The Federal budget, it wasn't all bad

[JB80 (Jarrod)]

Well as I'm away from things I'm a bit lost with all the current issues, I still have to send my postal vote in though and what is important to me is purely selfish.
Who is going to cut the cost of living?
And who will make housing affordable again?

My guess is neither are on anyones agenda and we will have to wait until Australia is finally drawn into the global mire.

Maybe my vote will get lost in the post.

[Paul Haese]

Originally Posted by blink138

ha ha good un!
I think whomever is debt free..... please cast the first stone, MOST people do have debt as in mortgages etcetera
it is a very lucky person (or government) that can claim total debt freedom
pat

Debt free and run a business too, but I run it with fiscal responsibility, so I can throw as many stones as I like.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

Debt free and run a business too, but I run it with fiscal responsibility, so I can throw as many stones as I like.

Cool, jealous, would it be any easier now interest rates are as low as you have ever had...?

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Oh, but I thought interest rates would always be lower under a coalition government..? Ah I see, if they are low under a coalition government that means things are going good but if they are low under a Labor government that means things are going bad .... riiiight

Sorry Mike, you are trying to compare two economic realities. At one point, my mortgage was nearly 17% under Labor, it came down considerably under Liberal. So yes, at THAT time, it was lower under Liberal. But having said that, the Government actually has little control over that, as it is global realities that may dictate those interest rates.

Cheers Peter

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by Gem

My simple 2 cents: nothing is ever as bad as we moan about, nor as good as we brag about.

Yeah Grant. Just think, in thirty years time, these will be the good old days

Nothing really changes, I have always grumbled about our Government. Yes, I am now officially, a grumpy old man Just like my late father too, and he died a very long time ago....scary! At least I am maintaining the family tradition.

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

2013 Human Development Index report released recently by the UN

Soooooo....... let me get this straight as well. A good life (according to the UN) is how long you will live, are educated, and earn money (pay taxes).

Mike... you are of Italian heritage yes?

Go to the Amalifi coast, suck up up some sunshine and Chianti...and then tell me longevity, school and taxes is what it's all about.

Kindergarten Oz (and don't get me wrong, the sunshine here is pretty good) still has a long way to go.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA

Sorry Mike, you are trying to compare two economic realities. At one point, my mortgage was nearly 17% under Labor, it came down considerably under Liberal. So yes, at THAT time, it was lower under Liberal. But having said that, the Government actually has little control over that, as it is global realities that may dictate those interest rates.

Cheers Peter

You look to be contradicting yourself there I was just illustrating the false but effective creation of that notion which was so successful for successive coalition federal election campaigns, that's all...not being used for this one though

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by blink138

ha ha good un!
I think whomever is debt free..... please cast the first stone, MOST people do have debt as in mortgages etcetera
it is a very lucky person (or government) that can claim total debt freedom
pat

Consider the first stone cast. Actually Pat, there are far more term deposits in Australia than there are mortgages. However, the level of debt on credit cards is very high now.

[Larryp (Laurie)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Cool, jealous, would it be any easier now interest rates are as low as you have ever had...?

Regardless of low interest rates, most business is doing it tough at the moment. There is a great lack of business confidence out there at the moment, and people are not spending. Things are even very quiet in my field.
This always happens when a federal election is called, and this time our illustrious leader has given us 7 months of it instead of the usual 2 or so.
Pure genius!

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

Debt free and run a business too, but I run it with fiscal responsibility, so I can throw as many stones as I like.

Good feeling, hey Paul.

[Retrograde (Pete)]

Originally Posted by Deeno

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/te...peed.html?_r=0

The way wireless technology is advancing the NBN will be obsolete long before its even finished....

50-60-70-80 or even 90 billion dollar white elephant.

Mmmm.... delusional 2010 election stunt

Wow - where to even begin with this?

