Very poignant Gibo.

It is always disappointing to keep hearing about 'the economy' when what we really need is more emphasis on 'the community'. I am dubious of many of the monetary measures that governments keep insisting are for our own good when we can see with our own eyes that things are not all that good for many people.

The biggest downfall of the Budget, which was otherwise fairly neutral in substance, was the lack of real improvements for those on pensions and for carers. Raising the rate of pensions or providing other support is not inflationary. These are not the people who will be consuming at morbid rates and forcing prices to rise.

What good is 'the economy' if it does not work for the people. We are the economy.

True Tapp the focus of the present day government does seem to be on itself.
Its like theyve lost a thing they once did with going out to the ordinary, working people.
John Howards government had some of the same problem.
Maybe there are not enough hours in the day to consider "ordinary man and ordinary woman" any more or maybe the pollie work load is now too great.
It seems politicians, somewhere, have decided its all too much bother to go and look at things like "the house we just lost to interest rates etc and look at how we are now suffering".
I think people in general are getting cold in the heart towards other people.
So whats the answer?
A general day of outrage by the recently dispossessed?
A day of protest against apathetic, distracted government?
A call for Australians to love Australians?
I dont want to see "the economy" coming first while my fellow man starve, or live on the streets.
Whats happening today is a breeding ground for anarchy...and they will never put in enough police to cope with it.

Romany. Youre right about the solid citizens. The attitude can be poor. That gulf between the bottom dwellers and the citzs/upper classes does seem to be widening and in its attitudes towards the bottom dwellers.
In France the poorer people started a revolution once because of those type of attitudes.
Hate to see that happen here one day because we lost a love towards others in need.
I think if you asked upper level cops what was going on... they would shake their heads and shiver.
Only through going back to heart caring are we going to stop a world that looks very much like becoming "Escape from New York".
May the rich and the politically powerful be wise enough to lead the way.
TRTL.
Wouldnt want a communist style government for anything. Men doing their thing outside of Gods Control dont work so well says me remembering long-gone civilisations that had a bit of the right stuff in them, some noble stuff, but couldnt get over the fallen heart and its carnel lusts. Us christians are stuck TRTL with a vision of the Messiahs' Return and with the Confirmation in The Holy Spirit that it will be the best type of global government. We gotta go with that. Its not an unpleasant thought.

Not exactly, Gibo.

>>In France the poorer people started a revolution once because of those type of attitudes<<

The causes of the French Revolution were far more complex - and interesting - than simply a Marxist dash for freedom by the masses.

For a start, there was a significant "middle class" element involved, that was actually the first group to break ranks and storm the Bastille. These were shopkeepers, carpenters, tailors - skilled workers, at any rate. They opened the door for the truly poor to vent their collective spleen against the upper class.

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REV/FIRST.HTM

Another element was the position of the church at the time. They formed the uppermost class (ahead of the nobility in fact) on the estates-general, whom Louis turned to to solve his financial dilemma - predominantly caused, interestingly enough, by his support of the Americans in their Revolution against the British.

Ah, karma.

There's more, of course, but I simply wanted to point out that to describe this significant world event as merely the reaction of poor people against rich oppressors, is to trivialise it.