Fair taxes go up in smoke…
Am I to be suprised by the following story?
Turnbull Proposes tobacco tax boost
Government considers cigarette tax
So my opiniona my be little bit biased due to the fact that I am a smoker.
My issue though, is less about myself and more with the effect of upping the tobacco tax.
This "idea" is just another example of the Liberal party trying to take money from the poor and sparing the rich, and for some reason Labor is buying it.
Here is quote from the Australian beauro of Statistics in relation to smoking:
Socioeconomic status is known to be strongly associated with many health conditions and health risk factors, and this is particularly true of tobacco smoking. The rate of smoking is much higher in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage.
After adjusting for age differences, 33% of men and 28% of women in the most disadvantaged areas reported being daily smokers, compared to 16% of men and 11% of women in the most advantaged areas...
We all have to make sacrifices right now (apparently) and I am not fully opposed to the tax hike - I am opposed to it's timing.
Is anyone surprised that one of the first major tax hikes are more likely to effect the disadvantaged before putting in legislature to a bit of squeeze on the rich?
Why not have an executive tax? or a CEO tax where any executive or CEO earning more than $120,000 pays a "rich tax" and the money goes into raising the Newstart allowance of those less fortunate (another thing not boosted in the budget)
It's 8:30am on a Sunday, I've been awake two hours and I'm already taking about tax and government... I think it's time for a cigarette...
- db
New RTV update
Six months after it's inception, my RTV has lived up to it's name and has been updated!
In this episode, I discuss a possible solution to the Global Financial Crisis, or at the very least a cathartic way to deal wit h the frustrations it has caused!
This episode was brought to you by your Mother. If you see her, tell her that I'm sorry about running out on her - it's just that I had someone elses mother to do than night. And let her know, I'll fix her up next week.
- db
Abort Retarded Rudd Babies
Alrighty Kids,
Just a couple of things that have been bouncing around my mind.
I came across the following statement (opinion) on a news site and I thought I'd share it here:
Pro Choice my Ass - learn to close your legs & Stop murdering babies!
I would normally laugh at the stupidity of the right in situations like this, but when the thoughts of Pro-Lifer's is put so bluntly, it really makes me weep for the world. The person who wrote this opinion in relation the Obama's pro-choice stance needs to, now I'm going to put this nicely. Die in a fucking fire you backward ass retarded douche.
In this age of apparent information, why are issues that stem from archaic, irrelevant, religious beliefs still being debated?
The same goes for same sex marriage - why on earth in 2009 is this up for debate?
Uh oh, I said retarded. Apprently, that's now a very bad word.
Did you know advocacy groups twenty years ago were fighting for people to say Retarded instead of "Idiot" or "Mongoloid"?
And now that we have begun to use it to describe vegans, polititions and, well, alot of stupid things they want us to stop.
Here is a tip for the people behind the retarded campaign: You are fighting a battle you won't win.
If they would like me to, I'll start calling vegans "mentally handicapped" instead. Then in ten years time you'll turn around and want that phrase back too. Humans will always insult the intellect of the people they don't like by comparing them to the faction of society that has the lowest brainpower. That would be the the part of society that is mentally handicapped. Is it right? Probably not. Will it change? No.
Now. Can everyone please take a look at this man:
He has taken a dive in the opinion polls lately.
Apparently an opinion poll is a tool that is used to gauge the feelings of the public about a certain issue.
I do not care what is in opinion polls because my job is to act in the national interest
Do you know who was the last person who acted in what they thought was the nations best interest and didn't listen to opinion polls?
And look where that got us.
OK so I have noticed that my past couple of updates haven't been particularly "funny". I will try to think of something humorous to write in the next week or so.
It may be because all of my random and uber-witty comments are being made on Twitter.
Be sure to Follow us as Mandy and I update this frequently.
-db
Insert Witty Title Here.
Hey there folks,
I just wanted to throw my hat into the ring re: 2009 Budget (read: The thing we won't hear the end of for at least a week)
I am not an expert by any means when it comes to... well anything really. Actually that isn't true. I fully admit any Opinionation I give on the Economy is unqualified, masturbation however - you can take that as fact.
A post like this is best left to Mandy, she has one of those, smaller yet more number friendly brains.
A multibillion-dollar clean energy program includes up to four Solar Flagship projects that could produce as much energy as coal-fired powered stations.
The nation has - with great speed - travelled to a bleaker, harsher environment.
I had an issue with the Vic State budget a week ago where I tweeted the following:
Isn't crisis meant to bring opportunity? These assholes are standing around sheilding their balls instead of using them...
The tweet was regarding the Governments apparent blindness when it comes to the opportunities that can arise by combining climate change with the failing economy.
By removing our dependence on foreign energy sources we not only secure our future but also can stimulate our economy.
