<<Better we reduce the taxes on the people who produce and encourage the indolent, through applicaion of that stimulating motivator, starvation, to change their ways.>>

I said it before Col. Your a mean heartless bastard. At least your consistent.

their is some truth in all these opinions but most miss the key factors as the true situation of the poor can't be told by them for fear of reprizals against them by the lawyers and politicians who have enslaved them for their financial benifit the poverty of these people and missed opportunities stems not from them being lazy or stupid but from living in a land were if you havent got a job you invariably end up taking drugs to pass the time of an empty meaningless existence and if you do powders then you are forced into crime and prostitution from it you. can't tell any one this is the truth or your children will be stolen from you by d.o.c.s ,or the police if they find out will watch and wait for you to do an earn and slot you and d.o.c.s.will take your kids .and if you dont have money for drugs you are unable to function, so most appointments to get help are not kept ,and so much of your time is wasted trying to get drugs their is no time for any thing else.it realy is time we drug takers got political representation to help undo the evil of four generations of mother knows best social engineers dis-empowering others, because they believe they alone have the right to make others live in a way they believe is right ,blame them for the spread of the drug problem and our high crime rate .terminate their command or it will be your kids next.regards the motorcycle messiah

I think it is mildly amusing that someone proposing 'a new social democracy' should call for reduced income tax and an increase in consumption tax. To my way of thinking as a veteran of nearly a quarter of a century with the ATO, consumption taxes disadvantage those on lower incomes, while income tax like Robin Hood takes from the rich and gives to the poor. Really, Corin McCarthy's suggestion is more like Monty Python's Dennis Moore:

Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore
Riding through the land
Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore
Without a merry band
He steals from the poor and gives to the rich
Silly bitch, Silly bitch, dum-de-dum.

and that is what market capitalism is all about.

Mikk “I said it before Col. Your a mean heartless bastard. At least your consistent.”

And I would rather be a practical and realistic heartless bastard, responsible for my own choices and decision than some

Stupid idealist who knows only how to spew on with a load of controlling drivel about equality and how the world is a bad place, mikk

Under libertarian values, we are each free to make our own way in this world.

What concerns me is to preserve those libertarian freedoms instead of surrendering them to a bunch of socialist tossers, who promise utopia but deliver nothing but equal poverty, regardless of how hard or smart someone is motivated, by individual personal reasons, to work.

And consistent.. you bet..

rather than the butterfly policies of socialism, changing from one thing to another as its predecessor predictably fails.

John DG “market capitalism” is about ensuring the freedom from which individuals can grow to their own potential, although as a veteran of the ATO, I do understand how such notions would be completely lost on you.

And any comparison to the ATO being like Robin Hood is farcical –

the correct analogy is the ATO as the enforcer / knee-capper for the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Pericles is right. Geezus I never thought I would agree with him and I am for sure looking at reasons not to , but in this instance he happens to be spot on. If you write to a politician and I’m not advocating this, you will get reply that says
“Were looking into your problem/complaint /query and will be getting back to you. Ordinarily that would be construed as ‘don’t call us well call you “
And give them their due after all anyone who is intellectual enough to find a Polly on the web might actually create bad vibes as to why they didn’t get a reply. So a few days later comes their solution which is usually
“We have looked at you problem/query/complaint and its more likely to come under the minister for xyz jurisdiction , and we have forwarded he matter on to them.
And give them their due they at least read your query didn’t they.
So wait you does a further week or so and a reply comes back with plausible excuse and link to site that explains how the legal process work in Australian politics.
It’s called 3 3 3 or parallel reciprocal mobility.
Or maybe it’s a 432 functional reciprocal capability or maybe ……………. The point it’s all a load of BS or is that just a lot of reciprocating.