All available household money is going into mortgage repayments, while the going is good.
There was a GFC which caused a lot of disruption around the world, but not here. Our economy was stimulated, so we would not suffer the same fate as is still the case overseas.
The NBN is progressing well. this will transform the nation as a whole. Everybody will be equal in communication and services.
Low interest rates low inflation, low unemployment, 95 billion in the futures fund, not bad for a mob of economic vandals.
If Gillard and her mob of incompetents ever got their act together, this could be a great place.

Belly said amongst a lot more;
Bazz/Rechtub,our debt is, gee except it as truth PLEASE!

I have read that post a couple of times and I can't get a handle on what you are saying.
I think the man best for the US won in the end, but we did not need
the massive coverage of the day to day story for the last year.

Trouble is both of them believe that the US will become another Saudi Arabia !
True ! They do !
Their economic programs reflect that the US will be the world's
largest oil producer.
Their only real argument is how will they apply the income to the debt.

The big worry for us is that both the government and opposition
believe it also. Julia Bishop even wrote on OLO about it.
This gives them both the idea that all is back to business as usual.

Bazz fair cop! I have a problem with sentence construction.
I can see, it has been a lifetime problem, how you got confused.
The next few lines contained my thoughts.
In truth, please believe, our debt is very minor, when compared to Europe's and Americas, by percentage of gross national product.
Rechtub, the most uncharitable of us, you are not included, will know not all spent was wasted.
I grow more heartened every hour.
Those defending Abbott best serve my party!
Gillard,no better, may just win an election, IF such blindness is endemic in Liberal ranks.
Selected from multiple news headlines both here and all over the world this headline
*Can Republicans Change*
I ask this question
*Can Abbott change*
He and SOME within his party modeled them selves on Tea Party Republics.
His time to change is now, not after an election.
If you consider what I have said, and think, given Abbott can not bring back other than the man he has been from day one.
The question becomes
* Will the LIBERALS change?*
My view? yes leaders, and in so doing ensure election victory.
Humor is my best mate, here tangled like that whale calf in ropes of his own making Rechtub is defending what?
The only man who can give labor victory.
Another international headline,take note Butcher
* In the end the polls got it right!

Yes Belly, I think you let your thoughts get ahead of the keyboard.
You are right, our debts are small compared to Greece, Spain etc.
We got away from a lot of GFC strife because of China trade.
The much trumpeted stimulus lost a lot of its effect because of the
reason for the GFC which was a decline in oil supply and the resultant
rise in the cost of oil & other energies.

What economists are now starting to understand is that neither stimulus
nor austerity, cutbacks etc are now working.
This because the cost of producing energy is consuming so much of GDP.
Oil is now three times what it was pre 2005, coal is also considerably
more expensive.

Consider our present relatively good position and then withdraw the
Chinese and Japanese from the picture.
How close to a recession will we go ?
I suspect that growth would go negative, ie contraction, ie recession.
This low or zero or negative growth is PERMANENT !

Any government that considers the above cannot undertake an expansion
of spending, but must take steps to reduce spending.

So whether you are Labour or Liberal (the Greens don't count) you
have to advocate cutbacks, including or especially, public servants.

You do not have the money !

Bazz yes, it is a form of Dyslexia I have no control over.
However all those years ago, the day I walked out of a school of 13 kids, not yet a teen, I was much worse.
Every day I learn and grow, have passed some truly hard tests, including my full call, always with ease.
The truth is SOME waste always takes place.
It is the nature of public servants.
Too claims, so silly as to question the ability to understand of THE MAKERS.
That we are going to be as bad as your mentioned country,s.
In truth we are far better than America and England.
This world, the very Capitalistic system, does not run on cash, not gold, not enough exists to pay the worlds debts, of either.
Our credit rating would see ANY AMOUNT we wanted dumped in our lap.
We should, despite the coalitions screams, continue to live within our means, run in the black.
They will, no matter the costs.
Bazz, at some point you have the ability to know much of the extreme comment and acts is, well bloke Bullsh**
Again, observation by uncluttered minds can see if they look, Gillard knifing Rudd is not going away.
But Too Abbott has run out of rope, no not bias, my honestly held view.
Both leaders lean on one another.
As one sinks the other rises.
Abbott has been told to moderate his ways, two weeks ago, he tried and failed, watch him trying again.
Watch the quieter less ranting Hockey too, he knows he must return to what he was pre Abbott , because he always and still wants the leadership.
I think he over cooked the angry ant stuff, declaring 3% increase productivity was flat lining .
This election is Liberals to win, only sticking with Abbott can beat them.

Belly, hi I read the early posts and I read your outro, and (if I may contribute at this late hour), at the end of the day the one thing that AU electors need to understand is that the last thing we need (especially now) is another ideologically bent Gov't , like the Howard /Costello Gov't ,only extreme. One that will re-distribute the wealth and power to the wealthy even more, and trash workers rights in the workplace, even more.

The entire Abbott front bench is a disgrace of yes people led by a power crazed ideological sycophant !.

Malcolm Turnbull whom has complied with the toeing of the Abbott line, when it comes to the NBN, (the most important piece of public infrastructure in a century mind you), and entirely misunderstood as to it's benefits, it's capacity to withstand advances from other technology, e.g it's longevity, and the importance of the fact that it should be "publicly owned", and supplied "too the home", in order that the maximum benefit to all Australians be achieved. Turnbull is hardly PM material at this time, because he has done a good job of misinforming and confusing electors for political purposes over the NBN, (for Abbott) even if we hate Gillard.

The whole situation is analogous with the US election for mine, do we wan't O'Bama or the Tea Party ? !. Do we want lest accountability and tax for the top end of town, and more screws applied to the working poor in the guise of productivity and flexibility so called, or do we wan't fairness.

Even Gillard, is the lesser of two evils, regardless of who leads the LNP to the next election.