Dear OTB,

You say that I am back on the IA site again?

Where?

The link I gave has nothing to do with IA.
It's a general debating site -
and I gave it because it
did list the pros and cons of the issue which
I thought would provide an appropriate balance.
Giving both sides of the argument.

You seem to still be keen in bringing politics
into this discussion. I would suggest that
you watch the debate tomorrow evening between
the PM and Mr Abbott. It just may clarify
quite a few things for you.

As for the Republic. This is an issue that has
been around for many years, and it is an issue
that will continue to perplex us in years to
come. Eventually it will be resolved by the people.
But it does make for interesting discussions
in the meantime.

Dear Belly,

Tomorrow night's debate should provide us all
with some enlightenment.
Interesting times ahead.

Lexi my sweet, they stick people in the funny farm for self inflicted injury. Do you think they have one big enough for the whole country?

They would need to stick us all in one if we were fool enough to spend billions on something as useless as changing our letterhead to read republic, for absolutely no gain.

God I can imagine it now, just like the US. Some idiot like Obama, cheating & lying to pay off his mates, & no way of getting rid of him in a hurry other than a gun. Much prefer our way. Worked well with that fool Whitlam, We just have to make sure we never have a silly peroxide blond in a pastel suit as GG again. If we'd had one worth their salt they would have chucked Julia out on her ear, when her previous nefarious activities became obvious.

Dear Hasbeen,

Precise predictions about the long term future
will ever elude us - change always depends on the
unique events that have gone before, and always has
unique effects on the events that are still to come.
In any case, accurate prediction of the course of
history involves an insuperable logical flaw.
If we knew what was to happen, we would be able to
prevent it from happening - in which case the
prediction would be false.

The future may not be for us to know, but it is
surely ours to make. Of course it involves taking
some considerable risks - but as I stated earlier
almost every human advance is based on experiment,
innovation and adventure.

cont'd ...

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3775972.htm

Lexi,

Here is something that might educate you on worthwhile priorities,

"Traumatised relatives have raised shocking claims that their loved ones were left to die unnecessarily or in great pain because of a critical lack of staff and training in nursing homes.

The ABC's Lateline program has spoken to many people about their loved ones' experiences in nursing homes across Australia.

Their complaints include relatives being left in faeces and urine, rough treatment, poor nutrition, inadequate pain relief, verbal abuse, and untreated broken bones and infections.

And one woman has told the ABC that her grandmother, who survived Nazi concentration camps, believes her experiences in aged care are worse than her wartime ordeal."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-16/shocking-claims-elderly-being-mistreated-in-nursing-homes/4821492

Another,

"AMBULANCE ramping is costing the service "tens of millions of dollars", but fixing the crisis could boost coverage in regional Victoria and make the service financially sustainable, Ambulance Victoria says.

The blunt assessment by AV's board of directors comes as patients wait on stretchers for at least an hour before admission to Melbourne hospitals, with almost 7000 patients a year waiting more than 97 minutes."

Another,

"THE risk that bikie gang violence may claim innocent lives is growing, the nation's crime watchdog warns.

And outlaw motorcycle gangs are major players in peptide distribution, the Australian Crime Commission says.

The ACC, which releases its latest assessment of organised crime at a conference in Brisbane today, says bikie violence could have devastating consequences."

http://m.couriermail.com.au/news/crime-watchdog-warns-bikie-gang-violence-could-be-risk-to-the-public/story-fnii5sdj-1226687804903

Dear OTB,

I'm not sure of the point that you're trying to make
with your last post, however -

You need not concern yourself about either my education,
or my priorities. This discussion is not about either.
Worry about your own education and priorities, and those of
your family instead - where you hopefully know where
the deficiences lie.

I have seen the program on nursing homes in NSW to which
you refer and -

I have had dealings with nursing homes for the
past 15 years. Firstly, with my mother-in-law who
was diagnosed with alzheimers and has been in a
nursing home for close to thirteen years. She passed
away last October. And my mother who has been in
an aged-care facility for the past nine years. Mum
suffers from dementia.

As for criminals, violence, bikie gangs, these topics
have been thoroughly researched, discussed, and
covered, not only in various articles and threads on this
forum but in the media and other sources as well.
Most people are quite well aware of the problems involved.

Now back to the topic - the following link is an article
by Michelle Grattan for The Conversation and is worth a
read:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/03/turnbull-swan-republic-australia