[Clelo]

I am all in favour of a total ban on gambling advertising. Like smoking and alcohol gambling is addictive so why on earth should the betting companies be allowed into our living rooms to perpetrate this sort of toxic activity. Furthermore, once an advt. goes to air there is no control over who sees it, children or adults, not good!!

[Clelo]

Just reading the above, I thought the mention of ‘Medibank’ was a typo, but it is repeated further on in the text. Do you mean ‘Medicare’?? A National Health System is always going to be a huge weight around any government’s neck, so for it to succeed it has to be properly funded and available, in its entirety, for all people. Currently, that is not the case and, to be fair, the whole system is floundering. So the choice is, fund it and see our taxes increase markedly, or revert to the health insurance practice of the early 80s and before. To adopt the latter would probably see us venture down a path akin to that which exists in the USA and I shudder to think what the outcome would be if that happened, especially to the less financially secure amongst us, probably over half of the population. At the very least, we should be able to insure against the ‘gap’. That would mean putting a ceiling on fees and charges for all medical procedures, not leaving it open-ended as it is at the moment.

With Centrelink, I believe we have it all wrong. Why am I penalized for being judicious throughout my working life in creating some financial security for my retirement. I don’t have a lot and need to watch my spending, but I still can’t get a full pension when I have paid taxes all my life, but others, who have not been so earnest about their savings, get it all. I understand that the ‘fat cats’ should not receive a pension, but I believe the ‘bar’ needs to be raised somewhat to ease eligibility for those at the other end of the scale. It annoys the hell out of me when our elected officials seem to be the only ones who get salary increases commensurate with inflation, pretty much annually. We are told an independent body decides the amount they get, but I wonder who directs them!!

[Clelo]

Are these available in Austraalia? I am a lover of hot food so would definitely seek these out for a sample. I have never come across anything which is too hot in Australia, maybe overseas but not here.

[Clelo]

Of course they should, after all it is just another day, really. Furthermore, pubs, restaurants and all shops should be open. I also believe penalty rates should not be paid for working on these days. There is an age old attitude fostered by the Christian lobby that both days should be sacrosanct, however, Australia has become so religiously cosmopolitan that I feel the weight of their voice has diminished in relevance. Currently games are played on Good Friday by a number of top echelon sports but not Christmas Day yet, possibly due to the family focus on that day. With that in mind it is likely it would be reflected through the turnstiles anyway. This raises a far bigger question of just where we are going as a country. Personally, I favour eradicating all penalty rates and raising the hourly rate people are employed for. This would allow employers to open their outlets on ‘public holidays’ and not be penalised by exorbitant hourly rates. It would also stop outlets charging customers a surcharge for their patronage on these days. Agreed, it is not as simple as that and would need quite a bit of tweaking but if we don’t change our tack soon our economic future is likely to become well and truly mired, if not already.

[Clelo]

This is a real quandary, private V public. To put it simply, we should really be prioritizing on what is most important and urgently needed in this current economic climate. Private school funding is way down the list when you put that up against housing, cost of living, cost of utilities, homelessness and the ability to just feed your family. On the other side the private schools are catering for an area across the country of people who don’t wish to have their children publicly educated. If they didn’t opt for this system the public purse would have to support them which would require a huge capital outlay in facilities. So what to do, I think our priority is to support our population with the necessities of life – food, housing and healthcare. The private schools will survive and if they don’t, then that’s money back in the public purse.

[Clelo]

It is a very slow journey to the legalization of Cannabis. I am over 70 and an ex copper so I have been exposed to all sorts of drug abuse over the years. In my estimation the biggest drug problem facing society is methamphetamine followed by the abuse of prescription drugs. Cannabis use is way down the list and is exceeded by alcohol. The two substances that cost this country the most are probably alcohol and to a lesser extent now, nicotine. I cannot understand why the government is letting a revenue boosting industry remain in the cash economy. The only chance of receiving any tax revenue from that is when the funds are spent on other items which attract GST. If it was legalized, like a number of states in the USA, it could be strictly controlled, take it out of the criminal’s hands and boost the country’s coffers immeasurably I also don’t believe legalization would lead to a proliferation of misuse as current trends indicate a migration away from any sort of drug, particularly alcohol and nicotine, in the younger generations. ‘Illegal’ Cannabis use is committed by a huge cross section of society from all walks of life so I suggest the winds of change are gathering strength.

[Clelo]

I cannot believe in this day and age we are letting big companies rule us. What is government doing about it? The problem is that so many of those in government, or their parties as a whole, have been backed by some of these companies and are averse to upsetting the ‘apple cart’ of financial support. Looking at the profits of most of these companies and the enormous salaries of their CEO’s indicates something is not right. MP’s are elected to represent the people and when so many of us are left in the lurch through cancellations without compensation, it would appear these MP’s are siding with the companies and profit instead of those who put them in power. It doesn’t take much to change the rules and put the onus on airlines or provide appropriate financial compensation.

[Clelo]

I can’t believe this cash strapped country has not jumped onto this concept. There are billions of dollars out there waiting to be collected in excise over legalizing Cannabis. We currently have alcohol and tobacco, which are legal practices. I would suggest, whilst Cannabis is hardly a health substance, it is less likely to have the harming effects of the other two, especially the physical addiction side of their use. I also think it is quite wrong to give a person a criminal record over a ‘little bit of pot’ held for personal use. Furthermore, I am 71 and suggest that a large proportion of our population of all ages, including my age and older, have been or are currently habitual users. So why is something that is so widely used still illegal? It beats me!

[Author]

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