That's fine, Arjay. What you say is perfectly true, as a philosophical observation.

>>Pericles,the problem with our financial system is that there is too much emphasis on debt<<

Two things, though.

One is that we would not have the standard of living that we presently enjoy, had it not been for the existence of debt, and debt instruments of various levels of complexity and sophistication.

Not all of them were over-engineered. Just some.

Two is that you cannot simply wish it away.

Any "new system" has to take history, and reality, and the law of the land into account. Social justice needs to apply to all, don't forget.

*We could have the most amazing country on the planet,*

You miss the point Arjay, and a new political party is not going
to do it for you.

The thing is, live is relative. I've been out the back of WA,
where people lived and struggled for years, in the back of
shearing sheds. Their life's philosophy and appreciation of what
they have, is completely different.

Most Aussies only know a relatively cushy lifestyle. They have
never been in the third world, to see what life can be like.
They don't really appreciate what they have, how relatively easy
they have it or why they have what they have.

You are not going to change that, by forming a political party.

That is why adversity, the odd recession etc, are not such bad
things. They bring back balance and make people realise, just
how lucky they are, to have what they have.

Expectations in Australia are today sky high, because people
have essentially had it too good, for too long. We learn from
hard times, not easy times.

Pericles,I went to the demonstration at the Town Hall in Sydney against the attack on the flotilla by Israel.Guess who were there?Many communists and the Greens heralded by Lee Rhiannon NSW, who at a national level will return Labor via the donkey vote.I was handing out info for ae911truth but there was no measured logic from many of the Turk and Lebanese.It was mostly rage without reason.

I was having second thoughts about giving out info to people who were no better than the Zionists whom they hated.

Yabby,"Most Aussies have a cushy life style." A few do, but the majority don't.Looking at over inflated house prices, bloated Govts and their waste,the future does not look bright.

Globalisation is a failed philosophy.John Raulston Saul attests to this.We must move back to national sovereignty and quality of life with quality products.How long do Chinese products last? Local products are the way to go,with less CO2 created by their transport and real jobs created in local communities.There would be also far less debt since the money from real production remains in the local community.

*A few do, but the majority don't.Looking at over inflated house prices, bloated Govts and their waste*

Ah Arjay, but there are two sides to every coin. What % of the
population are buying a house right now at today's price? Only
very few. Those like yourself, who bought years ago, are benefitting.
Pensioners can cash in on their house, move to a retirement village
on the coast and still have plenty of money to burn in the bank.
Hardly hard times.

All those bloated Govts have bloated workers on bloated wages, hardly
hard times. How many countries have holiday leave loading, double
overtime, etc? Then if a company is going to sack some workers as
they can't afford to keep them on, those workers get severance pay,
often enough to sink the company. You think that is being tough
on workers? Come on. Tell me a country where people have it better.

*quality of life with quality products.How long do Chinese products last?*

Well then don't buy Chinese products Arjay. It is your choice. You
can buy a cheap frying pan for 5$ from China, or a Scanpan from
Denmark for 200$. The Scanpans are selling like hotcakes. The
same applies with just about everything else. Our shelves are full
of German, French, Swiss, Japanese and American products, for those
who want quality.

Your problem, the way I understand it, is that you would like to
make it compulsory to buy Australian, by the way of high tariffs.
What we would land up with, is what we had before. Shoddy locally
made products, at great expense. We are far better off, just as
we are, with global competition. Consumers benefit. They can choose.

Some of your points used be my stance Yabby; however today there is a difference. Correct me if I am wrong, are you generally referring to public service wages and disregarding many Australians earning under $40,000K; some of whom share this as a joint income with no assets behind them? Friends of mine who have not wasted their incomes on alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and not enjoyed overseas holidays or annual holidays earning a maximum income of $40,000 with children to raise. Admittedly enjoying luxuries of Electricity/heating, Food, clothing [forget the weekly take-away and 6 monthly dental visits; that disappeared 2 years ago], a roof over their heads and a vehicle to share; too costly now running two vehicles in a household.

When I compare the quality of living standards between 2005 to date, as an example, many people with children earning $0-50K have not had it good at all. Stress as a result of paying high revenue, electricity, water and heating bills, in addition to meeting the basic needs of their children, takes a toll on parents' health and marriages. Notice the increase in suicide and child murders recently? You can bet your bottom dollar that most of these were 'income stress' related