COSTELLO - THE MODERN KING CANUTE

by Jeremy Lee
The latest statement from Treasurer Peter Costello, with the endorsement of Prime Minister Howard, on policies to tackle an aging population are bizarre. Costello has told us that because the average age of Australians is rising, the future will reveal fewer tax-payers supporting more welfare recipients. As this will become increasingly difficult, people will have to work longer, and retirement from work will become a thing of the past.
He went on to urge Australian retirees to return to the workforce, at least part-time, and added that employers would have to be 'educated' to provide jobs for older people. All this is the irrational conclusion of a tax-obsessed ideologue. It flies in the face of natural law, true justice and the peace, good order and happiness of Australians.

As mentioned before, the State of the World Forum, held in San Francisco in 1995, dealt almost exclusively with the question of work and production. It was far more realistic than Howard and Costello in acknowledging that modern technology was replacing human workers at an astounding rate. The Forum concluded that within a short time the global economy would require no more than 20 per cent of the workforce to produce and distribute enough for everybody. This is already evident in Australia. Our primary industries and manufacturing take well under 20 per cent of the workforce. Allowing another 10 to 15 percent for transport and distribution, Australia could cope with an unemployment rate of 60 per cent without any reduction in current production.

The whole game in western industrial economies now is to give the illusion of full employment. This blind policy is aided by the fact that under the present system everybody needs a job to live. Taxes are at the highest rate in human history to cater for the casualties caused by this way of doing things. But they're never enough to meet the dislocation being caused in the process.
Costello tells us that unemployment is at about six per cent. Nobody believes this is the true figure. Polls run in Queensland show over 80 per cent do not believe the official unemployment statistics. Unemployment is closer to 20 per cent. Many so-called jobs are part time. We have over two million people on disability pensions. This is, in most cases, a disguised form of unemployment.

Rather than honestly face this breakdown in the social order, Costello simply looks into the future and compares the number of tax payers with the number of tax receivers. The balance is swinging away from tax payers. What to do? Force more people back into a glutted workforce so that the figures will look better! No matter that the real position will become worse. All this before Costello has solved the problem of youth unemployment, which is catastrophic in some areas. Perhaps he intends to deal with this by extending 'work-for-the-dole'. In fact, why not put former retirees and pensioners into the same programme. Don't call work-for-the-dole what it really is - slave-for-the-government!

Persisted with, this Costello madness has the potential to escalate the crisis in Australian society to breakdown. We need a different approach and a new vision. Why not classify all Australians as "share-holders", entitled to a dividend depending on the nation's performance each year? The first thing would be for Peter Costello to produce a properly-audited balance sheet for the nation - Australia Inc. This should be sent to every adult Australian, just as Telstra has to make its balance sheet available to share-holders.
Any true growth in Australia would result in a dividend to be paid to all share-holders - even if they're old age pensioners!

In modern economies, where we don't need everyone working as a result of the continual improvement in automated productive capacity, sooner or later the policy of "full employment" will have to be abandoned, in favour of a share-holders' society. It will take a lot for politicians to accept this. Only a constructive awakening among ordinary people will finally force the change.
Meanwhile, all you old geriatrics, retired gardeners, volunteers and wheel-chair operators, get down to CentreLink immediately and demand the job that Costello and Howard say you must have! They'll welcome you with open arms! They have so many vacancies that need filling.

ARE SENATORS DOING WHAT SENATORS ARE THERE TO DO -- AT LAST?

We were pleased to receive copies of media and postal communiqués from two Senators during the week. One was from Senator Len Harris carrying out his duty as a duly elected Senator of the State of Queensland to protect his constituents' interests; the other was from Senator Meg Lees asking South Australians what did they want to happen to Telstra.

Senator Len Harris of Queensland
AUSTRALIA'S BANANA, PORK & APPLE INDUSTRIES 'DONE LIKE A DINNER'

Senator Len Harris is warning Australian banana, pork and apple industries producers of the dangers to their livelihoods if the Federal Government gives the green light to import Philippine bananas, New Zealand apples and pork from the United States and the European Union.
The Agriculture Department's Biosecurity Australia, is proposing to allow the imports following the release of a new draft Import Risk Analyses (IRA).
Senator Harris, whose Mareeba Electorate Office is in the heart of the tropical North Queensland banana growing belt, said he has been inundated with phone calls. "Growers are absolutely devastated by the import proposal. The $400 million dollar a year banana industry will be wiped out if present quarantine restrictions are weakened. It will (also) be impossible for Australian banana growers to compete with cheap third world labor and input prices."
"The Philippines Agriculture Minister has a financial interest in that country's largest banana exporter which sends around 22 million cartons per year offshore. This is more than Australia's total banana production of 19 million cartons a year," insists the good Senator.
"The Philippines Agriculture Minister also has interests in that country's largest live cattle import industry. This begs the question of whether it is appropriate for a Minister of any country to have the potential to use their statutory position as a means of industry influence or personal gain?

