Fundamentally, a good explanation of a significant problem we have where a very large percentage of the population has it's snout in the trough. This has come about by the electioneering promises to buy the votes of various groups of voters. And it is sustained by the government's mantra of "don't worry, be happy - the government will take care of any of your problems you find unpalatable". Certainly not a demonstration of government leadership but rather government following of a populist movement. Given all the pre election promises of the current government we will never see much in the form of leadership until Rudd decides to 1) eliminate the huge tax cut, 2) scrap the PCs for all students mess, 3) scrap the higher education funding decision that sets a limit on the number of Aussies that can have access to universities by prohibiting self funded students 4)scrap minimum wage laws that require wages that are far in excess of the market value of the labor performed. And the list goes on ad nausium

You remember incorrectly. The Mamma Bears Porridge was just right! There was no allocation change between the bowls of porridge in the Goldilocks story book so why would Goldilocks recommend it?

I think you will find Richard, that it was the baby bear's porridge that was just right. Mama's was too cold. :)
Susan Prior - editor

Well see I didn't research it. I was going on the premise that the medium size bowl would be just right, not the smallest (the porridge would go colder the fastest) or largest (the porridge would go colder the slowest). So if the youngest bears porridge was the bowl just right then surely allocation had nothing to do with temperature.

You didn't just go and read the story book did you? (smiley face)

Mothers remember these things - even when their girls are teenagers!

Ian, what an interesting read. Well done.

It's a pitty some of your idears weren't adopted 40 years ago as we may be in better shape now hey.

Welfare has been a huge drain on society for decades yet the recipients still expect to have free rien when having children yet expect other to pick up the tab.

It has long been a fact that our country has allowed people to be born into welfare, never work and retire on welfare.

We are fast approaching a pont where the taxes paid by those who contribute won't be enough to support those who receive welfare.

The old saying is 'provde the man with some fish and he will eat for a day'. Teach him to fish and he
he will eat forever.

Don't have the answers it's simply a case of every man for himself I think!

Makes you wonder if the billions raised in taxes, then spent on buiterfying our suburbs would have been better spent on building inferstructure. But then the 'do-gooders' would have voted the governments of the day out because they just don't see the big picture.