Some interesting letters to The Age about why we accept lying politicians ..
Quoted Text
May the best liar win * July 12, 2006
John Howard is possibly Australia's most successful prime minister. Don't take my word for it, have a look at his record: despite the bleeding hearts such as Dr Zankin constantly criticising him, Howard has produced economic prosperity, reduced foreign debt, reformed the tax system, maintained our border security, and has strengthened our relationship with the US. Vincent, all politicians lie. It is up to the voter to determine which liar will best look after them. For 10 years, that liar has been John Howard. A truthful person wouldn't last one day in politics. It's not about who lies the most. It's about who advantages you the most while in power. So Howard can keep lying until he is blue in the face, just as long as he looks after me, the voter. Mitchell Beston, Woy Woy, NSW ----------------------------------------------------------- A Hobbesian world where it's OK to lie * July 13, 2006
I AM grateful to The Age for publishing letters like the one from Mitchell Beston of Woy Woy ("May the best liar win", Letters, 12/7). I often wonder how people can both believe that the Prime Minister lies to them regularly and still vote for him. Mr Beston gives me a window into the world of such voters. As he sees it, all politicians lie and the only question to ask yourself is which one will feather your nest while he does it. Mr Beston has no time for the reverend Vincent Zankin (Letters, 11/7) and other "bleeding hearts" who are so foolish as to worry about the truth or care about those who are less fortunate than themselves. Apparently, it's every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost. I sometimes wonder what I could say to change the mind of anyone who supports John Howard while still recognising that he lies regularly. Mr Beston's letter gives me my answer: nothing would change his mind. The only thing I can say to Mr Beston is that I'm sorry that life in Woy Woy is such a grim struggle for survival that he can afford no higher political goal than naked self-interest. My heart bleeds for him. Dirk Baltzly, Elwood ------------------------------------------------- Not my Australia
MITCHELL Beston's boastful claim that "Howard can keep lying until he is blue in the face, just as long as he looks after me, the voter" makes me wonder just which country he lives in compared to Reverend Zankin, whom he lampoons so shallowly. Whatever happened to the Australia where people looked after each other? Have such values become so inconvenient and trivial in Howard's brave new world where social concerns have all been thrown overboard in the selfish quest for individual wealth? I know which of the possible Australias most people of good faith would rather live in. Tibor Majlath, Greensborough ------------------------------------------------- People power
MITCHELL Beston suggests that we must find which liar will look after us best, as all politicians are liars. Mitchell, are you serious? Could you really be so cynical? Isn't it up to the public to be vigilant and to pressure politicians across the spectrum into being truthful? Do you really believe the ordinary voting citizens of a democracy such as Australia have become so eternally powerless? Well, I am one ordinary, but proud, Australian citizen who would never put my faith in a known liar, now or ever, no matter what effort he might put into conning my vote out of me. Malcolm Chalmers, Cleveland, Queensland ----------------------------------------------- Just deserts Mitchell Beston wins my prize for the year's best example of "people get the governments they deserve". Bob Seaman, Carlton
People seem to be taking politics and politicians as a joke, on the one hand I can understand why, but on the other there are people that are seriously being disadvantaged in society or killed as we've seen in Iraq and with refugees.
Is this what we've become? Do we laugh at death and sufferring all because we're ok?
I can rarely be bothered talking about politics on a forum because it is a total waste of time.
I have just started to read a 10 year old book "The Fixer" The untold story of Graham Richardson.
I have only read the first 70 pages and it paints a very clear picture about what politics is all about. Money and Power. There is no talk about policies in that book. Big business' buy the politicians and politicians make deals with the unions to get their vote. The leader of the party runs the whole show. He is the one who decides who will be Premier or Prime Minister. The voter is being told who to vote for by his union or through advertising paid by the big businesses.
Read the book and be enlightned.
Don't kid yourself. Politicians regard the electorate as dummies... Which we are. Our only purpose is to be used to make them rich and powerful.
I have just started to read a 10 year old book "The Fixer" The untold story of Graham Richardson. ... Read the book and be enlightned.
No need, I'm well aware of how Politics works.
