Hi Producer,

Yes, I take for granted that people like Clive Palmer and Gina Rinehart are parasites, but as the Russian proverb goes, 'the fish rots from the head down.' I am distressed that corruption should infect the 'little people' as well, because when that happens, who or what is there to go into bat for ?

I worked in factories and in farm labor for around fifteen years - come to think of it, my last paying job was milking cows in a dairy, Friesians, beautiful animals, very sexy. Honest hard labor can be exhilarating, even when it is exhausting because you know you've done a decent day's work. Belly would understand.

But I disagree with your last paragraph about doctors and nurses and medical researchers - I think they most certainly add to the national product, if you want to refer to that. Teachers too, if they do their job. Social workers, maybe not since their vocation is to manage or maintain a situation, not eliminate it.

Yes, all positions should have some measurable outcome criteria attached, so that people can easily see what they have achieved from one year to the next.

I worked at Balfour's as a dough presser - you cut off and press 40-lb lumps of dough into a wooden square and throw them onto a cart, one a minute. Every so often, another half-ton of dough would come from the floor above onto your table, and you keep cutting. One winter's Friday, we all worked eight hours straight without any tea-break, absolutely flat-out for eight hours, to make the pies for the weekend football crowds. Started at 1.30 am and finished at 4.30 pm, utterly rooted. Good mates.

I think I'm gradually understanding what you mean :)

Joe

Loudmouth – I agree 100% with your statement “Honest hard labour can be exhilarating, even when it is exhausting because you know you've done a decent day's work”. It is however considered to be of lesser value, particularly by those who perform tasks of lesser or no value.

I think you have got the wrong slant on the doctor, nurse, etc. comment. Although they are parasites and would not survive without production they are good and desirable parasites because the work they do enhances production and the quality of life.

To illustrate my point here are a couple of extracts from a couple of other of my posts:

1. A complex society requires some essential none productive services (e.g. Health, Education, Security, Justice (not law)) to function. We need to question the balance and degree of these activities and the reward (proportion of productivity) a particular activity attracts. While parasite activities attract more reward than productive ones, productivity will continue to decline along with competitiveness.”

2. There are only two classes. They are the productive class and the parasite class. The productive class is self-explanatory. The parasite class is a little more complex as there are good parasites and bad parasites. For example there are probiotic bacteria and e-coli bacteria. Our community has too much e-coli! It has infested our political, legal, health, education, business sectors, just to mention a few. E-coli bacteria are self-serving and have no interest outside self-interest and the holy dollar. They will destroy the host if they are not controlled. I believe without the good fortune of mining Australia would be Greece.

I honestly believe although we should not take our eye off the small end of town, we need to have a lot more focus on the big end of town as that is where to bulk of the waste is happening. There is a lot of sit down money there. Sadly while the mug punter buys into this red/blue war they will never focus on what is really going on.

What are your views on proportional representation?

At about the time I started this thread we did not truly know just how big our problems are.
Welfare in general is very near the center of many cuts to come.
It too is front and center of contravercy.
Abbotts middle class welfare, is folly, just as my sides not truly reviewing welfare is.
I stand by my thoughts, we can and should do much better.
And in no way do I see the changes as a threat to welfare, but in my view an advancement.
I fear my words put in print now, are to come true.
Labor, not in all policy's but because of installation of a women disliked even in side the party, and not CO9NFRONTING FULLY NSW filth and HSU, is gone for multiple terms.
My often seen warning, if we do not change it others will, is about to play in real life.
And I am not prepared to say other than changes made will not be over ruled by a future New Labor government.

Belly – there are a lot of atheists walking around with values that are similar to Christians. Conversely there are a lot of so called devout Christians you would not leave your grandchildren with.

What I am trying to say is a lot of my values are the same as a lot of Labor core values yet I do not support the Labor Party. I would not trust the Labor Party to look after those values as it has become too self-serving.

I honestly believe as I have said many times before that the red/blue war is a distraction and we the majority pay.

On the other side is the blue team along with their bad ideas, have some good ideas as well that I value. But I would not trust them either.

Class is manufactured and artificial. We are all the same class with different abilities and opportunities.

I still say a hung parliament is the best option this September. It will give political parties and the population the opportunity to talk.