The Government has promised $4.5 billion for the development of clean energy generation and new technologies in a bid to reduce carbon emissions - after the announcement of the delayed introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme. That includes $2.4 billion for low emissions coal technologies and $1.5 billion for solar initiatives.
Fuck Carbon Emissions. This simply isn't good enough.
I don't have the answers. I just know it isn't good enough.
I also tweeted about the following video that seems rather relevant today - the video i tweeted was updated, and here it is:
If you take the point of that video and combine it with the fact the economy built on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy has failed, couldn't we build a new economy based on new energy sources? One that creates new jobs?
Sure it may not work, but we already know that this model doesn't? If total global fucked-upped-ness doesn't happen this time around - I will guarentee that each downturn will get worse and worse until we are swapping our McMansions for Tents and 4WD with bluetooth and Ipod connectors for a horse and buggy.
And I don't think my horse will appreciate me stucking by USB charger up it's ass to charge my battery.
But I suppose if he does, I may have found another use for him.
In closing:
- Fuck your budget
- Rebuilding what has fallen over and over is retarded
- Pray for a gay horse
- db
Talkin’ ‘Bout Mah Generation
I have a confession to make.
It isn’t easy to say especially at this point in time, but I’m going to go do disclose to you what I have avoided saying in so, so long.
I was born in 1985.
To the untrained eye, that statement doesn’t really amount to much.
There are many things that my confession could tell you.
1. I am older than my spelling and grammar let on.
2. I am too old to be starting a podcast OR have videos on Youtube.
3. I would have had a mullet at one point in my life.
And probably the most damning of all:
4. I am a member of Generation Y
I will be the first to admit that Generation Y is the hardest of all generations to accept as worthy of a title. The majority of my generation are lazy, ignorant and above all short sighted.
I was going to do a VLOG where I acted my generation, but half way through writing it I became so annoyed with myself I slammed my head against the desk and called myself a dirty attention whore. It really does “say something” when even pretending to fit the stereotype, I became enraged. I couldn’t even act as stupid as the majority are.
I have found many times in life the double standard that exists in every one of us. It’s all good for Mandy to make fun of short people, but as soon as I do it – I’m the bad guy. I used to tell everyone how stupid my high school was, I told of how mean the teachers were and how ugly the girls were... I was a real prick to my school. I was a prick – until someone who didn’t attend wanted to say something bad about my school – it was then on like donkey kong.
There have been some really mean things said about my generation, especially in these harsh economic times. The criticisms were summed up quite nicely by Neil Mitchell on 3AW a week or so ago. He was saying how it is my generation’s fault that we are in the mess we are in. He went on to explain that we expect to have everything handed to us, we don’t know how to manage money and we don’t care.
I’ll agree that the majority don’t care. But that is because it is soooooo boring. (Hey, I can act like them!)
The rest of the points? ‘Fraid not old man – you are completely wrong on all accounts.
It is true that workers in Generation Y expect to be paid more, promoted quicker and retire younger. It is where they got this attitude that is important. If only a small handful had this viewpoint it would be easily explained away by using the tried and true “asshole argument”. But when it is the vast majority that have this viewpoint it is obvious that something went wrong when they were being brought up by **DING DING DING** the all conquering “Baby Boomers” . Neil, my parents and most of Gen Y’s parents would be one of these creatures. Don’t forget folks, these are the douchebags that ran the whole “greed” thing in the 80’s until it all blew up on them in the early 90’s – they are also the same people who sit in higher management today, the type of high management that poor investments and over capitalisation really caused this mess. And the sub prime mortgage thing? That’s Gen X – so back the fuck off.
The next point – the Money management point? This one really irks me. Yes it is true that GenY spends almost every cent they have, I am guilty of this too. But if the spending of money on useless shit and gadgets caused the issue, than why in the flying nun fuck would that give every taxpayer $900 to blow on useless shit?
This financial crisis was caused by a few things, over spending wasn’t one of them.
It was caused by irresponsible behaviour and greed of the big banks – worldwide – poor legislature by the Government to prevent this (They have seen it before in ’29 and ’92) and Globalization. I am not saying I agree or disagree with Globalization, but lets face it, if every country only invested and cared about there own country then a sub prime mortgage crisis in the USA, wouldn’t effect shit here in AUS.
I really loathe to stand up for my ignorant, stupid and borderline retarded brethren, but if the Baby Boomers want to start playing the blame game, why not look at yourselves? You rejected “the man” and believed in “freedom” in the 60’s and 70’s but sold out in the 80’s, it hiccupped in the early 90’s and instead of addressing the issue you ignored it – and now it’s all fallen down. You have no one to blame but yourself. In the slightly altered words of Marilyn Manson:
“We were raised in this world, and this world has made us what we are. We are your shit, and you should be ashamed of what you have eaten...”
-db