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charity begins in joe's kitchen...

charity...

 

The lucky country? Try selfish and deluded, too


November 4, 2013
John WatsonSenior writer

Cutting $4.5b from our foreign aid budget suggests we're happy to live in a world of obscene disparities.



We think of ourselves as a generous people and many Australians are. But it's a form of national psychosis when a rich, secure nation unblinkingly spends more on killing people than helping them.

 

In Afghanistan, our military spending has outweighed development aid by about seven to one. Now, after a deadly 12-year exercise in military hubris, Australia is withdrawing aid along with our troops. The overall aid budget will fall to 0.33 per cent of gross domestic product and the defence budget will rise to 2 per cent, in an increase 10 times as big as the aid cut.


This is an idea of security that erects defensive walls, Fortress Australia, rather than building bridges that defuse the triggers for conflict and hostility - poverty and extreme inequity. Helping others is not pure altruism if we make friends of people who might otherwise be resentful enemies.


So how do super-fortunate people like us get so mean-spirited that we resent our money going into aid? When did ''charity'' get a bad name?


It seems we can live with a world of obscene disparities, as long as we imagine our lives, careers and successes are all our own work. If others struggle, that's their fault, their own mistakes, or lack of skills or work ethic.

We are kidding ourselves.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/the-lucky-country-try-selfish-and-deluded-too-20131103-2wula.html#ixzz2jcKPelNY
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Gus: there are several contradictory dynamics at play here... The Liberals (CONservatives) mostly see governmental aid as a form of socialism. The Liberals (CONservatives) prefer charity (often with undertones of Christian patriotism)— private charities in which donations are tax deductible and glorifiable with restrained chest beating — though the Libs (CONservatives) are mostly a generous lot...

Private charities donations of course never can attain the financial level of governmental aid... And there are a few differences. Private charities often work at micro-levels — helping a few lives, improving the lives of locals, provide education and targeted health services... It all seem straight forward. But there is wastage at some level... For example some of the educated people under these great schemes in some countries will flee to where it's more comfortable to live... Helping some people get "better whatever" can lead to wars and resentment... and "who would live there" when even the educated locals are scampering?

Many larger charities get hand-outs from governments to make progress on the "micro" and larger programs. 

On general aid, some government programs are constructed such that the moneys spent "comes back" in a loop of employment of engineers, doctors, consultants that are from the country of origin of the aid money. Tax concessions provide incentives for professionals to go "and help"...

In the general view of the Liberals (CONservatives) it is better to have private charities such as Pollie Pedal where the charity work of a certain Tony Abbott is financed in the greater part by the public purse, while he is pedalling for political mileage... Eh eh, wink wink, help two budgies with a bicycle...

Look, it would be far better to, say, use a professional painter from Cairns or Coen, to go and help Noel Pearson paint his own house — professionally. But according to the law of political gain, it's more profitable to have a certain Tony Abbott awkwardly (boy! isn't that man awkward!) splash a few daubs of paint in his own time for which he will charge the government for travelling business class and possibly accommodation expenses, to show the extent of his charitability.
In regard to government aid to other countries, there are some points to consider: embezzlement of some of the said money by local authorities, the fact that some of the help supplied like doctors and aid workers would be seen by Liberals (CONservatives) as socialists and abortionists, contrary to the good old missionary outposts of the colonial past... Let's shed a tear to the pioneers of proselytisation... It was only 100 years before them good men that commercial enterprises also encompassed the trade of slavery.

As one would know it is difficult to generalise here about aid and charities, thus some people will see things differently. I know the Liberals (Conservatives) can really open their wallets as soon as one mentions the magic words: "tax deductible", at a piss up dinner. The whole shomozzle will cost half a million bucks to stage and raise $50,000... Everyone has a great time... 

As well one has to consider that for every dollar spent on charity and aid, there are about 10 dollars working against you. It's other ideologies and multinationals creaming the poor. Vulture funds, buying lands, selling armaments, religious extremism and more fuzzy work against the tide of true genuine help. Actually I am wrong: for every charitable dollar there are about $1000 working against you... Imagine India or Pakistan spending their wealth on nuclear weapons... When you cut the aid in the manner of the Liberal (CONservative) government has done, the difference reaches $100,000 that goes against your piddly charitable dollar... 

Some of official aid moneys include weapons as well...

We can only hope that we will be better by being socially equitable and charitable as well — while considering the health of the planet... Never forget the health of the planet, including its natural cycles, otherwise we'll create new poor by the millions and even our charity will never-ever cope against one per cent of the new tide.

 

charities put him there...

 

Australians Protesting State Visit from African Pastor

02 NOVEMBER 2013 

PROGRESSIVE ATHEISTS (Australia) PROTESTING STATE VISIT FROM EVANGELICAL AFRICAN PASTOR

Pastor Enoch Adeboye is an evangelical pastor from Nigeria who promotes the existence of witches and wizards, resulting in the torture and death of young children and others in Nigeria, the wider African continent, and has also spread into Europe.

