We could all be prize winners if we just paid our "pollies" around 5 to 6 times as much as we do now we'd probably get better quality, after all they have the reins of government so why not.

If we had a better quality of person in parliament, then possibly they might work all the harder for the voters who put them there as there would be more competition for the jobs.

I'd like to think that then we could see actual services being delivered, like roads and infrastructure (dams for instance), hospitals and schools, instead of pandering to minor (and loud) interest groups (greens, aboriginal industry, religious types).

While we're at it, let's also pay teachers and health workers a lot more as well, at least 2 to 3 times what they get now, and pay bankers, bureaucrats and union officials (as examples of people producing very little) a lot less.

Make the "opinion" media responsible at the same time, so if they report rubbish or falsely, we can take money away from them, stone them or lock them up in stocks for public ridicule - you want to influence people's thinking, fine, only if you are prepared for repercussions as well.

So yes, my solution is to distribute the prize a little differently.

rpg: Are you suggesting we pay our Pollies the way banks have been paying their CEOs?
Like flies to dead meat, we will only get the same greedy buggers we get now, only first hand instead of by proxy.

More cash does not necessarily mean more quality.
Honest accountability is needed, not more reward.
Statesmen are waiting to take the reins, but they won't join the current bunch of lightweights: (Never argue a fool in public, folks can't tell the difference).

I guess wheat I'm saying is clean up the job and the right applicants will apply. At the moment the job of pollies seems to be the public interface of the real power: lobbyists, banks and the media.

"rpg: Are you suggesting we pay our Pollies the way banks have been paying their CEOs?" YES! Are you saying we should pay them peanuts? I don't want the country run by people who are happy to work for peanuts, you know what we'll get don't you?

I'm saying, don't worry about the mousenuts accounting the author is stating, and pay pollies a really good salary -like we pay CEOs or bank executives, yes - that's why, regardless of the recent problems, Banks and corporations are generally managed by competent people. The financial crises was driven by US government interference, not bad corporate or bank management.

Pay the people we rely on a really good salary and we'll get good people, and not so good people will get run over by the good ones getting to the jobs.

Why are so many people against paying our leaders and the people our community relies on a really good salary?

And when they retire after doing a good job, let them have all the benefits - I'm not against that, I am against working hard and having some fool take my hard earned money and giving it to folks who haven't put in or have done as well - I deserve what I have worked hard for, and I've had failures and problems like anyone else - so what.

And you haven't even mentioned the "mayors" either and their level of pay and rorting.

The level of abuse of taxpayers funds has been out of control for years. Mostly spent on buying hard hats for the talentless pool we have in charge right now.

And the gall. Yesterday on the news we heard that a small group of grad students and scientists in QLD had made some remarkable progress in the fight against dengue fever, the mossie. Bligh was on TV smiling (botoxically) and talking up QLD's scientists.

Only trouble is that Bill Gates actually funded these guys. $10 million for up to 5 years and they achieved in 3. Did Blight or Beattie initiate anything on this? Nope, too bust feathering nests to care.

I raise this to counter RPG's ridiculous wish to raise salaries for the people who do nothing but take credit or avoid blame. They don't work hard for the taxpayer at all mate. They do work hard, for themselves and their Parties. We get their attention at election time and that's it.

Their jobs are not to make huge profits or produce large dividends for us. Their job is simply to oversight organisations that are there to provide services. We decide what is needed, not some useless, uninformed politician. They don't lead, innovate, create or any such thing. The public servants do all that.

Rather than increase salary I say get rid of all other benefits and keep the salary the same. No perks whatsoever. Then we would get the people who actually care and want to do what the job requires, for the sake of it rather than personal rewards. It's called altruism, a word today's pollies don't know exists. More money just means more greed and corruption.

Apologies for the second post.

I forgot to say it always staggers me when there are so many experts who pretend they know all the history and who did what to who etc and come out with "And this is the answer".

They quote everybody but themselves, use ridiculous cherry picked examples and generally act like a pompous ass.

They know nothing at all. None of us do as we don't live in the middle of it. To sit back and opine is ridiculous. We should all have one voice, one opinion.

Being "They are both in the wrong, killing innocents is unforgiveable. Take away their power altogether until they can play nicely. No weapons, not even metal eating implements until they behave."

But no. This lot blame the Jews. That lot blame Hamas. Stupidity, it goes back thousands of years. Radical action is needed, not handshakes and cease fires that are not cease fires.

"The financial crisis was driven by US government interference, not bad corporate or bank management."
rpg, did you really mean that, are you stirring, ignorant or just plain stupid?
The financial crisis was caused by lack of government regulation, which allowed your bankers, et al, to sell worthless mortgages which supposedly had AAA credit ratings. Don't talk rubbish!