Wireless technology can never complete with fibre due to the simple physics of wavelength/frequency. One fibre-optic cable can carry thousands of times more data than the entire radio spectrum and the latter has to be shared amongst all nearby users. One fibre optic cable has already been tested at
100 Terabits/second! http://www.newscientist.com/article/...ed-record.html

Not only that I believe Samsung used the 28Ghz range (which is usually reserved for govt/military use). I began working with fibre-optics in the early 90s in the IT space and have seen speeds grow more than 1000 times since then (currently 16Gbps) due to advancements in multiplexing technology - fibre is THE most futureproof technology in existence at present bar none.

As for the cost people seem to be just plucking figures out of thin-air with no relation to the facts. The savings in e-health alone will make it worthwhile not to mention the potential opportunities in areas such as the next wave in distributed manufacturing, 3D-printing and the incredible opportunities that regional areas will have available to them. It's easy to diss something and spread fear and doom but when you examine them almost none of the criticisms aimed at the government from the coalition are based on reality. Sound and fury signifying nothing.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

You look to be contradicting yourself there I was just illustrating the false but effective creation of that notion which was so successful for successive coalition federal election campaigns, that's all...not being used for this one though

In a sense yes. Agreed. It is really to do with global realities, rather than necessarily domestic realities. He, or she, who owns the loaned money holds all the cards, probably? That is the industrial capitalists. I have long wondered where all the world governments get their loans from, considering so many are in massive debt?

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

Soooooo....... let me get this straight as well. A good life (according to the UN) is how long you will live, are educated, and earn money (pay taxes).

Mike... you are of Italian heritage yes?

Go to the Amalifi coast, suck up up some sunshine and Chianti...and then tell me longevity, school and taxes is what it's all about.

Kindergarten Oz (and don't get me wrong, the sunshine here is pretty good) still has a long way to go.

Ok you win, Australia is a terrible place the UN has no idea, Peter Ward (and his low education, VW combi, EQ5 and 50mm Tasco) is the Massiah...I'm moving to the UAE and with my wife..no maybe Nauru

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Ok you win, Australia is a terrible place the UN has no idea, Peter Ward (and his low education, VW combi, EQ5 and 50mm Tasco) is the Massiah...I'm moving to the UAE and with my wife..no maybe Nauru

Mike..you need to get out more.

Take the Opal (travel) card.

I believe the (Labour) NSW government literally pissed $100 odd million against the wall in failed tenders before putting it in the too-hard basket.

Meanwhile Singapore and Hong Kong had systems like Octopus that not only allowed mass transit travel, but you could also buy a Coke from 7/11 or a Big Mac from Maccas with the same card.

Yet the DH's in Macquarie Street said it couldn't be done.

It's this sort of waste...of my hard earned tax dollars and so typical of planet Oz....that I object to.

And frankly, if I could afford it, and it wasn't so far away, I'd buy a second home in Salerno in a heart-beat, as many Europeans know how to live, ...rather be told how we should live to in nanny-state Oz.

[LewisM]

I've had a vision... Mike likes, visions, so... come Septemeber 14, the Ranga that had the sanga chucked at her will be kicked out of Kirribilli, with her hairdresser... There, a vision... a fortune telling forecast for Australia.

NBN - the LAST thing we need. Peter puts it at 99 on his list, much further on mine. I come from a VERY long line of land holders, farmers, graziers, stockmen. We have properties all around Leyburn, Pittsworth, Monto, Moonford, Biloela and beyond. They could not care LESS about the NBN. No importance whatsoever, compared to the matters of farmers receiving the funding and help required to feed this nation, let alone provide valuable foreign income from surplus. Vision - feed the country rather than feeding a information (read: porn) super highway.

So, our family currently live - DEBT FREE (apart from the $150 I owe Kunama ) - on a copper rim. We cannot get ADSL 2, and struggle with ADSL on some days. Telstra have no plans for the next 4 years to change it. Do I care? NOT ONE BIT!

