Fozz

You astonish me with the ignorance contained in your wild assertions and assumptions.

Do you seriously believe I'll swallow any of your generalisations and crap without challenge?
Could you describe the social safety net the US once had?
Isn't it a fact traditionally the US never had much of a social safety net to abandon in the first place?
But I suppose that's just one of those idealogical stereotyping equations and misinformations you lefties adopt unquestioningly and then try to foist onto open minded reasonable people.

The old 'US badder since Bush dictatorship was elected' attitude... A bit like Obama saying America will be great again if he's elected. As if the US wasn't still great. Doh!

I'd ask you where Disneyland is but alas you wouldn't know ... for your wild assertions and unquestioned beliefs show you carry it with you where ever you go.

Btw what about NZ? Best to ignore the eventual realities of an overpriced social safety net eh? The reality would be too painful for you to accept or even consider. Isn't that why you ignore it and won't address it as an example? Much easier to just unquestioningly criticise the US and nitpick John Howard and Peter Costello's great economic management of Australia eh?

You see Fozz I do believe in a safety net but only an affordable one. Your assertions and generalisations show you don't seem to have thought through what should be realistically included in a safety net.

Whereas with my openmind in assessing the limits to a safety net I include conceptions of personal responsibility, tempered charity, measured generosity and merciful compassion. You need to develop and include all of those attributes when forming an opinion on just what a safety net should look like... otherwise you could create a gigantic, overpriced, silk covered, jewel bedecked, down-filled and eventually overused cushion rather than a practical affordable and workable net ... like we currently have in Australia.

ASymeonakis,

Stop living in your fake world

1 Rectify the Kyoto Protocal, 90% of countries who rectified it did not reach their target, all it was a political stunt, it does nothing for the environment.
2. Howard and Labor both voted to go to Iraq and the foreign minister at the time for Labor was Kevin Rudd, Kevin Rudd voted in parliament to go to war. The difference between Howard and Rudd is Rudd can shift position after the event and try to market himself as being against the war, when he actually voted for war at the time. PS he put the troops into Afganistan
3. Workchoice, why do you think Rudd is having second thoughts? Wages increases are inflationary without increase in productivity, that is why inflation rose with Rudd’s election, yeah Rudd said there will not be EAs however in a lot of industries, accounting/law/marketing etc, they have been around for 50 years, and Rudd is going to allow some form of individual contracts.
4. .”John Howard controlled from the Corporations” Do you have any facts on that LOL, lets see business and government employs 100% of electorates, they makes all the clothes we wear, the food we eat, do you think Rudd is ignoring them?
5. Apologies – see my point above, all it was is a publicity thing, and there is no compensations, all it was was words
6. Howard did nothing for families, apart from baby bonus, children rebate, ensuring they have private health care (unlike Rudd). Rudd has actually done nothing so far. He might in the future does nothing

7. “John Howard had two faces for the migrants” wow he meets every migrant and has a face for each WOW, have you got any facts to say Rudd Is more careful and more responsible about migrants
8. “ John Howard was not very sensitive for international law, human rights” have you again got any facts on that?

Rudd is creating a good name worldwide LOL
Rudd got a dressing down by the Chinese premier for discussing Tibet, he got told to bud out of their affairs, it was none of his business
Rudd upset the Americans over pulling out of Iraq, the US said they respected the decision, which is a polite way of saying they disagree, but cannot do anything about it.
Rudd upset the Japanese for not including them in his first overseas trip, they had media coverage over why he went to China and not Japan.

Rudd has been around for only 9 months and he has already offended our 3 biggest trade partners, that must be what you mean about a good Face

Again Andrew, please come back to the real world

You need hel

1. Howard was told by the military to pull out of Iraq at the time we have, but showed no inclination that he would do so (note: he was voted out before he could have, but anyway...). The troops that have been taken out were not needed anyway (we were never really needed in terms of troop support).

2. Rudd's overseas trips were to meet various heads of state. During the dates of his first trip, the Japanese Prime Minister did not have any spare time to accomodate this. Hence, there was no point in going to Japan...
That entire "issue" was a complete beat-up, and absolutely indefensibly stupid coverage by the media. If he did go to Japan, the headline would have been something along the lines of "Rudd can't even get to meet the Japanese PM!".

Remember Helen Mirren's invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth? Unfortunately, she was in the middle of filming, in the middle of Texas, and it was ridiculous and unreasonable for the Queen to expect her to drop everything and fly over for a 10 minute photo shoot - except the media reports and press releases were all on how rude Mirren was.

dovif2
1.” 90% of countries who rectified it did not reach their target” It means
(a) 10% of the countries reached their target, very useful for our environment and
(b) other countries did many things to protect our environment. This is useful for our environment too..
2. “Howard and Labor both voted to go to Iraq” Howard was the champion in the lies and Labors did not know if Howard was lying or not. On March 2003 was the invasion of Iraq, On October 2003 Forty-one ALP federal parliamentarians wrote an open letter to George Bush explaining why they opposed to war in Iraq.
3. “Workchoice, why do you think Rudd is having second thoughts?” I am waiting a letter next days and I will write then about it.
4. “John Howard controlled from the Corporations” Do you have any facts on that LOL” He did everything to promote corporation’s interests and he ignored labors very basic rights.
5. “Apologies –all it was is a publicity thing, “ BUT Howard DID NOT SAY A SORRY TO ABORIGINES.!
6. “Rudd has actually done nothing so far. He might in the future does nothing” The ALP did what it promised before the elections about the paid Maternity, Paternity, Parental leave. Next February-March we will have the good news.
7. Before the elections Howard was against migrants for nationalist’s votes and after the elections he opened the doors for new migrants, cheap working hands for corporations.
8. “he got told to bud out of their affairs, it was none of his business” For you and other people like you democracy and human rights is not important BUT FOR RUDD THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT, HE DID HIS JOB WELL!
“Rudd upset the Americans over pulling out of Iraq,” RUDD is an elected PM Australians wanted our soldiers back and he pulled them out of Iraq. He does not ignored Australians and followed BLINDLY the Bush, the worst president. Of USA.
9. YOU FORGOT THAT HOWARD DID NOT ELECT EVEN AS MP! AUSTRALIANS KNOW WHO IS GOOD AND WHO IS BAD!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaid