Why does Australia's Prime Minister deserve some abuse? Australia has a weak economy and weak military. So we must, necessarily, rely somewhat on the good graces of our major trading parters, most notably the USA and Japan. Every nation is influenced by those it deals with, their policies are shaped by outside forces somewhat. But a lot of the time it seems Australia's policies are shaped only by outside forces. For example, Israel vs Palestine. Australia's government has remained almost completely silent on this matter. Clearly Israel is doing bad things, similar things to those done by the NAZI party prior to WW2. Such as forcing Palestinians to crowd together into easily-controllable ghettoes. And of course killing lots of people. Our government won't say boo until it gets a cue from overseas. Every time the USA attacks another nation, Australia supports the move. I'm not commenting here on USA policy, so please don't start on all that stuff. I'm commenting on Australia's policies. Regardless of rhyme or reason, no matter who is at fault for what, Australia supports USA policy. Our government is ruled by beaurocratic red-tape and very loud lobby groups jumping up and down in front of television cameras. The government does not represent the majority, as it has a mandate to do. TV news reports can shape policy. Our Prime Minister (or at the very least his cabinet) has been caught lying to the public on several occasions about rather large matters which affected the last federal election. (No, I did not vote for the currently ruling party.) I may think of more problems with them tomorrow. Some things similar to these you may see in other governments, but right now I am complaining about my own since someone asked specifically for that. Yep, I'm tired. I get cranky when I'm tired.
I'm not sure about recipes for the platypus, but... In Australia we have a truly weird branch of fauna. We have all the koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, snakes, all the ones everyone has heard about. But for each one of those and many others, we also have a flat variant. For example, we have flat wombats, and flat Tasmanian devils. One for just about every critter in Australia, a flat version. I don't think anyone knows how this freak of evolution occurred. I don't think anyone has even seen them breeding, or interacting with each other or any other creatures. As far as I know, the only ones anyone has ever seen are the ones we see lying about on roads, soaking up the sunshine. Heck, I've never even seen one move! I even tried kicking one, and offered it food, all sorts of things. Either they freeze when confronted, being absolutely terrified, or they are truly the laziest creatures on Earth. I don't know.
Xev Our PM has the"little mans complaint" and he follows the brittish PM and the US president around like a puppy. AND he's a Monacast (i hate monicasts, UP WITH THE REPUBLIC). He wont bite the bullate and realise that wether labor or the librals win the next PM will be a republican who belives we should apolgise. His desition not to anything about the US steel tarifs is apaling and inexscusable. Testament to his belife that the US can do no wrong. I am sick US policy not the peoples will ruling our country. (i voted Democrat, Labor if you are interested Adam)
If anybody has any real problems with the political system and the way its being run, they should get actively involved in politics somehow. Voting helps little. Sitting around and complaining does very little. What would you do if you were in his position. Why dont you write the PM a letter of your concerns. Dont be rude, cause he'll never get a chance to look at it. More can be done in democracy than voting. If you really care what happens, then I recommend getting involved somehow. There are plenty of things to be dont. As far as Israel Vs Palestinians go, I refuse to get into another endless argument about that. It doesnt matter what the issues are, or what your beliefs are, because if you do nothing, it'll only shine badly on yourself. "The only way for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing" some German guy. Good luck
Well I haven't got it in me to hate Dubya (my dear dear resident), (nah, I despise our Attorney General too much, and Dub almost gained my respect during the 9/11 crisis), but your PM sounds like an ass. I've been googling his name. http://www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/2002/media_release1578.htm Great, he's grabbing his ankles for our stupid 'war on drugs' as well. At least he supports a modicum of treatment. And, is this true??!! http://www.gaiaguys.net/ozlaw.htm What a wanker! I'll do a bit more research to be sure. Should I get my friends to email him? Oh yeah, and here is a petition for y'all http://ecology.cwru.edu/ohioscience/ Every time you don't sign it, you make the baby Cthulhu spawn cry. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please be nice and oppose the efforts of the nutters in my country? (P.S - Be really nice and mention that you are from Australia?) Please please please? I can hear the baby Cthulhu spawn crying already.... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Some more dirt on Australia... ASIO (main domestic intel agency) and ASIS (main foreign intel agency) have the right to take in anyone they say is a "suspected terrorist" and interrgoate them for 48 hours without legal representation. If you fail to answer questions to their satisfaction, they can toss you in prison for 5 years. No courts, no lawyers, no judges. ASIO has the right to hack into ANY computer in Australian territory and use anything they find in any way they want. If you've got something even vaguely illegal in there, they can use it against you. No warrants, no proper legal course, nothing like that at all. The DSD listens to communications. That's their job. They supposedly pass on information ONLY when it applies to national security. But as we saw with the Tampa problem, that isn't the case. They pass on all sorts of things to the government, and who knows who else.