Adeboye is the leader of one of the fastest-growing Pentecostal churches in Africa, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, with over 6,000 affiliates and chapters around the world, including the US, Europe, and Asia.  He is planning a 'tour through Australia and other southeast Pacific countries to raise money and plant new churches.

Rev. Adeboye is a controversial pastor who uses the Bible to promote the violent persecution of 'witches' and homosexuals, and who has been linked to a number of riots and assaults where people were attacked by his churchmembers.  With the president of Nigeria as one of his congregants, he has been a powerful force to lobby the Nigerian government to ban same-sex marriage and criminalize homosexuality. He is one of the wealthiest pastors in Nigeria due to his ministry, holding a number of homes as well as private jets among his possessions, despite the vast majority of his parishioners living below the poverty level.

Progressive Atheists, an AAI Australian affiliate, is attempting to publicize the controversy of this pastor and petitioning the Australian government to refuse to grant him a visa to travel through Australia.  AAI is encouraging all Australians to sign the petition and contact your federal representatives to support the ban.  You can also join the Facebook group to publicize this campaign.

 

joe should be ashamed in front of his benevolent god...

 

HAVING THE WORLD’S BEST ECONOMY is great news for all Australians.

Well, almost all. Perhaps not for the prime minister, the treasurer or senior ministers.

Government frontbenchers face three awkward realities.

Firstly, they must now admit that most of their assertions about the state of the economy in recent years have been patently false. There is no “budget emergency”. Australia is not “drowning in debt”. And the path to surplusduring the worst downturn since the Great Depression will be uphill.

Secondly, as they inevitably adopt almost identical broad economic policies as the Rudd/Gillard Governments in the months ahead, they will be judgedhypocrites.

And, thirdly, with Australia’s economy leading the world, there is only one direction it can go in global rankings.

According to Joe Hockey before the election, “the cupboard is bare”. He insisted that his plans alone would re-stock the larder.

How will we know if he succeeds? By making time comparisons on twenty key measures.

So what is the actual state of the economy Hockey has inherited?

1. Income

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) measures Australia’s income per person at US$64,157 for 2013. This places Australia fourth among the IMF’s 35 wealthy nations.

2. Wealth

According to last month’s Credit Suisse global wealth report for 2013, Australia’s wealth per adult is US$402,600 — the second highest in the world after Switzerland.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/what-budget-emergency,5866

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Gus: Joe Hockey, like his boss — little shit Abbott — has lied big time to the Australian public before the election... Some of us of course knew that... I hope Joe went to confession and is now very contrite... and humble and give credit where it's due...

Don't worry, I'm not deluded, I'm just watching a few pigs fly pass my window...

 

that's a lot of dollars...

A new assessment of the federal budget warns of a deficit blowout of nearly $10 billion and says there will not be a surplus for the foreseeable future without significant savings measures.

The Budget Monitor from Deloitte Access Economics is supportive of the Federal Government's Commission of Audit to assess extra savings.

But it has raised concerns about whether the Government will take unpopular decisions to improve the budget outcome and return to surplus within the promised 2016/17 timeframe.

The assessment has forecast a budget deficit of $39.7 billion for this financial year, almost $10 billion higher than the Pre-Election Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) predicted.

The PEFO estimated a deficit of $30 billion, but since then the new Coalition Government has scrapped some tax windfalls and handed $9 billion to the Reserve Bank.

Deloitte's Chris Richardson says those decisions have significantly contributed to the size of the deficit.

"That is a cost to the budget, it's all fallen this year. It's a lot of dollars," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-09/new-report-predicts-2410-billion-deficit-blowout/5080820

 

The coalition has been telling fibs, porkies, tall tales, falsehood ... In fact, despite what we may think, Swan had a good measure of the budget, even for this country of conglomerated whingers... Tweaks were going to deliver better stuff but the rich class, the elite class and the business class didn't like having to work a bit harder for a bit less fortune... Now it's plain sailing in lining their pockets while the poor are being ripped off and being thrown back into the mud...

cut cut cut...

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed it has revoked offers made for next year's AusAID graduate program.

The program prepares graduates for a career with AusAID, the government agency responsible for managing Australia's overseas aid program.

One of the Coalition Government's first acts was to merge AusAID with DFAT.

Job cuts had been foreshadowed as a result of the decision.

A DFAT spokeswoman says the circumstances have changed since the time of recruitment earlier this year.

"AusAID was recruiting to manage an $8 billion aid program," she said.

"With the program now reduced to $5 billion, it would not be responsible to proceed with the recruitment of additional staff."

The Government announced a $4.5 billion cut to foreign aid funding in the policy costings earlier this year.

Other factors taken into account were the Government's commitment to cut 12,000 jobs across the public service and the increased efficiency dividend.

The Department will continue to run its graduate program next year for people currently in the program.

It says decisions about future graduate programs will be made in due course.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-09/dfat-confirms-offers-revoked-for-ausaid-program/5081026