Alexis de Tocqueville is quoted as saying “It is easier for the world to accept a simple lie than a complex truth”. This is plainly true of the Australian public also. They elected the current government on the biggest pack of lies ever seen assembled in one place. In fact, Abbott has set a new world record: 25 broken promises in 150 days. Two days before the election, Abbott promised:
“I can assure your listeners that there will be no cuts to health, no cuts to education, no cuts to pensions …”
“Government urged to target seniors, families in budget cuts by economics group Macroeconomics” is one of the latest banners on ABC News online.
In its annual pre-budget forecast, Macroeconomics has backed the numbers in the Government’s most recent fiscal update handed down in December.
The group is urging the Government to target the middle and upper classes with cuts to assistance to seniors and families with children, as well as corporate welfare.
A director at Macroeconomics, Stephen Anthony, has told AM the government must act quickly.
“We would say to the Government to cut hard and cut early in your term,” he said.
Any regular reader of this blog will know where the Australian economy is heading; however, 99% of the readers of the ABC’s website will not. What on Earth will they make of this? It’s not like Australia has become another Greece. Yet.
To be sure, governments everywhere must know what we know. Limits to Growth are here, Australia is as good as out of oil, the Climate is already affecting our bottom line, and revenue is going down whilst expenses are going up…… a recipe for bankruptcy. But instead of coming clean and telling the public exactly why they want to cut everything, they stir the pot and foster riots and revolution. Are they mad? Have they not seen what happened in Egypt, Syria, Turkey when you piss the people off…?
Joe Hockey (our so called Treasurer for any overseas readers) apparently said “In 2050, there will be only 2.7 people of working age to support each Australian aged 65 years or over, compared with five working age people per aged person in 2010, and 7.5 in 1970. As the population ages, the total participation rate will fall – despite the increase in the participation rate among older Australians.” He needs to read this…. it would be inconceivable for someone like Hockey to know, let alone acknowledge, that the world population is set to start collapsing within just 11 years from now. I doubt there will be many people aged 65 and over in 2050 without the hi-tech medicine we currently take for granted – especially if they keep cutting health funding – or the cheap and abundant food covering supermarket shelves……
If anyone wants an example of why politics is mostly form over substance, look no further than Joe Hockey’s actions on entitlement spending. Instead of grandstanding for their filthy rich supporters, Abbott and Hockey should come clean and tell the people how it really is….. but they won’t because it would put an end to their own gravy train, and we can’t have that now can we… A typical Australian worker would need a lump sum superannuation balance of up to $5.6 million to get the equivalent of Joe Hockey’s lifetime pension of $166,400, which the Treasurer is guaranteed when he retires….. The hypocrisy is beyond words……
Damn the Matrix 
Firstly “Filthy Rich Supporters” are a feature of all politics. I know my share of very wealthy Champagne Socialists, their hypocrisy makes me gag. The current government is NO DIFFERENT from every other government we’ve had or are likely to have. Until such time as the professional political class is removed from office its what we’ll have, so don’t be too shocked at the next change of government, State or Federal, when the same shit resumes. They all get lifetime CPI adjusted pensions and first class air travel, even the Green politicians (shock horror). I’ve yet to hear an attempt by any politician let alone a Party to rectify this. The Political class seeks to gain office, they gain office by providing the electorate with what they want. No one votes for a party platform that runs a balanced budget (that means cuts and less for me); an environmental policy that recognizes to true impact of Climate Change (that means less stuff for me); or even for Government that is much much smaller ( that means less for me more for “them”). Forget about government. Stand up for yourself and do what you can with what you’ve where your are.
Yes Lindsay, there are very well off ‘socialists’ (I know a couple myself…) But show me one worth a hundred million or multiples thereof…… I’d like to know your definition of “filthy rich”. Mine is Gina and Ruppert and their mates…..
That’s easy Mike, Pratt ($6 billion); Triguboff ($5 billion); Hui ($5 billion); Gandel ($4 billion), Bond ($270 mill); Singleton ($340 mill). Then there’s Rudd ($60 mill); Hawke ($50 million). And there’s the King Daddy’s of paid up lefties Gates, Buffett, Soros. There’s big money all over politics. Worrying about Liberal vs Labor stooges is like the kettle calling the pot black.
In today’s paper Hockey is claiming that 1 out of every 3 children born today will live to be 100. He lives on another planet. How long does he think people will believe this stuff once TSHTF?
If they eat like him, they won’t get to retirement age.