So in one of the more ridiculous, yet somehow not surprising statements I have read (of course from the nut bag conservative christian right) they claim that the bush fires are a result of God punishing Victoria for it's abortion laws. It defies belief that people can think this. It seems the idea of rationality and humans is disproved here. Read the Catch the Fire Ministries press release here.
To add fuel to the fire, who else by Mr. Peter Costello the perpetual deputy sheriff has been endorsed, and he endorsing this cultish group.
So much for the secular state.
I am not a religious man, but I am sure that the Jesus in many people's minds would not approve of these absurd and dangerous carrying on.
Back from hiatus, and the first thing I have to blog about is the dirty E word, economics.
Now our esteemed Prime Minister Mr K.Rudd has come out with a massive 'stimulus' package to help Australia survive the recession. (we had to have?). He obviously has been going to the church of John Maynard Keynes, as what he proposes is Keynesism 101. And for those of you not familiar with this, it is in times of low economic growth, a government spends and can even go into deficit in order to kick start the economy. The USA have used this to great advantage in the past in their military industrial complex. But essentially one of the problems with Keynesism is that you may as well bury the money in the sand and get everyone to go money hunting. This is essentially what Rudd did with his last 'stimulus' package. And because of this, all the money went straight back to the top, or at least to pokies, alcohol companies and plasma television makers.
Mr. Rudd is not dropping another cool 14 billion big ones in order to keep Australia afloat economically. (He certainly is not trying to keep Australia afloat in the global warming sense, but that's another story). I am not that opposed to Keynes' economics. But it is all in the detail how. HOW and WHERE the money is being spent. It needs to be spent on infrastructure, not random hand outs or tax cuts for the wealthy. All do stimulate the economy, but in different ways.
Keynesism has never died, no matter what the Chicago Boys and Friedman have said, and it was a big part of the Roosevelt's New Deal, and indeed every US president, Australian Prime Minister's and many other countries policies. It is not radical, or that wonderful, but in our current systems of incompetence and electoral dictatorships, one of the few things that to some degree works.
Essentially, governments need to be lobbied to spend in infrastructure, welfare and long term projects, not short term spending. Kevin Rudd told us to go spend, and Keating told us to go save. Which one do we do? Let the government spend in infrastructure, a better society and more jobs while we save our precious pennies.
Robert Doyle has just been elected mayor of Melbourne. He has come out storming with a range of ideas, most of which are really just quite silly. Besides saying he didn't want the city to become a 'bogan magnet' I really disagree with his ideas of the re creating Melbourne. He even suggested a theme park for the city. What does he want, a big Disneyland in the city centre? We are already disneyfied as it is. Mr. Doyle also suggested that Swanston street should go back to being a thoroughfare for cars to 'go back to what it was intended for, moving people'. Because the trams and bicycles are not moving people Mr. Doyle? He is suggesting that we need more cars and more people driving through the city. Is he slightly mad?
The point I would like to really like to comment on though (all the others are just a little ridiculous to warrant comment) is his proposed banning of 'untalented' buskers, as sent to me by anonymous. This bonus gem of an idea from the former head of the state Liberal party is flawed and just flat out discriminatory in so many ways. Firstly, who decides which busker makes the grade and what grounds do they base this decision on? Secondly, and more importantly busking is a way of reclaiming the streets for people. It is a way of expressing creative freedom, giving some entertainment, and also just earning a buck, especially for those who may be unable to work because of age, disability or lack of jobs.
I have met quite a few buskers in my time, and many, if not most have added to the urban environment, working outside any form of corperatised agenda (rare for the city) in their own time, their own way, and reshaping and sharing the public space. Buskers, even bad ones, give to the space, share a sense of community, solidarity and safety. They are brave people, often metaphorically naked and accountable to the population swirling past them. They also can symbolise a closeness to hand to mouth existence that expunges the tyranny of the pop show and by example strengthens resistance to it. Often buskers transcend roles as people and even become public property. They have a DIY agenda away from the billboards and marketing of rubbish bands. They bring music and entertainment back to the people.
By attempting to say which buskers are bad (and somehow linking that to bringing bogans to the city?), Doyle is suggesting an Orwellian type of control over what can be heard. If so, then can I dictate not only what may be damaging to my aural senses, but my visual also? Can we say what is acceptable to see and wear in urban space? His neo-conservative banter is painful to our senses, but we continue to put up with it. It is a non-democratic and disgusting attempt at reshaping our urban milieu and taking it further and further from a public space to be utilised by the people who use it, for the people who use it.
By attempting to ban the 'bad' buskers Doyle is setting his own agenda of gentrifying the city streets even more. What he wants is more space for people to consume, shop, spend and hide away from the realities of existence. His agenda is clear, and I oppose it wholeheartedly.
Here is a link to the article and audio of Mayor Robert Doyle on the aforementioned issues.
And here is one little example of buskers adding to the urban environment. Looks like fun, eh?
We all know Australian's common misconceptions about the indigenous population, but I didn't know the Australian 'icon' Rolf Harris was one of the ignorant many, let alone willing to have his opinions published in today's Age.
Rolf expresses horribly racist views stating that it is traditional values and that aboriginal people just 'sit on their arses.' What rot Rolf.
In another exercise in being lazy, I am going to post another you tube video. This was made by the crew at earthsharing and is a nice little primer in knowledge of injustices perpetrated by land speculators.
Once again Australia has proved itself to be a land of the 'fair go' and an equitable society by denying a visa application to a German family based on the fact that a child in the family has Down Syndrome. The father of the family is a doctor based in Gippsland and by all reports vital to the community.
Basically the immigration department has said that the child with Down Syndrome will be too much of a drain on Australia and therefore we can't afford to have him. This horrible discrimination once again continues the discrimination against mental disabilities. It presupposes that those with mental disabilities have nothing to give back to society.
I spent 2 years working with a child with a mental disability and the amount that child gave me was enormous, more than any other job I could have had at the time.
Not to mention the amount the child's father as a badly needed country doctor is giving back.
