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The Forum > Article Comments > Who to vote for? That is the question > Comments

Who to vote for? That is the question : Comments

By Don Aitkin, published 15/4/2016

I doubt that most of us actually want leadership, if that means a great goal and a great leader to get us there.

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I get the idea that politicians couldn't organise a Sunday BBQ on their own without delegating most of the work out to others.
They probably need help to dress themselves in the mornings.
Posted by Armchair Critic, Monday, 18 April 2016 10:52:37 AM
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Great question.
I think a better party to vote for is the anti-party or the one that represents the opposite. Not the Greens either (yes, I have no friends here).
We need only one anti-party or the votes will be dispersed, which is a tactic used to keep B1 and B2 in power over Z. That's why we have so many choices to cloud our decision.
Maybe the party that does nothing, like a smart boss.
Even better is the party that will strip previous policies, creating simplicity and thereby transparency. Their second greatest fear.
Even better still is the party that will create a democracy by allowing individual bills to be voted on over the internet by the public. Their greatest fear.
Posted by phooey, Monday, 18 April 2016 1:05:09 PM
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Dear Critic,

<<I know you don't like nationalism, but I'm starting to think this (loss of) is the cause of all our problems.>>

It's the loss of purpose, let alone a common purpose.

Nationalism creates a sense of purpose for its adherents, not a worthy purpose in my view, but it keeps them united, which surely feels nice for those who identify, but at the expense of those who have different/better purpose(s) for their lives.

You need to ask yourself "What is life for?". I know for myself, so I can never be satisfied by answers like "for serving a nation".
Posted by Yuyutsu, Monday, 18 April 2016 1:38:01 PM
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To be honest, the issues listed as important in this piece aren't ones that concern me too much. They correspond, roughly, to the issues thrashed out in the media ad nauseum - but not to anything that I'm really worried about.
To my mind, the key issues are:
. Cost of living / private debt. Wages growth is now largely stagnant and wages have fallen as a proportion of national income. The beneficiaries have been senior management and shareholders. How will employees on average incomes fare with increasing private health insurance costs etc? The article talks about public debt but ignores the effect of private debt levels on quality of life.
. Population. Australia's population continues to grow at a faster rate than most OECD countries. Australia is taking historically high numbers of migrants but seems incapable of keeping up the infrastructure necessary to support the growth rate. Time for an end to mass immigration.
. Money reform. Who creates our money? (Hint, it's not the government) How money gets created and spent into circulation is critical to any examination of our budget, but never gets a mention in the mainstream media.
. Ownership. Of profitable enterprises and assets. More going offshore. More going into fewer hands. Does anyone care?
I will vote for any party or independent that addresses these issues. Lib/Lab are as bad as each other and will compete for the bottom of my ballot sheet.
.
Posted by jingelic, Tuesday, 19 April 2016 12:52:53 PM
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"Money reform. Who creates our money?", who is it?
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Every dollar that is printed devalues the dollar and creates inflation. So does pay rises and tourist dollars coming into the country.
Posted by phooey, Tuesday, 19 April 2016 10:15:46 PM
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phooey, you're partly right, but if you think that's all there is to it than you're wrong. Only money that is circulating creates inflation, so one creation has to be balanced against the things that create deflation.

Every dollar that is created (including that which is created by borrowing from banks) is inflationary if spent but not if saved.

Meanwhile, production increases are deflationary. So the ultimate effect of money that's created to fund something that increases productivity could be inflationary, deflationary or neutral depending on the exact circumstances.

Pay rises are inflationary if they result in a reduction in net savings or if the employer passes the costs on to customers. However they often encourage increased mechanisation which reduces the inflationary effect.

Tourist dollars coming into the country don't devalue it; buying our dollars with foreign currency increases our dollar's value and decreases that of the other currency. But the value of floating currencies like ours is largely self correcting, as if it rises, imports rise and exports fall, dragging it back down again. And the reverse happens if it falls.
Posted by Aidan, Wednesday, 20 April 2016 2:38:17 PM
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