Haven't found anything on that can't-speak-against-the-gummint stuff yet, but... Australian intelligence agencies: IGIS DIO DSD ASIS ASIO ONA AUSTRAC Although AUSTRAC isn't really an intel agency, they monitor all financial transactions. Then they pass that info on to intel agnecies. Miscellaneous PDF files abour Australian intelligence agencies: Telecommunications Interception Act 1979 Intelligence Services Act 2001 ASIO Act 1979 ONA Act 1977 ASIO Memo Of Understanding With AUSTRAC
Unfortunatly there isn't much we can do. The people of our country are to stupid to live sometimes. I couldn't BELIVE the librals won the last election. If the people actully had brains they might ACTUALLY have looked at the policys of the partys insted of voting on the tamper crisis (im not even going to Comment on THAT one) and 11\9. I am sure that by the next election they will all have forgoten the way our goverment SCREWED US OVER last time Its really our own fault we have Little johnny as the PM i just thank Cthulhu that he wont be around for very much longer. Oh and none of this even metions the GST and the money they WASTED on ADDS
Only four more days on vacation, then back to uni. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! But I'm actually rather bored on vacation, being lazy, doing nothing.
In US, A mid level IT professional can make $70K to $90K. Tax is about 35%. What is the Australian income and tax like? Many years ago, I thought Australia is ready to become another US - and hence I almost wanted to emigrate there. Aparently too much British influence dragged the country down. US is where it is today, thanks to many years of brain drain into the country. But US is slowing down. Australia still has the future - the last frontier. I had the opportunity to deal with a few business people from Australia, when I was in China. I found them lacking imagination, and drive in comparision to US and Germans. May be if your PM follows the British PM and US Pres, he thinks, Australians will start thinking out of the box. Your country is close to China and Japan, so your economic growth is in your hands...only if the government gets out of the way of ideas, business and people....
Did you ever think that Australians might not WANT to be the next US. I find that the US lacks morality and ethics in its people, in its companys and in its goverment. All any of those groups can see is themselves. Example: Nike, goes in to another country in order to avoid paying the labor costs that come with a first world contry Example: Goverment, You have put up the tarifs on your steel even though we are doing everything we can to surport your war on terror Example: People, well what CAN'T i pick for this one. The super high murder rate is a good start I for one don't WANT our great country turning into the US and i am offended by anyone who belives we have to.
Oh god you people have short memories... as if EVERY SINGLE GOVERNMENT EVER ELECTED hasnt done something wrong/had skeletons in the closet (whether discovered or not)/done something you dont agree with and lastly, and most importantly, been ELECTED BY US. Whichever party you vote for, the Government gets in. WHOEVER you vote for, you end up with a Politician. Dont sit there and tell me if we "just got rid of little johnny and voted in..." cause it wont wash with me. It never works... its been tried. Call me the ultimate cynic of you will, I dont care. I've been of voting age for quite some time now, and NEVER seen any goverment voted in being any better or worse than the last one. Bah. Oh, and Asguard... please, learn to spell. I could make some choice remarks regarding the apparent education level of todays youth, but I'm being restrained...
I am sorry for my spelling. It is a weekness of mine that i can't do anything about. If people are going to hold that against me i can't really do much about it, except think how shallow they are. If you don't understand something that i write ASK me and i will try to refrase it but otherwise it isn't nice to pick on someone for something they can't control.
Arent we being a little high and almighty here? What kind of moral high grounds Australians are on these days? Please illuminate us. Should we be looking up or down? Show us the light then...and while at it, please reread the topic...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I know what the topic is and i don't LIKE this PM but your coment that we should be more like the US iratated me because WE will chose the destany which suits us, NOT follow anyone else. Oh and when our companys act like that (example: BHP) we actually complain. Just by the way i delibratly chose Nike and not Mcdonalleds be cause i see McDonalleds as having more of a consience. It maybe because they HAVE to employ the people of the country of their consumers but i am willing to give them the benifit of the dobt. I never said we were better, or that you should be more like us, I said that i didn't like the morals and ethics of the US and that i don't want MY country going down that road. Oh and you were looking down at us for not following your countrys examples.
By the way whats so bad about the brittish. If i was from brittan i would be offended by that comment (and i know my girlfriend considers herself both Australian AND english so you are luck it was only ME who responded to you and not her)
While Australia's GDP is only ~500 billion, US is 9 Trillion. That is 18 times bigger. So there bound to be a few problems in some businesses.... By "Australia like US" I meant as an economical powerhouse. If you want to stay as a little guy, who am I to complain... Golden rule has always been - he who has the gold makes the rules....Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
When i studied history it always seemed to me that whenever a country or a group of people got that sort of power there ideals were curpted. Now i know the saying "power curpts and apsolute power curpts apsolutly". I am begining to think that being a little country isn't a bad thing as long as our own people make the rules not outside intrests.
But the problem is you can not stay isolated being a little guy. It is better to grow and be equals than small and obey the big guy. Sorry, that is the way the world turns. I was listening to the TV while typing....we arrested 700,000 kids last year for smoking violations. And that the police have started harassing poor people in the name of terrorism but stay away from the mafia and gangs.