One Nation does not want to jeopardise Australia's live cattle export industry, however, their gain must not be at the expense of our banana producers." Senator Harris said Australia had so far remained free from many exotic pests and diseases that had devastated agricultural industries in other nations.

Australian homemakers take note
"The new draft IRA says the standard treatment for imported bananas and apples will be to gas them with chlorine and then put them in cold storage for weeks or even months. Australian's don't want their food blasted with chemicals and then cold stored. Consumers want fresh clean and green produce grown here in Australia. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the new draft proposals allowed imported foods to be irradiated. With the globalisation of trade in food, there is an increasing push for fruit and meat to be irradiated (treated with radiation) to delay ripening and as a quarantine measure to eliminate pests and diseases."

Industry stakeholders and consumers unite
The good Senator insists the only hope to stop the imports was for the industry and consumers to unite and clearly make their voices heard, and they have just 60 days to lodge objections to the import proposals for bananas and apples.

Objections to imported pork must be lodged within 30 days
Australians need to take action by lobbing their federal MPs and state Senators. In particular, constituents should contact Agriculture Minister Warren Truss; Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation Minister Ian Macdonal and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator Judith Troeth.
The Draft Import Risk Assessments are full of bureaucratic jargon and gobbledygook. Phew! The IRA for apples is 565 pages long. The banana IRA is 441 pages and the pork report is 779 pages.

Senator Harris tells us who is responsible and just who we should target
"The Liberal Party's Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss whose Department oversees Biosecurity Australia, must take direct responsibility for the disastrous import proposals. I am appalled by the blind hypocrisy of Mr. Truss. His own department is proposing to let foreign produce flood our domestic market but yesterday he encouraged Australian consumers to support Australian farmers at the shops. What insincere, two-faced nonsense," charged Senator Harris.

For those affected by such legislation, read the Draft IRA's
Visit Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Biosecurity information page at:
https://www.affa.gov.au/content/output.cfm?ObjectID=D2C48F86-BA1A-11A1-A2200060B0A03929&contType=outputs
How to comment on the proposal: You will need to register as a Stakeholder in order to contribute your views about the Draft IRA's.
Download the relevant forms from: https://www.affa.gov.au/content/output.cfm?ObjectID=D2C48F86-BA1A-11A1-A2200060B0A03927&contType=outputs
If you do not have access to the Internet: Contact Biosecurity Australia, (02) 6272 4146 or local call to Senator Harris on 1300 301 918. For further details: Senator Harris 07 4092 3194.

THREE OUT OF FOUR FARMERS TO GO

BRIEF COMMENTS

by Thomas Dolling
"Blix says war leaders acted like salesmen." Guardian Weekly 12/2/04.
U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix accused Tony Blair and George Bush (and John Howard …ed) of behaving like insincere salesmen who "exaggerated" intelligence in an attempt to win support for war. He thought the public should be able to expect a bit more sincerity than that.
Robin Cook, the former leader of the House of Commons attacked Blair's credibility, insisting he made it quite plain to Blair, "It was obvious from the briefings that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction - only battle field weapons."
Israeli MP Yossi Sarid was also quoted: "It was known in Israel that the story that weapons of mass destruction could be activated in 45 minutes was an old wive's tale."

Passion of Gibson's film on Christ is in the conflict it generates says Age reporter Chris McGillion: The Age 20/2/04
The movie represents another shot in the culture war being waged in the Catholic Church (and Christianity more generally). Ultra-conservative Catholics like Gibson oppose the liberalising reforms of the Second Vatican Council and Christians generally are divided between liberals and conservatives. It was claimed, "If the state's new religious hatred laws intended to fetter the teaching of Christian doctrine, it was invalid. By preaching violence Islam was disqualified." The Choudhary case in England was cited -- involving the Salman Rushdie book, The Satanic Verses -- which protected only Christianity, not Islam." The case is continuing.

