Squeers << Rudd's mining tax is a stroke of genius btw, if you care to deconstruct its politics!>>

Since you have such a good grip on this could you deconstruct this for us? Thanks.

Well Spindoc,
while Rudd is a consummate performer and inveterate fabricator (that's the job description), at bottom I think there are a few things he actually believes in. Just as Howard was a frustrated conservative, so Rudd is a repressed (Labour) ideologue. However, as I outlined above, the art of politics is maximising appeal, and so whatever the ideology in play, it has to don the sober garb of 'everyman'. That's why all the pollies go on about (non-existent) 'Australian values'.
As I also said above, the politician's job is to pry tax dollars from a collectively tight fist. The proper way to do it would be via a steep progressive taxation system, but the hoarders have their own ideological defence against such an 'outrage' that the resy of the bourgeoisie buy into; getting rich is a 'human right' after all, just as poverty and getting screwed is for the disadvantaged.
So how does one squeeze vital tax dollars without compromising electoral viability? This is the perennial political problem.
Rudd has sussed that our dual economy is highly disparate in terms of votes (same with smokers; he could never treat drinkers like that). What's more, a lot of the share holders are overseas. The 30% slug will mean he'll have us back in surplus in no time, and be fated for his economic management, and he's only hitting a wealthy minority, --unless you buy into all the crap about jobs being lost--plumb targets of the left anyway! Australia's resources are precious assets that devolve a great deal of political and economic power. Indeed, there's plenty of room for another mining tax yet, something called the ets!
He's won my vote :-)

This is from the Australian showing the ineptitude of the clowns who govern us.

"And The Australian has revealed over recent months clear cases of wastage under the scheme largely linked to secret management fees being paid to big construction firms rolling out the work on behalf of state governments".

The building industry has a cost per square meter guide that is accepted and used in the building industry in the same fashion that the motor industry accepts the valuations in red book. It differentiates the build cost per square meter by the plumbing, electrical, levels, building material etc. A costing of the BER projects using this guide a few days ago found that a building that should cost $1200 per meter cost us over $3k, a building that should cost $3k per meter cost us $13000. The private schools were given the same funds with the caveat that they were free to spend it on infrastructure, and manage their own projects. The outcome for all to see is that they built three buildings and the public school could only build one, and a demountable at that (we might have to give them back).
COLA’s, that cost $120k three years ago now cost $800k.
This, again from the Australian is the response our queen of spin had to say on this matter.
"...Ms Gillard said the BER program was “the largest component of the Government's stimulus program - a package that has kept our nation out of recession and 200,000 Australians out of the dole queue...”

If we had got value from the $16 billion we could employ 500,000 Aussies. My issue is that if we are spending $16+ billion, and getting $7+ billion in value, why the other $9 billion is going into the pockets of six or seven major contractors. Why doesn't Kev just give every one of the working families $9k each, there are about 10 million taxpayers in Australia, it's better than the first measly $900.

I personally am twice cursed, not just with the Feds but also with the N.S.W. Labour govt...hahahahahahahahaha...govt, that’s a joke.

I think he was literally opening the wallet

Arjay truly sorry if it offends you, but I do not rely on your opinion on anything.
Henny Penny is active here in this thread and you my friend have that covered in your every post.
Not me mate, heard that?
I t is when we are wrong, or others think we are.
We dash out not me mate and hide our faults.
Here once again, my understanding of politics, others views, even the other side is tested.
Rudd will win another term.
He in my view will either get much stronger or be replaced before Labors third term.
See we do not have an opposition, like it or not LIBERALISM is the the hands of the children.
Voters, surely those of you who claim understating of politics?
Did not flock to rabbott.
They in the polls, RIGHTLY expressed unhappiness with gutless unfocused direction less policy's.
And did what I would have done, WILL do in my state elections polling, gave their smack to Rudd by going to the greens.
A Labor voters refuge, until second preferences.

It must be lonely for our good friend Belly. He must be the last man in Australia who believes Rudd will win a second term. Even though I am a Christian, I believe in the power of a quiet beer on a hot day, or a cold day, or any day really, and in my moments at the pub, I have never heard such open and loud criticism of a Prime Minister. Comparisons are being made with Whitlam, the last three year wonder, as most are too young to remember Scullin.

Rudd has a letter writer called Alex Anderson Assistant Secretary Legal Policy Branch who is doing his very best to ensure that Rudd is defeated at the next poll. This fellow has no logic chip at all. He must have grown up in a school that did not teach what Capital letters mean, so he does not know the difference between a court as defined and published in S 79 Constitution, and the word judges, again in S 79, and the Court and Judge in S 2 of the Judiciary Act 1903.

This superannuated spendthrift prime minister, has surrounded himself with yes men, who are so ignorant of basic syntax, that they cannot understand the difference between a court with judges, as required by s 79 and a Court and Judge, as inflicted upon us without exception by the State governments of Australia. Rudd is a republican, without a rudder. Like a motherless foal, he is wandering around, separated from the mother-lode of popularity, as more and more people wake up that he is a shallow remnant from the worst excesses of the Goss years in Queensland, where there is something in the water that makes a person a bit strange. Rudd was the engineer of the Heiner cover up.

Rudd was asked to sack the entire High Court bench, for insubordination, for removing the Queen from process issued out of the High Court since 2004. The sins of the Howard years continue. He still has time, but he must act now, or we will find someone else