There’s something I just cannot figure, and I wonder if there is anyone in our community (the community of over-60s, or anyone reading this for that matter) who might have the answer. What has me flummoxed is regarding our politicians. Why on earth do they seemingly go out of their way to annoy the people they are supposed to be serving, and who employ them, in every way you could possibly imagine.
Australian politicians spend the majority of their time in Canberra spitefully b****ing at each other when they should be getting on with running the country. This year there has been the ‘mixed-or-dual-nationality problem’ and the ‘mistresses-for-cabinet-member’s debacle’, but I can also recall the ‘let’s-have-a-new-leader drama’, and all designed to stop the supposedly, honourable members from having to do urgent political business. To make matters worse, all these ‘situations’ end up costing we simple country people, billions of dollars — yes, it’s our money they’re using; no government has money of its own, every penny they spend, on anything, is derived from the taxes we pay, taxes that they are supposed to spend wisely and for our benefit.
I feel anyone would have to agree, the politicians are much too free and easy with ‘our’ money, giving billions away to other countries (which often don’t seem to value our munificence), while Australian pensioners and others on welfare are having to go without — it’s my belief that charity should start at home!
The politicians can be downright vicious with each other, when they’re standing in parliament, protected by parliamentary privilege, but put a foreigner in front of them, especially an illegal immigrant or a Muslim, or even gangs of African kids and they wilt like the last flower of summer! I doubt if all the immigrant people put together amount to more than about 5 per cent of Australia’s population, but our ‘scaredypuss’ politicians are so frightened of offending them that they bow down and provide all that these people demand. Meanwhile, of course, while they are avoiding offending the immigrants and the politically correct faction, they are offending, and deeply annoying the other 95 per cent of the population! This seems like planned failure to me, the voters of Australia are becoming very knowledgeable thanks to a 24-hour news cycle and all that social media, and because of it, I can’t help feeling that they are going to be very choosy about who they vote for come the next election.
I am one of those people who believe government is one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding jobs you can have in this day and age, and on that basis they should get generous remuneration, in line with the responsibility (that is if they stop the messing about listed above, and do the job they’re paid for). I feel a lot of people would agree with me on this point, but what does annoy me are the fantastic perks these people have worked for themselves, so that we continually see news headlines including words like, ‘snouts in the trough’ and, ‘greedy self-helpers’; unfortunately terms that aren’t far from the truth. It’s after the politician ceases to be a politician that the real problems arise, like being paid their superannuation as soon as they leave, whatever their age, and continuing to get it, even if they take up another job (usually still under the auspices of government), getting free travel, secretarial assistance, and all manner of other ‘perks’, not available to ‘ordinary’ people. I feel this is wrong, they should be treated just like the rest of us once they leave the political umbrella!
Now I may be completely wrong in what I have written here and if so I apologise, humbly. Yet, it really does seem to me that the system is much too kind to these people, while not offering similar benefits to the rest of us. Change is needed, and quickly too!