Australia's blasphemy law - still in force if little used - took precedence over the State Act.
Between the rocks and a hard place: Sydney Morning Herald 19/2/04.
According to reporter Miranda Devine police have bent over backwards to build good relations with the inhabitants of Redfern. Examples are:
· Police youth liaison officer rides in school buses ready to help out any child not ready.
· On Sunday mornings, police take three children to Nippers, at South Maroubra Surf Club.
· The Police & Community Youth Club serve breakfast to children before school.
· Twenty children taken on a four-day Lake Macquarie camp. Similar camps have taken place beforehand.
· Children taken to: meet Rugby League players; a naval ship; Australia's Wonderland; Homebush Aquatic Centre; NSW Gymnastic Academy; mini golf; movies, lunch, theatre and swims.
This is all 'above and beyond their duties'; the police officers get paid for an eight-hour day. It is reported they have "had a gutful of being the political footballs." One officer is quoted as saying: "We have to do it because no else is."

SENATOR MEG LEES

Remember the good lady? It was her casting vote which gave Howard the green light to impose the horrendous Goods and Service Tax upon us all. Whether she regrets voting the way she did I do not know, or whether she thinks she better try to redeem herself, I do not know, but she circulated by householder mail, a questionnaire asking South Australians what they want her to do when the Telstra issue comes up again before the Senate.

The options, according to Meg Lees come down to
· The Howard regime NOT to sell off remaining 50.1% Government ownership of Telstra.
OR sell it off to:
· Retire Public Debt - Secure stronger customer service guarantee - Restore Murray-Darling Basin - Or bargain for both stronger customer service guarantees and environmental programmes.

Australia's financial woes will not suddenly be solved by the sale or no sale of Telstra … That is going to take a fundamental change in financial policies, but we must put a stop to the traitorous Howard regime's selling off of our assets!
Let's list just a few that have been sold off:
Infrastructure: roads, ferries, bridges, airports, freeways.
Transport: buses, trams, airlines, railways and coastal shipping.
Minerals: Oil, gas, coal, shale, uranium.
Electricity: distribution, installation, generation, marketing.
Telstra, 49.9%, Snowy Mountain Hydro, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, Defence Housing, Department of Administrative Services, Port & Harbours.
Our thanks to Tony Pitt, Queensland for producing a CD list of the traitorous sell-offs. Those who would like to purchase copies from him ring for details: (07 4122 1412).

South Australians
Please let Senator Meg Lees know in no uncertain terms WE DO NOT WANT THE REMAINING 50.1% OF TELSTRA SOLD OFF - NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Her postal address is: 322A The Parade, Kensington S.A. 5068 -- a Freecall number is: 1300 301 642 and her Office number is: 08 8331 8111. Other States' actionists to target their own Senators.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR ON TELSTRA

AUSTRALIA WINS THE FTA WOODEN SPOON

Taken from The Land, NSW by John Carter 19/2/2004.

The signing of a Free Trade Agreement with the US was an act of treason against Australians.
Agriculture is only a minor problem in the agreement but the backflip on sugar would have former Deputy Prime Minister, John McEwen, turning in his grave. Ignoring subsidies to US agriculture was a "sell out" of the Cairns group in World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations and we should now be absent from future multilateral trade rounds.
Federal Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, was shafted by his leader.
John Howard phoned George W. Bush, and the joint perpetrators of the worst diplomatic and economic disasters of the past 50 years, played re election politics.
The decision by the National Farmers Federation (NFF) not to totally reject the FTA is also a concern. Its former deputy director, David Trebeck calculated Australia would be worse off even before agriculture was excluded.
As with the GST introduction, the NFF has defended Government against the interests of farmers. The Federal Government is silent about the multinational agreement on investment (MAI) that the US had on the negotiating table.
Mr Howard is seen as the great defender of our borders against small boat refugees who may be Bill Sykes level pickpockets at worst. He has now opened our whole country to the Al Capones of the US.
An FTA with the country with which we have our largest trade deficit can do nothing but accelerate our indebtedness.
I think of the NFF and former Democrat leader, Meg Lees, every time I fill in my business activity statement. The GST was sold as a boost for exports. Since its introduction our Government has presided over a record 24 consecutive months of trade deficits averaging $2 billion a month.
This performance has seen Paul Keating's 1996 "debt cart" of $180 billion blow out to $365 billion and Australia placed in a similar position to Indonesia before the International Monetary Fund (IMF) moved in.

The supposed robust economies of the US (bankrolled by China and on IMF debt warning) and Australia remind me of Alan Bond's reputation before Rowlands turned on the searchlight. Perception is everything until reality arrives.
The great advocates of free trade are going broke while the wise old civilisations of Europe, China and Japan protect their own industries and sell to the free trade ideologues. This FTA is a "play off" for the wooden spoon in the world trade surplus contest. Free trade with a floating exchange rate can't work.
The US dollar is collapsing and our exporters lose more every day that it falls. It is time for change in Canberra. The Murdoch/Bush/Howard partnership must end.
Labor, Meg Lees and the Nationals must stop Mr Howard's terrible FTA "sell out" by blocking its ratification in the Senate.

