The Australian Treasurer, invited people to make suggestions to him about the next Commonwealth Government Budget, by e-mail. This is the text of the email that I sent him this morning at 1017 hrs.
"Treasurer,
Please include a major boost in the rate of payment of Social Security benefits and pensions.
The poverty that we suffer is Government created. It is a direct consequence of your budget.
The payments should be made above the poverty line. A plan to achieve that outcome should be announced with the Budget..
Our present rates of payment do not meet the minimum standard set by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I am aware that there are people in full time employment who also live below the poverty line because their rate of payment is below the poverty line. Reform is needed for them too - but when it comes to the rate of payment of Social Security payments - the full ability and power to rectify the situation is in your hands Mr. Treasurer.
Please make a big step in the right direction in your next budget.
Cheers,
Strider "
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Irony. Posted 10 December 2010.
I am conscious of the irony that I have arrived on line just in time for the Wikileaks cyber war. I do not approve of wars.
I know that all power corrupts.
I know that revenge is a bad and a poisonous motivation.
I can understand the anger, frustration, and general powerless that people feel at the aggressiveness of U.S.foreign policy, and the way that our government has lied to us here in Australia.
I do wish that people would refrain from further "revenge actions" against the organisations that used to channel funding to Wikileaks.
I know that all power corrupts.
I know that revenge is a bad and a poisonous motivation.
I can understand the anger, frustration, and general powerless that people feel at the aggressiveness of U.S.foreign policy, and the way that our government has lied to us here in Australia.
I do wish that people would refrain from further "revenge actions" against the organisations that used to channel funding to Wikileaks.
Isolation. Posted 9 December 2010
A friend once told me that Darwin was the most isolated city on Earth. It turned out that she meant that it was isolated from the rest of Australia's Northern Territory. It is a classic colonial situation.
It is also a city. There is not much left of the natural vegetation. It is an artificial place.
Many of the people who live in Darwin are very ignorant of the natural habitats and the ex-urban cultures of the Northern Territory. Naturally they do not like to talk about, or have political opinions about, things that they do not know about.
People do not like it when the political discussion moves beyond their area of subject security.
A great political conservatism is the result of this situation.
There is very little discussion of the great political/ecological questions of the time, fire,weeds, and the fact that the pastoral industry is not ecologically sustainable.
We are confronted here with a major communications challenge. I believe that we should organise to address
this challenge. And that we should do so as a part of the campaign for universal adult ecological literacy. We need to have an ecologically literate community, and we need to inform it well.
The first practical social problem that we need to deal with is that many people are disabled by poverty.Poverty that is a direct consequence of the Australian Government Budget paying inadequate Social Security Benefits and Pensions. It is a false economy. It is a cruel, stupid and indefensible policy.
I am convinced that this poverty does terrible damage to the morale of the people, and to their willingness to communicate, and to learn. It is the first communications obstacle that we need to deal with. In my humble personal opinion. Cheers.
It is also a city. There is not much left of the natural vegetation. It is an artificial place.
Many of the people who live in Darwin are very ignorant of the natural habitats and the ex-urban cultures of the Northern Territory. Naturally they do not like to talk about, or have political opinions about, things that they do not know about.
People do not like it when the political discussion moves beyond their area of subject security.
A great political conservatism is the result of this situation.
There is very little discussion of the great political/ecological questions of the time, fire,weeds, and the fact that the pastoral industry is not ecologically sustainable.
We are confronted here with a major communications challenge. I believe that we should organise to address
this challenge. And that we should do so as a part of the campaign for universal adult ecological literacy. We need to have an ecologically literate community, and we need to inform it well.
The first practical social problem that we need to deal with is that many people are disabled by poverty.Poverty that is a direct consequence of the Australian Government Budget paying inadequate Social Security Benefits and Pensions. It is a false economy. It is a cruel, stupid and indefensible policy.
I am convinced that this poverty does terrible damage to the morale of the people, and to their willingness to communicate, and to learn. It is the first communications obstacle that we need to deal with. In my humble personal opinion. Cheers.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Inclusion, posted 8 December 2010
For some years now I have been on the outside of Spacebook and all that, and not looking in. I was inclined to say that the world will not be saved by nerds.
I did complain that hardly anyone ever invited me to a party (or what have you) and I guessed that it was because I was not "on the net"> Since I joined Facebook this suspicion has been confirmed. I now have more invitations to distractions than you could poke a stick at.
All of that is good, but, I need to stay in touch with the people who are not "on the net" too. And so do you.
This is not a trivial matter. This is important.
For today I just want to put this issue on the record.
Cheers
Strider.
I did complain that hardly anyone ever invited me to a party (or what have you) and I guessed that it was because I was not "on the net"> Since I joined Facebook this suspicion has been confirmed. I now have more invitations to distractions than you could poke a stick at.
All of that is good, but, I need to stay in touch with the people who are not "on the net" too. And so do you.
This is not a trivial matter. This is important.
For today I just want to put this issue on the record.
Cheers
Strider.
Organisation. Posted 8 December 2010.
The plan is to use this site for text, and put the photographs onhttp://www.solarvillage.tumblr.com
Saturday, December 4, 2010
First things
This is a new venture into communications for me. We shall see how it develops. Welcome to the adventure, and "cheers".
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