Home Page

Back to Toxic Waste

Life IS about politics!! 4th June '06 To Bob Norson The Coastal Passage tcp@matilda.net.au From MWB (do I really need to be quasi anonymous??) S.V. Sheherazade Dear Bob & readers, I am a new reader of your TCP paper as of the past week, I got the paper from my Dad, who is also a yachtie. It's good, thankyou and please keep it up. I read with great interest the articles such as by "name withheld", "Beth Smyth", "Don Halliwell" and also an article I also this week just read in the current "trade-a-boat (issue 350)" by "Geoff Middleton - The BIG fuel tax rip-off", well worth reading. Just to name some stories in the past week!! (I do have many interests in my life, not just the frustrating, annoying and thieving state of unjust, hypocritical rhetoric that is politics in and on our lives!!). [Note - Has it actually now started to be necessary, to be prudent and careful in this country to be anonymous, even when contributing to a minority interest paper such as TCP???] Now when/if prodded regarding anything that involves governmental politics on our lives, admittedly I do/will arc up. I try to stay calm outwardly though because I do know and accept that politics on our daily lives is inevitable. It always has been and always will be! For the non-believers take any glance through history, either ancient or recent, including Australia's own!! Human life has always been a case of power and politics. And if it's not 'that' king/magnate/politician vying for their dominance and subsequent wealth it will be another. And then there is the necessary majority, who don't have such egotistical aspirations but are the ones needed to make up the masses to bodily and financially support and carry out the kings/magnates/politicians whims. I find that most current Australians (who are very fortunate and very affluent as globally compared, me included) have a lot of difficulty believing/accepting this on "their free lives". Haven't we had it good, such a good run!! Now in theory of course, this can be and indeed has to be necessary!! Protection, security, goods and services, our own wealth - for our families, tribe, ethnic group, culture, land and country, etc. What it comes down to. Now I think that most people are happy to accept that if you want a particular anything, and the cost seems high, but can be transparently and justifiably explained and you want it, then you pay/comply willingly. It's your decision and it feels "fair enough", like you are not being ripped off, robbed. Now bring on to the non-existing stand please the politicians and their big business cooperates of this country (and others) and their record/s. It does seem that the dishonest, egocentric lying to the public by M.P.'s is becoming more prevalent, obvious, discovered, reported publically of late times. Doesn't it!?!? Take for just but a few examples: the sewage issues for boats as constantly experienced and reported and that the sewage disposal of boat users is likely to be much less than even 1% of material disposed into waterways by mankind (hello big businesses chummy with beauro's, money, money, money) AND THAT IS NOT EVEN SEPARATING the issues of harmful materials disposed V non-harmful, (occasional faeces in the oceans free of chemicals is not harmful to the environment); same fuel taxing on boat operators WHO DON'T EVEN USE ROADS; the multiple government boat registration and licensing requirements and their incredible high attached costs; the recent issues of A. Downer, M. Vaile, the AWB and their rorting and despite having gone to court and been publically aired that they are as guilty as, they walk free; the whole Dr. Patel and Bundaberg exec. hospital management mass harm and murderer issue that P. Beattie etc. try to cover up and then let time (and a measly couple thousand $'s to those family's involved) erase the majority's memories for exposing who in fact IS and WAS responsible (step up QLD gov. health & hospital exec.'s and the A.M.A. as well as Dr. Patel); and now I hear that M.P.'s are even now 'allowed' to lie in Parliament House during Question Period/Time; where does one run out of examples and stop?????????????? And if YOU AND I as the minority boaties, therefore weak, (but who generally do have more money/credit than the low income earners), don't comply, crumple and pay……………………., "our" consequences, smartly shot at us are, 'increase the penalty' and/or 'send them to prison'. I mean, come on, really???? What ever happened to sanity, fairness, logic, punishment fitting the crime????? As Ed. noted in "This issue," edition 18 - the punishment if you are government protected is,………………………………. what???????? Come on, come on, give us a fair bloody go!!!! Wasn't that the Australian adage once upon a time?? "They" know we can keep paying. Boaties=cash crop. It's why they can do it, and why it won't stop. What other reasons could there be?? It's certainly got nothing to do with the smoke screen "environmental protection", p - l - e - a - s - e!! The only hope I gleamed, from this rather depressing topic, in the news this past week (gleamed from internet headlines, I do not endorse/support watching T.V., and just imagine the power change if the majority also didn't watch it!!!!) was that despite full steam ahead by federal, N.S.W & Vic. governments to "just sell it" against public wishes (re. the Snowy hydro scheme) was the complete gamely public back flip by J. Howard P.M. not to go ahead and sell. Herein IS an example for us all - J. Howard P.M. back-flipped on this issue because several noteworthy, big business, famous, wealthy, therefore influential individuals got together with a petition stating they disagreed with the governments plan, that they didn't want it sold and, ……………………………. it worked. Amazing but true. So, where are our noteworthy, big business, famous, wealthy, therefore influential boatie individuals to help us all out, for our children, their children, all of our future???? On closing; Just 2 examples. Even a law professor from our own La Trobe university on being interviewed, re. after when A. Downer was required to appear and be witness to the A.W.B. Cole enquiry, explained how he (Downer) could have used this explanation, or could have used that explanation to get himself out of his AFAT minister responsibilities. I mean, come on (again). What the freak ever happened to "how about we just try and find out the truth and actually be responsible in the position/s we have been appointed, and where we have cocked up then be held accountable????" We majority have to comply!!! J. Howard P.M. This most recent example (Snowy hydro.) of his gamely, plucky nature to just not give a hoot whether he is lying and/or changing his story in front of the public. Shouldn't these things still be important?? Shouldn't "they" all be held accountable for all of their business?? I mean, why even air these things when there is no system in place for this conduct to be properly addressed?! I mean, the millions, yes millions, that are spent on enquiries, investigations and legal costs, ………… why?? For what?? Legal system, yeah right!! Smoke screen! It appears that as time in political Australia is recently rolling out the prior expectation of 'representing the majority' really just doesn't matter anymore, "they" don't even now need to pretend anymore. So what is all this politics teaching us and the next generation?!?!? Egocentricity, dishonesty, irregard for others, excessiveness, recklessness, licensure and financial wealth for whatever the heck you want to do when you aspire to and become a protected wealthy politician or big business person. I reckon this is what you call going too far. This far, then what will come next???