Yet, I can drive for 5 minutes and arrive on the Bruce Highway (M1) - the major highway through SE-QLD. I will be confronted by a major highway in worse state than many of the roads I have seen and driven on in rural Russia! Let alone consider taking this major route up past Gympie, where this major road becomes a 2 lane highway, with B Doubles, B triples, school buses and cars (and you NEVER see a train!). But, we need a fast information superhighway more importantly.Because that may give vision to people about how pathetic our roads are and why QLD now has the countries HIGHEST car rego prices to fund the repair of the roads that the Federal wont help with... visionary.

Labor is, and always will, pander to the minorities to win their seats. Doesn't take much vision to see where NDIS, NBN and other specifically targeted scams...err...schemes are aimed at. It's not caring for Australia, its vote buying. And the problem is, many Aussies have vision and can see through the shallow agenda through to the real, under-laying VITAL agenda that needs to be fixed before we consider these other trivialities.

I love Australia, and yes, our economy is O...K... but the price of living is abhorrent (I can buy milk, bread, and cheese in Russia STILL for less than I can buy just a loaf of bread here!!! Let alone car prices), rents are outrageous (we own and rent out property and we try to keep it low, but then you face ever-increasing electricity costs... carbon tax.... and water cost and we don't provide them internet ) ), fuel crazy. When I flew for a living, I was being taxed $0.47/$1 earned - the government essentially took half my wage, and then of course, I was not entitled to the NHS, any Centrelink etc, because on PAPER, I earned too much...

Oh, I love Labor vision.... if of course the visionary ideas fail - which they usually do - we are all accused of being short sighted (and it is a common rhetoric!). Sheesh... let's set realistic expectations rather than throw out grandiose plans so that perhaps the visionary DREAMS can become reality by working through them properly and appropriately.

Vision requires fore-thought. Fore-thought requires planning, feasibility study, MONEY, and an agreement by consensus, and the vision that such endeavours can take some time and effort, rather than HERE, NOW.

[Hagar (Doug)]

What a load of ongoing crap again. TOS = No Politics. Here it goes again. The Labour Party stooge standing up to bat for his team and all the Liberal party fox terriers tearing at his feet.

Doesn't matter who has the reins. We will all be screwed by those in power who think they are untouchable. September is coming.

[iceman (Mike)]

Originally Posted by Hagar

What a load of ongoing crap again. TOS = No Politics. Here it goes again. The Labour Party stooge standing up to bat for his team and all the Liberal party fox terriers tearing at his feet.

Doesn't matter who has the reins. We will all be screwed by those in power who think they are untouchable. September is coming.

Doug I've been keeping an eye on the thread and have already deleted a few posts that got personal early on, but at the moment noone's getting personal and it's just the same 4 or 5 people going around in circles.

Noone else has to read it if they don't want it to.

It's posts like yours that come in and try and ignite things that cause more problems.

[LewisM]

You are completely right Hagar. Hence why I have no clue which way to vote this year other than removing SHMBO from Kirribili.'

[marki]

You know what this thread needs? Some foot stomping banjo music augmented with the subtle overtones of pigs squealing. Yep I reckon we would get closer to the truth that way.

Mark

[Hagar (Doug)]

Originally Posted by iceman

Doug I've been keeping an eye on the thread and have already deleted a few posts that got personal early on, but at the moment noone's getting personal and it's just the same 4 or 5 people going around in circles.

Noone else has to read it if they don't want it to.

It's posts like yours that come in and try and ignite things that cause more problems.

Mike, you make a joke of your own terms of service. It states quite clearly what is expected but then again it would appear certain people seem to have the right to extend themselves beyond the TOS agreement, me included at times.

As for the statement I made, completely true. Mike Sidonio is playing the Stooge, he will not be swayed in any direction away from the party line. He has plenty nipping away at him but still doesn't faulter.

Noone else has to read it is a very true point but again is one of the reasons you have a TOS and that is to make it fit for all.

As for my statement only being to incite a reaction, I can't see how making a statement which has been made several times in this thread already suddenly become an incitefull statement.

Sorry if you are offended by my comments Mike or Mike.