its citizens) as
So many rules and regulations, about anything and everything, are being forced down the throats of the citizenry, often for no apparent reason other than to increase revenue, or maybe to appease minority groups?
Who really knows?
Go to any search engine and start typing "nanny state" and one of the first things that pops up is "Nanny State Australia". I agree - it IS out of control and getting worse!
Check out how many signs your local Council erects, telling what you can NOT do in most public places! Why would you even bother going out these days?
"There's a danger in Australia now of everything becoming too bland with over regulation. In catering for the idiots, in stopping them from doing any harm or anything that could offend, we're ending up with cookie-cutter neighbourhoods and soulless suburbs, places that lack a sense of individuality and a sense of community within."
Ben Groundwater, Jul 2015 (Source)
Basically, modern Aussie "lawmakers" think that just because something has the potential to deliver a bad outcome, we must ban it. And fine offenders!
Forget about instilling "common sense" into the idiots. Or values. Or respect for others! Bugger that!
You could lock THEM up and be done with it!
Or failing that...
LOCK OUT the whole state after a certain time!
The range of lockout laws/policies in places like Sydney and Brisbane in response to one-punch crimes... what HAS it resulted in?
Lots of businesses closing down, or early, basically because they cannot AFFORD the extra $$$ to comply with the legislation.
That means people out of work! It means areas that were once vibrant and buzzing, are dead. Customers are forced to wait much longer to get into venues due to all the ID scanning... etc.
Uhm...
Can I ask a really stoopid question?
Why do we have the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) laws?
Aren't THOSE supposed to "deal with" the same "alcohol-fueled violence" that the lockout/scanning laws are targeting? If that's the case, then what's the agenda behind these new laws???
What are you actually doing about policing those RSA laws? Nothing by the sounds of it...
Instead, let's punish the general public, and businesses, and not the idiots causing the problem :)
Go OUT and have a good time? Not!
But you can't stay home and try to have fun either... Cos' the Federal Government is watching what you do on the Internet!
And apparently now going to "talk" to Apple about encryption. Now THAT'S laughable, and makes us look like idiots, especially when the Attorney-General gets involved with technology :)
But really...
When did George Orwell's "1984" creep up on us?
If you are not familiar with this novel, written in 1949, then head over here for a quick intro and look over the "background" section... It'll scare the crap out of you enough to think it must be the "playbook" that the major political parties are using these days.
Where the Governing Party "seeks power entirely for its own sake. It is not interested in the good of others; it is interested solely in power."
So let's look at my "solution" hinted at earlier...
First, let me do a quick definition of that term, just so I don't get screamed at too much LOL...
"The word radical is popularly used to designate individuals, parties, and movements that wish to alter drastically any existing practice, institution, or social system." (my bolding)
(Encyclopedia.com)
Now I don't care if you are left, right, far-left, far-right, radical, conservative, liberal, reactionary, democrat, republican, far-out, middle-left, left-right-out, or whatever "label" you want to apply to yourself...
NO! WE SHOULDN'T CARE
Because ANY of you who are attempting to use POLITICS to bring about a DRASTIC CHANGE which only benefits a small percentage of the total population, at the OBVIOUS expense of the greater, are being totally SELFISH!
So here is the solution, kiddies...
Realise that there are OTHER PEOPLE involved in ANY sort of change, particularly what might be seen as radical, "drastic" change.
WHATEVER it is that you are proposing SHOULD NOT inconvenience the majority, just so a select few benefit immensely!
Find the common ground that benefits our COUNTRY!
Get it?
That's the solution.
Simples!
Now actually DO something about it for a change!
Written by coais