Quoted from Aussies_Online
I have only read the first 70 pages and it paints a very clear picture about what politics is all about. Money and Power. There is no talk about policies in that book. Big business' buy the politicians and politicians make deals with the unions to get their vote. The leader of the party runs the whole show. He is the one who decides who will be Premier or Prime Minister. The voter is being told who to vote for by his union or through advertising paid by the big businesses.
Just to be clear you've described how the labor party works, the libs are the same minus the union influence. Because they don't have the power of the unions behind them, they make BS promises like "we'll keep interest rates low", or "we'll keep petrol prices down", or "we'll keep those evil terrorist muslims out" to dupe the voter into voting for them.
Quoted from Aussies_Online
Don't kid yourself. Politicians regard the electorate as dummies... Which we are. Our only purpose is to be used to make them rich and powerful.
Couldn't agree more.
The power is in the voters hands to change things. Either we keep voting out Governments who do not satisfy us or we dissemenate our votes to minor parties or better yet everyone dummy votes!
One day perhaps, when voters stop buying the BS spun by politicians, we might have a chance at changing things ...
4 years down the track. It looks like Mitchell was correct. Not only has Kevin Rudd not delivered on promises (therefore a liar}, he has also wasted billions of dollars. On top of that he implemented a scheme that was directly responsible for the death of 4 people.
4 years down the track. It looks like Mitchell was correct. Not only has Kevin Rudd not delivered on promises (therefore a liar}, he has also wasted billions of dollars. On top of that he implemented a scheme that was directly responsible for the death of 4 people.
No surprises! Oh and don't get sick because he's about to screw healthcare harder than ever and I'm sure we'll be taxed harder than ever. The State ALP gooses will be sure to line their pockets before they get the boot as well!
Scroll back up to the first post and you'll see 'produced economic prosperity, reduced foreign debt, reformed the tax system, maintained our border security' references to Howard, and Rudd has done the complete ****ing opposite!
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Yes...thats my biggest worry.....this new healthcare bill. I've seen healthy individual hospital boards taken over by bigger and supposeably better organised institutions and fail... I've seen the gross amounts of public money wasted sending public patients to private hospitals...just to cut waiting lists...when all they needed to do is fork out a little of that money and provide more hospital beds and pay some doctors & nurses to do the job. Now the government is offering not one but two schemes on which to waste our money. They need to do more homework and find a better solution...one for all Australians.
GOODBYE fellow eBlah's .....it sure has been nice meeting yo'all here and I will miss everyone of you
The Hospital crisis is basically chubby bureaucrats hiding behind desks collecting their pay and not doing much at all. Lets have a clean out and have less middle managers and more frontline care workers.
The Hospital crisis is basically chubby bureaucrats hiding behind desks collecting their pay and not doing much at all. Lets have a clean out and have less middle managers and more frontline care workers.
Correct and this new "master plan" is likely to add a whole new collection of them, lets face it 99% of the ALP are either trade unionists or bureaucrats who have never actually done any 'real' work. Sort of the reason why every time they're in power we end up with a huge financial hole. At the moment Rudd is attempting to dig his way out of it....?
"No no no Swannie dig up stupid."
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
I've just read...how the government is going to fund its new healthcare package......extra taxing on the mining companies...and that mean mostly from Western Australia. I wonder how WA people feel about sending 'their money' over to support the other states!!!
GOODBYE fellow eBlah's .....it sure has been nice meeting yo'all here and I will miss everyone of you
SA has a large mining industry, so I doubt it is only WA who will be supporting the rest of the country. I have no problem with supporting other states (unless it is football related of course).
At least Barnett has not signed to support the Healthcare bill. I dont really see why some of the others caved in so easily to the bullying of Rudd the dud.
I think barnett is the dud. There is much to be said for a centrally run health care system and if barnett weren't so insular and narrow-minded, he might be able to see through the forest and manipulate to the state's benefit.
Colin Barnett is not a dud IMHO. By not signing the Bill under its current legislation he has the people of WA at heart. If it had have been a fair deal for WA I believe he would have signed.
There is much to be said for a centrally run health care system and if barnett weren't so insular and narrow-minded, he might be able to see through the forest and manipulate to the state's benefit.
And what exactly are the pros? Generally I think if something is going to work properly their isn't a need to "manipulate" it.
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
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