Quote: Seven blunders of the world

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

 

Free Burma!

 

Gambling in NSW: Good news (Russell Crowe) and Bad news (Keno) today

Gambling is a huge problem in Australia. Today I was pleased to hear some Good News and Bad News about gambling.  First the Bad News:

Bad News

The NSW State Government has approved the introduction of Keno, a lottery game, into hotels (pubs).  This, despite the previous Premier saying just two years ago "no more  gambling".  Of course the Government gets more money in taxes, as well as money donated to the Labor Party.  (SMH, ABC, ABC)

It is additionally disappointing that Kevin Rudd (Federal Labor Leader) has said that it is necessary for the States to do this in the short-term for the taxes gathered. (SMH)

Good News

Three cheers for Russell Crowe and co-owner of the South Sydney Leagues Club, Peter Holmes a Court, for proposing to do away with pokies in the Club!  They intend to pursue the revenu epreviously raised from gambling (about $7 million per year) from other sources.  That proposal has yet to be approved by the Club Board and Members, but Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court are to be congratulated for attempting to revise the perceptions of how to raise revenue, to do away with gambling. (SMH)

 

Google Australia launches election site

Australians can access a bevy of information about the 2007 Election from this page set up by Google Australia:

http://www.google.com.au/election2007/

From there you can:

• View electorate information on Google Maps
• See YouTube videos produced by each of the political parties
• Read news about the election, including news customized for each electorate
• Review what MPs are saying
• Review election trends

This election has been a unique one already for Australia with the amount of videos released via YouTube, and web sites being used to disseminate information.  This colleciont of information by Google helps expand that.

 

Phone and internet browsing tracking laws being sought

Up until now security agencies in Australia must obtain a warrant from a judge to track people via their mobile phones or to monitor internet browsing.  Under the guise of "counter-terrorism measures" legislation is going before the Senate this week to enable security agencies (ASIO and Federal and State Police) to do that without a warrant, even for relatively minor criminal investigations.  That would apply to all telecommunications data.

If this were to go ahead, the privacy and rights of the majority of individuals would be eroded, with the potential for abuse of that information increasing, without some level of accountability to the judicial system.  It would seem that the risk far outweighs the potential benefits of such legislation.

SMH

 

Greenspan: Iraq war about oil

Earlier today I heard on the radio news (ABC 702) a report from Alan Greenspan’s soon-to-be-released memoirs that he was "saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil" (The Age).  Despite being a Republican, Mr Greenspan criticized President Bush’s handling of the budget.

Since then, Mr Greenspan has clarified that statement about the Iraq war, saying that before the war he had advised that it was essential to remove Saddam Hussein to secure world oil supplies.  He also said "I am not saying that that’s the administration’s motive". (news.com.au)

 

Quote: Genuine politics

Genuine politics — even politics worthy of the name — the only politics I am willing to devote myself to — is simply a matter of serving those around us: serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole.

Vaclev Havel

 

Australians like Americans but not so many like the United States

The Lowy Institute has published the results of a poll of Australians and their views of foreign policy. Here are some of the key findings of the poll:

• 76% of Australians had a favorable opinion of Americans, but only 60% thought the same way of the United States
• The main causes of unfavorable opinions of the United States were President George W. Bush (69% of respondents), and US foreign policies (63%)
• Rating countries on a scale of 1-100 degrees, based on how warmly Australians felt about the country, here is how some countries rated:
  • New Zealand, top at 81 degrees
  • Great Britain, next at 75
  • Singapore, 64
  • Japan, 63
  • United States, 60
  • Vietnam, 60
  • China, 56

 

More Aussies below the poverty line

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) has released its Australia Fair report, comparing Australia to other countries in key areas. Here are some of their findings:

• Using the poverty line used in OECD countries of 50% of the medain income, the number of Australians below the poverty line has increased from 7.6% in 1994, to 9.9% in 2004 (2 million people)
• Using the poverty line used in the UK and Ireland of 60% of the median income, the number has increased from 17.1% in 1994 to 19.8% in 2004 (3.8 million people)
• The number of people below the poverty line is particularly marked for single people over 65: 39% at the OECD poverty line method and 60.1% at the UK

And yet, today Prime Minister Howard said that because we have a low unemployment rate that there is also now less poverty (news.com.au). Right. He just doesn’t get that while some sectors of the community are doing very well, for many the going is very tough.

 

Abominable: treatment of David Hicks

Australia’s Director of Military Prosecutions, Brigadier Lynn McDade, is reported in SMH as saying that the treatment of David Hicks is “abominable”. Brigadier McDade said “Quite frankly, I think it’s wrong. I don’t care what he’s done or alleged to have done. I think he’s entitled to a trial and a fair one and he is entitled to be charged and dealt with as quickly as is possible. As is anybody.”