Does anyone agree with me when I say that there is something very perverse about the fact John Howard lives the high life with countless overseas trips to receive accolades from his nemesis George Bush and countless frivelous perks..all at taxpayers expense.

His wife wasting taxpayer dollars on dinnersets for Kirribilli House that costs thousands of dollars and thats just the beginning of her little excessive sprees.

Thats not to mention all the other pollies who are doing the same thing.

So in light of that am I the only one who feels sick to the stomach when this Government then has the gall to make lower and middle Australia bow and scrape to make a living. IR laws that snatch away our rights and dictate that we play the game or lose your liviliehood.

Young pple forced to sign agreements or lose their jobs.

PPle on welfare (genuine recipients) scapegoated for sucking up taxpayers dollars and so deflect guilt for their own excesses..

This Governments Ebenezer Scrooge mentality is something to behold.

Am I the only one?

holyshadow, I agree with your sentiments as long as you are not just reserving the judgement for the coalition.

I've seen what Beatty does to workers in Queensland (and from what I've heard Rudd when he was Goss's hatchet man). All our pollies seem to think middle income earners are an easy mark to fund their pet projects. They can always justify it on the basis that we are better off than some and we can't afford all the tax minimisation lurks of the top end of town.

R0bert

Robert,

Thank you for your post.

Im not sure why you say i should not just target the Coalition.?

Is it against the law..?

Not sure where your coming from here.

I am well all aware state and federal Goverments are guilty of the same, but this Government..The Coalition, sure takes the cake I believe.

I guess along with the responsibilities of holding public office come what appear as "perks and privileges”

It is too simplistic to say that here is someone, leader of government and chief administrator of billions of dollars of public funds, look he gets to go on a trip to meet other national leaders.

I would go further, it is the small minded petty jealousy which leads people to suggest the electorate would be better off without such apparent “perks”.
Same too the small minded petty jealousy which encouraged Hawke and Keating to introduce fringe benefits tax, instead of looking at how best to encourage greater wealth development.

Before criticising one of the most successful national leaders in the world today, step back and look at the big picture
Dealing with entrenched work practices and union thuggery
Creating more employment opportunities
Managing significant improvement in everyone opportunities
I must admit we still have some problems with over complex tax legislation, so simplify it, abolish the pointless and mealy FBT.

It is like looking at a Turner painting.
The impression one receives by inspecting the painting up close is one of a lot of disjointed and irrational blobs of paint (like the inequality of small things)
You need to step back if you seriously want to understand the picture.

Col Rouge..

You lost me at'dealing with entrenched workplace practices and union thuggery' and 'creating more employment opportunities'..

You work for John Col?

I ascribe to the theory that we dont have to aspire to all the overt trappings of wealth to represent the pple in our electorate who need to see leaders are living in their realm. That theyre leaders understand the pain they go thru in everyday life.

The average worker is screwed over by IR reforms, interest rates, cost of living in general and all the excess, and theres plenty of it..goes into to Johns pocket to fund his wifes next dinner party or a new car for his son etc..you get my drift Im sure..20 odd yrs ago pollies drove themselves around...now they have drivers who sit and wait to ferry the honorouble this or that around on his important rounds of splurging taxpayers dollars on never ending merry go round.The excesses of the highlife making them fat and ill....they all look like heart attackmaterial.Fat happy pigs in a pen.

As for 'creating ' more employment opportunities..these figures are rubbery to say the least..permenent jobs now are rare...most pple are employed on contracts and partime positions..which means they now need 2 part time positions to make up for one fulltime position to bring in the same income to a household.These 2 part time positions are the counted as extra jobs generated by the economic success of Keatings economy, not Johns.Liberals have taken credit for the good work done by Keating 10 yrs ago , when he laid down the economic foundations for economic success.

John Howard has a lot to anwer for Col.

Election time coming up I guess we can expect to see more of your ilk in here.