individual,
You an average citizen? I'm not sure if you are underrating you uniqueness or painting a bleak picture of the average person's ability to reason. Either way your reasoning of late is a worry.

Dear Belly,

I wasn't purposely trying to be nice - but
Thanks anyway, for your kind words.

What actually prompted my earlier post
was an old issue of "Time" magazine
that I came across amongst some books.
It was a "Golden Anniversary Issue,"
covering 50 years of Australian
history from 1959 to 2009. In this issue
they looked
back at the politicians, pop idols,
activists, and athletes who shaped the
country over the past decades. Reading
the article made me realize what an
incredible era it was.

Little things were driven home, things
like the beach, for example, which is
so much a part of our national psyche.
It's a wonderful leveler. Australian
beaches are open to all comers,
rich, poor, locals, blow-ins.
Beaches are the place where we came
closest to the egalitarian ideal.

A snapshot of bathers at Bondi circa 1959
would show a society both modest and
homogeneous. Visit Australia's most famous
beach today and you will see a complex nation,
and a more confident one. It's a place that's
changing fast but one in which the simple
things - a swim, a picnic, a run along the wet
sand are still celebrated and held dear.
That was true yesterday, it's just as true
today; it will be true again tomorrow.

I'd like to see us concentrate on what unites us
and not on what divides us. And I'd like to see
our leaders showing us the way in this direction.
I guess I'm just tired of all the negativity.

You an average citizen?
Examinator,
I hope not. Anyhow, when did I ever claim to be one,in which post ? If I were I wouldn't be worrying so much about the country's future. Because I am an advocate for decency & stamping out corruption & incompetence I have become a target by the local ALP supporters. You'd be ashamed to call yourself an ALP supporter if you only knew how disgustingly vindictive these people become. Ardent supporters of the ALP like Belly who couldn't care less how others are treated as long as they can continue in their cosy little taxpayer funded world. Deep down I fully support the original Labor doctrine but todays ALP ? You can't be serious ! ALp is merely a taxpayer funded self interest society & that's why I hope the populace still has sufficient integrity to see that.

I am a bit unsettled this morning.
The real life Belly is the one you see here.
Never any different this is me.
My thoughts are the same no matter who I talk to.
I embrace and recommend to you all the editorial in this mornings Sydney daily Tele, goggle it read it see it is balanced.
It does not hold back I would not ask it to.
My party gets a firm honest kicking, not much less than what I Would hand out, will after the election.
Yet that paper from the stable we know as conservative says Labor should be re elected.
Goggle Sydney's herald todays too.
See the story about attack adds how voters are turned off by them, yes my teams too.
Now read posts from known ALP voters here in OLO
MINE are blind unpatriotic loyalty?
Know it may well be the man who sweeps the factory floor that has the idea that saves the firm.
That ranting and raving, hating your opponent is not debate.
If Indy Shadow minister and a few others are balanced, if my views betray my country our future is bleak, the peaceful way we vote and live with one another is under threat.
I said I am as I am no way not ever will I stop saying it like it is.
And never will I stop confronting those who throw such silly insults.
I do not want them not to post I do not want to leave but if my right to return serve is challenged I will stop posting.
We each of us, is biased but some have no idea it may be the fella with the broom who knows more than us.

Indy

Wot's this "care about your country" B/S you keep spouting?

Far as I can see from the likes of Belly, Examinator, Foxy and others they care very much. As for me, I never said whether I care about this country or not - keep your words out of my mouth.

I care very about this country - I chose to come and live here, wasn't an accident of birth.

Vote for your bleedin' Libs, mate, I don't give a toss. Not here to convert you, I'm here cos I'm back in my home town after being away for a few years and this is a public forum, mate, where people get to express what they think.

I think voting in Abbott is like back to the future - no plans for sustainability, no understanding of computer technology, zip if you are fleeing a war zone and Labor only marginally better, we need to keep those bastards honest, the Democrats were bought off, no one left except for the Greens.

Now, none of us here would be bothered ranting on about all this if we didn't give a rat's for our country. Either put together a logical argument or p1ss off.

Johnny Rotten,
I'm repeating myself again but "those with no retort resort to ridicule". You must feel so desperate to resort to abuse as well.