WAR FOR SOULS IN IRAQ

From Bill Berkowitz - WorkingForChange, 27/2/04:
Last March, in anticipation of a quick U.S. victory, several U.S. Christian evangelical organisations set their sights on delivering band-aids and Bibles to Iraq. Now, more than eleven months later, concerned that the window of opportunity will soon be slammed shut, evangelical groups are hustling about the country. Ironically, while these U.S.-based Christian missionaries are struggling to convert Muslims, the country's Christian community -- numbering less than one million out of a population of 23-25 million and made up of mostly Assyrian Catholics -- is under attack.
Most Iraqi Christians "are Assyrian Catholics, known as Chaldeans, although there are also followers of other Catholic rites, Orthodox believers, and smaller numbers of Protestants" the Boston Globe recently pointed out. (Shi'ite Muslims make up some 60 percent of the country's population.)

In the face of the increasing persecution of Iraqi Christians, conservative U.S. evangelicals have been silent, columnist Glen Chancy pointed out in September of last year. In a piece entitled "Christians in Iraq" (LewRockwell.com) Chancy said that evangelicals have not vigorously protested "the inability/unwillingness of U.S. forces to protect Iraqi Christians... .[and] their cause has not been championed by any of the televangelists."
Evangelicals have not made "Christian persecution in post-Saddam Iraq... a centerpiece article in any of the Evangelical magazines," Chancy added.

"American Christian missionaries have declared a 'war for souls' in Iraq... [and] are pouring into the country, which is 97 per cent Muslim, bearing Arabic Bibles, videos and religious tracts designed to 'save' Muslims from their 'false' religion," the London Telegraph reported in late December. Evangelical groups were organising "in secrecy, and emphasizing their humanitarian aid work."
Leading the evangelical onslaught is the International Mission Board, the missionary arm of the Southern Baptists.

In a December appeal, John Brady, the IMB's head for the Middle East and North Africa, pointed out that "Southern Baptists have prayed for years that Iraq would somehow be opened to the gospel," but he expressed concern that the "open door" for Christians may soon be shut. "Southern Baptists must understand that there is a war for souls under way in Iraq," his bulletin added, listing Islamic leaders and "pseudo-Christian" groups also flooding Iraq as his chief rivals.
"In public," the London Telegraph report noted, "the largest groups put the emphasis on their delivery of food parcels and their medical work. However, their internal fund-raising materials emphasize mission work. One IMB bulletin reported aid workers handing out copies of the New Testament and praying with Muslim recipients. Another bulletin said Iraqis understood 'who was bringing the food . . . it was the Christians from America.'"

On December 9, the IMB announced that it wanted to send more missionaries to Iraq but it lacked financial resources and volunteers to do so, the ASSIST News Service reported….Glen Chancy elaborated on his charges that US evangelicals were not interested in the plight of Iraqi Christians in a mid-January e-mail exchange with TomPaine.com:
While "I am happy anytime anyone is willing to give food, blankets, and medicines to the victims of war....I do have concerns about the presence of Evangelicals in Iraq," Chancy wrote.
"Evangelizing Muslims is difficult work, not the least because convincing a Muslim to change his religion can get missionaries killed....Historically, Evangelical missionaries operating in situations such as Iraq focused on a far safer mission field. That is -- converting Christians to Christianity. No one gets violent if a Roman Catholic Assyrian becomes a Protestant fundamentalist.

If the current situation runs true to historical form (Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt, etc), then the Evangelicals will end up making a fair number of converts among the indigenous Christians, and almost none among the Muslims."

Ironically, as Chancy points out, converting Assyrian Catholics could have a deleterious effect on that community because "Evangelical missionaries sow dissension and form rifts. It is its unity and community spirit that have allowed the Assyrian community to survive in a hostile environment; by making converts among them, Evangelicals make them more vulnerable."
As in his September article, Chancy pointed out that from the beginning "the announcements of relief efforts in Iraq did not focus on Iraqi Christians. Rather, they played up the opportunity to help Muslims. In fact, there is a major dearth of conservative media/Christian media coverage of the plight of Iraqi Christians... .there just aren't many people talking about the Assyrians.

"If the Evangelical power structure truly cared about Assyrians, then they would be busy demanding that the U.S. administration under Paul Bremer do something to protect them, or at least clamor for our withdrawal before we radicalize the place to the point that we get them [Assyrians] all killed."

BASIC FUND