THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY AND THE ECONOMY

Just six months ago the Australian Treasurer was firmly sticking to his government's promise of a surplus of just over one billion dollars this financial year. Now the Prime Minister has had to admit that there will be a deficit of approximately twelve billion dollars.
How could they have got it so wrong?
I believe that there are two factors that have contributed to this.
Firstly they went ahead and committed billions of dollars on the assumption that newly introduced taxes would bring in the  revenue required. Unfortunately most of these new revenue raising measures were poorly conceived and implemented and brought in just millions instead of the billions that they had already committed.
Secondly. They are saying that part of the deficit is due to lower tax revenue from businesses that are making lower profits and thus paying less tax. Perhaps they should investigate how things such as the Carbon Tax and the impost of the Mining Tax has had on company profits. Companies and indeed even individuals are holding back due to higher costs and uncertainty about future ill thought out ideas that have been mooted by the Labor Party.
Surely a budget must take into account every thing that could have an influence on the final outcome. It must be constructed on a responsible investigation of these influences and be neither wildly optimistic or to timid.
A thirteen billion dollar turn around in less than six months must surly indicate that the original budget was wildly optimistic or that the spending by this government is totally out of control. I believe that it is a combination of all of the above.
Please feel free to comment.

ANZAC DAY....LEST WE FORGET

A day of remembrance and commemoration. One day, hopefully, we will just be remembering conflicts past and not present.
We should be thankful for those that gave their lives to defend our way of life but deplore the fact that the nations of this world had to resort to conflict to settle their differences.
May PEACE reign from now on.

MARGARET THATCHER AND THE UNIONS

It was sad to hear of the passing of Margaret Thatcher but even sadder to hear and see some people rejoicing at her death. Most intelligent and reasonable commentators speak of her achievements and the fact that she rescued Great Britain from a downward spiral and turned the economy around and put its future back into the hands of the elected government. The country was slowly being strangled by the unfettered power of the unions and this had to be changed.
There are many comparisons that could be made between those times and what is facing Australia today. We currently have a Labor Government whose members are overwhelmingly ex union officials and which is desperately trying to do their union bosses bidding.
The percentage of workers here in Australia that are union members has been declining rapidly in recent times and now represents only a very small percentage of the total work force. This small group and their leaders have a disproportionate input into the running of our country.
This must change. Our government must rule and provide policies for ALL Australians.

GUN CONTROL IN THE UNITED STATES

I find it almost impossible to believe that the National Rifle Association in America is advocating that all teachers in their schools should be armed with pistols.
What a great example this will be to the young students to see their teachers and role models openly carrying loaded fire arms. Surely the tens of thousands of Americans shot to death in their country every year should make the population realise that they have a serious problem with their cultures and their "cherished 5th amendment". Thousands of more loaded lethal weapons in circulation in the community can only lead to more deaths and trauma.
Sadly if this is the thinking of most Americans, and I am sincerely hoping it is not, they have lost their way and should be condemned by those countries where gun control is strictly enforced.
Most Australians would plead with you to do something now to control the distribution,sale and ownership of guns of all sizes and caliber. Surely the deaths each year and the terrible sight of children shot multiple times by an automatic weapon would give you the courage to stand up and say, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH."

POPE FRANCIS A NEW BEGINNING

Pope Francis so far has been like a breath of fresh air in the Catholic Church. This is however only the beginning of what needs to happen.
He has dispensed with a minor number of the old traditions but they have been mostly only ritual or dress related. There is much more that needs to happen.
I realise that change in the Church can, and must, be made in small steps but it would be nice to see some of these changes beginning to be discussed and put forward soon.
The changes that really need to be made are those that would bring the Church out of the middle ages and into the 21st century. It needs to be more relevant to peoples lives and the demands of our new political, technical, industrial and moral challenges. If change does not happen soon I fear that church attendances will continue to fall and the younger generation will not engage with the church at all.
So, the beginning of the reign of Pope Francis has shown promise but there is much more to be done.