I was an Aussie bureaucrat once

- then I learned to think for myself and contribute more.

The problem is: we have quietly slipped into a 'totalitarian democracy' (yes, there is such a thing). We get a vote, but we have no say whatever in decision making.

Unlike the author, I wish there was a moral way to regulate such internet fashions to death.

But the author is absolutely right and I admit that there is no such way.
Restricting what people can do in their own home is plainly immoral.

Still, the author seems to prefer efficiency over quality of life, so what then can those who prefer quality of life over efficiency do without immorally forcing their regulations on others?

The answer is INDEPENDENCE.

Let those who agree to share a common lifestyle form their own little independent state(s). Such states could perhaps be the size of a small town, a village or a suburb, then so long as everyone within such a small state have agreed on its constitution and so long as that constitution spells some parameters within which it allows regulations, then nothing would be immoral in making the necessary regulations that preserve the group's lifestyle choices.

This grotesque idea of bundling everyone who happens to live within a whole continent (or wishes to live therein) into one conglomerate state is totally wrong: that's indeed the root of the problem while overbearing bureaucrats are only a symptom.

I therefore support the Catalonians and the Kurds and of course I have long been a supporter of a free Tibet. Similarly I would like to see independence for the Australian states. The smaller the country - the more free the people who live therein and the more options they have to move and live among people who share their beliefs, lifestyle and aspirations.

Hello David.
Its similar to the taxi war on Uber drivers, one industry trying to control the market instead of letting the market price itself.
If I want to accept $20 off someone to take them to the shops and back what does it have to do with anyone else?

You've mentioned AirBnB, and the reason I'm responding to this article is because I think the technology and idea behind 'putting houses to use when people aren't home' can be better employed elsewhere not by private enterprise but the government itself in regards to jobs.

My solution to all our problems is the creation of a socialist base level employment scheme that takes advantage of the 5% unemployment capitalism requires to provide an eligible pool of workers and prevent wage growth.

Instead of 'The house you have when you don't have a house';
It's 'The job you have when you don't have a job'.

Optional programme:
Double dole payment for full time work doing things to help the government save money.
Log on to MyGov, Find a Shift, Go to Work.
Remove the 'I cant get a job' excuse ENTIRELY and create a 'Culture of employment within the ranks of the unemployed'.
Include 'Training Credits' awarded for participation to increase skills in addition to existing 'working credits'.
Include 'Achievements' or 'Badges' for skills earned that go on a digital resume.
Provide incentives and rewards.

We have Capitalist Education with a Socialist Base Level
(Private Schools and Public Schools)
We have Capitalist Healthcare with a Socialist Base Level
(Private Hospital and Public Hospital)
We NEED Capitalist Jobs WITH A SOCIALIST JOBS BASE LEVEL
(If we expect to have a fair system that pays for these above mentioned Free Base levels standards)

The cost of infrastructure doubles every 10yrs, lets start building and training for national infrastructure project.

Until we refine our system of government properly, we're always going to have the left and right fighting against each other and never getting anywhere.

- BTW I devised and refined this idea, and if anyone else ever says they did, they're a liar.

Yes, exactly! Currently we're being regulated all the way to the banana republic we deserve to be!?

If the general public can find a way of saving money/excludes a palm greasing Market monopoly? They must be allowed to!

The reason we have governments to begin with? Arguably so nobody can dominate and corner a particular market!

Be it taxis, hotels or the monolithic captive market energy industry.

All that makes any of this possible is the regulatory framework!

While bureaucrats may craft these instruments, dullard pollies legislate to make them lawful?

None more asinine than regulations that literally forbid peaceful purpose nuclear energy!?

And as such, deny the average Aussie, walk away safe, molten salt thorium, carbon free energy and power prices as low as $1.98PKH as the median?

That power rolled out as privatised energy by competing for your dollar, co-ops, would have enabled feice free market competition, the lowest energy prices in the world and a manufacturing sector on steroids!

And a raft of new players contributing to inland revenue and sane decentralization.

Meaning, tax could be progressively reduced to just 15%, but as an entirely unavoidable flat rate, without any means to write stuff down/off or escape a fair and reasonable share!

Which might well put tax practise accountants and lawyers out of business and remove the average 7% ripped from the bottom line as tax compliance costs, back to the net?

Meaning the effective and stand alone, total rate would be an adjusted 8% averaged?

Now that would then make Australia the most desirable location for energy dependant high tech manufacture and cashed up self funded retirees, being ripped off by mired in debt, socialist Europeans!

If you really want to chuck a cat among pigeons David?

Bone up on thorium. Suggest Super fuel, sub titled green energy would be a useful place to start, and with that in your locker? Start asking some awkward energy questions of any responsible minister/shadow!

They'd have more difficulty ignoring topical germane questions, raised in the house, than those posed by a lone voice in the wilderness.
Alan B.

Thorium is fertile, not fissile and therefore cannot, repeat, cannot be compressed to create a thermonuclear explosion!

Thorium is the most energy dense material on the planet!

And used in WALK AWAY SAFE, molten salt reactors, [unlike solid fuel oxide reactors,] burns around 99% of the fuel. Whereas oxide reactors using solid fuel rods burn just 0.5-1% of their fuel, leaving the rest as waste!

Except if it is reprocessed in a molten salt reactor, fueled with thorium! And in such cases, becomes mostly unspent fuel.

Folk often worry about radiation, without having a clue about what it does or doesn't do. e.g. Material with a short half life is vastly more radioactive than material with a longer half life!

Uranium has a half life of around 5 billion years and is just not very hot! Thorium has a half life of 15 billion years and consequently is less radioactive than a banana!

Both milk and bananas are mildly radioactive.

Hormesis, is a science that rightly claims a little radioactivity is beneficial. And born out in studies which have established cohorts where the background radiation is double normal background radiation.

The cancer rate in such cohorts seems suppressed and halved?

Nuclear power stations on the whole, release far less rouge radiation into the environment than coal fired power stations, particularly those given to use R.O.M. coal, from time to time, to cut costs!

Uranium is just one of several pollutants spewing out of coal fired power stations.

Others include, lead, mercury, arsenic and carcinogenic cadmium! And from coal fired examples, possibly as annual tons?

the moribund coalition want to build new coal fired power plants, simply because they famously, fallaciously and fatuously believe that they provide the cheapest power!?

Look, just 8 grams of thorium contains enough energy to power my home and car for the next 100 years! And given the cost of recovering that ready to use unenriched, thorium, is just $100.00, for just $1.00 a year!

8 grams of coal? Wouldn't even cook dinner!
Alan B.