It is a rather peculiar belief for some people
that there are people in this country who are
in poverty because they are idle and prefer
to live on "handouts." This view seems to be
fervently held by those who don't know poor
people, who have never tried to raise a family
om welfare payments and have not the vaguest idea
what poverty is really like.

Opinions polls repeatedly show large sections of
the population favouring cuts in welfare spending
or favouring plans to "make welfare recipients go
to work."

These attitudes bear little relationship to reality.
Why do these curious myths persist?
Probably because in this country people feel that
everyone has the same chance to get ahead. If those
who get ahead can claim credit for their success
, then those who fall behind must, logically, be
blamed for their failures. The poor are therefore
supposed to need incentives to work, rather than
help at the expense of the taxpayer.

However there are few complaints, about how
this country pays out far more money in
"handouts" to the non poor than to the poor - in forms
of tax loop-holes and other benefits. This fact generally
escapes attention because these benefits take the
indirect form of hidden subsidies or tax deductions rather
than the direct form of cash payments.

cont'd ...

Our new national flag should be of a design that
would represent all of us in this nation - not
just a select few. It should be uniquely Australian.
Therefore keeping the Southern Cross in the
design would do us all proud and it would be something
that no one could object to.

Dear Foxy,

It must represent a Sino-Australian nation. Similar to the way the Union Jack in the canton and the Southern Cross were intended to represent an Anglo-Australian nation. You must take into account that the Chinese will be the principal ethnic group in Australia within the next few decades. It would be a waste of time to start planning for a new flag that does not take this into account. I have already suggested that a miniature of the red and yellow of the Peoples Republic of China should replace the Union Jack in the canton.

Dear Mr Opinion,

The people of this nation should vote on the design
of the new flag. The same as they should vote on whether
we're going to become a Republic.

It's up to the majority vote of the people of this nation
what design they choose and with what they identify.
Whether Chinese will be the majority at the time of the
vote of the design - we have to wait and see.
The majority may well choose some other design to the one
you're suggesting.

The flag, republic, trashing the Marriage Act are all the diversions of a Labor Party that cannot get its own house in order.

Remember Latham's criticism?

<Former Labor leader Mark Latham slams Labor over gay marriage

FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham has slammed his party’s “obsession” with gay marriage saying it should focus on the nation’s “Struggle Streets” instead.

He told 3AW radio Bill Shorten’s private members bill to push for changes to the marriage act to allow same-sex couples to tie the knot, to be introduced into parliament on Monday, was nothing more than a symbolic gesture.

He said the biggest social issue facing Australia was unemployment, drug use and homelessness in suburbs such as Mt Druitt which was the focus of the SBS documentary, Struggle Street.

“If you are interested in equality and social justice in Australia then what was the really big event in the month of May,” he said. “We had the Struggle Street documentary which revealed that in the nation’s public housing estate, most notably in Mt Druitt people live in conditions that you wouldn’t wish upon your dogs. Absolute chaos, despair and hopelessness in their lives.

“And surely, you would have expected a serious national response from the party of social justice?

“We didn’t hear anything.

“They’re obsessed, instead, by gay marriage.”>

Government needs an effective Opposition, but for years Labor leaders have been frustrated by factions dominated by union heavies.

Shorten is frozen, incapable of dealing with the festering sores, especially from the CFMEU links, that were laid bare not only by the recent Royal Commission, but by Labor leaders themselves, obvious examples being Whitlam & Rudd, but all have had to kow-tow to capricious union demands.

Dear Foxy,

It will definitely be determined by the Chinese majority.